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List of Space: 1999 books and other media
During the original 1975–1977 run of Space: 1999, the science-fiction series generated a number of media tie-ins, including novelisations, original novels, comic books and audio dramas. Due to the series' ongoing cult following, new tie-ins continue to be released to this day. Some critics credit Space: 1999 with bridging the gap between Star Trek and Star Wars.[1] Books
1970s novels and novelisationsIn the mid-1970s, a number of books were published by both American (Pocket Books) and British (Futura) publishers, consisting primarily of novelisations of Space: 1999 episodes. These releases, mainly paperback, were supplemented by 16-page photo sections (Year One and Two in the United States, Year Two only in the United Kingdom), which comprised black-and-white stills from the episodes. Original novels, without photo section, also formed a part of the series. Many of the books were also translated for release in overseas markets, such as Germany, Turkey and Japan. English-language releasesYear One
Nots"Earthbound" was the only Year One episode not included in this series of novelisations. Year Two
Notes"The Taybor" is the only Year Two episode not included in this series of novelisations. As Butterworth adapted his novelisations primarily from early drafts of Year Two scripts, many of the character names and personalities are different. Foreign-language releasesSpace: 1999 novels and novelisations were also written in other languages for specific markets, mainly Germany and Italy, where the series was highly popular. In Italy, adaptations of all 24 Year One episodes and eight of the Year Two episodes were published in oversized hardback volumes. These books typically contained two episodes and nearly 100 colour photos each. Like the Michael Butterworth English-language editions, many of these books were adapted from early drafts of scripts, and events and details sometimes differ significantly from the episodes later aired. In Germany, the Butterworth Year Two novels were translated into German, with one significant difference. The ending of "The Edge of the Infinite" was altered in order to set up events that would be continued in six original follow-on novels. The first two novels in the series were translated and published in Japan by Mikasa Shobo.
The final novel, Der Stahlplanet is notable in that it concludes the Space: 1999 odyssey by having the Alphans teleport to Texas City, Earth via the neutrino transmission process introduced in "Journey to Where". 2000s novels and novelisationsIn 2002, Fanderson published a new edition of the novel Earthfall which corrected the typographic errors of the original publication and, with the permission of the author, separated the novel into its three component sections: Part One, "Breakaway" (set in September 1999); Part Two, "Colony Alpha" (January 2000); and Part Three, "Earthfall" (October 2018). Fanderson went on to publish a new original novel, Earthbound, written by E. C. Tubb, in 2003. This book contained an adaptation of "Earthbound", the one episode which was not included in the original novelisation run, as well as adaptations of two scripts of Year Two stories which retained the Year One format in which the scripts had originally been written: "The Exiles" and "The Face of Eden" (or "The Immunity Syndrome"). Also in 2002, Eagle One Media published a new edition of the novel Alien Seed with a new preface by Tubb. The same year, Powys Media launched a new series of officially licensed original novels and related works of non-fiction, and revised and expanded omnibus editions of previously issued novelisations for Year Two. All books are English-language releases, available directly from the companies' websites. Fanderson releases
Eagle One Media releases
Powys Media releases
Powys Media commentaries
Non-fiction releasesThe Making of Space: 1999In 1976, Ballantine Books published a paperback behind-the-scenes guide, The Making of Space: 1999, by Tim Heald. It focuses mainly on the early months of production of Year Two. The episode guide for that season is incomplete, since the book was published while Year Two was still airing. It features an extensive photo section with more than 50 black-and-white photos. The Moonbase Alpha Technical NotebookIn 1977, Starlog magazine published The Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook.[2] It provides detailed blueprints of Moonbase Alpha, along with illustrations and information on various incarnations of props and costumes. It was intended to be updated on a regular basis, but this idea was abandoned due to low sales. Starlog had released the blueprints of the Eagle Transporter in its seventh issue (dated August 1977) as a possible preview of The Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook, which was first advertised in the ninth issue. Starlog also released blueprints of the Mark IX Hawk in issue 32 (March 1980), but these were not intended as an update to The Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook. Cosmos 1999: L'épopée de la blancheurBy Pierre Fageolle, a socio-cultural analysis of the series, in French. (DLM Editions, Paris: 1993) UFO & Space: 1999By Chris Drake, overview and episode summaries. (Boxtree, London: 1994) Exploring Space: 1999In 1997, McFarland & Company released a non-fiction, scholarly monograph of Space: 1999 by John Kenneth Muir, titled Exploring Space: 1999: an Episode Guide and Complete History of the Mid-1970s Science Fiction Television Series. It was re-released in paperback by McFarland in April 2005. Destination: Moonbase AlphaIn 2010, Telos Publishing released the most comprehensive non-fiction book published on the subject of Space: 1999. Written by Robert E. Wood and titled Destination: Moonbase Alpha: the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Space: 1999, the book runs to 490 pages and contains a colour photo section featuring model spaceships created for Space: 1999 by special effects technician Martin Bower, as well as a foreword by Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes) and an afterword by Barry Morse (Professor Victor Bergman). Cosmos 1999: Le fabulaire de l'espaceDidier Liardet's analysis and commentary, in French (Edition Yris, September 2014) Maya: 1999 - Ovvero: I rovesci della seconda stagioneAgamennone Palinsesti's analysis and commentary on the second season of Space: 1999, in Italian (Sfacelo chimico, 2019) To Everything That Might Have Been: The Lost Universe Of Space: 1999Robert E. Wood and David Hirsch present previously unpublished scripts and other material (Telos Publishing, March 2022) Space: 1999 - The VaultCoffee table book by Chris Bentley (Signum books, July 2022) ComicsIn the 1970s, U.S. publisher Charlton Comics released seven issues of a comic based on Space: 1999, as well as eight issues of a black-and-white illustrated magazine featuring more adult-oriented stories. Well-known illustrators on the comics included John Byrne (later a well-known creator for DC and Marvel Comics), Joe Staton and Pat Boyette. In Germany, publisher Koralle Verlag produced 18 adaptations of Year One episodes as part of their Zack colour comic anthologies, one adaptation and four original stories in their Zack Parade line, as well as two full-length graphic novel original adventures in their Zack Box imprint. Many of the episodic adaptations were later translated and reprinted in Italy. In the UK, a two-page comic strip appeared in Look-In children's magazine from autumn 1975 to spring 1977. Writer Angus Allan had previously contributed to a number of other Gerry Anderson-based strips in the 1960s for TV Century 21 comic. John M. Burns illustrated the first three stories, to be succeeded by Mike Noble when the strip would convert to black-and-white in early 1976. In the autumn of 1976, the strip adopted the Year Two format, with Burns returning for a brief coda story that November. Some of these strips were reprinted in black-and-white as complete compilations in the Portuguese TV Junior comic. In 2013, a rebooted and new graphic novel appeared, entitled Aftershock and Awe. In this context, the events of Space 1999 occur in an alternate history. In this timeline, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was not assassinated, and the space race continued apace. In 1987, a Third World War breaks out between the United States and North Korea, causing widespread devastation, but limited harm. (International expenditure on the space race had diminished the intensity of that nuclear arms race.) Ronald Reagan and Kim Jong-Il are forced to resign their presidential offices after the catastrophe. On September 13, 1999, the Moon is blown out of Earth orbit by a nuclear accident and enters a space warp. The series was expected carry on the narrative into a comics version of a third season. s of 2019 the only other publication in this was To Everything That Was, an omnibus featuring remastered comic strips from the Charlton and Look-In series.[3] Audio dramasIn the 1970s, Power Records produced seven child-oriented audio dramas based on Space: 1999, most adapting Year One episodes; this differed from most other Power Records properties licensed from TV series that relied on original stories. "Breakaway", "Death's Other Dominion" and "Mission of the Darians" were released on a single 33 rpm LP, while a second album contains "End of Eternity" and "Dragon's Domain" accompanied by the two original adventures "Return to the Beginning" (in which, after the Moon passes through a violent space storm, the Alphans discover that they have returned to Earth; arriving on the surface, however, Koenig and Company find themselves in Biblical times; they encounter Noah and witness the Flood) and "It Played So Softly on the Ear" (in which a strange tune leads the Alphans to a habitable planet, where solar flares have placed the population in suspended animation; two remaining conscious scientists, who can reverse the process with blood transfusions, abduct the Alphans to serve as donors). In addition, Power Records published individual comic "book-and-record" editions of "Breakaway" and "Return to the Beginning" with 45 rpm vinyl records enclosed.[4] Powys Media releases
Big Finish Audio DramasIn 2019, Big Finish Productions received the license to create new full-cast audio dramas re-imagining the series, with Mark Bonnar as Commander Koenig and Maria Teresa Creasey as Dr. Russell. The series is written by Nicholas Briggs, and script edited by Jamie Anderson.
See alsoReferences
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