MovieChat Forums > Space: 1999 (1975) Discussion > Unjustifiably Pretentious?

Unjustifiably Pretentious?


Am I the only person here that thinks S:1999 isn't all it was cracked up to be? Sure, it had a lot of money thrown at it, but the scripts and dialog are often clunky bordering on ridiculous for it's hard-scifi pretensions. I suspect most of its fans have a soft spot for it because they grew up with it. This series took itself way too seriously.



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I don't think we're in CONUS anymore, Toto...

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Season Two generally didn't take itself seriously enough.

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Most of what happened in Year 1 WAS quite serious. The premise itself was not going to lend itself to light or airy execution. I think it's perfect as is and why wouldn't the writers/producers/directors take it seriously? They obviously wanted to avoid the ST cornball/we are masters of the universe brand. They saved that for Year 2. 😁

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I agree. A lot of the first season scripts in particular can be torn to pieces by anyone with critical thinking faculties, but fans for some reason see them as profound. The producers never considered it "hard sci-fi." Nobody in their right mind would think that. It wasn't even soft science fiction. It was science fantasy. Aside from the fantasy that the moon could even be blown out of orbit, there were tons of major scientific problems with every single episode. They can protect Alpha from the gravitational forces of a black sun with a forcefield? Okay, but what's to keep the rest of the moon from crumbling? Eagle spacecraft with incredible range, especially considering they carry tiny fuel tanks. Amazing mists that can change Alphans into cavemen... and back! Along with their clothing! A moon split into two duplicates, then eventually merging back into one. Magnetic energy that causes nuclear explosions? Come on!

A lot of fans do like this show mainly because they watched it in the 70s. That's undeniable. At least when I like a bad show because of nostalgia, I admit it, rather than trying to make it out to be a masterpiece. For instance, the Irwin Allen shows of the 60s, Adam West's Batman or Thunderbirds. Do I like watching them because they take me back to my youth and I find them enjoyable? Absolutely. Are they perfect or even great even by the standards of their time? Heck no. I'm not delusional.

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