Back to Command Center

Back to Episode Guide and Archive

Commander Koenig and
Blake Maine investigate two
planets in Alpha's east quadrant
that seem capable of supporting
human life. Flying over the larger
one, they land on the outskirts of
 a city, and find the lifeless bodies
of several people lying around.
As Koenig reports his findings
back to Alpha, there is activity
in the area of a booth. A man
materializes within, and exits.
He dies within seconds. Ed
Spencer recommends they leave
the planet at once. They decide
to take a look at it's moon,
which has similar atmosphere
and vegetation. As they get
within range of the moon, their
Eagle malfunctions, losing all
power to it's engines. They regain
power in time to lessen the
impact as they crash land. They
survive the crash, and leave
the Eagle. They see a man
pursued by whip wielding
woman. As Koenig tries to
intervene, Blake steps into
an electronic barrier, and is
vaporized. Koenig is subdued
by one of the women, a
guard for the penal colony
based on the moon. His mind
is probed by the "Interrogator"
at the request of Elizia, the
mistress of the penal colony
on Entra. They learn that he has
been to their home planet, Ellna,
and knows that everyone there is
dead, and those who go, die.
Elizia tells the Interrogator
to remove this knowledge from
his brain. When told that he may
not survive the process, she replies
that he would be given a hand-
some funeral. In an attempt to
maintain some appearance of
normalcy, a prisoner is returned
to Ellna. Crael tells Elizia that
the other prisoners are wondering
why no new prisoners are being
sent from Ellna, and why they can
no longer receive video messages
from their families. Elizia evades
the question stating that they
are trouble makers whose
natures are to be discontent.
The Interrogator, apparently
unable to remove the information
about the death on Ellna from
Koenig's mind, scans his memories
at Elizia's request. Elizia is attracted
to him, and has him sent to one
of the cell blocks, but warns that
she doesn't want him disfigured.
The Interrogator warns Elizia that
he will tell the other prisoners
about Ellna. Elizia smugly asserts
that they won't believe him. The
Interrogator advises her to tell the
prisoners the truth. Elizia refuses,
believing she can maintain
control. They monitor cell as
Koenig wakes up. When he learns
that the inmates are from Ellna
he tells them what he saw. They
chose not to believe him, because
the ramifications are too terrible.
They become angry and violent.
Elizia and her guards intervene
saving Koenig. He asks that
he be allowed to contact Alpha
so that he can have someone
come get him. Elizia tells him
no, but that if he stays with her,
he will experience undreamed
of pleasure... until she tires of
him. An Eagle is detected
approaching Entra. Koenig
is placed behind a barrier
preventing him from making
his presence known. Elizia
tries to dissuade Fraser and
Alibe from landing, by telling
them that the pilots died in
the crash. Fraser responds
telling her, that they must land
to recover the bodies, and will
come in shooting if they have to.
Elizia tells them that their ship's
systems will burn out when they
come into contact with Entra's
defense shield. Fraser tells her
that they are coming anyway
and if they don't make it, Alpha
will send more ships to blast the
planet. Elizia concedes, and has
her people remotely land the
Eagle. Meanwhile, she has her
people create evidence of
Koenig's death, by having a
prisoner wear Koenig's uniform
and walk out to the defense
screen and disrobe. But before
he can, Elizia activates the shield
vaporizing him, to Crael's shock.
He contacts her saying she went
against her promise not to do
such a thing. She replies that
it was a matter of survival.
When Fraser and Alibe land
they are taken to the crash site.
Elizia explains that, though the
crew survived the crash, they
stumbled into the boundary
defences. She shows them the
remains at each point of impact.
Disheartened, they return to
their Eagle and lift off as Koenig
watches from the window in his
cell. He is brought before Elizia,
who is waiting in an alluring
gown. He notices a twin of the
booth he saw on Ellna. Elizia
follows his gaze, and tells him
the trans-beamer is the dream
that every prisoner on Entra
wishes to attain. Koenig argues
that the dream leads to certain
death. Elizia replies that it gives
the prisoners hope. She then
tells him that his remaining alive
depends upon his "entertainment
quotient". He kisses he, and
makes a break for the door.
After a quick scuffle he gets
away. Elizia holds her guards
back from pursuing too quickly,
as "the hunted" are always given
a fair chance. Koenig heads for
the Eagle with hopes of either
contacting Alpha, or getting
a weapon. Achieving neither, he
grabs a homing transmitter, and
drops out of an emergency hatch
in the cockpit as the guards
appear in passenger module. He
fights off several of the guards
heads back toward the prison.
Elizia alerts the Interrogator
to hold him when he gets there.
He maneuvers to put himself
by the trans-beamer. He steps
in as Elizia arrives. She tells him
she will disintegrate him if he
doesn't step out. He points out
that if she does, it will destroy
the only means back to Ellna.
This, not only affecting the
prisoners, but the guards who
are nearing the end of their
tour of duty, stays Elizia's hand.
Crael asks Koenig if the rumors
he heard are true, that everyone
on Ellna is dead. Koenig tells
him it's true. Elizia asks
why he would want to go there
if everyone were dead. He says
to get away from her brand of
torture. He tells them that if he
is lying, Elizia can follow and
bring him back, then activates
the trans-beamer. Elizia says
that "Ellna will send him back."
Crael counters saying "Not if
he's telling the truth." Elizia looks
for support for her position from
the Interrogator or Crael, but
there is none. Clinging to her
lies, she steps into the trans-
beamer to avoid the wrath of
what's left her people. 
Koenig exits the trans-beamer
and activates the homing
device he took from the eagle.
En route back to Alpha, Fraser
and Alibe receive the signal.
Alibe confirms it is coded for
the Commander's Eagle, and
they head to Ellna to investigate.
Elizia materializes in the
trans-beamer, much to Koenig's
surprise. Intent on revenge, her
only satisfaction comes from her
belief that she will kill Koenig
before she dies. She fires her
weapon twice, narrowly missing
him both times. Before she can
fire again, the air born
pathogen that killed all the
people of Ellna, takes hold of
Elizia. She dies the same quick
death of all those she allowed
to return home. Fraser and
Alibe arrive to return Koenig
to Moonbase Alpha.

Screenplay................................................................Michael Winder

Director..........................................................................Tom Clegg

Guest Stars

Elizia........................................................................Hildegard Neil

Crael..........................................................................Roy Marsden

Additional Cast

Bill Fraser.........................................................................John Hug

Alibe..........................................................................Alibe Parsons

Blake Maine..........................................................Michael Dickinson

Dr. Ed Spencer...............................................................Sam Dastor

Interrogator..................................................................Dora Reisser

Sares/ Controller.....................................................Cassandra Harris

Jelto.......................................................................Angus MacInnes

Kinano.......................................................................Aurthur White


I used to think of this episode as little more than an exercise in titillation, watching it now, I see there is more to it than whip wielding women running around in red leotards. It actually does touch on some interesting concepts, exploring some to greater or lesser degrees. The first is a theme we have seen examined more in the first season. How far would you go if the survival of your species rest in your hands? This question is examined through the skewed perspective of a sadistic despot ruling over a penal colony. On one hand, she believes she is saving her people by keeping the truth from them, and maintaining "hope". On the other, she is exploiting that hope for her own twisted pleasure. Also touched upon are ideas like the freedom of speech, and the rights of prisoners within a penal system. These are explored briefly, but eloquently through the dialogues between Crael, and Elizia.

The guest stars are top notch. Hildegard Neil brings a complexity to Elizia balancing her sadistic urges, her public persona and her sexual appetite, while managing to avoid being too campy, which is quite a feat in that costume!
  
Roy Marsden does a wonderful job as Crael, giving a sensitivity and depth to his performance. Crael is almost the Jiminy Cricket to Elizia's sadistic Pinnochio. He is her conscience, as much as she will allow him to be. I was always curious how much deeper their relationship went. You can tell she respects, and relies on Crael. Although he is a prisoner, and an advocate for the rest, there is clearly a bond. When Koenig challenges her to retrieve him from Ellna, she looks first to the Interrogator to back her up, then, not to one of her guards, but Crael, to side with her. I get the impression that if she had been only slightly less cruel, he might have.
 
This was certainly a great episode for Martin Landau fans. He does a fine job as usual, and has tons to do. He has fight scenes, with men and women! Surprisingly, of all the fight scenes, the fight scene with the men in the cell block was the one sadly lacking. Who choreographed this? The one inmate loses his metal rod and instead of picking it up again, he rolls a bed over?! What was with that? I was afraid it was going to turn into another kind of prison movie for a second! He does have some great scenes with Hildegard Neil. Great on-screen chemistry, along with dialogue that is some of the snappiest of the second season, makes these scenes sizzle.

While the story holds up better than I remembered, there were some things that bothered me. For instance, why was the trans-beamer booth on Ellna out in the countryside? Why not at a courthouse, police station or someplace else that the transporting could be monitored by someone in law enforcement? Speaking of the trans-beamer...

I think this episode has to win for the worst transporter effect. I would have preferred a ball of light! There is also a little continuity problem. When the Koenig and Maine watch the first man beam down to Ellna he falls directly in front of the booth. Then when Beron beams down to the planet

he falls in almost the exact same spot, but the first body is gone!

The trans-beamer aside, this episode boasts some really nice effects, like the cityscapes on Ellna

and the nice work with the planets of Ellna and Entra from space.
They also did a nice job with an Eagle overheating in the atmosphere of Entra leading to a great Eagle crash sequence.

I don't want to forget the prison on Entra. With the giant Lions head outside the window of the set, they managed to give us a sense of scale, and a good idea where Koenig was being held in the prison.

Despite the positive aspects of this episode, there was something sorely missing... the regular cast. Although John Hug, and Alibe Parsons both did fine work in this episode, it would have had much greater impact to see Helena respond to the news that John was dead.

Over all, this episode has risen over my "Kitten With a Whip" memories of it. It's a fun adventure with some good acting, punchy dialogue and nice effects.

Replies to comments made here are always welcome. You can contact me by using the commlock in the Communication Centre.


Clearly mass produced since (ok, before) they took it from the derelict ship in Space Warp, the Space Warp Locator shows up again in the Eagle at the beginning of this episode. But this time it shows the layout of the city they are flying over rather than space warps.

We also see the corridors from The Metamorph, and One Moment of Humanity being revisited in this episode.


The panels outside the prison are the same as the ones outside of the temple on Sunim.

 


Click here for downloadable version Click here for downloadable version

 

Click here to play sound "Moonbase Alpha status report,
2306 days after leaving Earth orbit..."
Click here to play sound Koenig and Maine watch in horror
as a man transported to Ellna dies.
Click here to play sound Koenig and Maine decide to check
out Ellna's moon, Entra.
Click here to play sound Their Eagle malfunctions over Entra.
Click here to play sound Crael espouses the right of
freedom of speech.
Click here to play sound Elizia tests the "alien" weapon on one of the prisoners.
Click here to play sound Elizia is willing to kill Koenig to keep her secret.
Click here to play sound Crael and Elizia trade "compliments".
Click here to play sound The Interrogator displays Koenig's memories for Elizia.
Click here to play sound Elizia prevents disaster by living the lie.
Click here to play sound Elizia makes Koenig an offer he can't refuse.
Click here to play sound Fraser convinces the Elizia to let him land.
Click here to play sound Alibe passes on refreshments.
Click here to play sound Koenig demonstrates his entertainment quotient.
Click here to play sound Koenig outwits Elizia.
Click here to play sound Elizia is dying to get revenge on Koenig.
Click here to play sound Background sound.

 

Back to previous episode Back to top Forward to next episode