Space Island One
Space Island One (or Raumstation Unity in German) is a British/German science fiction television series that ran for 26 episodes beginning in 1998. A co-production between the UK's Sky One channel and the German Vox channel, it starred Judy Loe as Kathryn McTiernan, the commander of the multinational crew of the space station Unity.
| Space Island One | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Created by | Andrew MacLear |
| Starring | Judy Loe Indra Ove Angus MacInnes Bruno Eyron Julia Bremermann Kourosh Asad William Oliver |
| Country of origin |  Isle of Man Germany |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Andrew MacLear Margaret Matheson |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Sky One |
| Picture format | PAL (576i), 4:3 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
| Original release | 7 January – 9 November 1998 |
Among the screenwriters for the show were acclaimed science fiction novelist Stephen Baxter, as well as Doctor Who alum such as P. J. Hammond, Adrian Rigelsford and Andy Lane.
Cast
- Judy Loe as Commander Kathryn MacTiernan
- Angus MacInnes as Lieutenant Commander Walter B. Shannon
- Bruno Eyron as Dusan Kashkavian
- Indra Ové as Paula Hernandez
- William Oliver as Chief Science Officer Lyle Campbell
- Julia Bremermann as Harriet "Harry" Eschenbach
- Kourash Asad as Dr. Kaveh Homayuni
- Sally Grace as the voice of Control
- Charlie Bovenizer as the first baby born in space
Episodes
Season 1 (1998)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Message from Keeler" | Dirk Campbell | Andrew MacLear | January 7, 1998 | |
| A new crew member, an environmental specialist named Paula Hernandez replaced a man who kill himself and placed a bomb on the Unity. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "All the News that Fits" | Mary McMurray | Andrew MacLear | January 14, 1998 | |
| A visiting journalist uncovers information regarding a secret space mission. Paula Hernadez begins her sexual pursuit of Dusan Kashkavian. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Quarantine" | Crispin Reece | Stephen Baxter | January 21, 1998 | |
| A acrylic-eating martian virus is brought aboard for examination and may cost Lyle Campbell his life. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Rogue Satellite" | Colin Bucksey | Andrew MacLear | January 21, 1998 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Dangerous Liaison" | Colin Bucksey | Andrew MacLear | February 4, 1998 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Crew Test" | Colin Bucksey | Matthew Bardsley | February 11, 1998 | |
| 7 | 7 | "The Barrier of Second Attention" | Kevin Davies | Matthew Bardsley | February 18, 1998 | |
| 8 | 8 | "Sarcophagus" | Colin Bucksey | Adrian Rigelsford | February 25, 1998 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Spring Fever" | Crispin Reece | Andrew MacLear | March 4, 1998 | |
| 10 | 10 | "The Third Man" | Roy Battersby | Matthew Bardsley | March 11, 1998 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Awakening" | Rick Stroud | Written by: Jimmy Richards Story by: Andy Lane | March 18, 1998 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Nemesis" | Kevin Davies | John Brosnan | March 25, 1998 | |
| 13 | 13 | "A Child is Born" | Roy Battersby | Andrew MacLear & Adrian Rigelsford | April 1, 1998 | |
Season 2 (1998)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Unfinished Business" | Dirk Campbell | Andrew MacLear | August 17, 1998 |
| 15 | 2 | "Split Allegiances" | Sarah Hellings | Andrew MacLear | August 24, 1998 |
| 16 | 3 | "Winter Kills" | Sarah Hellings | Andrew MacLear | August 31, 1998 |
| 17 | 4 | "A Place in the Sun" | Rick Stroud | Jimmy Richards | September 7, 1998 |
| 18 | 5 | "Lost Property" | Dirk Campbell | P.J. Hammond | September 14, 1998 |
| 19 | 6 | "Mayfly" | Adrian Shergold | Andy Lane | September 21, 1998 |
| 20 | 7 | "Not in My Back Yard" | Rick Stroud | Diane Duane | September 28, 1998 |
| 21 | 8 | "Abandoned" | Adrian Shergold | Matthew Bardsley | October 5, 1998 |
| 22 | 9 | "Silver Bullet" | Sue Dunderdale | Robert Smith | October 12, 1998 |
| 23 | 10 | "Anniversary" | Rick Stroud | Andrew MacLear | October 19, 1998 |
| 24 | 11 | "Lost in Space" | Matt McConaghy | Martin Stone | October 26, 1998 |
| 25 | 12 | "Money Makes the World Go Round" | Rick Stroud | Written by: Jimmy Richards Story by: Andy Lane | November 2, 1998 |
| 26 | 13 | "Trouble in Paradise" | Rick Stroud | Andrew MacLear | November 9, 1998 |
Reception
Described by Dave Bradley as “a mix of Moonbase 3 and Jupiter Moon, but more turgid than either,"[1] io9 described it as:
The best science fiction show you've never heard of… The show unflinchingly looks at the implications of for-profit science… and provides the most realistic look ever at life in space, including bone-mass loss. A few episodes are dull, but the show is often surprisingly weird and fun… It also features some of the most complex, believable characters of any television show.[2]
References
- Bradley, Dave (editor) (2005). "Britannia Rules the Airwaves". SFX Collection 22: Best of British: 128.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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- 41 on the io9.com list of the Top 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy Shows, found at http://io9.com/5347065/the-top-100-science-fictionfantasy-shows-41-through-50 (retrieved 8/28/09)