Cool News
SPACE 2099!!
“Space:1999” is being upgraded to “Space: 2099”!
ITV Studios America and HDFilms are looking to remake one of the most profoundly stupid sci-fi concepts of the 1970s, transforming the brainchild of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson into a 21st century TV series.
It’s about a space explosion that makes the moon travel so fast it can enter different solar systems, but slow enough that the moonbase colonists can hang out with intergalactic species.
Andy Howell, explain how this happens!
ITV is teaming with HDFilms honcho Jace Hall, who also handled the effects for ABC’s aborted reboot of “V.”
Find Deadline’s exclusive on the matter here.
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The moon .... WHAT?
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the problem is that the concept of Space 1999 was ridiculous from the start.
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I'm okay with that.
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Feb 09, 2012 6:45:14 PM CST
What a Studpid idea to remake Studpid sci-fi shows from the Studpid 70's
by swivile bobble fizz fizz
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Back when I was young enough to think that could actually happen. Then I saw it 10-15 years ago as weekend filler and .... oh come on! I was especially crushed when I saw the strings.
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As opposed to the abomination that came out a few years ago. Or Captain Scarlet. Or Stingray. Heck, Joe 90 could be awesome if you maintained the psychedelic 60s vibe.
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they will have to suspend what we know as real science to pull off the moon traveling through space, covering light years on a weekly basis, finding enough energy to accelerate and decelerate something with the mass of our moon, neglect the gravitational effects on the planets it passes, and replace Martin Landau and Barbra Bain.
I do have to admit there was a lot of thought put into the usability of the Eagle space craft with the interchangeable modules. Hope they keep that aspect of the show intact.
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Say what you will about the crazy concept of the Moon thrown out of orbit, this series ROCKED!!! It was scary, original and I love it.
With all the current Moon conspiracy theories they could do wonders with the new series (which means they'll probably fuck it up) -
They will claim copyright of 2099 from back in the 90s Spider-Man 2099 , Doom 2099 etc
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They turned it into a poor man's Robert Rodriguez kids movie. Imagine the Fireflash rescue on the big screen, how awesome would that have been?
Captain Scarlet could also be cool though the Mysterons being rings of light might be a hard sell. I know there was a reboot of that series with cgi characters a few years back, never watched it so I don't know if it was any good. Come to think of it, you don't even have to show the Mysterons. Just have Captain Black as their proxy.
I grew up on Supermarionation, never really watched Space 1999 if I'm honest. Not one of Anderson's best works but he had so much good stuff that he was allowed something less than stellar every now and then. -
Feb 09, 2012 6:53:45 PM CST
So when we reach the year 2099 will Marvel sue calender makers as well?
by vadakinx
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I'd rather see them redo the old UFO series. That show I greatly preferred way back then.
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Why not go with Blake's 7?
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You have a profound love of old-school "Doctor Who", but THIS was a stupid show?!? I'll go with you that the core idea was kind of stupid -- something I'd hope would get fixed with a remake -- but the storylines were comparable to "Who" at the time, not to mention the stellar FX work and production design (lest we forget, everybody who worked on this went on to work on the FX and modelwork for a couple of tiny independent films called ALIEN and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK) that completely kicked Who's ass.
All that said, this probably won't be as successful of a remake as the show "Space: 1999" was originally intended to be the second season of: "U.F.O." They'd have to keep the swingin' Sixties aesthetic and the purple-haired chicks, though. -
Feb 09, 2012 7:09:40 PM CST
But the design of the EAGLES was SUPER! So realistic...modular and cross-functional. If NASA had a brain left, it would look at their design.
by planetran_fan
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Loved it as a little kid, but then I got the season 1 DVDs a few years ago and realized that a lot of almost every episode is...people...sitting around...talking. "My Dinner with Commander Koenig.". It's actually a pretty damn boring show.
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For the Gods' sake, do NOT try to sell this to NBC, CBS, ABC or FOX. They'll destroy it with poor advertising, stupid scheduling and mismanage the whole thing into oblivion.
While I don't trust SyFy worth a crap after the butt-f*cking they gave Caprica, I still think Space:2099 would have a better place there. Why? Because it's, you know, an actual science fiction series, and not WWE wrestling or a "reality" show.
And I hope they'd pay respect to or least offer some homages to the original. One can't deny that the show had great FX for its time, and as corny and blatantly 70's as it may have been from time to time, it still had some engaging stories and characters. Well, not in the second season, because that was just frakkin' AWFUL.
Oh, by the way, I wonder if this will upset the people over at this website:
www.space2099.org -
Actually, that's exactly what I did about six months ago, since the missus (who's five years younger than I am) is a huge "Who" past/present fanatic and had never even seen it, so I figured I'd educate her on "other" British sci-fi series. It's not exactly an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, and if you think about the whole "moon goes flying off to the other side of the universe" thing, it gets distracting, but for its time, it had a lot of amazing attributes. I was actually braced for it to be retroactively lousy and was pleasantly surprised.
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Cant suck any more.
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Groovy title music too.
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and Richard Benjamin. Lens flare. OpleaseOpleaseOpleaseOplease....
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Space 1999 looks stupid as hell :(
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Feb 09, 2012 8:07:04 PM CST
just what we need , another shit sci fi show , with the lame effects guy from V.....
by blackflowerx
Like zaphodbeeblerox says , it would be sooo much cooler to see a remake of "UFO", that was like a less surreal sci fi version of "The Prisoner".
What happened to the Blakes 7 reboot?....That could be amazing. -
loved the original series (year one anyways)...sure the pacing is slow now, but back then, everything was slower - ever watch deliverance or taxi driver lately?
My fear is that they try to "hollywood" it up, instead of relying on the strength of its stories, which were often great.
I agree, fantastic title music, and you can see BSG taking inspiration from it for their own title sequence.
hope they don't screw it up... -
I hope they don't use the lame effects guy from V; please do some quality model work; blast moon out of orbit via some random hyperspace shit; keep dark shadows/X-Files Season One vibe - 50% horror and 50% sci-if - have a Kick Ass Victor Bergman ......
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Ah, I knew there was a place on the internet where so many people were wrong. Space: 1999 is one of the best Sci-Fi shows ever and if you think its effects are bad then you don't know effects. If you think the stories are bad then go watch the nice happy endings of Star Trek. If you thought the science was bad then you didn't understand the concept of science and the mysteries of the unknown. To each their own I guess. It sounds cool if you just bash every idea that comes out.
Not sure if this remake will be any good but it looks promising. I hope it can stand on its own and people at least give it a chance before just complaining because it is a remake. -
That comic sucked. And ruined the past two Spider games.
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Feb 09, 2012 8:45:27 PM CST
Perhaps they will do a hollowed out asteroid base that gets blown out of the solar system?
by ingeld
Space 1999, original series. The episode with the graveyard of space ships and the space spider that materialized in the ship to eat the crew--scared the hell out of me as a kid.
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Feb 09, 2012 8:50:35 PM CST
I loved Space 1999 when I was a kid. Had the toys and everything.
by neonfrisbee
Yes, of course the premise is ludicrous. So is the concept of faster-than-light travel, so, go ahead and include Star Trek and Star Wars on your list of impossible / stupid. Or, just accept it as a fun idea with some questionable science.
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The decision to do the Thunderbirds live action film as a kids' movie still baffles me. It should have been done as a straight-up action adventure with a real sense of danger and risk to the rescues. At least part of the story should have been about the origin of International Rescue. It's always been implied that the tragedy that killed Tracy's wife is the catalyst for creating the incredible rescue technology and vehicles. That could have been a great story and great way to start of a franchise. Like Batman except with altruism instead of revenge as a motivation.
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Sorry you cunts. I'm looking forward to this and I hope its as stupid as it was in the seventies. Profoundly so. The Eagle Transporter remains one of the classiest rides in all of scifi next to that little number that can do warp 9 and that hot rod that can do the Kessel Run. Bring it on!
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... would be a simple fix for the bad science of distances traveled each week between solar systems.
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It was frickin' sweet! One sold on ebay for $150 the other week, I think. Ah, sweet memories of youth! I barely remember the show at all, though. Except for Martin Landau and the blonde chick with the bowl-cut? I did not remember the premise for the show at all, which indeed sounds pretty fucking studpid now. Hopefully they'll change it to something better...
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Feb 09, 2012 9:19:22 PM CST
If Nuclear Pile is on the Dark Side of the Moon, Wouldnt that blow the Moon into Earth?
by dyslexic_palindrome
Im sure Im not the first one to think that. Still, I think that would make a much better story.
Further, whomever said they wanted to see more Space: Above and Beyond.... Im right with you.
Wildcards. Hooorah !!!! -
The Great Space Coaster! Get on board!
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If I was a show creator looking to revive an old property, this sounds like a pretty good bet. Kinda like My Mother the Car. Its somethin people remember as being universally bad, but whatever, there's a really cool stupid idea behind it (or is that 'My Mother the Car' I'm thinkin of), and it actually has a teeny bit of name recognition.
Then; if you make an even remotely engaging story out of it, playing fast and loose with the original concept, people are impressed. Its an open world of creativity if people are willing to follow through.
Count me in until I see something to turn me off. But it will suck. -
Nothing more to add
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You know, the metamorph. She was hot.
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It is.
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Feb 09, 2012 10:04:13 PM CST
Dude, I was totally hot for the space-weregirl too! I totally forgot her name, reportabuse!
by neonfrisbee
Thanks for the reminder!
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Feb 09, 2012 10:05:28 PM CST
It will be like Space: 1999 . . . but different, not "studpid."
by kabong
Moon can get blasted through a space warp.
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Herc, Space:1999 is still, to this day, one of my favorite sci-fi tv shows.
Don't like it, fine...have a different opinion, ok...but spare me the insults....unless you're ready for some yourself, prick. -
Feb 09, 2012 10:32:53 PM CST
Will it have BSG shaky cams and tribal drumming, cause that tribal drumming is what made BSG!
by stereotypical evil archer
Watch Portlandia for proof. Otherwise, never watch Portlandia, its for hipsters.
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I mean, watching the original was like brushing your teeth with a chainsaw. How much worse could this thing be?
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http://www. youtube .com/watch?v=Ooo1m9A4S4Y
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"V" is cancelled? I loved the chicks on that show. Damn you ABC!
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and the hand of God will guide the moon on its merry voyage. First of all I hope it is on cable TV and I hope they make really dark scary! If they do that it will be successful. They can't make a Space: 1999 remake all cheerful and optimistic like Star Trek. It has to be weird and creepy!
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Feb 09, 2012 11:42:27 PM CST
...Jace Hall, who recently executive produced ABC’s reboot of another sci-fi franchise, the 1980s mini-series V...
by breotan
Yea, cause that worked out so well.
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I had happy memories of this as a kid. Got the season one Blu....talk about boring! Landau is a leaden, uninspiring "hero"
I realized that no matter what flashy show ITV threw at Doctor Who, they all failed because although they had the money, they didn't have a Jon Pertwee or a Tom Baker! -
Feb 09, 2012 11:56:11 PM CST
I hope they address what would happen to the Earth if the moon disappeared
by nativegaijin
Things would get very bad very quickly, like a Roland Emmerich disaster movie. Not only would the tides and weather patterns be seriously affected, Earth's rotational speed and stability would also get messed up. Fun times.
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The Lost Saucer and Far Out Space Nuts.
You want it. You know you do. -
Which is odd, given that I grew up on stuff like this. Doctor Who, Blake's Seven, Star Trek, Quark, Twilight Zone, The Invaders, The Prisoner, The Outer Limits, Quatermass, Day of the Triffids, Battlestar Galactica & the awful Galactica 1980, Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, Kolchak, Moonbase 3, Salvage 1, Buck Rogers, the old Flash Gordon serials that they used to broadcast, Night Gallery, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Doomwatch, Survivors, Greatest American Hero, V, Monkey, The Tripods...all the way through to the likes of Alien Nation, Treasure Island in Space, Max Headroom, The Highwayman and so on at the other end of the 80's.
Even shows like Time Tunnel, Thunderbirds, Lost in Space, Ark II, The Man From Atlantis, and Land of the Giants, which I never much liked back in the day, I still saw plenty of over the years.
But Somehow, though I've always been aware of it, Space:1999 just passed me over, and I've barely even seen clips of the show. Same with UFO. Wonder if I should finally track them down and give them a watch, hmmm...
Oh, and Space Above & Beyond was superb, once you got past the rather dodgy pilot episode. One of those short lived 90's shows, much like American Gothic, the UK's Ultraviolet, that deserved a far longer life than it got. -
Feb 10, 2012 2:21:34 AM CST
Weird — I had an idea for a (rather massive) reboot of this years ago, but did nothing with it due to lack of fan interest. Good luck ITV!
by justmyluck
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Feb 10, 2012 2:48:17 AM CST
Series 1: sci fi plots, series 2: monsters (from the south western counties)
by keith maniac
Purchased Space: 1999 on dvd a while back, some good, some bad, some WTF, but all nostalgia. This was pre Star Wars, that said they spent some serious dosh on that show, it all looks a bit funky now, but at the time i was five and it was all about the aesthetics.
In series 2, when the monster of the week (played by Dave Prowse) has been hoodwinked into going into a room with unfeasibly large door (in which to trap him). Tony Verdeschi slings a heavy cannister at him, as tries to get out, to slow him down, the monster, which upto that point, had been silent, lets out a distinct, but clear (if you crank up the volume) "gaaaaawd" revealing that he hails from the Bristol area and not some glowing cloud. -
It's impossibly funky. If they don't keep it, I'm not going to bother with it.
I would prefer if it were done as a remake of UFO though.
Still, Gerry Anderson...the guy had a hell of an imagination. If he had been from the USA, it all would have been put straight on the big screen as live action, and Anderson would have gone down as a great name in movie history.
Stegman, I think Ultraviolet was only ever meant to be one 6 episode season. Which is a pity. Still, it brought Idris Elba to prominence. -
I don't know if the premise will hold up, but I do remember back on September 13th, 1999 I did look up at the moon and wondered if it was going to be knocked out of orbit lol. The Eagle remains one of the coolest spaceship designs ever, imo. I seem to remember that the moon being shot out of orbit, and it's trajectory, that there was an implication that this was deliberate on the part of some alien intelligence.
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make it happen.
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All these Sci-Fi estimates are too optimistic e.g. 2001, 2010, Blade Runner's replicants in 2019, AI robots in T2 in 1997.
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@justmyluck, I also had an idea for a reboot of Space: 1999, but I'm not a professional writer so it would have been ignored if I tried to hawk it around :-D
There was a (semi) reasonable explanation for the moon's movement, consequences to the Earth, a continuing and worthy set of antagonists. I loved my little idea!
I really think this show can be done IF they take it seriously as they did with BSG. Plus, as long as they keep the design of the Eagle's as close to the original as possible. That was a good looking spacecraft! -
Gets my vote!
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I loved Space 1999 as a kid and the theme tune still kicks funky arse!
As for U.F.O? There's a movie in the pipeline apparently:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1443799/
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I Just want U.F.O. to get out of Development Hell and onto the screen Big or small!!!
Space 2099 was always a terrible premise but was an ok show for the time... -
meant Space 1999!
Space 2099 will probably be the same... -
But Uncle Newt is building us a space base!
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But politically unpalatable in today's world - as it glorifies terrorists!
Infiltrating government installations and blowing them up... can't see that becoming mainstream fare on USA TV. They like Star Trek i.e. from the military/government's POV.
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They are committed to a live action U.F.O. movie. Too, Anderson has signed a contract for a new CGI THUNDERBIRDS series.
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Almost as silly as SPACE: 1999. Here are these guys (and gal) who are in possession of the most powerful ship in known space. Yet, if so much as a shuttle is coming their way, their response is to RUN AWAY! Well, except for the episode where an alien fleet is coming. A fleet they have NO HOPE of being able to defeat. So what do they do? Frontal attack! Dumb, dumb. dumb.
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I vividly recall Dr. Isaac Asimov's scathing review of this thing where he points out the maximum acceleration survivable by humans, multiplies it by the duration of the blast as stated in the episode and then worked out that the moon would still be headed out of the Sol system by the end of the first season. In other words, SPACE: 1999 - a science fiction series written by people with no concept of what science actually is.
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Widely credited as wrecking Star Trek when he came on board to produce its third season, and for doing the same with Space: 1999 when he stepped into its second.
The concept for Space: 1999 was, of course, utterly ludicrous, but it was a fun show nonetheless with a great atmosphere and some excellent conceptual designs. If they can sort out the science, I'm definitely on board. -
Artificial gravity, faster-than-light travel, teleportation, robots with feelings, sound in space, light sabers... none of the science makes any sense.
If Space 1999 fails, so does about 99% of other sci-fi. -
Blake's 7 reboot or big screen:
5 human and 2 computer freedom fighters or resistance members, fighting to restore democracy to the corrupt Terran Federation Government, which is a secular totalitarian state -
...that we have nothing to fear from the Nazis on the dark side of the moon, or is their invasion of Earth still on schedule?
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Feb 10, 2012 7:01:04 AM CST
I love how people from the 60s and 70s had such HIGH expectations for the year 2000
by ricarleite4
I mean, how would all those space stations and spaceships be economically feasiable? It's like if I predict that by 2030 we're all be living in Venus and flying our own space rockets. Will it happen by then? Of fucking course not!
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Feb 10, 2012 7:01:15 AM CST
"...one of the most profoundly stupid sci-fi concepts of the 1970s". Really? Have you actually seen any sci fi???
by hanyoyo
The list of stupid ideas in science fiction is endless. I'm not out to pick holes in the genre (as there's plenty I've enjoyed) but it's generally founded on stupid ideas.
Personally I find the idea of falling into a black hole and out other side far more ridiculous. Then again, maybe 'restarting' the sun with explosives is worse. What about sci-fi's plans for diverting comets? Or how about the fact gravity can be found everywhere these stories are told... in the middle of astroids, on small space ships. Speaking of gravity, how many shows and films have put two planets way too close to each other? What about faster than light travel; in ships the size of large buildings, without any distruption to those inside.
If you find yourself examining the ideas in science fiction then it's time you gave up on the genre and went back to watching whatever else entertains you. If a particular idea is beyond your suspension of disbelief, fine, move on, shut up and go watch something else instead!
Pathetic excuse for an article (hope the advertising covers the cost of writing such drivel). -
No reason it couldn't be a great KIDS tv series again. Forget making it for adults. I want my kids to discover it fresh, adapted to 21st century standards (though both my girls really love the originals).
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I agree with grendel... the "Eagles" were one of the coolest space ship designs of all time. I must have built a dozen of the models in various states of damage.
But wow, what sticks in my mind are the absurd stories and plot twists, like having a "Security Chief" appear out of nowhere in the second season (Helllloooo, Galaxy Quest!), and a "possessed" Barbara Bain pretending to interface with a computer at high speed by rattling her fingers on a keyboard.
A friend who lived in another part of the country and I would try to talk about the episodes after they ran, but it turned out that no two indie stations ran the same episodes.
What a rush... back to the junk skiffy of the early 70s. -
Given that we went from the Wright Brothers to Landing on the Moon in 60-odd years, I guess it was reasonable to simply extrapolate the trend forward.
Who could have thought that not only would manned space travel suddenly flatline, but actually regress i.e. no man has left low orbit since 1972, and now the USA can't even put a man in space anymore.
Concorde had cancelled, so dreams of supersonic passenger travel have stalled.
After experiencing 150 years of steady improvements in transport technology from horse & sail to steam to electricity and internal combustion engine to flight to jets, an entire generation (40 years!) has seen no advance at all.
With traffic jams and increased airport security, it's arguable that A-to-B speeds have actually decreased in the 21st century.
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Feb 10, 2012 7:25:53 AM CST
we have had a different kind of tech revolution in the time since though
by johnboy40
Personal tech. Laptops, PC's, wireless telephony, mobiles, smartphones, wifi. pocket devices with higher levels of processing power than NASA used in 1969.
Yep, we have stalled in terms of what we do off planet, partly due to expense. but we have had an explosion of what we do on planet, in tech terms. -
Feb 10, 2012 7:28:01 AM CST
Yep, the human race now spends 90% of its time staring at glowing rectangles.
by rtambree
Where's my jetpack?
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Feb 10, 2012 7:32:03 AM CST
The Eagles were the most realistic of sci-fi ships, but Blakes 7's Liberator was the most elegant
by rtambree
Funny how both come from 1970s British TV on shoestring budgets
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"...its all dark." *smokes pot*
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Just an FYI- Love it or hate it, the concept is actually not terrible. As it states on their website now, this will be a sequel. The moon was ripped form Earth's orbit and goes through a wormhole (one of many in the series, hence why it travels between civilizations, but that was then...), after the events of the original series, this version follows the idea of the Alphans finding a habitable planet and they colonize it, abandoning the moon. 30 years later, they have a viable civilization, but the moon is returning and the gravitational pull will tear apart the planet, so they have to go back to the long abandoned moonbase Alpha and hop on the bus again. OK, so not the best of ideas, but not the worst I've heard either, and if they can do it well, it may be fun...I recall lots of folks thinking the BSG reboot would be terrible, especially with a female Starbuck, and look how that turned out. Probably will suck, but I'll judge it when I can watch it.
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Wang! Wang! wangWang!!
I can still see the opening credits.
There were pretty massive problems with 1999; an overabundance of Tasha Yars
(Kanno, the computer dude that never knew anything. The Eurasian chick who would just get upset. Paul Morrow, the supposed number two that was just a maustache on a stick...)
Some seriously poor stories, almost all based on lets-live-there-its's-beautiful-ohno-its-evil-run-away.
And yes - Martin Landau was wooden. And Barbara Bain was wooden. And that monkey-face guy was wooden. I guess Anderson was trying to recreate his supermarionation in the flesh.
But the Eagles, Alpha and mmmmmehhhh... Most of the set design, I did like. You Could do 1999 again, but there's no Need for it to be a moon - a ship would do as well.
....But then, it's a generic spacer with a name. -
Feb 10, 2012 9:20:27 AM CST
I'm sure you've watched or liked some profoundly stupid stuff Herc.
by darthvadersbadside
...and liked it. The idea on writing a news article as opposed to say, reviewing a movie, is to try and be impartial. Putting your two cents at the beginning of the article makes you look amateurish at best. Space 1999 was pretty cool for it's time. "Dragons Domain" is probably one of the most frightening episodes I've ever watched. It still gives me the creeps today.
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Feb 10, 2012 9:30:27 AM CST
This article is proof positive of herd mentality. The Lede item calls Space 1999 stupid, and the followers dutifully respond
by tallandagwood
It is almost comical - if a bit tragic that some are so easily influenced.
As a few others have said, if you examined the real world applicability of all Science Fiction concepts - most of our cherished movies and TV shows would come up wanting.
That is not to say that Space 1999 - or its ilk, should be immune from disparagement, it had some mighty big howlers, that even as a child I noticed. But unless you stick to the hard science fiction and skip all speculative works, you really can not call it stupid. -
If the series lives up to the intro, I'll have to check it out.
And if the new series is of the same vibe, I'll be into it, though I hope they find a way to make it believable. Believability robbed a lot of my enjoyment out of the new Star Trek movie. -
Feb 10, 2012 9:54:10 AM CST
Space: 1999 was on opposite all the saturday morning cartoons
by wrath_of_fett
That's what fucked it up. The pacing was too slow and the acting too deadpan for kids.
I would watch the intro with the fucking AWESOME disco/classical music, then flip over to Superfriends. I just couldn't get through an episode because my attention span wasn't there.
I rediscovered Space: 1999 as an adult and liked it for the most part.
The main problem with the show was that it was British. Those people just think dialogue alone is fucking fascinating so yeah, LOTS of sitting around talking. And nobody ever fucking laughed or had a good time. That's why Star Trek owned its ass. -
If Jace Hall is in charge, what has he said or done to prove he won't fuck it up like he did with V? If they want to pull a BSG, they should have simply given Ron Moore whatever dollar amount he wanted.
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...was no more lame than any other 70's show, and better than most. It's it odd and far-fecthed? Yup, but so are the premises of Awake, Touch, Once Upon A Time, etc. I recently watched the first season of the original, and I honestly think the show could be brilliant, like a slightly different take on Star Trek. Well, Star Trek on crack, but in a Revenge-ish type way.
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Just awesome. I cant wait to see the moon farting its way out of orbit in glorious CG
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There's a generation of kids out there that got fucked up by that one.
That's probably the least boring of the episodes I watched.
But there's still a lot of blah-blah-blah.
And the ending to it is just silly.
I'm not saying this can't be done...I loved it as a kid, watched faithfully, had a lunchbox and a couple of the die-cast Eagles...just that it hasn't really aged well. -
Feb 10, 2012 10:27:51 AM CST
I hope the remake reuses the key line from the first episode of the original -
by doctortom
*We're sitting on the biggest bomb mankind ever made!*
Many people watching the show agreed with the statement. -
Feb 10, 2012 10:33:49 AM CST
MARTY LANDAU IS MORE THAN PREPARED TO PISS AND SHIT ON ALL OF YOU FAGGOTS! SUMTHIN PROPA-LIKE! FO REEELZ, HOLMES. SUCK IT!
by azultool
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My greatest fear about this is that they decide that the concept of the moon being blasted out of Earth's orbit is just too implausible, and they decide to replace it with a spaceship. There's even a great big spaceship ("Asimov") in the poster. Then what do we get? Lost In Space 2099. Voyager 2099. Stargate Universe 2099. Ugh. But I'm trying to stay optimistic. At least it's obvious that the new crew knows that the Eagle is the most important part of the show!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nox6XjsS7Bs
Surprised no one mentioned that, yet. -
... which is why I always thought they should just continue the show and ignore the premise. It's years later, we have Koenig and Russell's daughter and Tony and Maya's son co-running Moonbase Alpha. They've made parts of the moon habitable and have fallen into the orbit of another earth-like world with the home species tolerant of their presence. But when that world gets destroyed during a war with another species the show continues on. Maybe they've made the moon into their own little world ship, knowing that flight may be necessary. Hey.... we've seen worse.
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Feb 10, 2012 11:02:26 AM CST
Herc, mildly put, you realize no one agrees with your opinions.
by grammaton cleric binks
SPACE:1999 is a classic. The effects are dated, but what a hell of a concept this was. The acting was great. I've been hoping for this for a while.
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Feb 10, 2012 11:03:03 AM CST
v'shael, I saw that a while back. It's good stuff.
by grammaton cleric binks
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Feb 10, 2012 11:04:42 AM CST
Christian Bale would make a great Commander Koenig.
by grammaton cleric binks
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But for completely different reasons.
Stop doing re-makes.
Try something new. -
Feb 10, 2012 11:58:05 AM CST
grammaton cleric binks - you're actually wrong in this case, there are people agreeing with Herc's opinions
by doctortom
It had a dopey premise, and was routinely slammed in reviews. In fact, I remember Galaxy magazine mocking it by having a cartoon labelled Space: 1492 showing the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria on the moon. It had two word balloons - the first one was a crewman saying *Columbus, I theenk I smell electromagnetic radiation*, and Columbus replying *Caramba! Then we must-a be sitting on the biggest bomb-a mankind ever made!* (At the time, seeing the picture, it was funny.)
They knew they had some problems with the thing, since for the second season they brought in Fred Freiberger to be a producer, since he obviously did so well with the 3rd season of Star Trek (end sarcasm mode). His big decision was to make all the glowing blue energy creature into glowing green energy creatures for the second season (or vice versa). Oh, and throw in a female shape shifter so they can get more bums in the seats. Let's not worry about script quality. -
(Begin Geekery)
What if:
The Moonbase Alpha of the future was an industrial / research facility that was tasked with testing all of the theoretical physics and so forth that were considered too dangerous to test on earth.
They are testing a new type of gravimetric engine / power plant that would, in theory supply energy to half the world through the creation of gravimetric fields? However, when they test the new engine it goes out of control and creates an immense gravity toroid / wormhole which sucks the moon right in? In essence it distorts the field of gravity around an object and shoots it through the nullspace in the toroid.
(if you read the GIANT'S TRILOGY by James P. Hogan - he goes into the physics of it).
Point being: they have an engine that is far more powerful than they ever imagined that can transport them across the universe - but they have no control. they aren't under "acceleration", they literally fold space around them.
But this is a lot of narrative pipe to lay down in a tv series. Best to just make it a cool effect that demonstrates the power plant powering up and the moon warping itself out of sight.
(End Geekery) -
as long as the gravitational stresses wreck the moon and Earth. But then it wouldn't be a series, just a Saturday night movie on Syfy.
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A far better show than that overatted nonsense that is 1999. UFO had better stories, cooler vehicles and not to mention one of the best intros in Sci Fi television.
UFO not only predated X-Files, but most of the series' concepts and gadgets are actually happening today.
Only thing cool about Space 1999 was the shape shifting chick, Maya (?) other than that, booooorrrrriiiinnng. -
Feb 10, 2012 12:56:03 PM CST
choppah, I would dread to know what's in that noggin of yours.
by stalkeye
Hattie Mcdaniel?!?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slYW7kkHyI4
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Showed for a moment in one episode and I had a trading card with a squadron of 3 on it. Those were the shit!
As for a sci-fi-plausible 2099 reboot: instead of a nuclear pile, there is a worm hole experiment which is why the base is there to begin with. It goes wonky, interstellar antics ensue. Yea, SGU, I know, but it's the frikkin moon! -
except in this case Crichton takes the whole moon with him.
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is no sillier than Bethseda (Elder Scrolls maker) suing Minecraft creator for use of "Scroll" in a game title. Apparently people can own words now.
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Best example: the purple-haired girls on the moonbase crew (which was originally supposed to be Moonbase Alpha, BTW).
Why did duty on the moon require purple hair?
Because, that's why!
There were some interestingly dark ideas at work in UFO--secret war with aliens being waged by the government, aliens harvesting human organs--and as you mentioned, its influence on The X-Files is obvious.
But--I'll put this kindly--internal logic was not exactly the show's strong suit. -
It's as if a million astrophysicists suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced
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cheesy does not begin to describe the original series, and it will only work if the silliness is well-represented ... they might do best to make it a surreal comedy ... the new version of Maya could change into a Weta bug instead of a bee
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But what the hell, I was just a kid when I seen it. I have no idea if this would be a good show now or not.
I literally havent seen it in decades so I would need to rewatch some shows again to make up my own mind. But I liked it back then well enough.
I dont remember seeing UFO back then so I cant make a judgement on that show. -
What the heck, right?
Actors shooting a 70's scifi series are transported to an alternate universe where their show is real.
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Feb 10, 2012 2:20:50 PM CST
i am_notreal You can blame the Purple Wigs on Sylvia Anderson.
by stalkeye
I guess it served as some futuristic aestetic look. I prefer seeing Nina Barry and Lt. Gail Ellis without them but that was Gerry's call.
Most of the plots were handled well and far more adult oriented than say, 1999.
Ever saw Question of Priorities, The Square Triangle (especially that fucked up ending during the credits.) or The Long Sleep? The defense rests.
Plenty Silly? hellz no. -
Feb 10, 2012 2:21:53 PM CST
This has "cancelled mid-way through season two" written all over it.
by chickenstu
You know this to be true.
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I can't bare to think that she did. However, it's more feasable to speculate Merryl Streep (as previously mentioned.) using her Backdoor as an entrance.
She ain't called "The Iron Lady" for nuttin. -
what a bold original twist!
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The Eagle, well, look totally real. If humans put a base on the moon something like the eagle with its interchangeable parts and functional design would be very close to what is used to fly around the moon and to earth orbit.
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not to a kid
but it would be a better idea to remake ufo...
this time with even hotter women with even better asses -
That is all.
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boy, you said it.
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Feb 10, 2012 5:08:20 PM CST
I watched the UFO trailer.Now i understand where they got their idea for the X-COM videogames.
by killik
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I believe there was a season 2 episode where there was communication with Earth, by then it's the distant future and they do relate all the problems that were caused by Luna's abrupt departure. I remember thinking at the time "Well, no point in going back now, is there?"
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Look up SPACE: 2261. It's a delightful fan made clip using the SPACE: 1999 theme and opening format, but using BABYLON 5 footage. What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time and show this to 1999 fans back when, if only just to see them get brain cramps trying to take this in.
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UFO was awesome
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well as a ten year old it freaked me out for a saturday morning kids show
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If Spiderman can get rebooted with a 5-year gap before the reboot, well, Thunderbirds can definitely get rebooted while completely ignoring that 2004 effort.
With the conflicts in the world turning from convention army-driven battles to global terrorism, an International Rescue group like what's in this show seems even more appropriate. Heck, watching some of the old shows with their epic plot subjects just gives you goosebumps when considering a modern re-telling with today's visual effects & sound quality. (who can watch "City Of Fire" and not have the 9/11 disaster come to mind?)
It would be a complete work of fiction of course, since nothing like it really exists, but it would give audiences hope that something like that could exist.
I imagined that the 2004 movie would portray adults going about their jobs - like a family of firefighters - with some family dramas thrown in for good measure, but for the most part it is about high action, saving people from disasters and showing a whole bunch of high-tech machinery and techniques. Aimed at grown-ups and children alike, just as much as "Armageddon" was. Combine "Armageddon" with "Towering Inferno," "Airport 77" and "Backdraft" and that would do it. (as we all know it was a dumbed-down kid's movie and a pretty bad one)
I wouldn't waste too much effort on this Space 2099 idea. Even if it does get made (which isn't certain yet), it will be about as relevant in the history of television sci-fi as Terra Nova.
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There is a larger copy of the poster on the official website. The name of the Spaceship is Asimov! And there is a second poster. It looks like they are going with the generic Spaceship Lost in Space storyline. So No Moon!
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Jace Hall worked on/created games like FEAR, Condemned and Blood at Monolith that he co-founded, which are all awesome games
From what I understand, even though he was an EP on V and the guy who did re-imagine it, once the show was up and running there was little influence after that and the powers to be took the show in a different direction.
If any of you ever watch The Jace Hall Show, you will see that Jace is more of a nerd/creative type than you know. Go to youtube and look up the "I Play Wow" video, or the "Mortal Kombat Rap" music video...
Just some info from an AICN old-timer. Should prob say something about THE IRON GIANT too just to keep my track record perfect. -
Too often movies/shows are remade when it's completely unnecessary. A realistic portrayal of life on the moon (with some fun sci-fi elements) could be pretty cool.
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seemed pretty good but even granting the initial premise, it was a stupid show overall.
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if instead of having the moon get blown out of orbit, why not have an asteroid base that passes through a wormhole into a densely populated part of the galaxy.
they could spend the series looking for a way home, meet passing aliens, and have crisis after crisis caused by a mop headed preteen or a surly teen - wait, that last one assumes speilberg is involved. -
For the time, they were outstanding. Still are impressive. The acting and the writing however...not so much, but I still love it, dumb as it is.
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Just have the space station get lost...Never quite understood how an entire moon could hurtle off into space, yet slow down enough for space ships to fly off and return and visit other planets.
The only problem with the original series was the characters had no room to breathe or a sense of humor. Unlike Kirk, Spock and McCoy who would reveal themselves in hotly debates; Koenig, Helena and bald English dude, nary a word without moving the plot, which was moved very, very slowly.
Great production design, and music. -
Feb 11, 2012 2:17:18 AM CST
There was some other '70s sf show whose name I forget ...
by reportabuse
About a humungous spacecraft which contained various dome-like compartments (sort of like Silent Running) each with a separate environment and culture which had been floating through space for generations ... every episode had a different sort of culture clash going on, and some of the inhabitants did not believe that they were on a spacecraft or that they had a destination. Damned if I can't think of the title. The show didn't last long.
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Well it is so STUPID that George Lucas used that shows first season TV Special effects as the CAHLLENGE for those model boys to make it better . . and you can SEE the influence of the Star Wars ship designs clearly used from the SPACE 1999 designs. The First Season of SPACE 1999, was FRAKIN AWESOME! It was deep, philosophical, and WAY ahead of it's time, except for the bell bottom pants .. OH WAIT They came back in the fucking 90's . . .
I concur with many people herer Herc, who say fine, go ahead, do nto like this show, it is NOT for everyone, but to call it out right Stupid, is CLEARLY ignorant of the shows impact and SAD SAD decline in it;s second season. It had so much promise, and it was all thrown away.
SO as for SPACE 2099, I say BRING IT! And the ship design upgrades look FUCKING AWESOME while keeping the original flare.
DOn't forget, it was a SPACE 1999 EAGLE that shot all the STAR TREK Episodes onto that plaent to creat the gaseous ultimate trekkie, and get rid of the Star Trek Cult from Earth in FUTURAMA. -
It was a bit before my time as with most of Gerry Anderson's shows, but that fucking series was also ahead of it's time.
What's weird is for a children's show, it was damn violent. You would see ppl get killed, burned,etc only to be replaced by Aliens known as the mysterons.
ROLL EM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Qy_-__W5E -
You guys forget Star Trek NG and DS9 techno gobbledygook. Warp drive isn't based on a newtonian reaction. Only impulse and thrusters. Warp drive creates a field that displaces space so that the Enterprise to normal space frame of reference accelerates faster than the speed of light which can't be done with rocket thrusters.
It wouldn't be that much of a stretch (borg cube, sphere whatever) to have had drilled the moon with a structure and place warp field generators at equidistant locations around the moon then set off an encompassing warp field vectored in one direction to "move" the moon.
Other sci-fi ideas of moving whole planets; an example the Puppeteers moving their whole solar system in the Ringworld and Known space series by Larry Niven. -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SauJnxxn1M
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...it weren't an explosion on the moon but some alien destruction of Earth, and the moonbase can only watch as Earth turns to dust. Then more aliens show up to claim the space. Prime real estate for setting up some new planet. Don't send the moon hurtling out into space, and somehow across the galaxy. Bring the mountain to Mo, man.
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Feb 11, 2012 9:35:25 AM CST
I'd actually like to see Battle of the Planets come back
by toughguyrizzo
There was a really nice mid-90's Gatchaman Japanamation movie released to VHS, but if they went with that route they could have a pretty good movie or series.
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Feb 11, 2012 9:57:33 AM CST
re: There was some other '70s sf show whose name I forget ...
by crazyyog
You are thinking of The Starlost. It was a really cheap Canadian sci-fi show that stared Keir "Open the podbay door HAL" Dullea.
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That was STARLOST
It was terrible. Shot on video tape no less so now it looks like a vintage daytime soap opera. -
If they would just do it as five young heroes on the move.
Leave out the one kids odd verbal ticks. -
it was the lack of humor between the characters, the very British, talk, talk, and nothing happened plots. Yet, it had its own charm and is still watchable today.
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...nothing can top the realistic SCIENCE!! that was depicted in the Star Gate TV show.
Thankfully, that one didn't last past one season... -
Because the V reboot went over so well they're giving this one a shot.
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Bring back Johnny Sokko and his Giant Flying Robot. Just don't give it to Michael Fucking Bay. Or Brett Fucking Ratner.
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I'd rather see a Space: 1889 TV series. That had a much more interesting concept.
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this is a dumb idea.....they should just create something by themselves instead of milking
Gerry Andersons' property. -
Sure it's fantasy but looking at it from the Earth's point of view - if the moon left it's orbit - Earth is dead. The moon affects so many cycles on Earth it's scary (or divine). Remove the moon, everything on Earth dies.
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Feb 11, 2012 2:41:42 PM CST
tangcameo - I'd go with your idea with a slight modification
by doctortom
although I'd give some money to Douglas Adams so that the Earth could have been destroyed in order to make an Intergalactic Bypass. The moon just found itself stuck on the intergalactic bypass and keeps ending up at different locations every week.
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Never thought I'd see the day ... but I have a feeling the remake will suck if they mess too much with what made the show memorable, much in the way THE PRISONER remake failed. If Americans are making it, that is another worry, as it was Americans (see one "Fred Frieburger", the Star Trek killer) that killed Space: 1999 in the first place with that awful "revamped" Year 2 of the program...
My advice??... 1). Don't mess around too much with the Eagle. It's a beauty that has stood the test of time. Many a fan will not be too keen on an Eagle that has been too reworked. 2). Stay true to form overall with the back-lit white-panel design of the sets, with minimal use of color. Simply make some of the rooms a whole lot grander though CG, halls a lot longer and complex, update the computers and composts a bit, but don't stray too far from the original design. Stay true-to-form as possible. Otherwise, fans will piss on it. 3). "Main Mission" needs to be big and bold, much like the Season 1 set, but with some major improvements. 4). Uniforms need to be based more on the Season 1 designs, only better. Season 2 uniforms really sucked!! 5). Music needs to be more in line with Barry Gray and John Williams, rather than Derek Wadsworth, who did an awful job on Season 2. 6). Make sure to hire plenty of Brits with accents to give the show a similar feel to the original. 7). The opening theme is a touchy subject. It needs to be big and bold like Season 1 of the original. Change it too much, and it may not fly. Tread carefully here. 8). Ignore Maya and everything else that came out of the crapfest known as "Year 2" of the series. That is all... -
Let me change #6 to read... 6). Make sure to hire plenty of people with accents to give the show a similar feel to the original ...Australian for Alan Carter, possibly British for Victor, etc.
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One more thing... The I loved the futuristic lettering/numbering font used in Season 1 (on the composts, above the doors, etc.). I recall hating the change to a more generic font in Season 2. To this day, I still don't know why they changed it ~ Freddie probably felt us Americans were too stupid and needed to have a dumbed-down, plain-looking font. I hope I'm not insulted again by the font used in the remake!
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Up yours.
Space: 1999 was wicked in its first season. The second season was weak, thanks to budget cuts and crazier stories, but that first season was pretty cool.
I realize the science was questionable, but the coolness of the concept was not diminished in my opinion.
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home of the hardcore alpha fanboys.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze18d-3g3aI
TITLE IT AS THUNDERBIRDS 3086. -
Where the head comes off the body, sprouts legs and starts scampering off? And they guy looks at it and says 'You gotta fucking kidding'?
That's how I feel right now. -
stargate?
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I seem to be in the minority. I would love to see an updated S1999 (or at least the ships from it). But why oh why are they doing this show instead of it's more stylish and cool predecessor. UFO? Now that is a wonderfully dark and covert show that you can do some neat things with today.
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We don't even have the capability of getting ourselves to the Moon, and haven't in a little under 40 years, yet they expect us to believe we'll have a warp/FTL capable ship by 2099??? Maybe if it involves finding and reverse-engineering poorly understood alien tech. Maybe. Otherwise? Forget it.
And they may think calling it the Asimov is a tribute, but given how he hated the show, he's probably spinning in his grave. -
Anderson has confirmed he's signed a contract to bring back THUNDERBIRDS as a CGI tv series.
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... I'm thinkin' the Moon is accused of a murder it didn't commit and as it careens aimlessly through space, it looks for the REAL murderer while it's pursued by a police detective or investigative journalist or... something.
Ok, 100 out of 10 points for my originality... Right, right?
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Feb 12, 2012 7:13:32 AM CST
When I was a kid I remember being really impressed with the model and VFX work, although it always did just feel "strange" ...
by unfaithfullyyours
Although, I think even my five year old mind had a hard time understanding why they never ran out of Eagles. -
It will run for six seasons, and in the end it will turn out that they were DEAD the whole fucking time! OMG, how shocking! Man o Man....
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...or... A feeble John Koenig played by Martin Landau will land a classic Eagle from the original series on the launchpad and say, "Where am I?"... Fade to black...
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dredwardmorbius
What you are describing is Eric Bernard's fan project: see http://www.space2099.com/legacy
Eric's original concept was to use CGI and judicious editing to update the original series and relabel it as "Space:2099". The "Legacy" project is a sequel to this.
The series everybody is discussing here is a professional production. Details are at: http://www.space2099theseries.com/ -
It gave me anxiety that they would be hurtling through space randomly like that. I knew it was stupid and an attempt at a concept but even I could tell that was a complete non-starter.
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Feb 13, 2012 6:36:54 PM CST
How about a show based on the Moon with those ships, etc. BUT:
by bob cryptonight
DO NOT BLOW THE MOON OUT OF EARTH'S ORBIT!! That is so fucking idiotic!!!!
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Granted it's sci-fi, but still. Seriously, who the hell pays people in Hollywood to come up with this shit?
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It was an interesting concept.
As for Space: 1999, I loved the Eagle transporters. Very cool indeed. I seem to remember wanting one of their sidearms too.
BTW, to whomever asked, the Captain Scarlet CGI version was very good and featured some stunning vehicle designs. -
For once this isn't Hokeywood's fault. 1999 was a British production.
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As Dr Asimov rightly put it, 1999, the show with "laser guns which looked like industrial staple guns which fired energy bolts instead of staples." Never could take them seriously after that. Now the first season laser pistols in LOST IN SPACE - they looked like what one would expect from space guns.
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"Space:1999" really never got the respect it deserved. One of the most frequent complaints about the stories was that the episodes usually ended on a vague, open-ended note. What about "The X-Files"? They were the champs of leaving dangling plot threads & open-ended stories without resolution. Then, there was the 1978 "Battlestar Galactica". That was a LOT dumber than "Space:1999" but the re-make was fantastic. It is do-able & I can't wait...
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