Space 1999: Review: The Exiles
“The Exiles” is a pretty wild way to kick off the second season of Space: 1999, and honestly, the shift in energy from the first season hits you immediately. Right from the jump, you see the new look of Alpha and the shift in tone, which feels way more action-heavy and fast-paced than before. The plot follows the crew as they run into these mysterious, frozen capsules containing alien exiles led by a guy named Cantar. Commander Koenig and the crew decide to revive them, which, as you can guess in sci-fi turns out to be a massive mistake. It is a solid setup that immediately hooks you with tension, even if it trades away some of that deeper, philosophical mystery the first season had.
What really stands out in this episode is the sheer visual change and the new character dynamics. Getting introduced to Maya, the psychomorph alien who joins the crew, is easily the best part of the episode. Her shape-shifting abilities add a whole new flavor to how Alpha handles threats, and she steals every scene she is in. The sets look brighter, the uniforms have more color, and the music is way more upbeat and dramatic. It feels like the showrunners were trying hard to make everything more exciting and youthful, which gives the episode a ton of kinetic energy even when the logic of the story gets a bit shaky.
The villains themselves, Cantar and his people, make for decent antagonists because their desperation feels real, but they also fall into some classic sci-fi tropes. They basically manipulate the Alphans’ good nature to take over the base so they can return to their home planet, Golos. The power struggle inside Alpha keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially when they take Helena hostage to force Koenig’s hand. It is standard hostage drama, but the stakes feel high because the actors really sell the panic of having their home invaded by people they tried to save.
Overall, “The Exiles” is not perfect, but it is a super entertaining hour of television if you just accept the new direction of the show. The climax is pure seventies action, with classic fistfights, laser blasts, and Maya using her powers to help save the day. It might upset die-hard fans who preferred the slow-burn, eerie atmosphere of season one, but as a standalone sci-fi adventure, it delivers exactly what it promises. It proves right away that season two is going to be a completely different, more action-packed ride.