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“The Testament of Arkadia” |
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The wandering moon comes to a dead halt near a lifeless planet which holds the secret of the origins of life on Earth. Reviving the planet is not an option, but two possessed Alphans are intent on trying anyway, at all costs. Writer: Johnny Byrne Director: David Tomblin Guest Cast Orso Maria Guerrini as Luke Ferro
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When I was growing up on Space: 1999, this was my favorite episode, and one of the highlights of my life was being able to discuss this episode with its author, Johnny Byrne, at MainMission:2000. While I don’t buy into it as much as some people do, I’ve never ruled out the possibility of extraterrestrial intervention in the evolution of the human race. The introduction of alien DNA into the gene pool could have caused the evolutionary leap from Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon. All of this is rubbish to Johnny, though, as he is a self-described “genetically coded Catholic.” Well, so am I, but this is still a cool story. The only problem with it is the means undertaken by Luke Ferro and Anna Davis to carry out their mission, which is a less-than-honorable start for a potential new civilization. But the Mysterious Unknown Force is at work here, and we’re not supposed to understand what it’s doing. Because this was the final production of the first season, they didn’t have a lot to work with. Still, they came up with an excellent episode, cutting corners where they could, but keeping the quality consistent with the rest of Year One. The planet surface is reused from “Another Time, Another Place” and one scene is even repeated from that episode, but continuity is excellent so that the recycled footage isn’t even noticed. About the only thing that could have enhanced this episode, though it may have been a little beyond their resources at the time, would have been to see shots of the eagle passing over the ruins of Arkadian cities, reinforcing the fact that a great civilization once flourished here. This is another episode that makes good use of music to build the story. In the scene where Luke and Anna meet the Arkadians and receive their mission, an angelic chorus sings a joyous hymn that gives the scene a strong emotional element, while a quiet chamber piece underscores Koenig’s narration as he recounts the adventure in his journal, reminiscent of Helena’s narration in “Dragon’s Domain.” |
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RELATED PAGES: [Ken Scott] [Martin Willey] |
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Alpha Chronicle Online ©2001 by Matt Butts. Space: 1999 ©1975 Carlton
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