Space: 1999 - The Complete Series
After getting everyone who fondly remembered Space: 1999 to shell out handsomely for a dozen two-DVD sets containing three episodes per disc, A&E Home Video did something sure to endear themselves to consumers everywhere: they put out the entire set as one all-inclusive box set with a bonus disc that offered possibly the best extras of the entire collection.
I didn’t go and buy the set just to find out what the features were; I borrowed the bonus disc from someone who had waited until the whole thing was out there as a single purchase (he, obviously, was much wiser than I). And indeed, the bonuses are the best of the bunch, including real live commentaries over three first season episodes, and a fan-made mini-episode (albeit one written by Johnny Byrne, one of the show’s best and most prolific writers) that caps off the series and leaves room for just about any kind of sequel/continuation that anyone might want to pick up with later.
Somewhat surprisingly, Sylvia Anderson (ex-wife of Gerry Anderson and executive producer/co-creator of the series) provides a commentary for Testament Of Arkadia, an installment I always felt was almost impossibly overrated (or maybe I’m just missing the heart of the whole series and I’m just not seeing what the diehard Space: 1999 devotees are seeing). Really, it’s a commentary for the whole series, only touching very briefly on Arkadia (explaining the preponderance of Italian actors in the series, including the episode’s two primary guest stars) and focusing more on the origins of the series, Martin Landau’s reportedly colossal ego (and Sylvia’s wish that they had cast Robert Culp instead), and numerous stories from behind the scenes of both Hollywood and the UK film/TV industry. It’s very interesting stuff, actually. It doesn’t give me enough information about Arkadia to make me appreciate it any better, but…there ya go.
The episode Death’s Other Dominion has an unusual commentary, as it doesn’t feature anyone who was involved with the production of the show, but does feature fan consultant Scott Michael Bosco talking about Space: 1999’s influence on him and other fans, and even other shows. He speaks authoritatively enough for a fan commentator, though at times his enthusiasm may put that into question; still, I’m sure he believes sincerely that Space: 1999 is superior to the original Star Trek (and its progeny), and he states his case well. Far more interesting is his lengthy discussion of Space: 1999 as a religious science fiction show. I can’t say I completely agree with every point of his assessment, but even for a fan commentary, I found his presentation far more worthwhile and interesting than, say, the “Ooh, I liked that bit!” fan commentaries on some of the later Red Dwarf DVDs.
Writer Johnny Byrne and script editor Chris Penfold close things out with an interesting commentary for Dragon’s Domain, and while it focuses more on the episode it accompanies, this commentary too spreads out to cover other elements of the series. The two storytellers speak very highly of Martin Landau and the rest of the cast, so it provides an interesting contrast to Sylvia Anderson’s perspective.
Now, is any of this worth buying the whole kit and kaboodle again? Only if you’re a lunar loonie. This sort of thing is emblematic of why I hold off on new DVD releases of everything short of Doctor Who these days: it’s going to be repackaged, probably within a year, with more, better, bigger features. I appreciate the features, sure, but there’s got to be a tipping point, sooner or later, where everyone says “enough is enough” and sends that message straight to the pocketbooks of the companies that put this stuff out there. If you haven’t already bought Space: 1999 on DVD, count yourself lucky and pick up the whole box set if you’re so inclined. If you did what I did and got the two-disc sets as they came out…well, I guess you got suckered too, didn’t you?
Nice enough features, but slimy marketing.
(Reviews of the actual episode DVDs can be found elsewhere in our DVD review section.)