FAB Facts: What Happened to Space:1999's Professor Victor Bergman?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2021
- Series 2 of Space:1999 saw many changes, a fundamental one including a change of many of the regular cast. Although not initially dropped, Barry Morse did not return to the show. In this FAB Fact, Jamie explains how that happened....
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Best Bergman moment? Has to be from 'The Black Sun', where he sits with Koenig in the now deserted Main Mission, and they just... chat. Like the old friends they are, knowing that there is a good possibility that they will die. It's a very warm scene, and beautifully played by Messrs. Morse and Landau. It never fails to choke me up a bit, too.
Absolutely, that scene is a phenomenal two-hander, very moving and also thought provoking, some of the best writing and acting in the series.
It certainly is a very touching scene. It was a fleeting moment of quiet contemplation between very good friends, amid the ocean of chaos they'd both encountered since Moonbase Alpha was blasted out into the depths of space. It was a very human, very warming, very poignant few minutes of reflection between the two characters, and it's so powerfully portrayed that you wish that you join them for a final glass of wine, if only to tell them that you knew they'd done their best, and could do no more. After all, that's what friends are for.
The Brandy scene, isn't it ?
They also drink.
They chat with 60 year old brandy good on them
Fred Freiberger’s nickname as “The Series Killer” was well deserved!
We called him Freddie "Kiss of Death" Freiberger.
He was a dickless wonder with the creative talent of a leaf of wet lettuce.
@@thefurrybastard1964 He was always out of his element with science fiction. Westerns were his wheelhouse. Like John Mantley, a western writer who was hired to produce Buck Rogers' second season.
@@dalethelander3781 Fair point, although Buck Rogers season 2 was like a bad Star Trek Knock off.
And maintained for this series as well. Today's equivalent is probably JJ Abrams....
He was a legend. Had that old-school, British University air about him - classic.
You should see him as Midwest American cop in The Fugitive!🤓😎✌🏻
@@pavelsarneki354 It is such a credit to Barry Morse he could play a Mid-Western cop so convincingly he was deemed the most hated man in America, and the lovely Professor Bergman. He was convincing in everything he did, including Kings of the Sun.
Bergman was very intellectual and gave season 1 a strong foundation, being the oldest and wisets member of MISSION COMMAND. When ever Bergman discusses a situation with Koenig its both teacher talking to a student, friend talking to a friend, and a meeting of minds.
Your comment is Picture Perfect Crystal Clarity never thought of it that way Bravo
Those 2 were always good together in their scenes! LOTS of mutual admiration & respect!
Victor was a great character. As a 9 y/o watching it I thought he was like a reassuring father figure with a sense of wonder. He was sorely missed in S2, but a serious character like that might have been out of place.
"This isn't your style, is it, John? Shoot first and ask questions afterwards?"
"We've been asking questions, Victor. They don't answer. Look at the size of it. It either has an army inside or enough firepower to blow us to bits. You don't need a ship that size to send an ambassador or a messenger of good will. No. Its purpose has got to be aggressive."
"Well, if it isn't now, it soon will be if we start using it for target practice."
"Are you prepared to wait and find out?"
- tense repartee from The Last Enemy
When they got rid of Professor Bergman part of Space 1999 died. He was a central pillar of the programme.
Victor always was my favourite character, I would have given him a worm hole back to earth story line.
Met Barry Morse in 1998. A delightful man.
He was a Great Actor, and I loved his part
Victor found the same hiding place that Tony was using in season one .
Pity we never found out which character was the Hide And Seek champion.
They should do a Fab Facts special on where was Tony Verdeschi during season 1!
Point well taken Star Commander and Peter Boczan. But Koenig did ask a "Tony" to go back to the ship, and get some lights in "Earthbound". Maybe Verdeschi was still just a "red shirt", working his way up to Security Chief at the time. ;)
Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, there is no second season. As for dear Professor Bergman, I would like to think he was happily stranded on a planet together with the other characters that Fred Freiberger senselessly cut from the show.
I would have loved if Helena, at the opening of the Metamorph for Series Two would have recorded something explaining Victor, Paul and David's disappearances. She could have started off with saying something like, "Today marks the six month Anniversary of when Alpha (and the Moon) entered a Space Warp just as Victor, Paul and David were exploring a nearby Planet that showed promise for colonization. As we, without choice, left our loved ones behind, we hold out hope that our comrades found that Planet was able to support life and Victor, Paul, David and Tanya found a new home as we on Alpha, continue our search for one ourselves. We also hope that one day, this force whatever it may be, that has guided and helped us on our Journey. Will one day see fit to bring us back together. Who knows what the mysteries of Space hold for us but our search for a new home will never end and our hope shall continue to make us stronger for it." To me, that would have been an easy way for them to pay tribute to these characters and also show the fans respect and make all the new changes for the second series a bit easier to swallow. What do you guys think!?!
Well said. But I have bad news for you. With writing as wonderful as this there is no way you could work in Hollywood.
You should have been script editor for Season 2, that's already better than anything Freiberger would have come up with.
That would have been an excellent way to launch the season. It would have left a window open for them to return.
Not to mention it sounds like quite the fitting tribute too, like something Prof. Bergman himself would've said.
I ♥️ it...☺️
Pretty awesome idea there. Thanks for sharing it.
Such a loss to the series…. I know some people blamed Gerry for him not coming back, but we need to remember that Gerry was no doubt in a very Dark place around the time series 2 was beginning production with the marriage to Silvia falling apart. I imagine Gerry wanted to hand off as much as possible on Freiberger and the ITC execs, and I’m pretty sure this was where this insulting behaviour towards Barry came from…. The final scene of Testament of Arcadia (obviously designed to be the final episode) where we see Koenig’s pen placed onto the diary is pretty heartbreaking as we know we wont see so many of our beloved characters again
Barry Morse lived here in southern Ontario for a long time. He seemed to be a regular star at The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, and Stratford, of course. He had a reputation for being both very kind and very professional, worked with a number of charities.
I think Bergman was everyone's favourite character in the first series. I never really warmed up the shows American stars.
Freddy was a example of the meddling US studio executive who believes, all evidence to the contrary, that he know the secret to making a hit series.
Freddy sounds LIKE the classic 'narcissist'!
Remember he gave us "Spooks Brain" Do I need to ay more?
I met him on set asked about the residuals for Space 1999.
@@francisdhomer5910 Spooks?
@@DMSProduktions look. Looks like either I was heavy on the "O" or autocorrect got me again. Piece of shirt
Although it cant hold a candle to Year One, the second season of SPACE: 1999 has gone up in my estimation over the years. Having said that, the loss of Barry Morse is one hurdle I just can't overcome. He was the 'heart' of Moonbase Alpha, and his absence was keenly felt.
the Horror channel in the UK is constantly repeating both series of Space 1999 and there are good elements to Season 2, Tony Verdeschi and Maya are good characters and very engaging actors, the Metamorph is a brilliant season opener and there is a sprinkling of good episodes like The Exiles and Dorzak. But the writing overall on Season 2 was subpar compared to S1, when it got bad like The Rules of Luton, All that Glisters or Brian the Brain it got very bad indeed. Also the caliber of guest stars in S2 was way down on S1, you could tell they were saving money in this area.
It was like if "Scotty" from star trek suddenly disappeared and the crew acted like he never existed!
Of all of the sci-fi series that deserves a remake; “Space “tops my list. Gerry Anderson was a true visionary 👍👽
ITV Studios Global Entertainment contracted Jace Hall to reboot it as "Space 2099" (no colon) in 2012. Hall rebooted "V" in 2009. After 3 years, ITV gave up on the notion.
Stargate: Universe in my opinion was a solid compliment to the vision of 1999. Many, many simularities.
It would be good to see a remake for it. I would also love to see a remake of Blake's 7.
That Reboot of V was pretty Awful. Nobody really liked it.
How good it was to see Martin / Bergman chat in The Black Sun ... When he takes out a couple of cigars and a bottle of whiskey and says to Koenig: "... I don't think the doctor(Rosell) would object, hahaha...(It was my favorite episode of all, how much I miss them, they were an important part of my childhood 💖✨
It was a bottle of brandy - I just happened to have watched that episode this evening.
@@nickbolton9149 Sure! ...And I think, he had it saved for 35 years approx!!!
My favourite theory was that season two was another moon fragmented from 'Another Time, Another Place' and the season one moonbase Alpha is still out there with Victor, Paul, and Kano et al.
I watched this show in the 70’s and when series 2 happened I had the same reaction. It’s an alternate universe flung off when the two moons merged.
Morse, a serious actor, also mentioned that things also got a bit too silly with the scripts in season two.
Fred Freiberger was a studio executive brought in to reduce costs on a TV series. Once Paramount bought Star Trek from Desilu, they brought him on to that series. Consequently the third and last season of Star Trek has some of the worst episodic dudes of the series. "Spock's Brain" comes to mind. I saw a Space:1999 documentary where they talked about the replacement of most of the first season cast. To paraphrase he simply remarked that "no one would miss them." Apparently they did miss Zenia Merton and Nick Tate as I remember quite an uproar and they were brought back. Zenia for a handful of episodes. Not saying he was a "show killer," but he certainly sucked the oxygen out of both Star Trek and Space:1999. By the way, first season is my favorite.
Freiberger was broughtbin as Star Trek showrunner when Gene Roddenberry had a fit over NBC's promising him the Monday 8e-7c timeslot, but being slotted Fridays at 10e-9c as George Schlatter wouldn't accept his Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In going on one hour later on Mondays. You'd think NBC would just swap the timeslots, but they told Gene Friday 10p was the only open slot.
I am watching S3 of TOS at the moment. In comparison to recent terrible offerings I thought Trek was not bad, certainly better than I remembered it. Obviously some episodes are still below par. It reminded me somewhat of early S1 episodes. It certainly did not take the show in any new directions.
S2 of 1999 is almost unwatchable. Really bad. Even the FX were inferior to S1.
@@spitfiremark1a768 In some areas, Series Two FX outstrip Series One. Brian Johnson was able to build a SlitScan generator, which he used on 2001 under Douglas Trumbull (i.e. the Stargate sequence). Orher than that, the same multiple-exposure technique used for S1, using Johnson's "FX Grid" camera plotting to avoid models merging into one another. The only misstep was in The Dorcons as Johnson was rushed.
To be fair, the entirety of S2 was done at a neraly breakneck pace. S1 filmed from November, 1973 to February, 1975. S2 began in late January, 1976 to November, 1976; the January start to accomodate a September premiere. S1 had all the time in the world as the series debut wasn't set in stone.
@@dalethelander3781 I think S1 is far more mature and the FX more realistic. Just look at the Eagle on the viewscreen at the start of Bringers if Wonder for one example.
Even at 9 y/o and no video relying on memory I knew S2 was inferior.
I love Mr Johnsons work however.
@@spitfiremark1a768 Yeah. That was the 11" Eagle being swung around and it had to show erratic flight while staying within a 4x3 frame. The 44" looks good, though.
I remember bumping into Barry on my way back to the tube station, from a walk in Epping Forest. Barry said he was there ( Epping) to do research for his book. I assumed it was an autobiography as he mentioned an old flame. We had a lovely chat as we walked to the station, but not about Space just our lives and other things, then he got on a bus and I got on the tube and we parted our ways. This was not the first time I had meet him, he was always charming and kind, a special man.
I missed him in season 2. The first season has always been my favourite, but I do still include season 2 when I have a binge!
Thanks to Jamie Anderson for a most entertaining video dealing with Victor's fate. Barry Morse was a fine actor, and the chemistry between Morse and Martin Landau was fantastic.
Sad about Barry, I met him once on a film set. He was a very nice unassuming gentleman.
I know, but he was born 1918
The phantom of Freiberger still haunts the halls of modern television. Including modern Trek.
Space 1999 is still til this day one of my absolute favorite TV series. I watched it when it first aired as a child & have rematched the entire series several times over the years. Victor Bergman was a phenomenal character & I missed him when he was gone. I really like Mya as well but would have preferred to have seen them both.
There was a short fan film starring Barry Morse entitled; "The Return of Victor Bergman." It of course used re-edited footage, but it was very nicely done. In the story, his mechanical heart failed, and he was placed in stasis. Six years later, Dr. Russell manages to revive him, and he once again becomes a valued member of Moonbase Alpha. I consider it a very logical explanation. Despite it being a re-edited piece, Barry Morse was prominently in it, and I consider it the "canon" explanation for his disappearance.
As far as Paul and Kano go, I think that Paul probably died on a mission, which is why Commander Koenig promoted Security Chief Tony Verdeschi to second in command. (Side Note: In the episode "Earthbound," when Koenig and crew board the alien Caldorian ship, he orders a spacesuited security officer to go back to the ship to bring some lights and equipment. His exact words are, "Tony, go back to the ship, and bring back some lights and equipment.") And I prefer to think that Kano still on Alpha during the second season, but was re-assigned to the computer center. (Note: We saw that same computer center in the first season episode; "Black Sun," as well as the second season/series episode "The Seance Spectre." It was the room that Sanderson's team entered and sabotaged, forcing Koenig & Maya to crash their Eagle on the Mars-like planet located in the center of the phenomenon "Tora.")
in my 'head canon' Victor, Paul and Kano somehow died in the original command center at the top of the tower while doing something heroic. They were trying to do something with computer while there was radiation build up in that location and they perished in an explosion saving Alpha. Because of the radiation build up and damage to the command center they had to relocate to the secondary command unit that was in a more secure location. That was basically where the security division run by Tony worked out of. So they decided to keep him there.
You should write fan fiction somewhere based on Space-1999, That's an excellent explanation.
Presumably Tony Vederchi (Tony Anholt) must have been stuck in the secondary command centre during season 1.
That's make sense, and sounds totally logical.
Someone give this gentleman a place on any remake team.
I remember being very irate when the second season started, wondering while hurtling through space how did they manage to change outfits,And definitely wondering what happened to Victor Bergman amongst the other crewmen that disappeared without any explanation,felt like we as fans got ripped off somehow. It would have been nice to have an explanation and a memorial service for them.
Even as a kid, I remember thinking at the time that it was strange that there was no explanation given on the show for the cast and set changes between seasons 1 and 2. If some explanation would have been given, I could have accepted it but to just change things and not explain them because "no one will notice" (as Freiberger apparently said) was an insult to the fans.
Absolutely agreed, but it also neatly showcased just how dimwitted Freiberger was. He clearly overlooked that.
Before Space: 1999 Martain Landau and Barbara Bain starred in Mission: Impossible, which never explained Dan Briggs (original IFM team leader in season 1) being replaced by Jim Phelps (IMF team leader appearing in season 2), Rollin Hand (Martain Landau ) being replaced by Paris and Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain) not having a regular replacement nor why Paris eventually disappears too.
I would have preferred no changes at all, but I suspect most Season 1 fans feel that way. There are only a few season 2 Episodes that I consider watchable.
This needs to be a motion picture.
Space 2099-The Movie. Starring Ben Affleck as Commander Koenig, Jennifer Lawrence as Doctor Helena Russell, and Michael Douglass as Victor Bergman.
Season Two takes place in an alternate universe where the budget and larger sets did not exist.
Victor was one of my favourite characters in the series and it was never the same in series two without him and the others who left.
As for me there is no second season therefore Prof. Victor Bergmann is still here.
I always wondered about what happed to him. But to have him simply disappear without explanation was a huge mistake.
Victor was conducting an experiment with what he hoped would be a gravity drive engine. The device suffered a catastrophic overload and Vicor was dragged through a rip in spacetime to be deposited in a swimming pool in Las Vegas roughly 12 months after the moon had been blasted out of orbit. Sadly he could not replicate his accident but went on to lead a happy and successful life on Earth.
These two series' are so different to the other that in my mind they are in two seperate continuities.
One of the key elements to series 2 that differentiated it was that it was purely childrens television, a lot of very gaudy and terribly done 'men-in-rubber-suits' which the first series liked to avoid, and lots of explosions and fast cuts,
You really can't bridge the two series as both are so radically different that it is like trying to form some bridge between original Star Trek and the JJ Abrams' films. Space 1999 Series 2 was a rebooted series, not a continuation - and that is the simplest way to accept it.
FAB Facts: What Happened to Space:1999's Professor Victor Bergman? 1351pm 29.3.23 how are shows scrapped? i am getting the gist of such matters - wherein top brass or those who want their own shows commissioning instigate breakdowns in communication, isolate key players of the show - and as a result: that call is never made re: getting the characters together for a 3rd series or an xmas special etc et etc... i am only surmising this is the case cos the cowards at the top or those craven hearted effers who want to do something innovative are far too afraid to make those calls or sack those staff who had been making those shows spoken of - in this case space1999 - which still seems to piss this fella off, the guy who has created a gerry andersons specific pod cast thingy... space19999 is certainly another show which could be resurrected for cinema if nought else... all things partridge seem to spring to mind in relation to such matters...
OK, here's the deal. Victor, Paul, David, et al, wound up being assigned to man what had been known as Main Mission, while the others were assigned to man the recently built Command Center. Victor and company were tasked to carry out specialized research in the old SHADO base, which was linked to Moonbase Alpha via the travel tubes. Also, the Eagle hangar and repair facility, like the Travel Tube system, was linked to the SHADO base. This was done when Alpha was first constructed (but not actually referred to during either Series 1 or 2). The plan was to eventually make the launch platforms of the SHADO base fully functional again.
Everyone from the two functional bases continued to get together when the cameras weren't rolling. Sondra and Paul continued their romance. And Fred Freiberger fell off of the back of the moon.
I think they should have had a memorial service for Victor. When the 2nd season first aired I remember being somewhat upset,I wondered where is Victor, and as there hurtling through space, where would they get the resources to totally change their uniforms?
As a child, S2 was my favorite. As an adult, S1 is far superior. As a child, I didn't like Bergman. I thought he was too intellectual. As an adult, he's my favorite character. There aren't many characters from any show I would want to hang with in real life, but I would definitely want to be friends with him. Conversations with him would never be boring.
Interesting comment. As a child I watched S2. With no benefit of video and purely acting on memory I knew something was wrong with S2 compared to its predecessor. I still watched it hoping for a good episode but always enjoyed watching the Eagles.
Loved season 1 - absolutely compelling viewing as a child, and the episodes have stood the test of time very well. Season 2 absolutely stunk the place out. Might as well have been given a different name. If it aint broke dont fix it springs to mind. Absolute pap.
Back in the day, My 10 year old mind accepted all the cast changes… I just assumed the characters we weren’t seeing that had been part of year 1 were around but just not in the action this week.
Tackling the big questions. I was shocked and dismayed that Victor (Barry) was missing in season 2. It was just the first if many disappointments with season 2.
Not only Victor Bergman but also Paul Morrow and David Kano
As a kid I owned the official Space: 1999 Technical Notebook and in that they also had a complete episode guide for series one and two. As part of that notebook they also had a complete timeline of Alpha's journey in days since leaving orbit. In that timeline they explain that Bergman died because of an artificial heart malfunction somewhere in between S1 and S2. It totally stunk but as a kid at least I had an explanation. I think they also explained the disappearance of Kano and Paul and a few of the others as well.
supposedly the doctor switched to pyschology and the others died in an Eagle crash
I have that Technical Notebook (since 1982 and kept under LOCK AND KEY). The notebook read that Paul Morrow and David Kano were kilked when a booster in an Eagle they were in failed and they died in the crash.
Professor Bergman was one of my favourite characters, so ably played by Barry Morse. But looking back on things, I'm kind of glad he just disappeared, as I dread to think what Freiberger would have done to him. He had everyone else forming "romantic relationships" or cracking lame jokes with forced humour, err making them "dynamic". As above, Freiberger's thinking is revealed when he imagined the lead scientist as being a bearded 23 year old. ugh. If Barry Morse had returned playing Bergman, he'd have been scripted as playing practical jokes on people, telling funny stories and probably in some ghastly "relationship" . There was no year in Year Two for the philosophical Professor. I rather suspect Morse saw the Year Two episodes and thought he'd been lucky to avoid it. The fact that Freiberger brought in radical changes to the cast and abolished well-established (and liked) without even bothering to provide a plot reveals just how low an opinion of the audience he had. He basically thought they were dummies who didn;t care about anything other than monsters, romantic drivel and wanted everyone to be young and preferably firing lasers at things as often as possible.
Not just Freiburger had a low opinion of the audience. The studio Execs involved were as arrogant and I guess went on to destroy other dramas in later years. These are talentless individuals whose job it is to get in the way of the talented. Sad but commonplace.
Barry was great missed him 😢 but my friend is master model builder is building me an eagle for my collection . The memory go on Still from when I was 12 years old . Nice look back on what happened thanks for that.
I could totally see Bergman willingly merging with some energy being as a way of further exploring the mysteries of existence.
he was a great character ..I missed him quite much...,
I enjoyed both seasons. It was entertainment and as a kid in the 70s watching this every week, thats all that mattered. Things change, life moves on. Happy memories are whats important as you get older.
When I met Barry Morse, my first question to him was "Where did you go?" Clearly, it was something he had been asked many times before, but he was as nice as can be, shrugging his shoulders and saying "I'm STILL not really sure!" What a lovely and talented man he was. I think his absence REALLY hurt the show. The Father/Son dynamic with Koenig was so human and brought much to both characters.
I saw the series when I was about 13, so about 14 when season 2 came out, and my friends and I were completely put out by most of the changes. We didn’t need nor wished for these so-called improvements.
BTW, checking the air dates made me realize it was just about at that time a friend and I first saw 2001 : A Space Odyssey, in a double screening just after The Andromeda Strain, and neither movie bored us. TAS enthralled me and then 2001 was a revelation.
So that show killer guy deserved his nickname, he badly underestimated a good part of the audience.
I only knew Barry from this show and I did rediscover him as Gerrard on fugitive when my town got cable TV in 79 80. I saw this on Sunday night and always associated the ITC moniker with this show along with the Muppet show.
Professor Bergman was one of my favourite characters, and Barry Morse one of my favourite actors.
I remember he was also a Regular on the Fugitive. Great Show.
@@bhodili-3396 Yes, indeed.👌
As a kid, I was like "What is going on with my SPACE: 1999!?"
It's called a Revamp.
The "To Everything That Was" Space 1999 comic anthology (which is very good) mentions that Victor died because of a faulty spacesuit (I think the Planets of Peril S2 novelisation mentioned it too?). The comics also described what happened to Paul and Tanya and Kano, though I'm not sure it's 'canon' (Paul and Tanya go off - presumably with some others - to attempt to colonise a planet, and Kano is killed by an insane android that the Alphans encounter).
I certainly remember that explanation from the novelisation.
To this day I can't watch the second series. Everything that was exceptional was gone.
💯 % agree. It is pap of the worse kind.
You didn’t find “The Rules of Luton” to be a masterpiece?
Whilst you are correct, I would watch season 2 just because of Maia. As an adolescent boy I had such a crush on her, so many fantasies.. ahem... sorry.
Saw this today. I missed him and thought he was a great character in the show.
It was very close to loose Alan Carter as well. But the son of Freiberger found Alan super cool. Lucky one. But I agree to many others in their comments. Prof. Viktor Bergman was my favorite charakter.
Victor, Paul and David's disappearances...They were seconded to an alien planet that wanted to learn more about humans. They also fixed his heart problem.
I could imagine that the missing crew members were on an away mission, then a disaster struck the Moonbase Alpha, destroying the original big set, forcing them into smaller quarters and unable to retrieve the Prof and the others, who found whatever refuge they could. If they ever reboot the series they could have a companion show.
Yay, Fab Facts. I was worried something had happened to one of you causing a delay.
If it hasn't been mentioned, at the end of the Space 1999 DVD set, there was a fan produced "radio transmission" telling how they finally settled on a planet and that Victor, Paul and others had passed away.
I can't recall how old I was when this was out, early teens maybe? Anyway, I much prefer the Series 1 form. I didn't have a 'problem' per sey with series 2 but I found most if not all of my favourite episodes are from series 1, Victor was a key part like Spock and Bones from Star Trek, to remove him kind of made John quick to anger. He was the brains who was wise and seasoned, goes to show that old characters can be just as valuable as anyone younger, it's more believable too.
Easy answer to the question. Bergman read the first few scripts for season 2 then began laughing hysterically before dropping them to the floor and walking out saying "Bye Felecia!"
he was actually my favourite character. because he was so knowledgable.
I loved 1999 when I was a kid and asked my mom what happened to Victor and she explained it to me like this as seen in many episodes when they would use the foam and paper to seal the windows for the cracks Victor died cause he was trying to save crew trying to escape from a room with a damaged window and gave his life for them which I was OK with that
IIRC, that's how Matthias passed away. It always irked me that Dr. Russel seemed to be the only one who was upset. And Victor had one line about how sad it was to lose him and that was IT. It was like Dr. Matthias never existed.
As a kid, I confused his heart attack in The Infernal Machine with his death. And always figured that was why he wasn't in second season.
I just saw my first episode of the show. I never even heard of the show probably because it wasn't aired in the United States. I love the cinematography reminds me of the first Alien movie which was released couple years after Space 99 was over.
I grew up as a kid watching this when it came out. I did not think a whole lot about the character's of the show other than when I would see Martin Landau in a more modern movie or see clips from his previous show Mission Impossible. But about a year or two ago I turned on the tv one Sunday morning to see what was on the science fiction network, COMET and to my surprise was an episode of Space 1999. It was so awesome to see it again after 40 plus years. I tried to make it a habit to watch it every Sunday, but unfortunately they stopped airing it. When I watch old clips and episodes here on TH-cam as an older gentleman opposed to when I was a boy, I see how much having this actor on the show really was. What a loss not to have him on the second season. I agree if they were going to give his character the ax, I think they should have had him on St least two or three episodes at the beginning of season two to transition to the second season changes.
There's an interview with Uncle Barry (as we called him in U.S. fandom) where he states that he declined Series Two in order to "go play with the grown-ups for a while," a jab at the Landaus whom Barry thought were both divas.
First thing the Landaus did after Space-1999. The Harlem Globetrotters On Gilligan's Island.
i really liked series 1 and 2, but series 2 was my favourite, great stories, great new theme tune, new interesting sexy alien regular character. It stepped up a gear, but i was huge Barry Morse fan as a kid...
The cost cutting in Series 2 even meant that they all had to wear those zip-up cardigans. Presumably they had to turn the central heating down and don some extra layers of clothing! I always wondered why the clothing changed in Series 2. Now I know why!
I actually liked the Return of Victor Bergman short video that he did as an explanation to what happened. Mostly because it was written by him and Robert E Wood to give some closure to the character and show that he was still alive out there somewhere.
I like Barry’s explanation.
I always remembered the reference in the original Starlog MOONBASE ALPHA TECHNICAL NOTEBOOK where the timeline (between Season/Series 1 and 2) says Victor died when his spacesuit malfunctioned during installation of the Laser Defense System seen in Season 2. Kano and Paul died after their Eagle crashed when the main boosters failed.
Shame Morse didn't stick around for second season as he was clearly the best actor of the regular cast, having said that he would probably not approved of the radical changes made. Didn't he say to Gerry Anderson on his departure " Thanks but if it's all the same I'd like to play with the grown ups for a while" classy guy.
Given the rather demanding nature of the 2 "stars" leading the cast (as reported in interviews in recent years), he may have been referring to them when he said he wanted to play with grown ups. Maybe/maybe not. Dealing with demanding people like them day in and day out can't really make work enjoyable.
I still enjoy watching Barry Morse's character in The Martian Chronicles - I like to think of it as Victor leaving the moon to retire in a homestead on Mars with a robot family he created for himself as he goes senile :)
Glad I stumbled across this video as I wondered what happened to some of the season 1 characters. I liked having an older more mature person as Victor as I have always viewed him as the sign of wisdom which only comes with life experience. A second point, I've been rewatching Space 1999 on Shout!Studio's and I have to laugh when people talk about Season 2. Everyone, complains about Season 2 but no one grumbles about:😘🥰MAYA🥰😘.
I guess one could say the good thing about S2 is 😘😍MAYA🥰🥰.
Barry Morse showed up in the terrible "The Shape of Things to Come" with Jack Palance! He played basically the same character on a different moon base.
I remember reading the novelisation which mentioned Victor's faulty spacesuit. But it didn't help, and certainly he was missed in the second season, much as I loved the Maya character.
Much preferred the 1st series. Could not get into the 2nd, firstly for the loss of so many of the original cast. Also, as in the 1st series the crew of Apha were only just surviving. So could not understand how the Base got a complete new look, new computer,smaller main mission(command centre) & all the crew kitted out in a new uniform???
Barry Morse a true gentleman.
I was about 11 or 12 and saw season 2 first. As a kid I loved Maya and her abilities. My friends and I would reenact the "chicks with whips" episode. One of us would be Tony and one would be John. And of course we all had Mayas shape shifting ability. I recall seeing season 1 later and thinking who is this Victor geezer? Where are the shape shifting adventures? Altho the space dragon scared the crap out of me. I haven't watched it as an adult.
With such drastic change in cast and time line, I figured they went through a really loopy space warp that retroactively changed their first year after being blasted away. Tony Verdeschi sent to the base instead of Tony Cellini. A third and fourth waste site materialize. New uniforms shipped up a week earlier than in the original time line. Bergman wiped out by some other retroactive change.
It was very sad and a bit of an insult that no explanation of the missing characters too,heard Zienia Merton was treated badly in season two as well.They should do an audio follow up Victor returns !
As someone who watched the show when it was first aired. I always thought Bergman's character was killed off. Even though they never said what happened, and figuring 2 years between seasons, I thought maybe they couldn't get a lot of the actors back.
I would have preferred that something more interesting happened. Given the things they encountered in season one, I could see an advanced alien landing on Alpha. They would tell the Alphans about the amazing things they see and do and wanted to know if someone would accompany them. Kind of like the episode "The Infernal Machine" only a more benevolent alien with nothing but good intentions.
And perhaps the case was after a certain time period Bergman would be returned with all of that knowledge.
Much better than dying in a faulty spacesuit. Maybe Bergman is living on another planet, after receiving a biologically grown replacement heart. Writing his memoirs etc. Wondering what ever happened to the moon.
What ever happened to the moon? With all of the explosions over 2 season, I am sure Alpha was probably beyond repair.
Maybe they found another world to settle on.
Victor Bergman was my favorite character next to Carter.
5:12 "two great scientific minds." Two?? Let's not forget in "Bringers Of Wonder part 1", Sandra reports that the Super-Swift craft is 100 million miles away from Alpha, and Mia states that "even at the speed of light, it'll take an hour to reach Alpha." Which is weird, because light from the Sun takes only 8 minutes to travel 93 million miles to Earth. I guess those last 7 million miles are uphill. Also, in another episode she tells Tony that if she was made of anti-matter, her hand would simply pass through him. No, genius alien science officer, Tony + anti-matter = explosion.
I just finished watching all of the episodes. I really missed Professor Victor Bergman. I think he was a great character. As usual the studios can care less about us viewers. They just do whatever they want. This is 1 area they really screwed up.
Thanks for clearing this up. For years I thought PLAN 9 from outer space director Ed Wood had directed season 2.
I enjoyed Victor. He made the backup to Koenig when he would be gone on different planets. I miss Paul, David and the red head. All great actors.
The best explanation for the disappearance of Victor Bergman can best be quoted by Victor himself, as he said many times - “hmmm, I don’t know, John!”
Victor was cool smart and his character was needed in that show like Paul's character to. And Kano! It was a great show my dad was in his 40s at this time just home from Vietnam 4 years. He like the show so did my mom who was 39 at the time.
Every school in the world deserves a Victor Bergman.
Here's a better explanation! Main mission computer selects Victor Bergman, Paul Morrow, David Kano, Tanya Alexander (and some rando Yellow Sleeve pilot) to set off in an experimental Eagle outfitted with a revised Queller drive, tracing the course of the Kaldorians back to Earth. As they fire up the drive they cause a rupture in the local fabric of space, triggering (yet another) wormhole warping the moon away. Main Mission is wrecked beyond repair during the incident, yet the ship returns to earthspace...
The same thing that happened to Chuck Cunningham.
Richie got his two Christmas wishes. Fonz would move in and Richie got his own room.
Actually! Barry Morse did a " Bergman" postscript. Check it out! Fellas. It's called " The Return of Victor Bergman!"
I've got both series on DVD. Love the first series, hated the second, though grudgingly there are a few good stories in the second series. Fred Feinberg could have saved money by keeping the original opening and closing main theme music. Series two's main theme music to my ear sounded more akin to a British hospital drama than a Sci-Fi show. This saving could of paid for Barry Morse's ride to the studio, give him a pay rise and hire other beloved characters from the first series. Also I hated the Maya character, who ended up as the show's "Get out of jail free" card. What did they do in the first series without her?
While I can't say I hated Maya I really didn't care to much for her change of the week part. I wasn't able to see the second season in first run as none of the stations I got carried it. (Rural living. 4 stations off from an antenna, one being from Canada and was the station that showed the first season) (Oh and back then I complained about not having much choice, sure beats what we have now.) Back to what I was saying. What I saw of season two I was highly disappointed. I could accept the Command Center moving, underground would make sense. But as many said the monster of the week was getting tiresome. Science Fiction is not all about monsters. What we had the first season were a lot of true Science Fiction stories
Loved Season 2 the best ! Maya came from Zykon & Toni came from another area of Moonbase Alpha & Victor was pretty old, so he probably died & they shot him out into Space . Series one was new & blew everyone away, but the older generation of the time, thought it was TOO OUT THERE ! Series 2 was even lucky to be made, considering the money paid out to record the series in 2 separate studios . I would love to see a new version of the same format, with the Anderson’s Family calling it maybe Space: 2999 ? ?
My only real question pertaining to the popular favorites between season 1 and 2, is of the ones who say season 2 is their favorite "which season did you see first, which was your introductory season"? I'm inclined to believe that the majority of those who claim season 2 is their favorite, it was the first one they'd seen, at least predominantly.
My theory is that when Koenig consulted Bergman during a crisis, the good professor said 'John, I just don't know.' one time too many.