The great Bernard Cribbins recently gave a wonderful performance as 'Wilf', Catherine Tate's grandfather in 'Dr.Who'. In 1976, he appeared ( sort of ) in another British sci-fi show - 'Space: 1999'.
The Moon is suddenly drawn off course towards a black sun, and Koenig orders mass evacuation. A ship appears on the Command Center screen - it is a Swift, built back on Earth. This one was sent into deep space to explore an unknown world known as 'Planet D'. The pilot sounds overjoyed to make contact with the Alphans. But, when Koenig and Helena venture inside, they find it empty, save for a mobile computer known as 'Brain'. It christens itself 'Brian'.
After a brief trip to Command Center, Brian offers to show Koenig and Helena round the Swift. But once safely aboard, it blasts off, taking the Alphans against their will to the mysterious Planet D...
'Brian' itself is a rather interesting creation, a forerunner to those 'R2D2' clones from late-'70's films such as 'The Black Hole'. It is comical in appearance ( cuboid with a head that looks like a road digger's lamp ), making it all the scarier when it turns evil. Cribbins acts his socks off, both as Brian's voice and its creator, Captain Michael. The 'Planet D' explorers died because Brian did not inform them the atmosphere was poisonous. It has gone insane and only needs the Alphans to supply it with whatever it uses for fuel.
To defeat Brian, Maya impersonates the late Captain Michael. The robot is taken in. She has never heard Michael speak, so how does she know what he sounded like? Its my guess she must have assumed the dead man programmed the robot to sound exactly like himself. It is an annoying plot detail that ought to have been addressed.
Jack Ronder, who also penned episodes of Terry Nation's 'Survivors' ( I'm referring to the original, not that travesty with Julie Graham ), wrote this, and while not a great episode, its fun. The 'love test' Koenig and Helena are submitted to provides some genuine suspense.
Directed by Kevin Connor, responsible for those Doug McClure monster movies joked about in 'Red Dwarf'.
The Moon is suddenly drawn off course towards a black sun, and Koenig orders mass evacuation. A ship appears on the Command Center screen - it is a Swift, built back on Earth. This one was sent into deep space to explore an unknown world known as 'Planet D'. The pilot sounds overjoyed to make contact with the Alphans. But, when Koenig and Helena venture inside, they find it empty, save for a mobile computer known as 'Brain'. It christens itself 'Brian'.
After a brief trip to Command Center, Brian offers to show Koenig and Helena round the Swift. But once safely aboard, it blasts off, taking the Alphans against their will to the mysterious Planet D...
'Brian' itself is a rather interesting creation, a forerunner to those 'R2D2' clones from late-'70's films such as 'The Black Hole'. It is comical in appearance ( cuboid with a head that looks like a road digger's lamp ), making it all the scarier when it turns evil. Cribbins acts his socks off, both as Brian's voice and its creator, Captain Michael. The 'Planet D' explorers died because Brian did not inform them the atmosphere was poisonous. It has gone insane and only needs the Alphans to supply it with whatever it uses for fuel.
To defeat Brian, Maya impersonates the late Captain Michael. The robot is taken in. She has never heard Michael speak, so how does she know what he sounded like? Its my guess she must have assumed the dead man programmed the robot to sound exactly like himself. It is an annoying plot detail that ought to have been addressed.
Jack Ronder, who also penned episodes of Terry Nation's 'Survivors' ( I'm referring to the original, not that travesty with Julie Graham ), wrote this, and while not a great episode, its fun. The 'love test' Koenig and Helena are submitted to provides some genuine suspense.
Directed by Kevin Connor, responsible for those Doug McClure monster movies joked about in 'Red Dwarf'.