Memory can be a funny thing sometimes, you see something, smell some sort of perfume or hear and song and it can trigger all sorts or memories or impressions of the past.
As a child I was a big fan of science fiction and really nothing has changed but shows that I watched in the mid to late 70s seem to hold a special place in my heart as do movies from around the same time, I have very distinct memories of watching Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Logan's Run, The Man from Atlantis, Planet of the Apes as well as reruns of Lost in Space and Star Trek but I don't have a lot of childhood memories of Space 1999.
I've found rewatching other shows from the 70s on DVD I had very clear memories of at least some of the episodes but when it came to rewatching Space 1999 the only story I really remembered was The Bringers of Wonder.
I had an Aunt and Uncle who used to manage a farm and we would sometimes go and stay at the farm, they had a TV with two rotary dials for channel selection, I guess one was for UHF and the other for VHF channels and their TV had an oversized bright orange on/off switch, I very distinctly remember watching The Bringers of Wonder on that TV, I'm not sure why that left such a distinct impression but it did with those weird aliens and that bright orange on/off switch.
As far as I can recall Space 1999 was never repeated here after it's original broadcast and perhaps that's why it never made the impression on me that some other shows did when I was younger, not long after I got married ( over 20 years ago ) I bought an ex-rental VHS tape of Destination Moonbase Alpha which was the two parts of The Bringers of Wonder edited together with a slightly changed beginning and released theatrically in some territories to cash in on the success of Star Wars, I bought the tape because it was a science fiction show I used to watch but I never felt any sort of strong connection to it, until I started watching it anyway and then the memories of the TV with the big orange button and those really weird aliens came flooding back.
Many years later both seasons of the show were released on DVD so I bought and watched both, the first season of the show was the one in enjoyed more but again it was only the second season story The Bringers of Wonder I really remembered.
A few years ago now ( at least it seems like a few years ago ) season 1 of Space 1999 was released on Blu-ray and the quality of those restored episodes was most impressive, the detail in the sets and models was amazing, it was till very much a show that reflected the time in which it was made but the quality of the show was just stunning.
Fans of Space 1999 have been waiting for the release of season to of the show on Blu-ray for some time now, earlier this year,just after my divorce, a preview disc was released containing the restored versions of The Bringers of Wonder parts 1 and 2 as well as an unrestored version of Destination Moonbase Alpha which was going to be exclusive to the preview disc and I have to admit my main reason for buying the disc was because I wanted a copy of Destination Moonbase Alpha even if it was an unrestored 35mm print.
Destination Moonbase Alpha was fun, it terms of picture quality it's a bit of a mess in places, watchable to be sure but even though it was in unrestored HD it felt like I was watching a well used VHS tape at times.
The restored version of The Bringers of Wonder parts 1 and 2 were just stunning in terms of picture quality, the level of detail that can be seen in those episodes is just amazing at times, especially the detail in some of the model work, the audio is a little less impressive, perhaps for the full release of season two will include a multi-channel surround mix like the season 1 Blu-ray release featured.
Several 70's science fiction show have had recent Blu-ray releases but in my opinion Space 1999 easily outshines them all in terms or restoration and overall quality and based on this preview disc I'm eagerly awaiting the release of season 2 of Space 1999 on Blu-ray.
It's funny I still can't stop thinking about that orange button.
