Devil's Planet

This article is about the episode of Space: 1999. For the similarly-titled episode of Doctor Who, see The Daleks' Master Plan.

"Devil's Planet"
Space: 1999 episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 22
Directed by	Tom Clegg
Written by	Michael Winder
Original air date	1 September 1977[1]
Episode chronology
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List of Space: 1999 episodes

"Devil's Planet" is the twenty-second episode of the second series of Space: 1999 (and the forty-sixth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Michael Winder; the director was Tom Clegg. The original title was 'Devil's Moon'. The final shooting script is dated 9 September 1976. Live-action filming took place Monday 1 November 1976 through Thursday 18 November 1976.^[2]

Story

It is 2306 days after leaving Earth orbit, and the Moon is passing a solar system containing a pair of potentially habitable planets. John Koenig takes Eagle One on a reconnaissance flight; his co-pilot is Blake Maine, who also serves as a medic on Moonbase Alpha's search-and-rescue team. On approach, one planet is revealed to be much smaller and orbiting the other like a moon. A sensor sweep of the larger world reveals a breathable atmosphere and vegetation. Through the clouds, Maine spies what could be a city. Koenig's spectro-scan confirms buildings, roads...and coloured dots that may be people. Sensors, though, register no sign of life.

A humanoid life-form is detected outside the city and they set down. The two men follow the life reading, which ceases abruptly. In a neglected, overgrown park, they find a freestanding booth...surrounded by dozens of corpses. Maine scans the bodies, which are free from decay and show no sign of wounds. He consults with Doctor Ed Spencer on Alpha; Spencer calls for a closer examination of a corpse, which reveals that some agent—a neurological pathogen or nerve-gas—has caused the explosion of the optic blood vessels just prior to death.

The investigation is interrupted when a shimmering aura forms around the booth. A man materialises and exits, then drops to his knees in great distress before keeling over dead. Fearing contagion, Spencer orders them to leave the planet. Flying over the city, they see corpses everywhere. Humans must be immune to the agent responsible for this mass death.

Scans of the satellite planet reveal identical atmosphere and botanical life. While making a close pass, the Eagle blunders into a force-field. As the ship plummets out of control, Koenig manages a quick mayday call to Moonbase before the electronic systems fail. At the last minute, Koenig conjures a short burst from the retro-rockets to level the ship as it ploughs into a wooded area and crashes. The Eagle is totalled, and Koenig drags the semi-conscious Maine outside.

In the forest, they witness a bizarre ritual: a running man pursued by a trio of whip-wielding young women dressed in red catsuits. It is a hunt, with the man trying to reach a sculptural column in a small clearing. The huntresses ensnare their desperate quarry just short of his goal. When Koenig and Maine move to assist him, the medic runs into an invisible energy barrier and is vapourised. As Koenig gapes at his smouldering remains, he is set upon by one of the women and clubbed unconscious with the hilt of her whip.

This small planet, Entra, is a prison for political dissidents sent from the larger world, Ellna. As the huntress-guards carry Koenig to their headquarters, a trial is underway there in a large hall. Crael, a senior prisoner and 'trusty', pleads on behalf of a fellow inmate. The man is accused of organising an insurrection against the ruling authority. The recipient of this plea is a strikingly beautiful woman, the cruel and cunning Elizia, mistress-governor of this penal colony.

The proceedings are interrupted by the senior guard, Sares, who reports the captured alien has been delivered to the Interrogator. She presents Koenig's stun-gun to her mistress—who passes judgment on the accused by shooting him with it. Merely stunned, he is then sentenced to 'The Hunt'. Crael denounces 'The Hunt' as inhuman, as only one in a hundred survive. Elizia asserts that any prisoner offered the chance to outwit the Hunters and reach the 'Sanctuary Column'—winning instant parole and a return to the home planet—will accept the challenge.

As Eagle Two lifts off from Alpha on a rescue mission, Elizia goes to observe Koenig's interrogation by her Head of Security. He is unconscious, and the Interrogator obtains information with a mind-probe—including the fact that he knows everyone on Ellna is dead. Having kept this secret from all but the Interrogator, Elizia orders it extracted from his brain...regardless of the damage it may cause.

Elizia rejoins Crael to grant an early parole to a deserving inmate. After the transbeamer conveys the man home (and to his death), Crael takes the opportunity to bring up topics of concern. His fellow convicts are questioning why the Ellnan government stopped sending new prisoners to Entra. They are also unhappy with the recent rules banning live contact with Ellna. She responds with plausible lies, concerned only with preserving the status quo of her personal empire. He cites her cruel policies as human rights′ violations, for which a guard lashes him for impertinence. The mistress just smirks, stating he is lucky he amuses her.

Returning to the security ward, Elizia is told the alien anatomy of Koenig's brain will prevent the Interrogator from erasing the damnable secret. Fancying him, Elizia asks if his species knows passion; the mind probe visualises an intimate moment between Koenig and Helena. Ignoring her mistress' lust, the no-nonsense Interrogator discusses the growing unrest among the prisoners. She advises telling the truth about the Ellna plague. Elizia refuses, knowing the inmates would become ungovernable. The Interrogator predicts Koenig will tell all. Elizia is confident no one will believe him and, putting this to the test, orders the Alphan man taken to a cell.

Koenig awakens to find himself under the scrutiny of three Entran prisoners. As expected, in trying to glean information on his situation, he reveals the mass death on Ellna. As the convicts try to process this shocking information, the 'weekly news' from Ellna is played over the public-address system. (Fabricated by Elizia, this broadcast is the only mode of information available to the prisoners.) As an announcer recounts false news of friends and family, the angry prisoners brand Koenig a liar and the Commander soon finds an improvised noose around his neck.

Koenig is saved in the nick of time by the guards. While escorted from the cell, Elizia ogles him like a male sex object. She brazenly invites him to stay with her and experience undreamed-of pleasure—until she tires of him. After Koenig refuses her crass offer, any further repartee is interrupted by the arrival of Eagle Two in orbit. Koenig is imprisoned in a sound-proof force-field as Elizia contacts the ship. She attempts to warn them off, but Astronaut Bill Fraser is determined to rescue his comrades. Lying, Elizia responds that both men were killed in the crash.

A shaken Fraser demands permission to recover their bodies. Ignoring the threat of the Entran defence shield, the astronaut declares they are coming in, shooting if necessary. After scanning the Eagle for weapons, Elizia craftily changes tactics, granting permission to land. She smiles coldly, telling the Interrogator that all they will find is evidence of two deaths...

Crael leads a work-party to the clearing near the crash site. While all evidence of Koenig's footprints are swept away, another inmate, Phirly, dons the Commander's uniform. He is told by Crael to leave a trail, walk up to the deactivated energy fence, and strip. It will appear that Koenig, too, died on contact with the fence—thus avoiding any unpleasantness with his comrades. Trusting Crael, Phirly does as he is told. However, Elizia reactivates the fence early, reducing him to a smoking heap...to give the remains verisimilitude.

Koenig, wearing Entran garb and installed in a private cell, watches from his window (invisible from the outside) as Eagle Two touches down. Elizia and an honour guard greet the Alpha party and they proceed to the crash site. A consummate actress, Elizia radiates sympathy as she relates her version of the tragedy—the two men, having survived the crash, blundered into a boundary fence before help could arrive. Fraser and Alibe are shown the staged footprints and two piles of charred clothing. The grieving Alphans then depart. Koenig watches their ship ascend, then looks down to see Elizia gazing up at him with a triumphant smile.

The Commander is brought to the reception hall where an enticingly-gowned Elizia awaits. A hunter at heart, she finds the thrill of seduction in the chase as well as the conquest and plays cat-and-mouse games with him. In the face of his defiance, she reminds him that, though alive, his people believe him dead. Remaining alive depends on his 'entertainment quotient'...until he irritates or bores her. Koenig seems to capitulate, taking her in his arms and kissing her—then sends her tumbling into her personal guards before escaping outside into the woods.

Giving him a head-start, Elizia gathers an elite posse. Being an alien who has shown contempt for their culture and authority, she vows he must die slowly when captured. While the guards track him, Koenig comes across the wreckage of Eagle One. His attempt to contact Moonbase is heard by the huntresses. Elizia smirks; while no transmission can penetrate the defence shield, it has pinpointed his location. Koenig sees the women closing in and deploys the ship's laser—which has been sabotaged.

As Elizia and company board the ship, he salvages a homing transmitter and a fire extinguisher before jumping down the command-module escape chute. Three guards soon overtake the fugitive, but Koenig incapacitates them with bursts from the fire extinguisher and right-crosses to the chin. As he activates the transmitter, Sares grabs him, boasting their shield is blocking his signal. Breaking her grip, he flips her over his shoulder. With this new information, he changes tactics and begins walking toward the prison tower. Believing he has surrendered, Elizia orders the guards to stand down.

Koenig enters the hall and, before anyone can prevent him, darts into the transbeam booth. Elizia raises a weapon, threatening to disintegrate him. Koenig cagily reminds everyone that if she shoots, she destroys the transbeamer—their only method of returning home. The guards are distressed at this notion, and the Interrogator reminds Elizia that, with no hope of parole, the prisoners will revolt. Crael addresses Koenig regarding his claim of a plague-ravaged Ellna. Koenig tells them not only is it true, but Elizia knows and has been lying to them all. A verbal battle of wits ensues, with Koenig and Elizia each challenging the other's veracity. Koenig issues her a final challenge—follow and bring him back alive—before energising the transbeamer.

On Ellna, he activates the homing device. As hoped, the signal is no longer blocked by Entra's defence field and is received by Eagle Two. On Entra, Elizia's reign of terror ends. The Interrogator will no longer suppport her lies and the guards' loyalty is broken. She transports herself to Ellna, emboldened by the fact that she will at least kill Koenig before dying. But death comes swifter than expected; she collapses after only two shots at her nemesis. The Eagle arrives, and Koenig grimly walks away from the body of his ruthless adversary...

Cast

Starring

• Martin Landau — Commander John Koenig
• Barbara Bain — Doctor Helena Russell^[3]

Also starring

• Catherine Schell — Maya^[4]

Featuring

• Tony Anholt — Tony Verdeschi^[4]

Guest stars

• Hildegarde Neil — Elizia
• Roy Marsden — Crael

Also featuring

• Dora Reisser — The Interogator
• Cassandra Harris — Controller Sares
• Angus MacInnes — Jelto
• Arthur White — Kinano
• Michael Dickinson — Blake Maine
• John Hug — Astronaut Bill Fraser
• Alibe Parsons — Alibe
• Sam Dastor — Doctor Ed Spencer

Uncredited artists

• Geoffrey Greenhill — Phirly
• Alan Harris — Accused Prisoner
• Peter Brayham — Garth
• Robert Reeves — Peter

Music

The score was re-edited from previous Space: 1999 incidental music tracks composed for the second series by Derek Wadsworth and draws primarily from the scores of 'The Metamorph' and 'The Exiles'.

Production notes

• With a plot derived from The Most Dangerous Game, set in an alien prison reminiscent of Devil's Island, and showcasing a bevy of catsuited, whip-wielding dominatrices, 'Devil's Planet' is the last of the 'Koenig Double-Up' scripts. The episode is unique in that it was intentionally crafted to feature Martin Landau alone. Barbara Bain, Catherine Schell and Tony Anholt, though receiving on-screen credit, would appear only in library footage seen during Koenig's mind-probe; Bain would also be heard narrating Helena's customary status report in the hook. (Bain, Schell, Anholt and Nick Tate were off filming the opposing double-up installment 'Dorzak'.) This decision made for an odd episode, as the viewer would expect to see the reactions of the regular characters to the news of Koenig's demise.

• Entitled 'Devil's Moon' until post-production, the story would undergo other adjustments: (1) The Alphans were to have received a distress signal from Ellna; this was the reason Koenig was flying with a member of the medical rescue team; (2) Significant dialogue between Elizia and Crael was cut. It was inferred that Crael had served his sentence, but remained out of a sense of duty to act as defence counsel for the inmates. It was also suggested that he was aware of the true situation on Ellna; (3) A sequence in the security ward was removed where, faced with Fraser's threat of attack, the Entrans view Koenig's knowledge of Earth warfare. Library footage would have depicted the history of war from marching Roman legions to the Hiroshima atomic bomb^[5]

• The supporting cast was to include Bill Fraser, Doctor Ben Vincent and Sandra Benes.^[5] While John Hug would appear as Fraser, Jeffery Kissoon was no longer available and his role was given to newcomer Sam Dastor, playing Doctor Ed Spencer. Sahn was also replaced, as Zienia Merton was committed to a lead part in the Norwegian film Kosmetikkrevolusjonen. She had intended staying long enough to film this episode, excited that her character would leave the confines of Moonbase. However, delays in the Space: 1999 shooting schedule further pushed back the starting date and Merton was forced to depart for Norway.^[6] The role would be given to American actress Alibe Parsons. Parsons, playing Alibe, a communications officer, would be given all the Sahn material through the end of the series.

Novelisation

The episode was adapted in the fifth Year Two Space: 1999 novel The Time Fighters by Michael Butterworth published in 1977. Few changes were made to this narrative when the author chose to blend this story with 'The Séance Spectre'. Koenig and Maine were scouting ahead of the Moon after its emergence from a space warp. As the ship went down, they observed 'Sandor' and his mutineers overruning Command Centre. Elizia was portrayed as more psychotically sadistic, wanting to fashion Koenig's skin into a whip after he rejects her.^[7]

In the reworked omnibus Space: 1999—Year Two, the absence of Helena, Maya, Verdeschi and Carter is rationalised by placing them out of communications range on the Eagle fleet housing the Alphans while repair crews tend to the damage done to Alpha by the waste-pit detonation in 'The Séance Spectre'.^[8]

References

1. ^ Fanderson - The Official Gerry Anderson Website. Original ATV Midlands broadcast date.
2. ^ Destination: Moonbase Alpha, Telos Publications, 2010
3. ^ Heard in voice-over narration and seen only via library footage
4. ^ ^{a b} Seen only via library footage
5. ^ ^{a b} 'Devil's Moon' final shooting script dated 9 September 1976.
6. ^ Anecdotes & Armadillos, Lulu Enterprises, 2005
7. ^ Space: 1999 - The Time Fighters, Star Publications, 1977
8. ^ Space: 1999—Year Two, Powys Media, 2006

External links

• Space: 1999 - 'Devil's Planet' - The Catacombs episode guide
• Space: 1999 - 'Devil's Planet' - Moonbase Alpha's Space: 1999 page

Last produced: "Dorzak"	List of Space: 1999 episodes	Next produced: "The Immunity Syndrome"
Last transmitted: "Dorzak"		Next transmitted: "The Immunity Syndrome"