Helena Russell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I used to watch [[Space: 1999]] as a child and it inspired some of my earliest sci-fi fantasies. At about 6 years old, I crushed on Barbara Bain, and even wrote her a letter, the response of which, lip stick and all, was probably ghost-written by my mom. A few years later, around 8th Grade, I wore a Moon Base Alpha patch on my jacket, and got much ridiculed for it.
This year we finally found it on Netflix (or more accurately, www.TV.com). I’m subjecting my wife to watching it with me, now over halfway through the first of two seasons.
I don’t remember most of the episodes, or was too young to really get it. But today, it’s a bit dated, right down to “computer” printing out ticker-tape reports. We even wonder what would happen if they ran out of markers and other office supplies in the deep of space. Yep, it’s a lot more “fi” than “sci”, but I love the ships and the touch of nostalgia it brings.
Every time I see the control room, I remember building a model of it, feeling like it’s an all too familiar place I’ve visited, albeit in plastic and miniature. Now I just have to find a jacket I can put the patch on and see if I’ll be picked on or confronted with inquisitive fandom.
