Space 1999: Review: The AB Chrysalis
This episode really leans into that deep, mysterious sci-fi vibe where Moonbase Alpha drifts right into a massive cosmic puzzle. The Alphans face a massive threat when they encounter a series of intense energy shockwaves coming from a strange planet surrounded by chlorine gas. With the base facing destruction from the next big blast, Commander Koenig, Maya, and Alan Carter fly down to the planet’s surface in an Eagle to figure out what’s causing these massive pulses and stop them before time runs out.
When they get down there, the vibe switches up completely because they find a highly advanced, automated society run entirely by machines. The whole place looks clean and futuristic, but there are no actual living beings walking around anywhere. Instead, the crew discovers these giant, glowing chrysalises where the dominant alien species, the A and B forms, are currently hibernating while they undergo a massive evolutionary transformation. The tension gets real because the automated defense systems see the Alphans as a threat, and the crew has to desperately try to communicate with the machines and a couple of awakened alien children to explain that they aren’t trying to cause any trouble.
What makes this episode stand out to me is how it handles the whole concept of communication and survival. Maya’s shapeshifting abilities are put to great use here as she tries to bridge the gap between humans and machine logic, which keeps things moving fast. The visuals of the glowing spheres and the clean, geometric alien architecture look incredibly sleek for late ’70s television, giving off a genuine sense of wonder and isolation. It is definitely one of those stories that makes you think about how hard it would be to explain human desperation to a computer programmed strictly to protect its creators.
In the end, it is a really solid watch that delivers that classic, thought-provoking sci-fi energy. It manages to balance high-stakes action with a cooler, more philosophical question about life, evolution, and mutual understanding in the deep unknown. It might not have the pure psychological horror of some other episodes, but the unique atmosphere and the race against the clock keep you locked in from start to finish.