NO ALPHANS The Space:1999 Population Countdown

I first began recording this morbid information while I was still high school. Moonbase Alpha can only support 320 people. Naturally, as people are killed, it is difficult to replace them. Unless Moonbase Alpha has a nursery I'm not aware of, my estimate is an upper bound on the number of people surviving on the Moonbase. If anyone can quote an episode where the stated population is given, we could attempt to infer a birth rate.

In addition to the television series, I also am relying on the official Alpha Moonbase Technical Notebook, compiled and written by David Hirsch and published in 1977 by Starlog Magazine (well, O'Quinn Studios). If you don't think this source is canonical, then add 3 to the final number I arrived at. The timeline below I use what is based on the production order of episodes, rather than air dates.

I've given up on the number of Eagles destroyed for now. The Moonbase is supposed to house a complement of 20 Eagles. From the number of Eagles destroyed, it was clear that they were manufacturing replacements. The worst career for life expectancy was probably an Eagle pilot.

Season 1

Season one was particularly lethal. I did not include the 9 deaths due to magnetic radiation at the beginning of the first episode, since presumably personnel were replaced and/or they were counted against the full complement of 320 Alphans. Episode 21 is problematic, as it's possible that some of the vehicles were unmanned, being remotely piloted.

John Cordone provided some useful information, reminding me of the dead caveman in episode 7, and providing names for episodes 8 (Sarah Graham) and 20 (Cousteau). Michael Taylor observed a previously unaccounted death in episode 9, a man in medical center.

Episode Incident Branch Cause Population
1. Breakaway 7+ deaths various Breakaway of moon from earth orbit. 311
Implied by Alpha Child? Jack Crawford dies. Technical? Reactor malfunction. 310
2. Matter of Life and Death Everyone dies except Helena Russell, but all this is reversed. all Terra Nova backlash.
3. Black Sun Mike Ryan dies. Reconnaisance Piloting an Eagle crushed by the black sun. 309
4. Ring Around the Moon Ted Clifford dies. Technical Alien brain implant burns out his brain. 307
(?) Donovan dies. Reconnaissance Piloting an Eagle which crashes after being attacked by Triton sphere.
5. Earthbound Gerald Simmonds leaves, but is doomed to die. Visitor Distrust of aliens while hijacking their ship. 306
6. Another Time, Another Place Regina Kesslann dies. Main Mission Spacetime paradox. 305
7. Missing link No fatalities.
8. The Guardian of Piri Sarah Graham dies. unknown Blood transfusion halted by computer malfunction caused by Guardian of Piri. 304
9. Force of Life Mark Dominix dies. Technical Frozen by Anton Zoref. 299
Hilary Preston dies Medical
Unknown man dies Security
Unknown man dies unknown Killed by power outage in Medical Center.
Anton Zoref dies Technical Killed by stun gun wielded by Alan Carter.
10. Alpha Child Jackie Ryan born. TBD What do you think? 299
Cynthia Crawford dies, but is later restored. unknown Killed by Jarak?
Unknown man dies. Security Killed indirectly by Jarak, who telekinetically controls Koenig's weapon hand. Interestingly, the man is not then replaced by an alien. This may have been due to the effects of the weapon on the body.
11. The Last Sunset No fatalities.
12. Voyager's Return Jim Abrams dies. Reconnaissance? Piloting an Eagle which is caught in Voyager One's Queller drive and killed. 297
Ernst Linden (Ernst Queller) Technical Piloting Voyager One in a sacrificial defense of Moonbase Alpha.
13. Collision Course No fatalities(?).
14. Death's Other Dominion No fatalities.
15. Full Circle (?) Santos dies. Reconnaissance Fear. 296
16. End of Eternity Mike Baxter dies. Reconnaissance Driven insane and killed by Balor. 294
Unknown woman dies. Medical Killed by Balor.
17. War Games Scores die, but again everything is undone. Various. Virtual alien strike force.
18. The Last Enemy No fatalities.
19. The Troubled Spirit James Warren dies. Service? Killed by Dan Mateo's ghost. 291
Laura Adams dies. Service
Dan Mateo dies. Service Killed by his own ghost during an exorcism.
20. Space Brain (?) Wayland dies. Reconnaissance Piloting an Eagle crushed by space brain antibodies. 288
(?) Cousteau dies. Reconnaissance
(?) Kelly dies. Reconnaissance Crushed by space brain antibodies.
21. The Infernal Machine 3(?) die. Reconnaissance? 3 Eagles shot down by Gwent. 283(?)
2(?) die. Security? 2 ground vehicles (mining lasers?) shot by Gwent.
22. Mission of the Darians Maurice Lowry dies. Security Disintegrated by a Darian food converter. 282
23. Dragon's Domain Tony Cellini dies. Reconnaissance Killed by alien(?) aboard Ultra Probe. 281
24. The Testament of Arkadia Anna Davis leaves. Technical Emigrated to Arkadia. 279
Luke Ferro leaves. Command

Season 2

This season was less lethal than season one, though it can hardly be said that living on Moonbase Alpha is safe.

Episode 14 is problematic. I don't remember the number of the the lost crew of Eagle 6, and don't believe they were recovered. However, a certain 96DALEC (Chris Dale) provided clarifying details. It's remotely possible the pilot was on board the Eagle that returned to Alpha as a captive, but we are not shown this.

Thanks again to 96DALEC for providing me with quotes for Episode 24 giving a casualty count. Calculations below assume that unconfirmed deaths and reports of injuries and missing persons did not result in further fatalities.

Episode Incident Branch Cause Population
Stated in Moonbase Alpha Technical Manual David Kano dies. Data Eagle crash. 276
Paul Morrow dies. Main Mission
Victor Bergman dies. Visitor Space suit malfunction.
1. The Metamorph Lew Picard dies. Medical? Disintegrated by reflected laser attack. 275
Ray Torens dies. Reconnaissance? Brain-drained by Mentor, then killed in rockfall.
Maya joins. Main Mission Psychon destroyed.
2. The Exiles No fatalities?
3. One Moment of Humanity No fatalities.
4. Journey to Where No fatalities.
5. All That Glisters No fatalities.
6. The Taybor No fatalities.
7. Mark of Archanon No fatalities.
8. Rules of Luton No fatalities.
9. New Adam, New Eve No fatalities.
10. Brian the Brain No fatalities.
11. A B Chrysalis No fatalities.
12. The Catacombs of the Moon No fatalities.
13. Seed of Destruction No fatalities.
14. Beta Cloud Tom Graham(?) Reconnaissance(?) Piloted Eagle and lost in cloud(?) 274(?)
15. A Matter of Balance No fatalities.
16. Space Warp No fatalities.
17. Bringers of Wonder, Part 1 Clive Kander dies. Technical? Driven mad by aliens, then asphyxiated in a fire. 273
18. Bringers of Wonder, Part 2 No fatalities.
19. Dorzak No fatalities.
20. The Lambda Factor Sally Martin dies. Medical Killed telekinetically by Carolyn Powell. 271
Mark Sanders dies. Main Mission
21. Devil's Planet Blake Maine dies. Medical Killed by alien dominatrices; forced into disintegration fence. 270
22. Seance Spectre Greg Sanderson dies. Technical? Delusional, killed in combat against John Koenig. 269
23. Immunity Syndrome Joe Lustig dies. Technical Victim of flawed alien communication attempt; driven mad. 265
2 unknown men die. Service Victim of flawed alien communication attempt; drank poisonous water.
Unknown man dies. Technical Victim of flawed alien communication attempt; ate poisonous fruit.
24. The Dorcons (?) Thompson dies. Reconnaissance? Piloted Eagle 4, which was destroyed. 263
One other confirmed fatality. Security? Killed during destruction of perimeter station?

Estimated Population of Moonbase Alpha: 263

There you go.

Now, 96DALEC also stated that the Moonbase's population was stated as 297 at the beginning of The Metamorph, and as 298 some time during Devil's Planet. Assuming no further unexplained resurrections, miracles, or alien immigrants, this would imply that the Moonbase must have a nursery, as approximately 30 children have been born. This leaves open the possibility of a Space 1999: The Next Generation series.

Thanks also to Ken Scott for that cute NO ALPHANS image.

On a side note, I've got some partial notes on how many Eagles were destroyed, lost, and/or abandoned in the series. Anyone care to contribute to an Eagle countdown?

The above was compiled mostly during a misbegotten youth.
This page has received thousands of meteroite impacts since September 21, 1998. Population last revised: May 30, 2006