Missing Link

=Episode Quote= "It is not a dream, but all very real I assure you."

=Summary= Commander Koenig finds himself in another world and another time. It is a world of light and beauty. He has to choose between life back again among his companions on the moon and the love of a beautiful girl. Love is the only weapon he can use...

Prologue
A reconnaissance team, lead by Commander Koenig, is returning to Alpha after aborting their mission to investigate a nearby planet. As Koenig reports to Main Mission how they barely escaped the strange force that was pulling their Eagle down to the planet at tremendous speed, the Eagle's systems fail, causing them to crash land on the lunar surface.

Act One
Unable to raise Eagle 1, and with no readings from Koenig's medical monitor, Paul dispatches a medical team, in a rescue Eagle, to the crash site. We see Koenig walking back towards the base as the rescue Eagle passes overhead. He tries to contact it with no success, and continues walking back towards the base. Inside Eagle 1, Alan regains consciousness, and replies to Tanya's hails from Main Mission. He tells them that the Commander is seriously injured but alive. Meanwhile the other Koenig returns to Alpha, and searches the darkened base for signs of the missing Alphans. He finds no one, but in the course of his search, he catches fleeting glimpses of a male and female "alien".

The rescue Eagle arrives, and Helena examines the injured Koenig. Not wanting to move him until she can do more tests, a cargo Eagle is called in to carry the command module back to Alpha. After leaving Medical Centre, and seeing the monitors displaying no life signs on his medical monitor, the other Koenig makes his way to Main Mission. He enters to find it, too, is also deserted. He checks the big screen and sees an alien city. The room begins to spin, faster and faster, dissolving away until he finds himself someplace else. He is not alone. His host explains that he is on the planet Zenno, in a house made of light.

Act Two
After introducing himself, Raan explains that it is not a dream, as Koenig believes, but all very real. Raan continues to say that although he can read minds, and can create whatever he needs or wants with his mind, he is as human as Koenig. When Koenig asks why he was brought there, Raan's daughter, Vana, appears and tells him that her father is the foremost anthropologist on Zenno, and wishes to learn from him. Raan creates an "image" of Koenig's quarters on Alpha, and apologizes that it's not the real thing, but tells Koenig that they are "quite accommodating never the less". When Koenig asks if he is a prisoner, Raan replies that he is a guest in his home... a permanent guest. When Vana brings Koenig some food, and he tries to explain to her that keeping him against his will is inhumane. When she tells him that he will stay with them until the end of his life, he throws the food away, stating that that day will come much sooner.

Back at the crash site, the cargo Eagle arrives to carry the command module back to Alpha. When Koenig is alone in his quarters, he attempts to open the door with his commlock. When that fails, Raan appears and tells him that won't be necessary, because for his first experiment, he is returning Koenig to Alpha. John wakes in Medical Centre. Victor is there and tells him that Sandra died in the crash. Victor begins to rant about the futility of their situation on Alpha, saying that they are not living, but merely existing. He suggests they leave their "tomb" of Alpha and live on one of the nearby planets. John tells him that would only be another form of death. John tries to contact Paul via the commpost, and Raan appears on the screen saying that he should have listened to Victor.

Koenig finds himself back in his quarters on Zenno, and shouts out to Raan that he is a man, not an experiment. Apparitions appear of humans that have been experimented on, or have been mutated in some way, and they grab hold of him. He screams, and suddenly finds himself strapped into a chair, and covered by cobwebs. He sees Victor running towards him in slow motion, but not getting any closer. As John calls out to him for help, he moves further away.

Act Three
Raan discusses Koenig's reactions to his experiment with another Zennite. He explains that Koenig's fear of his experiments manifested in strange, repulsive creatures. Raan was fascinated, yet frightened by the violence of Koenig's response. When the other Zennite suggests neutralizing Koenig's mind to prevent the experiment from going too far, Raan replies that Koeing must neutralize his own mind, and conquer his violence. Back on Alpha, Victor asks Helena why, of the four people in the Eagle crash, it had to be John that seems unlikely to survive. Helena replies that "it may simply be John's time to die".

On Zenno, Vana asks how John was able to realize that the image of Victor was not real. Koenig tells her that it was only his desire to believe that it was Victor which kept him from realizing her father's deception sooner. Vana explains that it was net her father's intention to deceive him, as Zennites are free of negative emotions. Koenig asks how they can feel the joy of love if they cannot feel hate. She answers that they do feel love, because they understand hate. It is born of fear, and they fear nothing, not even death. They believe in the continuation of life. This makes Koenig's decision to starve himself incomprehensible to Vana. He tells her that if she was taken from her home, against her will, she would understand. She tells him, that if he were to stay of his own free will, he, also, would understand.

Back on Alpha, things are starting to fall apart, without the guidance of the Commander. Tempers are flaring. Helena attempts to shock Koenig out of his coma, and is barely able to revive him when his heart stops. Raan explains to Vana that he is trying to help mankind by learning from John Koenig. Vana replies that they can learn nothing from him, because the situations Raan creates are not real, thus Koenig's reactions, although honest, are also not real. She tells him that Koenig is an individual, and it's wrong to exploit him.

When Raan asks if she wants him to send Koenig back, she cannot answer. She appears to Koenig who tells her he was just thinking about her. She is projecting music with her mind. Koenig tells her it's beautiful, but sad. He asks her what is troubling her, and she tells him that she wants him to stay with her. On Alpha, Helena is preparing to disconnect John's life support. Sandra asks her to wait a while longer.

Act Four
Vana tells her father that she and Koenig are to be joined. He tells her that is is not possible. He asks Koenig if he believes he can span two million years of evolution. Koenig says he can try. He tells Raan that he has decided to stay with Vana. Raan leaves, visibly distressed by this new development. He returns with Sandra. Koenig believes she is another image, like Victor until Vana convinces him, that she is real. Raan tells Koenig that his image on Alpha is dying, and that he cannot sustain it indefinitely. Sandra tells him that Helena is going to disconnect his life support systems because she thinks he is dead. Raan asks Koenig which world he chooses now.

Back on Alpha, Doctor Mathias tells Helena, that there is nothing else she can do for John. She tells him their is one thing. Koenig visits Vana and she believes Sandra convinced him to return to Alpha. He tells her that her father made him realize that he belonged in his own time, with his own people. Vana offers to come with him, but he tells her the same is true for her. She belongs with her own people in her own time, they can never become one. He tells her that in time she will understand. She asks, what will she do until then? He tells her to cross the bridge between their worlds. As long as she thinks of him, and feels for him, he will be with her. She tells him that she will try, and asks him not to forget her.

Helena tries to restrain her tears as she prepares to turn off John's life support. Alan bursts into the Diagnostic Unit and tells her that she cannot kill him. Mathias tries to calm him down, and Alan backhands him. Bob takes Alan down, and they struggle. Helena calls security, and after a full on brawl, they finally manage to subdue him.

Epilogue
Before John leaves Zenno, Raan tells him that although the experiment was a failure, he did learn something from Earthman after all... and so did Vana. Koenig suggests that perhaps Vana was the true reason Raan brought him there. Raan asks Koenig to take his gratitude with him. John replies that he'll be taking much more. Raan asks if it is something he learned. Koenig says "not exactly", and tells him that he still believes it is more important to feel than to think. Raan replies that it is the perfect balance between the two that must be achieved, and that both of their worlds have yet to learn how. He sends Koenig back to Alpha, with the valediction "Until tomorrow, John Koenig". Helena turns off the life support systems. As everyone present begins to absorb the reality of John's passing, he opens his eyes, and speaks Helena's name. He asks if he has been gone long. To which she replies "not long", and takes his hand.

=Background=

Shooting script 5th April 1974. Pink page amendments 3rd May 1974, green page amendment undated. Filmed 22nd April - 7th May 1974. Additional shooting script 4th July 1974.

For Alan Carter's fight with Bob Mathias in Medical, Nick Tate choreographed with a stuntman. But when it came to shoot the scene at the end of the day Anton Phillips stood in. Instead of jerking his head back, he jerked forward onto the punch and was knocked out.

The Zenno void is a 90 ft (27m) long tent of parachute nylon, filled with slippery, choking dry ice. Zienia Merton said in an interview: "I said, 'Listen Ray, how far is this mist coming up?' and he said 'To Martin's chin' and you know how little I am and so I said, 'well if it's coming up to Martin's chin, I can throw me lines in, I needn't appear... all Martin has to do is hold a black mop for the top of my head' There was this great trestle table suspended six feet off the ground and I said, 'Hey, I'm not that short...!'. But the effect they wanted was to make it look as if we were floating in the air and it was a marvellous effect."

Sets

 * Int. Main Mission
 * Int. Command Office
 * Int. Diagnostic/ corridor (revamp Command Office)
 * Int. Koenig's Quarters (Zenno)
 * Int. Alpha Corridor
 * Int. Travel Tube
 * Int. Eagle Pilot Section
 * Int. Eagle Passenger Section
 * Int. Airlock West
 * Ext. Moon Surface
 * Int. Zenno Void

Kano's desk first appears in Main Mission.

SFX
The Zenno surface is a matte painting, animated with lights. The painting was filmed on 28 July 1974 according to the clapperboard.

On screen the city appears with a yellow halo. The Zenno matte painting appears in full only in the This Episode clips, with what looks like a small Eagle flying over

For the first time, three Eagles are seen together (the crashed Eagle, the rescue Eagle alongside, and the cargo (winch) Eagle overhead). However, only one 44" Eagle existed (the second was being built and appeared first in Guardian of Piri. Hence in some shots, one of the other Eagles was substituted with a photographic cutout (the Eagle nose capsule when being carried away is also a cutout).

Music
Vana's theme is an unused Barry Gray track intended to be the Moonbase Alpha theme. The script specifies the love theme from Tristan and Isolde, although this was not used. Otto Solin points out: "It would not be a bad idea to use this music here since they speak of being united as one in a world without fear (""...ewig einig, ...ohn' Erbangen"").".

Science
A missing link is a transitional stage in evolution for which no fossil evidence exists. Are the Zennites actually descended from Earthmen or were ancient Zennites simply like Earthmen? The episode is not clear.

Continuity
Chronology:

Alpha Personnel: 0 fatalities.

Alpha Technology: Launch pad 7 is mentioned. There are only 5 pads visible around the base, but according to The Exiles there are outlying stations with their own launch pads as well. Medical thermographic scans are used. They are also featured in Breakaway, Matter of Life and Death, Ring Around the Moon, Another Time, Another Place, Force of Life, Space Warp and Dorzak.

Eagles: Eagle 1 (crashed); 4 (Rescue); 7 ("Cargo", with a winch platform). The Rescue Eagle appears. A shot of the launch is taken from Earthbound. The winch pod, called a Cargo Eagle here, also appears in Breakaway and Space Brain. This is the first episode in which the correct Eagle number appears on the cabin doors. For the first six episodes the cockpit door had always read "6". The passenger module set changes. A computer now occupies one side (the seats reappear in Guardian Of Piri, The Exiles and New Adam New Eve). The bulkhead by the passenger module doors changes from a viewscreen to a computer panel with two small TV screens.

Planets: Zenno

Aliens: Zennites. Humanoid and perhaps related to Earth humans.

Errors
In the Zenno/dream Diagnostic Unit, Koenig's nameplate reads "KEONIG". On Alpha his name is spelled correctly so this may be a deliberate error. Possibly a clue, left as part of a test.

Observations
The camerawork emphasises the dream/nightmare elements of the story with soft focus and indistinct lines. Note the mirror in Diagnostic Unit.

The concept that fear must be understood and neutralised is also in War Games.

The story emphasises the characters - most get to lose their tempers. The script makes clear that Koenig initially pretends to fall in love with Vana (only when he tells Raan he loves her does he realise he means it). This is too subtle for the screen; in the episode he seems to fall in love with her and be willing to abandon Helena and Alpha immediately.

In the script, the Eagle is scanning for mineral deposits on the Moon with many different coloured planets in the space sky.

In the script, but not the episode, Raan states he is 508 years old, while Vana is 218. Koenig remarks "Neither of you looks a day over 21".

=References=