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[size=5]THEN:[/size]
Back in 2007, I was corresponding with William Latham during the “wilderness years” (where the old Powys website hadn’t been updated for years and nothing new was being published).
Bill hinted at a few bits and pieces in terms of what he was thinking/planning to do in his [b]OMEGA[/b] novel (back then, there was no mention of there being a sequel, and names like Goma, Misl, Bad Mike, Good Mike etc. hadn’t been given to any of the MUF’s that have been involved in the Alphan’s odyssey). At the time, I assumed that [b]OMEGA[/b] would detail the MUF’s involvement in both Year 1 [b]and[/b] Year 2. Ultimately, only the MUF’s involvement in terms of specific Year 1 events would be dealt with.
At the time, I got thinking about how the MUF’s had been involved in Year 2, knowing what little I did at the time. I made several assumptions (that the MUF’s were like the Gods of the Greek Panthion – playing cosmic games with the Moon and the Alphans as well as other races, beings and planets being the pieces on their universal chessboard). All I really had to go on was that there was an MUF who was guiding/protecting the Alphans, and another, which Bill named “Blunt”, that was out to destroy them. Knowing just that, I got to work & when I sent the results to Bill, he suggested I keep hold of them because fans might be interested in reading what I’d come up with regarding Year 2 and the MUF’s AFTER [b]OMEGA[/b] had been released. So, I kept all the e-mails we exchanged and put my notes aside.
[size=5]NOW:[/size]
I dug out those notes today… and read them for the first time in 5 years. I was astonished by how much of it makes sense – now that I’ve read both [b]OMEGA[/b] & [b]ALPHA[/b]! I was also delighted to see that a couple of my idea’s were in tune with what Michael Butterworth & Mateo decided to do with certain stories in the [b]Year 2 Omnibus[/b]. So, I thought it might be fun if I decided to share what I wrote with everyone.
I have not altered what I wrote, and in the spirit of trying to share what I wrote as genuinely as possible here, I have tried not to alter any spelling or gramatical errors.
I’d be VERY interested to read people’s thoughts on what I wrote, particularly Pat Sokol’s :kiss:
So, here goes.
“…I’m surprised that “Space Brain” isn’t sitting very comfortably within the actions of the “pantheon” of entities that form the MUF [Bill]. I’d imagine that the entity who you describe as being “blunt” (& has been trying to destroy the Alphans), altered the Moon’s course, targeted the Space Brain (a living biological computer/brain imbued with tremendous intelligence, instinct and a desire to preserve, protect and nurture the various races under its care) thereby killing it. Result? Well, looking at Year 2 alone (& taking comments made by John Kenneth-Muir in “The Forsaken” a little further)…
THE METAMORPH: Psychon’s environment goes haywire leading to the
environmental disaster that caused the Psychon’s to evacuate and inspired
Mentor to create his own biological computer… which needs the brain energy
of ALL the Alphans to power it… RESULT: extinction of Alphans had he
succeeded… but he hadn’t foreseen that Maya would join the Alphans and
save their lives…THE EXILES: gravitational forces throughout the Galaxy have gone haywire as
a result of the death of the Space Brain, causing the Golosian life caskets
to change course… RESULT: the Alphans release the alien psychopaths within
who almost destroy Alpha’s life support systems…ONE MOMENT OF HUMANITY: My favourite episode of Year 2 🙂 (JK-M would lose
all respect for me if he knew me and knew this!). Not influenced by either
the Space Brain or the Blunt member of the MUF Pantheon however, the Alphans
still learn lessons from this encounter, mainly about the nature of humanity
and that it is not something experienced by flesh and blood life-forms
alone… that other forms of life are capable of experiencing love, fear,
anger, compassion etc. (maybe another member of the MUF pointed the Moon in
Vega’s direction for this purpose…)ALL THAT GLISTERS: A truly dire episode in many ways but with several good
moments despite this… anyway, JK-M noted that the death of the Space Brain
caused the environment to change and the water (which the SB had brought
forth in abundance) to dry up hence the actions that the Rock/Silicone
life-form is forced to take RESULT: Rock almost murders Koenig, Russell,
Tony, Maya and Alan in one fell swoop! Definitely the work of Blunt!JOURNEY TO WHERE/BRINGERS OF WONDER – PARTS 1 & 2/DESTINATION: MOONBASE
ALPHA: Hmm. Here’s a left-of-centre viewpoint on these episodes. JK-M in
“The Forsaken” confirms that the Radiation Starved Aliens in BOW were fed a
constant stream of radiation prior to the death of the Space Brain.
Obviously, by killing it, the Blunt member of the MUF Pantheon creates a new
enemy who in their last few months of existence have only one purpose:
destroy the human creatures responsible for the near-extinction of their
race. If they do, they will in turn, be able to extend their life-span
(perhaps the Blunt member of the MUF Pantheon contacted them directly to
point them in the Alphans direction and promise them this “reward”…) As
for “JTW”, I never bought this episode as being a genuine experience that
actually happened in real-time as we see it on film (JK-M in his book
“Exploring SPACE: 1999” points out the many flaws in the premise and the
science that make the Alphans communicating with/travelling back to Earth
impossible). I think the events experienced by the Alphans are unreal. A
manipulation. The episode in its entirety is a test to see just how far the
Alphans would go to get back to Earth. Doctor Logan and the others are
fictions… faces worn by alien beings as a test, they are illusions created
by the Radiation Starved Aliens from a distance (when their powers were
stronger and more vital) as a “trial run” in readiness for their arrival as
Humans from Earth in “The Bringers of Wonder”. The Alphans don’t remember
the events of this episode in TBOW, as JK-M points out, which makes me
wonder if the whole episode ever REALLY happened at all… JM-K points out
that Koenig suggests that the Radiation Starved Aliens blocked the memories
of the events of JTW out of the Alphans minds RESULT: Extinction of the
Alphans had the Radiation Starved Aliens succeeded… This I think you’ll
agree, puts an intriguing spin on both JTW & TBOF and allows them to fit in
to the bigger picture of the actions of the MUF & in particular, MUF Blunt
too 🙂THE TAYBOR: Another less than brilliant episode but not without a couple of
great moments… much better when viewed after a bottle of wine Bill! 😉
Like “One Moment of Humanity”, the events of this episode do not appear to
be influenced by either the MUF or the Space Brain or the MUF pantheon at
first glance, however, Maya is constantly helping the Alphans to survive.
What if the Blunt member of the MUF is capable of wearing different faces
and involving himself directly in the lives of the Alphans? he could
actually BE Taybor, his aim: get Maya off Alpha making their survival far
less certain without her aid and her abilities…Gary supports this idea as he feels that Taybor’s hand gestures and
“miraculous” abilities to create matter, transport people, travel in
“hyperspace” (a nonsense term) are all very “Greek God” like. The SS
Emporium is very much like a “Cornucopia” he says. Maybe “The Taybor”, for
all its silliness, is FAR MORE SERIOUS in terms of its importance in the
MUF than has ever been realised…THE RULES OF LUTON: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I hate this episode with my entire being 😉 however, the situation on Luton may
be a result of the death of the Space Brain (which had been influencing the plant
life on the planet to co-exist with the animal life on that world or was
repressing the evolution of the plant life-forms because it knew that they
would wipe out the emerging animal life form on the planet). Without this
positive influence, the scales tipped against the animal life forms that the
Space Brain had been protecting hence their extinction. Blunt MUF causes the
space storm that the Moon travels through, using it as a cover to subtly
alter the Moon’s course to head towards Luton and into immediate,
life-threatening danger for any Alphans who go there. In the end, the chess
pieces that the Gods/The MUF Pantheon select for this game are… Koenig and
Maya & 3 beings selected randomly from other species…THE MARK OF ARCHANON: An episode I’ve grown to adore as I think it’s one of
the best written episodes of Year 2. The final scene between John and Helena
is worth the price of admission alone! 🙂 TMOA is an episode that (to my
mind) has nothing whatsoever to do with the MUF. However, imagine an
additional scene between Helena and Mourna in the corridor outside Medical
Centre where Helena asks the Archons to help the Alphans in their search for
a new home (JK-M pointed out that the Archanon’s should have offered the
Alphans their help and yet they don’t). What if a suddenly uncomfortable and
hesitant Mourna refuses on the grounds that the Archanons are aware of the
Alphans “place” in the universe and that should they interfere with their
“odyssey”, it may bring down “terrible forces of chaos and destruction” (to
quote Luke Ferro) on her people. I can imagine Mourna turning & walking away
before Helena could ask her anything further, leaving Helena in the quiet,
thoughtful mood that we see her in in the coda with Koenig…BRAIN THE BRAIN: Like every Earth expedition before and after (with the
exception of the Moon), Star Mission 1996 failed. A powerful, MUF has
ensured that ONLY the Alphans, those chosen and destined to leave Earth,
successfully explore deep space. Was Brian’s malfunction a result of the
incompetence of Captain Michael? or did a member of the MUF Pantheon cause
the malfunction that turned this rather silly-looking/sounding but very powerful
Prototype mobile computer into a psychopathic killer..?NEW ADAM, NEW EVE: Who is Magus? was/is he a member of the MUF? did he
really “die” when New Earth broke up around him? I adore this episode and
the character of Magus. He’s a fascinating character. The Q of ’99 in some
respects (the serious Q of TNG Season 1 & 2 rather than the imp, the clown,
the “trickster God” of later seasons of TNG, DS9 season 1 & Voyager. I have
often speculated about Megus’s possible, future encounters with the Alphans
in Year 3… & 4… & 5… 😉THE AB CRYSALIS: Another episode that strikes me as a deliberate attempt by
MUF Blunt to destroy the Alphans. The Moon heads straight in to the firing
line of the spatial explosions… if not for Koenig’s arguments… the
“beings” on this planet would have destroyed the Moon & everyone on it. Are
the aliens in fact members of the MUF Pantheon? Is this another test/game of
the Gods? does the planet and it’s Moons fade from view once the Moon is
out of range… only for the “Gods” of the MUF to sit and compare notes on
their latest interaction with the Alphans once back on their “Olympus”? Is
this what happened to Magus? did he simply return to the “Olympus” of the
Gods of the MUF once he had played out his game with the Alphans in “NA,NE”.
Of course, Koenig has learned that “Hope is better than despair…”, he’ll
need to remember this in Year 3…CATACOMBS OF THE MOON: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
TO THE POWER N! I agree with JK-M: this is the single worst episode of
SPACE: 1999 and should be ignored utterly and the events therein never
mentioned in any Powys novel- EVER! (unless you want to mention the death
of the Osgoods, killed by the MUF for being awful characters whom they hate as
much as we, the fans of ’99 do!. Now THAT is a story I would pay good money
to read as they are dire, unlikeable people on every level!SEED OF DESTRUCTION: My joint favourite episode of Year 2 alongside “One
Moment of Humanity”. Again, as with “The Exiles”, gravitational forces
throughout the Galaxy have gone haywire, causing the “Jewel-like
Asteroid…” to change course to intersect with the Moon… RESULT: the
Alphans are almost destroyed by an entity who wears Koenig’s face but has no
real understanding of who Koenig is or of his humanity…I have always considered this episode a semi-sequel to “Collision Course” in
the sense that Mirror-Koenig orders the Alphans to the brink of destruction
just as Koenig did in “Collision Course”. In “Collision Course” they don’t
follow him. Helena, Victor, Paul etc. betray Koenig and turn on him because
he’s acting like a madman with radiation sickness therefore, their actions
are perfectly reasonable & the safety and well-being as well as the
continued survival of everyone on Alpha come first. They do what they have
to do to save the base and stop him… and they are proved UTTERLY wrong in
doing so. The recriminations that must have followed about where these
people are at in terms of their relationships… must have been emotionally,
very difficult. Naturally, when a similar situation arises in Year 2 in
“Seed of Destruction”, this time, they ALL follow him to the brink of
destruction out of a desire NOT to make the same mistake again & to show
John that they trust him COMPLETELY & that they will follow wherever he
leads them. Only towards the end, do they see that this ISN’T Koenig. Does
this lead to the Alphans hesitating in their support of Koenig’s decisions
in “OMEGA”, because they don’t know what to do for the best anymore and fear
that, as in “Seed…” Koenig might indeed be under the influence of a MUF,
once that ISN’T trying to help them… but is trying to destroy them. Is
“Seed…” another “test” where the responses of the Alphans are monitored
and notes taken by the members of the MUF pantheon as to how far these
humans will go in support of Koenig & how they respond when their
relationships are put to the test..?THE BETA CLOUD: “The Forsaken” already covers this episode in relation to
the death of the Space Brain and like the radiation starved aliens of
“Bringers of Wonder”, these are clearly beings who are out for revenge
against the Alphans. They have only one purpose: destroy the human creatures
responsible for the near-extinction of their race.THE LAMBDA FACTOR: Ah… Carolyn Powell. The bogeyman of my childhood.
Carolyn scared the sh*t out out of me when I was a kid. Like “The Rules of
Luton”, “Catacombs of the Moon” & “Space Warp”, this is one of the few Year
2 episodes I genuinely remember watching when I was a kid on Saturday
mornings in London. Carolyn is a fascinating character. Obviously a “tool”
of MUF Blunt in every respect, and when her usefulness is at an end, he cuts
her strings and like the puppet that she is, she falls to the ground. Her
speech, her memory, her motor function etc. gone. Carolyn is lobotomised for
failing MUF Blunt… but what would happen if she woke up… free of MUF
Blunt’s influence… but retaining her ESP and other paranormal powers…
and earns the Alphans trust, becoming a new, semi-regular character in Year
3. What if, MUF Blunt learns of this powerful new ally in the Alphans
mist… and is forced to send something to destroy her and them, because she
is a threat to his/its plans…I’ve always longed for a sequel to this episode Bill, a story featuring the
woman I hated as a child for the things she did to Tony and Maya. How
unexpected to have her return in a Year 3 novel… and to see her redeemed.
A tool of the MUF… turned against them… as Victor said in “Another Time,
Another Place”: “It’s an interesting thought…” 😉THE MUTINY/THE SEANCE SPECTRE: The origin of the “cosmic weather belt” is
explained in “The Forsaken” as is the purpose of the Space Brain in creating
the “Tora” phenomenon: it was created to “hide” the proto planet within. Was
the Space Brain guiding the evolution of a new race on this new born planet?
a race that in time, would have risen up to challenge the MUF Pantheon and
possibly destroy it/them? Is this the TRUE reason that the Space Brain was
executed: to prevent this from happening. Is the MUF guilty of genocide too?DORZAK: I imagine Dorzak’s connection to the MUF & the truth of Sahala’s
statement where she says that “their loyalty to each-other transcends all
other relationships!” will be seen in “Born for Adversity” when Maya betrays
the Alphans and sides with the Psychons who crash on the Moon. As an aside,
I’ve always felt that “Dorzak” (Like “The Lambda Factor”) is an episode
featuring an intriguing character that cries out for a sequel in Year 3.DEVIL’S PLANET/DEVIL’S MOON/ESCAPE FROM ENTRA (the last title is mine): Was
the Ellnan population exterminated by a member of the MUF deliberately… Do
the Alphans now carry a lethal pathogen in their bodies that will either
kill them if activated or will kill other races that the Alphans are set to
encounter… races that are a threat to the plans of MUF Blunt and other
less benevolent members of the MUF Pantheon…THE FACE OF EDEN/THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME: An alien being, is taken from his
natural environment and placed on a perfect, Earth-like planet that the Moon
is heading towards by the MUF. The being lashes out in fear and
misunderstanding, turning the planets environment against them… and almost
killing Alan and Koenig in the process (taking out two of the key figures
obstructing Blunt’s plans). This “Eden” is an obvious trap for the Alphans,
but it wasn’t always that way. Had the MUF not interfered, the Alphans would
have settled here, but this is not part of the MUF’s plan, and so as Helena
says: “Just when we find what could be a lovely home… we can’t stay.” They
can’t stay because the MUF doesn’t want them to…”There were a few Year 2 stories I hadn’t really gotten my head round in terms of the MUF’s, which is why episodes such as SPACE WARP and THE DORCONS aren’t mentioned.
Anyway, there it is.
Hope you don’t mind me sharing this Bill. I did as you suggested… and waited until a good few years after [b]OMEGA[/b] & [b]ALPHA[/b] were released until I said anything! 😉
“Any questions anyone?” (spot the quote!) 😉
[b]blatham wrote:[/b]
[quote]I think it’s great that you posted this, Steve! Chime in, everybody![/quote]Thanks Bill 🙂
Lady Sokol has intimated to me that she will be commenting on this post at some point. I’m very much looking forward to hearing her thoughts on it.
Obviously, I’m tempted to revise and update what I originally wrote now that the [b]OMEGA[/b] & [b]ALPHA[/b] novels have been released, but I have a feeling that Pat’s insights into Year 2 and the Powysverse MUF’s will make for far more interesting than my several year old scribblings… 😉
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