"To everything that might have been.." --Commander John Koenig
"To everything that was.."--Professor Victor Bergman
The Moonbase Alpha faces a new life-or-death challenge when they are pulled towards a "black sun" with a heavy gravitational power that draws energy from them as they draw closer to it. Dr. Bergman believes they might have a slim chance of survival by way of a type of forcefield he theoretically thinks might work, but is uncertain. The episode follows the agonizing wait for the crew as Keonig decides to devote a lot of the base's power to the forcefield, disconnecting the computer system. He also equips an Eagle with enough supplies for a six-person crew, allowing the computer to determine who is best suitable to leave the Alpha so that humans can continue to trek across the universe. With a compelling metaphysical (perhaps spiritual) ending as the Alpha "goes through" the black sun, I thought the highlight was definitely Koenig and Bergman sharing a whiskey together as they prepare for a possible demise, while other members of the crew pass the time playing games or whatnot. This episode does a great job of evoking the dread of the wait—while subtle, the expressions on the faces of the crew tells the story far better than words. Barry Morse is just wonderful in this particular episode—well, he's wonderful in every episode of the series, but especially this one—sharing some precious moments with Barbara Bain's Dr. Helena Russell, as well as, Martin Landau's Commander John Koenig, mainly because the actor fills his Professor Victor Bergman with such charm and grace, quite a congenial fellow with a warm presence needed during times of crisis where the thoughts of doom weigh on everyone. Good tension built thanks to the suspenseful plot which questions the possible existence of God—or as Victor believes, a "cosmic intelligence"—especially with a profound result as the Moonbase Alpha is able to meet up with the Eagle despite the millions of light years which should have separated them. The trip through the black sun is more than a bit trippy and surreal, with strange use of various forms of light, perhaps enlightening if you are high on the ganja. Even weirder is that Koenig and Bergman talk with what appears to be some sort of being, what "she" is up for debate (add to the strange, Koenig and Bergman, during the trip through the black sun, age substantially for some reason).
"Every star is just a cell in the brain of the universe."
"To everything that was.."--Professor Victor Bergman
The Moonbase Alpha faces a new life-or-death challenge when they are pulled towards a "black sun" with a heavy gravitational power that draws energy from them as they draw closer to it. Dr. Bergman believes they might have a slim chance of survival by way of a type of forcefield he theoretically thinks might work, but is uncertain. The episode follows the agonizing wait for the crew as Keonig decides to devote a lot of the base's power to the forcefield, disconnecting the computer system. He also equips an Eagle with enough supplies for a six-person crew, allowing the computer to determine who is best suitable to leave the Alpha so that humans can continue to trek across the universe. With a compelling metaphysical (perhaps spiritual) ending as the Alpha "goes through" the black sun, I thought the highlight was definitely Koenig and Bergman sharing a whiskey together as they prepare for a possible demise, while other members of the crew pass the time playing games or whatnot. This episode does a great job of evoking the dread of the wait—while subtle, the expressions on the faces of the crew tells the story far better than words. Barry Morse is just wonderful in this particular episode—well, he's wonderful in every episode of the series, but especially this one—sharing some precious moments with Barbara Bain's Dr. Helena Russell, as well as, Martin Landau's Commander John Koenig, mainly because the actor fills his Professor Victor Bergman with such charm and grace, quite a congenial fellow with a warm presence needed during times of crisis where the thoughts of doom weigh on everyone. Good tension built thanks to the suspenseful plot which questions the possible existence of God—or as Victor believes, a "cosmic intelligence"—especially with a profound result as the Moonbase Alpha is able to meet up with the Eagle despite the millions of light years which should have separated them. The trip through the black sun is more than a bit trippy and surreal, with strange use of various forms of light, perhaps enlightening if you are high on the ganja. Even weirder is that Koenig and Bergman talk with what appears to be some sort of being, what "she" is up for debate (add to the strange, Koenig and Bergman, during the trip through the black sun, age substantially for some reason).
"Every star is just a cell in the brain of the universe."
