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The Day After Tomorrow (1976 British) aka Into Infinity
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:32 am    Post subject: The Day After Tomorrow (1976 British) aka Into Infinity Reply with quote




This 1976 British pilot for a series that didn't pan out looks mighty good. The three-minute clip below has a great picture, but the video of the full 47-minute movie is not very sharp.

I'd love to see a really good version of this. I seem to remember watching it in 1976. Here's what Wikipedia says about it. (They list the release date as 1975, but IMDB says 1976.)
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Originally commissioned to create a child-friendly introduction to Albert Einstein's special relativity theory in the form of an exciting action-adventure, Anderson and Byrne conceived The Day After Tomorrow as a television pilot for a potential series and gave it an alternative episode title of "Into Infinity".

The plot of The Day After Tomorrow concerns the interstellar mission of Altares, a science vessel of the future that can travel at the speed of light.

From its initial destination of Alpha Centauri, the ship pushes deeper into space. The crew of three adults and two children encounter such phenomena as a meteor shower, a red giant, and finally a black hole which pulls the ship into another universe.

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______________ The Day After Tomorrow - clip


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_________ The Day After Tomorrow - full movie


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Andrew Kidd
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For a while, Fanderson (the official Gerry Anderson fan site) was putting out a nice looking DVD-R (judging from the stills). The BBC played it again when Interstellar was released and there are indeed striking similarities; for that matter, both resemble Poul Anderson's classic novel TAU ZERO. I wrote the article in the hyperlink shortly before Interstellar's release, and followed it up with essays on Gregory Benford and Charles Sheffield.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This Gerry Anderson TV-Movie/Pilot had a somewhat similar premise as Irwin Allen's Lost In Space.

Except that Into Infinity/The Day After Tomorrow would have been superior to LIS.

The production values are excellent in this movie.

The space station seen at the beginning of this film was a model originally used on the Space:1999 episode "Mission Of The Darians."
The magnificent Daria space ark was modified to become the space station.
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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 3:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nick Tate, Brian Blessed, Joanna Dunham and Don Fellows who all appeared in Space 1999 appear here as the stars of this movie! Shame it never continued! Crying or Very sad
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Model maker Martin Bower mistakenly thought that this TV-movie/pilot was going to be another episode of "Space:1999."

With that in mind, he designed the Altares spacecraft to be similar in style to the "Space: 1999" style of spaceships.

So, if Mr. Bower had been made aware of the fact that this TV-movie/pilot was to have no connection at all to "Space: 1999," would he have constructed a much different looking Altares?

Not that I'm complaining, I do love the Altares design.

Martin Bower built two Altares spaceship models. One was six-feet long and the other was three-feet long.

The TV-movie was shot at Pinewood Studios in England in July 1975 over ten days.

Budgeted at $165,911.88.

Extensive use of Freon gas was utilized for simulating the firing of the Altares rockets in space.

Space station Delta was the cannibalized fifteen foot long gigantic space ark model of the the Daria from the Space: 1999 episode "Mission of the Darians."

And a doggone awesome model and design it is!

The docking tower on Delta for the U.N. shuttle was created especially for this TV-movie, as was the shuttle itself.

The narrator is Ed Bishop who played Commander Ed Straker on the Gerry & Sylvia Anderson produced SF TV show UFO.

The terrific matte painting showing the interior of space station Delta was reworked from the interior of the Daria space ark from "Mission of the Darians."

A number of the sets, props, and wardrobe for this TV-movie were recycled from Space:1999.

Whenever a SF TV show has a spaceship of people become lost in outer space and separated fro the earth, I have to wonder about certain issues.

Just how will the space travelers replenish their food & water supplies? How to they replenish their fuel? What happens if there are any injuries or diseases? What about internal and external structural damage to the Altares?

Still & all, if the writers could intelligently address those issues (and others), this would have made for an intriguing weekly series.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Whenever a SF TV show has a spaceship of people become lost in outer space and separated fro the earth, I have to wonder about certain issues.

Just how will the space travelers replenish their food & water supplies? How to they replenish their fuel? What happens if there are any injuries or diseases? What about internal and external structural damage to the Altares?

Still & all, if the writers could intelligently address those issues (and others), this would have made for an intriguing weekly series.

Good observation, Mike.

A series like that needs to have the "lost" space travelers either (a) have a spacecraft complex enough to be self-sufficient, or (b) have the travelers be both resourceful and lucky when it comes to surviving, by finding the necessary resources you described during their journey through space.

The premise of Space: 1999 has always bother me because it suggested that the Moon could just wander through the galaxy and somehow stumble across destinations that would provide interesting stories.

Frannkly, the Moon makes the most boring "spacecraft" in sci-fi history . . . Rolling Eyes

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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 2021 12:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bruce, years ago I read an intriguing premise for a reboot of Space:1999.

The concept was that the Moonbase Alpha's international inhabitants discover a highly sophisticated mechanism of alien origin on the moon.

The contraption is placed in a storage unit for security purposes and to study by the base scientists.

A saboteur accidentally sets off the artifact which then transports the moon away from the earth and into the orbit of an unknown planet.

The Alpha personnel learn enough about this alien device to realize that it will keep on teleporting Alpha from one mysterious world to another.

The Alphans desperately hope that the artifact will one day return them to earth. So they dare not attempt to shut off or destroy the artifact.

I found this a much more interesting and satisfying plot device than the moon being blasted off into outer space as was done on the original Space:1999.

And Asimov wrote that such an explosion would have sent the moon, not into outer space, but crashing into the earth.
The show's science was often non-existent.

Then having a ''mysterious force" cause the moon to move at light-speed and encounter various alien planets and ships...that's fantasy not SF to me.

I think that the Alphans would also learn in time that the race responsible for planting the ancient device on the moon was to be the Psychons according to this reboot.
That was the shape-changer Maya's race.

How similar they would have been to the original Space:1999 version I can't recall. And I don't think it even mentioned the Alphans encountering these Psychons or including the Maya character at all.

This revival premise worked much better for me than the original ever did.

The series would have then had the moon pop into the orbit of a unknown planet each week. The scripts could have been written to have the Alphans explore these new worlds.

They might as well. They're on the adventure of their lifetime. Why just sit safely on the moon observing these new worlds but not exploring 'em?
Perhaps they could discover something on one of these alien planets that get them back home?

And finally, they are explorers now given the opportunity to explore like no one from earth ever has had.

Might as well make the most of it.

Back to the survival issues. These Alphans would still need to provide their own food, water, and energy while on their wild ride.

The show's creators would still need to address those challenges as plausibly as possible.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Back to the survival issues. These Alphans would still need to provide their own food, water, and energy while on their wild ride.

The show's creators would still need to address those challenges as plausibly as possible.

In the case of Space: 1999, that's easily solved simply my establishing that the Moon base is entirely self-sufficient! Very Happy

A fully functioning Lunar colony would need to have that capability so that if Earth is ever hit by an asteroid, the human race would survive on the Moon base.

Putting the colony underground in those lunar caverns they recently discovered protects it from cosmic rays and meteorite strikes. Something like this.






And a thriving, advanced, subterranean lunar colony would be protected against any hostile alien civilizations they encounter when that alien gizmo zaps them to a new star system.

As for the concept of the alien "moon transporting" device, I love that idea!

The device could be something which a highly advanced alien race created as the ultimate planetary device against invasion!

If a hostile species attacked their world and the aliens determined that they couldn't successfully defend themselves, the device would be activated and transport the entire planet to one of several preselected destinations — distant star systems to which their own planet to could be added without disrupting the orbits of the existing worlds. The placement of the planet would be at just the right distance from the primary star for the alien homeworld's environmental requirements!

Unfortunately for the Moonbase Alpha people, the alien device was designed to be manual deactivated after each interstellar transport.

Whenever it's not deactivated after a specific period of time, the computer-controlled device assumes that something has gone wrong and it transports the alien world to the next planet on the list! Shocked

If this incredible device is thousands of years old, the star systems on its list of destinations might have developed civilizations which the Moonbase Alpha people would be forced to deal with whenever they pop in — unannounced and uninvited. Rolling Eyes

Just think of the story possibilities! Very Happy

Sometimes they'd transport to star system where they were met with hostility and were forced to defend themselves.

Other times they would encounter new friends and be capable of offer much-needed help — like with a pandemic or the threat of a hostile force!

But no matter what the situation was, the Moonbase Alpha characters would know that the alien device would invariably transport the Moon to the next destination at a specific moment, and all the personnel would need to be back on Moonbase Alpha when that happened . . . except for the individuals who've elected to stay behind and make new lives with the aliens they've befriended! Very Happy

By gum, Mike — THIS would be the premise of a Space: 1999 reboot I would LOVE to see! Cool

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Krel
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moonbase Alpha was fully self-sufficient, where do you think all those Eagles came from. Laughing

The original concept for Moonbase Alpha was that it would be underground, with only a few surface structures. It was decided that, that would not be visually exciting.

David.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, the placement of Moonbase Alpha underground would make perfect sense, Bruce.

I've read several scientific proposals on this idea.

This would offer protection from all types of radiation or meteor strikes. Same would go for a human base on Mars.

They've discovered immense tube-like caverns beneath the surface where buildings could be constructed.

I believe I read that Gerry & Sylvia Anderson did consider just such a situation for Alpha. They decided against it because they felt it would not have been as visually interesting placing the base below the surface of the moon.

I think that today's audience which is scientifically much more savvy would determine that a surface base would be foolish and far less safe.

My quibble with the alien artifact on the moon is that it would remove the moon from the earth, just as the massive nuclear explosion did on the original Space:1999.

I saw a documentary about how devastating the sudden absence of our moon would be upon the earth. How it would adversely impact life for humans. If I recall correctly, the Space:1999 reboot would have had the moon and the Alphans return to a ruined earth.

Man, that's just too doggone depressing for me.

So I would update this new premise by having the artifact discovered on our moon---or another moon within our solar system---and transported to a space station for examination and security purposes.

When the device is activated, it would be the entire space station that ends up being transported throughout outer space and to different worlds.

The space station could be self-sufficient and therefore precious food, water, and power is always readily available.

The space station could also be armed and have not only the workhorse Eagles but they could have---unlike Alpha--- the military version of these space ships.

On the episode "War Games" they featured the Mark IX Hawk warships.

I prefer a space station trekking around instead of our moon which would mean dire circumstances for the earth.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2021 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Wow, that alien artifact concept has all kinds of possibilities!

Yes, a big beautiful space station that hopped around the galaxy is MUCH more appealing than the Moon acting like a starship. Very Happy

On the other hand, your comment about the adverse effects of the Earth loosing the Moon brings up an interesting idea. The Moon might not always appear in orbit around a star, it might appear in orbit around a planet (which of course orbits the star).

Think about the adverse effects on a planet the Moon might arrive at and begin to orbit! Suddenly the planet would have tides it didn't have before — or our Moon might combine with the planet's existing moon(s) and cause tremendous tides and tsunamis!

If the planet is the home of an intelligent life species, they would be devastated by these events. The Moonbase Alpha inhabitants would be desperate to hasten the next "jump" caused by the alien device.

Imagine a story in which the peaceful, highly intelligent aliens on the planet are told about the alien device and how it controls the movement of the Moon. Their only hope of ridding the planet of the Moon's destructive presence would be to help the humans figure out a way to trigger the device.

The story would end with the humans gaining a little more knowledge about how to control the device so they can "jump the Moon". Perhaps a few of the intelligent aliens end up going with them, either on purpose or by accident. Cool

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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those are some intriguing story ideas there, Bud.

And we can always make the moon one from Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn that has a human base on, just so our moon remains intact.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

That's true, Mike — although the two moons of Mars are only 8 miles and 13 miles wide.








My reservations about the larger moons of the other planets is that their all frozen and far from Earth, so I can't think of a good reason to have a large, self-sufficient colony there.

However, one of Saturn's moons is Hyperion, which measures 255 x 163 x 137 miles, and it's honeycombed with caverns and tunnels which would make great living areas for a colony! Cool






I suppose Mars would be the best "second choice" for our wandering world on its grand galactic tour!





But I'm still leaning towards a moon base — for all the logical reasons I've presented in several Science now, add Fiction later threads.





Apparently, Mike, I'm less troubled by the idea of Earth suffering from the Moon's absence than you are. For me, that tragedy is packed with story possibilities! Here's what I mean.

~ A world war breaks out on Earth, and it looks like the end of mankind. The citizens of Moonbase Alpha watch in horror as the planet is dotted with bright flashes from the bombs.






The alien device detects all the nuclear blasts and reacts to them was if an alien attack is taking place — the very thing it was designed to rescue a planet from. It activates and transports the Moon to the first star system on it's list of pre-programmed destination.





* Then again, consider this scenario. *

~ The absence of the Moon would have several immediate effects (like, no more tides), but it would take a while for the "worst case" scenarios to occur. Let's assume that things wouldn't get catastrophic for a few years.

That would give our moon base inhabitants time to work on mastering the alien device and returning the Moon to Earth in time to prevent an ice age from starting — one of the possible fates if the Moon's absence tinkers around with the planet's tilt, screwing up the seasons.






With that mind, how about this?

Suppose the device is programmed to take the Moon to star systems which once had colony worlds established by the creators of the World Mover gizmo.

However, since the device is thousands of years old, the interstellar alien civilization might have collapsed, so the humans only find remnants of once thriving planetary civilizations, and none of the inhabits know how the World Mover works.

However, sometimes they'd find a planet that had abandoned computer systems or a still-orbiting space station which contained vast database from the lost civilization. From these they could gain new knowledge that makes the device more somewhat more controllable.






I like the idea that the device isn't just sending them to random star systems, even though most of the planets that made up the ancient interstellar civilization are now shadows of their former glory.

And so, the moon base travelers are on a quest to find a pocket of that once-vast empire which includes aliens who can help them get back to the solar system and save Earth! Cool

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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The original premise of the series was that it was all man's fault that the moon was blasted away from Earth. But later on the Alphans discovered spiritual forces involved in their journey from Atheria, a world that required the moon to just touch it's own gigantic world in order for a physical and mental upgrade for their world and it's citizens! Their leader Arra told Koenig that they had been expected for many millennia! Other stories indicated a being of perhaps cosmic power was guiding their journey and protecting them in the universe. But in the final recorded episode they learn that perhaps their purpose in space was to revitalise the dead planet of Arkadia, where humanity originally came from or at least some of humanity! After that in the second series their travels were more haphazard and the idea of a supreme being watching over them was sadly dropped!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

That's very interesting, Johnny.

The series desperately needed some explanation for why the Moon didn't just sail off into space and wander between the stars until everybody was dead. But I don't care for the idea that spiritual forces were manipulating this whole crazy premise. Rolling Eyes

First of all, it's a nebulous concept with a main character who would never be seen (God or whatever) doing puzzling things, and whose intentions would never be made very clear.

Besides, a god who solves problems by moving the Moon around for some lofty reason is like a sloppy version of Quantum Leap — which I've always viewed as a story about a sloppy God who made Sam Beckett hop around and clean up His mistakes! Sad

I much prefer the concept that Pow told us about — an ancient, immensely powerful alien device is accidentally activated and propels the Moon through a wormhole.

As I've described above, that premise is rich with possibilities. Cool

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