The Horror Mythology of Space:1999
John Kenneth Muir writes extensively about cult television and movies at his blog and has had several books published on the subject (including one on the television series he looks at in this post). Following is an excerpt on his recent post about the horror mythology in the 1970’s television series Space: 1999. And you can read the full article at this link.
One important quality that differentiates Space: 1999 (1975-1977) from virtually any other outer space adventure ever created, even after thirty-five years, is its heavy accent on horror. Unlike Star Trek, wherein planets are joined peacefully across the ocean of space as part of a cosmic, political United Nations, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Space: 1999 presents the universe as a realm of incomprehensible and total, abject terror.
Because the heroes of Space: 1999 (1975 -1977) — the 311 astronauts and scientists stationed on Moonbase Alpha — are psychologically and technologically unprepared for their unexpected journey into deepest space (it’s the result of an accident on the moon’s surface…) even the most wonderful or harmless mechanisms of the cosmos appear frightening, foreboding and unknown to these inexperienced, contemporary travelers. It’s a metaphor, perhaps, for the way our cave-men ancestors may have regarded thunder, fire, the sun or the moon — as inexplicable, fearsome elements of existence. (Read the Full Article)