In the 1970s, a base on the moon protected the Earth against alien attacks.  That’s right, this isn’t simply a Sci Fi TV Double Feature, it’s a Gerry Anderson tribute.

British producer Gerry Anderson managed to sell TWO different series about a moonbase to the TV networks.”UFO” was launched in 1970, SHADO forces lead by Commander Straker from a secret control room hidden in a movie studio, defend the Earth from “the aliens” who want to conquer Earth.  From a base on the moon, women in purple wigs watch for UFO’s entering our solar system.  Then men slide down tubes into their fighter jets and fly into space combat.  Imagine “The Prisoner” on six shots of espresso and a tab of LSD.  We’re showing the pilot episode of this cult TV classic so you can get in on the ground floor!

Then in 1975 there was the more serious “Space 1999? about Moonbase Alpha, lead by Commander Koenig (Martin Landau).  Their primary mission is space exploration and storing a stockpile of Earth’s nuclear weapons and waste.  When all that stored up uranium explodes, the force causes the entire moon to be pushed out of orbit and into deep space at an incredible speed (don’t think about it, just go with it).  Now, the citizens of Moonbase Alpha are trapped on a planetoid that cannot be steered, stopped or even slowed.  They are truly lost in space.  We’re playing the most Lovecraftian episode “Dragon’s Domain” (undoubtedly a partial inspiration for the movie “Alien”) where the Alphans discover a graveyard of alien ships floating in the void protected by an interdimensional, tentacled monster that can hypnotize its victims into being devoured by it.  Peppered throughout the show will be our usual array of goofy commercials from the 70s, many of them, sci fi themed.

We’re gonna give away a couple prizes for folks who can answer trivia without using their phones.