Shout! Factory Gives Some 21st Century Love to the Funky, Classic 70s 'Space: 1999'

If you’re a Gerry Anderson fan, then you no doubt know that Shout! Factory has been doing the lord’s work with his catalog of classic shows. They’ve taken it upon themselves to release complete editions of almost all of Anderson’s shows, from the ones with the creepy puppets to those with insane storylines. (Wait, that’s pretty much all of them.)

Shout! has already released gorgeous sets for most of the Supermarionation shows: Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, and Thunderbirds (on Blu-ray).

And now they’ve blessed us with a 13-disc Blu-ray set of the entire run of Space: 1999. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably had this one on preorder. If you’ve never seen the show, now is most definitely the time to jump in head first.

Space: 1999 ran for two seasons (1975-77) and was the most expensive British show at the time. Starring Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, the show is classic 70s sci-fi in nearly every respect.

When are we? September 1999. And what’s the plot? Well, in a nutshell, a nuclear waste site on the moon explodes and blows the moon out of Earth’s orbit. As the moon launches away from Earth, everyone on Moonbase Alpha is along for the ride. The rest of the series then documents their adventures as the moon rockets through space, breaking every law of science, logic, and common sense along the way.

It’s just so much goddamn fun.

The show was a departure for Anderson since it featured real people, but his history and skill with models still shines through in many scenes – notably those that focus on spaceships and the exterior of Moonbase Alpha.

Shout! Factory has uploaded the entire first episode to YouTube if you want to get a sense for what the show is like, but – really – all you need to do is watch the opening credits. If you’re expecting Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica, you’ll… not find it here. You’ll instead find 1975 in full swing.

Please, click play.

Unlike Shout!’s Blu-ray release of Anderson’s classic Thunderbirds (which was frustratingly light on special features), the box set for Space: 1999 is positively loaded with hours of goodies.

The show’s 48 episodes are beautifully restored and presented in 1080p on the first 12 discs (with both the original mono and 5.1 audio). And the final disc is dedicated to a cornucopia of special features (some of which are brand new to this release):

NEW Mission to Moonbase Alpha: An Interview with Actress Barbara Bain
NEW Into the Uncertain Future: An Interview with Actor Nick Tate
NEW Brain Behind the Destruction: An Interview with Director Kevin Connor
NEW Moonbase Merch: A Tour of Space:1999 Ephemera with Author John Muir
NEW Audio commentary by author Anthony Taylor on season 1’s “Dragon’s Domain” and season 2’s “The Metamorph”
NEW Audio commentary by Space:1999 series expert Scott Michael Bosco on season 1’s “Ring Around the Moon”
Audio commentary by cocreator Gerry Anderson on season 1’s “Breakaway” and “Dragon’s Domain”
Nearly 100 minutes of reflections Space:1999‘s iconic episodes from the people who made them
“Memories Of Space” featurette
Interview with Sylvia Anderson
Guardian Of Piri with Actress Catherine Schell
Vintage Year Two interviews
Vintage Brian Johnson interview
Behind-the-scenes footage with Brian Johnson commentary
Concept and creation featurette
Special effects and design featurette
Martin Landau and Barbara Bain TV promos
Promos for Year One and Year Two
Trailers for Destination Moonbase Alpha and Alien Attack
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