Sandra Benes

Sandra Benes
Space: 1999 character
Zienia Merton as Operative Sandra Benes
First appearance	"Breakaway"
Portrayed by	Zienia Merton
Date of birth	3 May 1973, Brunei, Borneo
Home planet	Earth
Affiliation	Moonbase Alpha
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Rank	Data Analyst
Section	Service

Sandra Benes is a recurring character in the British science-fiction television series Space: 1999. She is of Western European/Burmese origin and is in her late twenties. Her role was played by actress Zienia Merton.

Sandra Benes' assignment on Moonbase Alpha was that of a senior data analyst attached to the Service Section with a post in Main Mission. Often appearing at command conferences, her role was to assemble and summarize relevant data for the senior staff. In several episodes she summarized the findings of scientific surveys of alien planets for Moonbase Commander John Koenig, and Moonbase scientist Professor Victor Bergman. She was also responsible for monitoring telemetry transmitted from the Eagles' on-board computer during survey missions, working in conjunction with Technical Section head David Kano in data assimilation and assessment duties. In Series Two, her responsibilies were seen to include operation of the Moonbase communications system. The fan-produced Moonbase Alpha Technical Journal would state that Sandra's research-engineer father had invented and perfected a communications device capable of transmitting at 'interstellar-strength'. The use of the interstellar frequency on Alpha is mentioned in first series' episodes "Collision Course", "Death's Other Dominion" and "Space Brain".

She was portrayed as a capable young woman, sensitive and somewhat shy. In a crisis or stressful situation, cast, crew and fans refer to the Sandra Benes character as the series' 'emotional barometer'; she was the character seen ear-piercingly screaming and even fainting on various occasions.

Prior to her tour of duty on Moonbase Alpha, Sandra was engaged to be married to Peter Rockwell, a pilot. After the Moon's catastrophic departure from Earth orbit, she was seen in a relationship with an astronaut named Mike Ryan. After his death, she became romantically involved with Main Mission Controller Paul Morrow. Sandra and Morrow were even seen to be married with two children in an alternative future where the Alphans had returned to settle on a devastated Earth. His unexplained death between Series One and Two affected her greatly, as she does not become involved with another Alphan in Series Two and as seen in the featurette Message From Moonbase Alpha.