Space 1999: Review: A Matter of Balance

“A Matter of Balance” is easily one of the most bizarre and chaotic rides in the second season of Space: 1999. The plot focuses on Shermeen, a young botanist on Moonbase Alpha who has a massive crush on Tony Verdeschi. After getting rejected, she gets manipulated by a mysterious, floating antimatter alien named Vindrus. The whole premise relies on a cosmic trade-off: for Vindrus and his people to cross over into our world as solid matter, an Alphan must be sent into the antimatter universe.

From a sci-fi perspective, the writing by Pip and Jane Baker stretches logic to its absolute limit. The episode introduces concepts like “backward evolution” in the antimatter world, which just feels like an excuse for wild visual effects rather than actual science. Commander Koenig and the crew spend a lot of time running around a mysterious temple on the planet Sunin, figuring out the alien plot at the very last second. It is the kind of storytelling where you just have to turn off your brain and enjoy the ride.

The performances carry the weight of an otherwise shaky script. Lynne Frederick delivers a genuinely empathetic performance as the naive, love-struck Shermeen, making you feel for her even when she is making terrible decisions. On the other side, Martin Landau plays Koenig with his usual intense authority, though you can tell the series was leaning heavily into its action-adventure ensemble phase by this point. Maya’s shapeshifting abilities also get some screen time, including a random transformation into a monkey that feels more goofy than helpful.

Ultimately, this episode is a perfect snapshot of Year 2’s campy, fast-paced identity. While it has been criticized by fans on sites like The View from the Junkyard as one of the weaker entries of the season, it is undeniably entertaining. The special effects, the set designs, and the sheer audacity of the antimatter plot make it a fun watch, even if the internal logic completely falls apart by the time the credits roll.