Space 1999: Review: Journey To Where
This episode is easily one of the most memorable episodes from the second season of this show. The concept itself is incredibly strong. After months of drifting aimlessly through the cosmos, the crew of Moonbase Alpha suddenly establishes contact with Earth in the year 2120. The revelation that humanity has survived, built Texas City, and developed a revolutionary neutrino-beam teleportation system injects a massive dose of hope into the series. It sets up a high-stakes scenario where the crew might finally get to go home, creating a genuine sense of excitement that elevates the early part of the episode.
However, the execution takes a wild and frustrating turn when a poorly timed earthquake disrupts the teleportation process. Instead of landing in the futuristic 22nd century, Commander John Koenig, Dr. Helena Russell, and Alan Carter find themselves accidentally zapped back to 14th-century Scotland. This sudden shift from a high-concept futuristic sci-fi to a gritty historical drama feels incredibly jarring. Watching our advanced space travelers navigate plague-ridden highlands while dodging local clansmen and English invaders completely derails the established sci-fi atmosphere of the show.
The episode suffers significantly from a total lack of scientific logic, even by the loose standards of 1970s television. The narrative expects the audience to simply accept that a technical glitch could somehow convert a spatial teleportation signal into a time-travel matrix that perfectly targets medieval Europe. On top of that, the pacing grinds to a halt during these past sequences, relying heavily on cheap production sets and incredibly forced, questionable Scottish accents that make it hard to take the danger seriously. It quickly trades the isolation of deep space for standard, predictable television tropes.
Ultimately, this is an episode defined by its wasted potential. The B-plot back on Moonbase Alpha featuring a lighthearted attempt by Tony to brew his own beer, offers some decent character moments, but it isn’t enough to save the main storyline. While the initial premise of discovering a polluted, futuristic Earth is fantastic, the detour into medieval Scotland feels like a massive misstep. It remains an entertaining hour of television for its pure ambition, but it serves as a prime example of the creative inconsistencies that plagued the show’s second season.