Converting Space 1999 to Classic Traveller.

[Werner]

Could it be done? Both franchises need to bend a little. I look at the technological levels and tech level 9 occurs in the 1990s, this is also where the first jump drives are invented. So the timeline looks much the same in our World until the 1980s when the first fusion power plant goes online, air/rafts are developed and US troops are equipped with laser carbines. Grav tech allows easy access to space and Moon base Alpha is set up using the Eagle Transporter, grav plate technology allows the inhabitants of the Moonbase to experience a full 1g while inside the base, but still leap and bound when they go outside in their spacesuits.

On September 13th, 1999 while poking around some Ancient ruins, a massive Jump drive is activated, and Earth's Moon jumps to the nearest star system, naturally since the Moon is too close, they can't control where the Moon jumps to, typically it jumps into various orbits around different exoplanets. If they want to get back to Earth, they have to figure out how the jump drive works, and this sends them to a bunch of different planets.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

Oh, great memories you bring there, Werner. Make sure to equip Alpha base with a full-automated Eagle shipyard (and a top-notch flight school), because IIRC they kept blowing the nice system ships up. A shame we still haven't reached Cosmos 1999 technology after a bonus 22 years of technological development.

 

[whulorigan]

Oh, great memories you bring there, Werner. Make sure to equip Alpha base with a full-automated Eagle shipyard (and a top-notch flight school), because IIRC they kept blowing the nice system ships up. A shame we still haven't reached Cosmos 1999 technology after a bonus 22 years of technological development.

Actually, other than gravity-control, most of things in Space:1999 are doable with currently technology, IIRC. It has been more a matter of will and cost that prevents us from having an operational moonbase of some sort.

It is actually unclear from the series on-screen whether or not they have Fusion-power; on-screen evidence seems to point to fission-type reactors for their power and propulsion. We can do nuclear thermal propulsion (NTR) today; it is primarily public negative reaction that prevents us from launching nuclear reactors from ground to space. See NERVA Project: https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/N/NERVA.html

But I agree with your shipbuilding comment - it always amused me the number of Eagles that got destroyed and yet they never seemed to run out.

And Alpha always has 311 personnel - always, no matter how many people die.

 

[Werner]

Actually, other than gravity-control, most of things in Space:1999 are doable with currently technology, IIRC. It has been more a matter of will and cost that prevents us from having an operational moonbase of some sort.

It is actually unclear from the series on-screen whether or not they have Fusion-power; on-screen evidence seems to point to fission-type reactors for their power and propulsion. We can do nuclear thermal propulsion (NTR) today; it is primarily public negative reaction that prevents us from launching nuclear reactors from ground to space.

But I agree with your shipbuilding comment - it always amused me the number of Eagles that got destroyed and yet they never seemed to run out.

And Alpha always has 311 personnel - always, no matter how many people die.

You are forgetting about their hand-held "staple gun" style laser guns, that has got to be at least tech level 9, and of course the base is armed to the teeth as if they are expecting trouble, those nuclear waste dumps however require guarding considering how explosive they are! But we're going with alien artifact since that makes more sense.

 

[whulorigan]

You are forgetting about their hand-held "staple gun" style laser guns, that has got to be at least tech level 9, and of course the base is armed to the teeth as if they are expecting trouble, those nuclear waste dumps however require guarding considering how explosive they are! But we're going with alien artifact since that makes more sense.

I'll grant that the Laser guns are likely at least TL-9 primarily due to the necessary portable power packs if nothing else; but most of the rest of their tech I would put at TL-8 (and of course some retro TL-7 if you want to go with what was actually seen on-screen instead of upgrading the look and feel ).

 

[AtlanticFriend]

But we're going with alien artifact since that makes more sense.

Definitely. I mean, the Moon managed to get pummeled by meteors without budging, but a surface nuclear explosion does throw it out of Earth's orbit? Even as a kid I could not get my mind around that. Better to have one of Grandfather's artefacts - if only because you can then do a nice Cosmos 1990 / 2001 : Space Odyssey crossover scene when the device is found and goes online.

 

[Condottiere]

They never developed gravitational based technology, so no anti grav vehicles, manoeuvre drives, and jump drives.

 

[Werner]

They never developed gravitational based technology, so no anti grav vehicles, manoeuvre drives, and jump drives.

They had artificial gravity, and that is gravity based technology. Grav vehicles rely on repulsive gravity or antigravity, they didn't have that.

 

[Condottiere]

Was it ever explained how theirs worked?

 

[Werner]

Was it ever explained how theirs worked?

Not as far as I remember, when they were outside in space suits it was lunar gravity or zero-g, go inside a building or spaceship it was a full -g. There were a lot of technological breakthroughs in the 1980s and 1990s I guess.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

Was it ever explained how theirs worked?

Through TL8 talonnettes shoes and bell bottom pants, I am pretty sure.

 

[Werner]

In the 1990s?

 

[Condottiere]

Retrofashionable takes about a generation.

Whether it's Moon hipster cool, might be open to question.

 

[coliver988]

Was it ever explained how theirs worked?

Gravity at the speed of plot and the budget of the show.

It has been too many years since I've watched it, but as even the Eagles had artificial gravity in them. So for the same reason season 1 of Star Trek used the transporter (they did not have the money for a shuttle, and it made location transitions easier and cheaper), Space:1999 assumed some significant technological leaps, but implied they were so commonplace that no explanation was necessary. Otherwise they'd have to film all the interior scenes in slow motion as well and the hour long episode would have to be 2 hours

Or they just never thought it through.

edit: apparently they did think of it. From https://catacombs.space1999.net/main/cguide/uc08.html:

Artificial gravity is used inside Eagles and the Moonbase. In Black Sun Bergman introduces the gravity system: "These eight anti-gravity towers stabilise our gravity here inside Alpha". He creates a forcefield by "linking and cross-linking the screens in each of the towers". In Another Time, Another Place a check-list includes "artificial gravity". In War Games Kano states "Anti-gravity units in all areas are smashed beyond repair", while in Space Brain Bergman explains "we had to turn gravity control right down".

 

[whulorigan]

Otherwise they'd have to film all the interior scenes in slow motion as well and the hour long episode would have to be 2 hours

Or, they have an hour-long show with a very simplistic and easily resolvable plot that just takes a looooong time to finish ...

 

[aramis]

You are forgetting about their hand-held "staple gun" style laser guns, that has got to be at least tech level 9, and of course the base is armed to the teeth as if they are expecting trouble, those nuclear waste dumps however require guarding considering how explosive they are! But we're going with alien artifact since that makes more sense.

They also must have some form of contragravity; the Eagles can take off from Earth and fly to the moon with enough left to land.

The tech is very pretty. The Eagle is (almost literally) just a modular cutter, partially streamlined.

 

[Grav_Moped]

They also must have some form of contragravity; the Eagles can take off from Earth and fly to the moon with enough left to land.

The tech is very pretty. The Eagle is (almost literally) just a modular cutter, partially streamlined.

Given that the series aired a couple of years before Traveller was published, it might have been the other way around...

 

[Condottiere]

Maybe a combination of the Eagle and Space Viking's cutters, minus jump drives.

If it's a field effect, it would extend somewhat beyond the boundaries of the Moonbase, so if they went through the arlock, the astronauts would be able to walk normally for at least a couple of metres.

Presumably, this would have a similar effect with a miniaturized version onboard an Eagle.