At the Breakaway 1999 convention, held in Los Angeles, California in 1999, a short featurette entitled Message from Moonbase Alpha premiered on 13 September. Produced by fans and written by Space: 1999 script editor Johnny Byrne, the short film features a tearful monologue performed by actress Zienia Merton in character as Sandra Benes.
The premise of the film, set decades after the events of the TV series (of which "The Dorcons" is the final episode), is that Moonbase Alpha's life-support systems have finally started to fail. Fortunately, a space warp has propelled the Moon to within range of an Earth-like planet, dubbed Terra Alpha. Following a vote (which was contested by some), Commander John Koenig has made the decision for all inhabitants to evacuate Alpha and settle on the planet before the Moon travels out of range. Sandra states that Operation Exodus is a gamble, as the planet is an unknown factor: the Moon is determined to be entering an orbit of sorts, although it will not return to Terra Alpha for another 25 years.
Meanwhile, Maya has devised a way for Alpha to send a message back to Earth using another space warp. Sandra – the last Alphan to leave the Moon – is given the task of sending it, although it is not known when or if the message will arrive. The film ends with the Meta Probe signal featured at the end of the pilot episode "Breakaway", indicating that the first signal the Alphans receive from space is, in fact, one that they have sent to themselves from the future. The featurette was shot on a small set using design elements from both Years One and Two, and includes character and special effects footage from various episodes, some of which underwent minor alterations.
With the exception of Sandra, the only series characters mentioned in the present tense (meaning that they are still active at the time of arrival at Terra Alpha) are Maya and John Koenig, although Helena Russell also appears in the title sequences. Sandra also eulogises several notable Alphans who are now deceased, including Victor Bergman and Paul Morrow, and also mentions her fiancé Michael and Luke and Anna, as seen in the episode "The Testament of Arkadia".
Byrne devised Message from Moonbase Alpha to permit the possibility of a sequel series. According to Byrne's revival concept, this series would be set about 25 years later, and feature the children of the Alphans who leave Terra Alpha when the Moon and its Moonbase mysteriously return. Although there was some press and fan speculation regarding the proposal at the end of 1999, the series remains undeveloped. Byrne himself died in 2008.
The original arrangement between all the parties involved in the production of Message from Moonbase Alpha and (then) copyright holders of Space: 1999, Carlton Media International, was that the film would be screened once only, at the September 1999 convention. However, it was subsequently shown at other events and made available as a special feature on various DVD releases in the United States, Canada, France and Italy, in both its original and adapted forms.
Read more about this topic: List Of Space: 1999 Episodes