Catacombs of the Moon
| "Catacombs of the Moon" | |
|---|---|
| Space: 1999 episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Robert Lynn |
| Written by | Anthony Terpiloff |
| Original air date | 25 November 1976 |
"Catacombs of the Moon" is the eleventh episode of the second series of Space: 1999 (and the thirty-fifth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Robert Lynn. The original title was "The Catacombs of the Moon". The final shooting script is dated 18 May 1976, with amendments dated 26 May, 9 June, 14 June and 17 June 1976. Live-action filming took place Monday 21 June 1976 through Tuesday 6 July 1976. Production was halted for two days (starting 2 July) when the fire effects used in the Osgood vision sequences got out of hand and the fire brigade had to be called in.
It is 1196 days after leaving Earth orbit, and geologist Patrick Osgood leads a mining team through the network of caves beneath the Alpha complex. Their mission is to find tiranium, the rare mineral which is an essential component of the Moonbase life-support system. Osgood orders an excessive amount of explosive charges deployed around a particular rock formation to hasten the operation. When his team disagrees with this dangerous short-cut, Osgood storms off to do it himself. The tiranium search has personal meaning for the angry geologist—the mineral also has medical applications and is needed to complete an artificial heart for his dying wife, Michelle.
There is a malfunction; the hyper-nitro charges detonate prematurely and Osgood is caught in the blast. Semi-conscious, he drifts into the latest in a series of recurring nightmare-visions he has been having—where Moonbase Alpha is destroyed by a raging fire. The visions begin with the same image...Michelle Osgood, lying helpless in a canopy bed out on the lunar surface. As her husband watches, blazing energy rains down from space and the surrounding Alpha buildings burst into flame. The bed is rapidly encircled by a wall of fire. Unable to move, the frantic Osgood shouts for her to rise and save herself. She struggles, but is too weak. Michelle and the bed are then consumed by the inferno...
When Osgood recovers from this altered state, he is told by his team that there is still no sign of tiranium present. Disgusted with this latest failure, he proceeds to the Medical Centre, where Michelle is confined to bed. The geologist barges in, demanding a private visit with his wife. Always a religious man, he has become a fanatic since Michelle's diagnosis of refractory heart disease. He recounts to her his visions of all Alpha perishing in flame. She will be saved along with him...but only if she has complete and utter faith in him.
...
Wikipedia