“Death’s Other Dominion”

On the frozen planet Ultima Thule, the Alphans encounter the survivors of a long-lost Earth mission stranded there for over 800 years in a world where death does not exist. Writer: Anthony Terpiloff & Elizabeth Barrows Director: Charles Crichton Guest Cast Brian Blessed as Cabot Rowland John Shrapnel as Jack Tanner

Oh, boy, an ice planet. Wouldn’t that make a great home? The thing is, on Ultima Thule, people live forever. Okay, so you can’t have kids there either, but hey, isn’t immortality worth it? Space: 1999 never seemed to think so, as also explored in “End of Eternity” and “The Infernal Machine.” Then of course, the longevity offered by Ultima Thule does have one drawback, something not even the time-warped Earth people who’ve lived there for 800 years know yet. Leave it to Koenig and his Alphan crew to discover the downside of living forever on Ultima Thule. Jack Shrapnel’s performance of Jack Tanner, a fellow given to switching between genius and madness, is remarkable. Brian Blessed’s presence also adds a strong, hearty dimension to the Thulians. He would later appear in the Year Two episode “The Metamorph” as Mentor, the father of Maya. Like any good episode of Space: 1999, this is a story that gives the enlightened viewer a lot to think about, and despite a less-than-memorable performance by Barbara Bain as Helena Russell trapped in a blizzard, it’s one of Year One’s finer moments.

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Alpha Chronicle Online ©2001 by Matt Butts. Space: 1999 ©1975 Carlton International Media, an ITC Production created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson