In this live-action Gerry Anderson production, the crew of Moonbase Alpha, along with the actual Moon, were accidentally blasted off into the far reaches of space. From 1975 to 1977, audiences thrilled to the melodramatic adventures of the crew as they attempted to get the Moon back to Earth, encountering a variety of alien menaces along the way. One of the beings they stumbled into turned out to be a friendly shape changer, Maya, who then joined their ranks, providing the writers with a hugely convenient plot device for solving any number of tricky predicaments. The two seasons garnered respectable ratings but then the owners decided to spend their money on more lucrative projects, causing plans for Year Three to be unceremoniously dumped. The fate of the Alphans was never officially shown but a fan-made short depicted the survivors abandoning the Moonbase for an Earth-like planet. Interest continues in furthering the adventures of the Moon dwellers, with a reboot titled Space: 2099 currently in development. Hopefully, if the new series makes it to the screen, the re-imagined adventures will manage a happy ending for the unlucky Alphans. Fans always wanted to know if the Moon could find its way home.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
