The next part to my FabFiveFeb-Alan Entry. Alan’s not fixed yet but I had to show the brother’s responses. They are on there way. I will fix him.
Warning: Hinting and reference to Character death
****
".... everyone." Scott finished but the feed was gone. "Alan!? John! What happened?"
John's hologram appeared next to the visualisation of the two ships. John didn't look happy. "He's turned off the com on both Three and his wrist."
"Grgh!" Scott roared, "That boy is going to be in serious trouble when he gets back! He knows the rules!"
Scott fumed, and sat down hard on the sofa. He noted the worried look he got from Brains out the corner of his eye and tried to calm down a little. Damn it, Alan! You know better than this! Scott crossed his arms over his chest and watched the feed, John's hologram now gone. He knew his brother would be trying everything to get back in contact with Alan. But until then, all Scott could do was watch the small hologram of Thunderbird 3 continue the rescue. Worry sat deep in Scott's gut as be watch Thunderbird 3 manoeuvre around the spiralling cargo ship. It was never the safe cargo that got into situations, was it? Always the delicate stuff that could blow a hole in the side of a hull. The ship's design didn't help, with multiple smaller sections sticking out that were obviously not part of the original design. Brains' was muttering about it under his breath, as he watched his own design pushed to its limits. The man's eyes also glued to the protection.
"He can't do it! He won't be able to move out the way!" Brains exclaimed standings up. Scott looked at the man, whose face was one of horror, obviously having done the calculations in his head, before looking back at the projection. Quiet 'Oh no's' came from his companion. Grandma sat down beside Scott and took his hand. Virgil and Gordon were on a rescue and Scott was thankful they didn't have to watch their youngest brother do something stupid. Alan was doing tremendously well manoeuvring Three; however, he must not have seen the amber warning over one of the added-on sections go red. A few seconds later and it exploded, swivelling the ship straight into Thunderbird 3. They watched in horror as Brains' pulled up the readings that were being transmitted from Three.
"One thruster is destroyed, and the other c-could function but not for long. Certainly not long enough to land. The ion engine is undamaged, s-so he'll still be able to get back to Earth’s orbit."
Scott's heart was in his throat as he watched the hologram of his brother's rocket move in close to the cargo ship. He knew it was currently manoeuvring using thrusters, but it still felt like it was limping. Thunderbird 3 would be out of commission for a while. They'd have to dock it with Five until parts could be transported up. Damn it! It was going to take time and hassle to do that! Scott put his head on his free hand and took a deep breath. He wanted to start pacing, yet he had to watch, he had to make sure Alan was safe. His Grandma rubbed his back, and he looked at her. The worry on her face added more to his load, and Scott turned away to watch the now steady Thunderbird 3. It looked like Alan had managed to grasp the other ship, so they moved together. With no more detail than what was in front of him, Scott took both his Grandma's hands in his and waited anxiously for Thunderbird 3 to move away and head home.
***
John watched the hologram in the observation room. EOS was fielding calls, fully aware that John couldn't concentrate on anything but his brother. She may not be human, but she was starting to understand their complex emotions. EOS also knew John. She knew that he would monitor everything, even the smallest details, to make sure his brothers were safe and aware of any perils. Then there were times like this, when his brothers pushed themselves further than they should, and the concern crept into his face. EOS knew not to speak up. John was focused and would startle. Instead, she predicted what he would want and need, and monitored Virgil and Gordon, who thankfully were just tidying up their rescue. She was thankful she could do many things at once, and she flipped between each task swiftly.
EOS tried the scanners again, trying to work the code to make it clearer and to pick up life signs. She knew what John needed to know, but it seemed that she just couldn't give it to him. She wanted to blow the scanners circuit in retaliation for not working as she wanted it to but held back as John's heartbeat picked up. She was at his side immediately, ready to compute anything he desired.
***
John flicked through the readings coming from Thunderbird 3. He could only get the basics on the limited data stream they had, and there was a delay due to the distance. Scrolling through the damage to the engines caused John's heart to sink. It was going to be a big repair job. John was glad he wasn't on the island right now. Scott would be fuming and worried, which was never a good combination. He could imagine quite clearly his eldest brother pacing back and forth, and the exhausted sighs he'd be making. It was like Tracy Island had its own resident tornado at times. John sighed. He didn't envy the responsibility on Scott's shoulders, and considering all, Scott handles it as well as he can. John flipped back to the engine readings, he knew Brains had read through them, so he didn't have to inform Scott of the situation. The ion engine popped up. All were within range, but they weren't active. John left these up and went back to the hologram. He wanted to be the first to know when Thunderbird 3 moved.
Another explosion from the cargo ship made John's heart jump.
"Come on, Alan. Get out of there." John said to himself. Eyes on the warning signs, indicating the weaker points and volatile parts of the ship. Why did people think they could get away with such poor modifications and not jeopardise safety? He floated impatiently waiting for Thunderbird 3 to move. His eyes flitted over the diagram as two more of the orange hazard lights turned red. Seconds later, they exploded, tearing the cargo ship apart and sending shrapnel towards Thunderbird 3. John eyes were glued to the hologram as the part attaching Thunderbird 3 to the ship came away. Alan, get out of there! John willed, as more warning lights went red and another explosion occurred sending more wreckage at Thunderbird 3.
Out the corner of his eye, John saw one of the sensors change. The fuel temperature sensor was no longer producing a reading. Fear filled John. Alan should be able to fly without the sensor, but what if it indicated damage that they couldn't see? The indicators changed in front of his eyes, and relief filled him. The ion engine was starting up, Alan was on Three! John flipped the sensor display away, zoomed in on Three and he watched for movement. A smile crept on his face as the rocket started moving away from the exploring ship. His eyes stayed on it as he waited for Alan to clear the blast radius, the fuel sensor forgotten, and already thinking ahead to welcoming his brother onto Five.
Then he watched it happen. The hologram of Thunderbird 3 flickered as the sensors struggled to keep up with the changes. John watched as Thunderbird 3 was torn apart. The explosion tore up the side, along the fuel and oxygen pipes. John quickly pulled up the readings from Three, but there were none transmitting. His baby brother was on Three. He knew the cabin was self-contained with its own oxygen supply, but it wouldn't last long, a day at max. Most of the oxygen was carried in the main body. That was assuming the cabin hadn't been breached. John accessed Thunderbird 5's sensors and tried to boost them, frantically setting them to scan for life signs. He needed to know if Alan was alive. He had to find his baby brother. But it was just too far away, and John closed his eyes and held his head in his hands.
Alan.
Not Alan.
John was brought out his thoughts by a call from the island. He snapped himself to, took a deep breath and slipped into professional mode, pushing the pain deep down. He answered the call and he came face to face with the terrified hologram of his eldest brother.
"Tell me he's okay, John. Tell me you can get a reading on him." Scott's voice was desperate.
John looked into his brother's eyes and said nothing. John watch Scott crumple and fall into the sofa, and he knew Scott was running through options. The same options that were now running through his head.
“It too far for me to go in the exosuit. We need to find a vessel willing and able to take us there. EOS, scan the area and check the GDF log of authorised and unauthorised ships that are in orbit and a day’s flight from Thunderbird 3.”
“Right away, John.” His dependable AI replied. John turned back to Scott. He had to give Scott something to do, otherwise he’d pace a hole in the floor of the villa, though he might do that anyway.
“Scott, get onto Colonel Casey. Explain the situation and see if they have any vessels up here or on the ground that we might be able to use.”
“FAB.”
Scott’s hologram disappeared and John’s head dropped. They all knew the odds. They would all tell themselves this was a rescue, but deep down, their hearts were breaking. John wiped away the tear he couldn’t stop and turned to EOS. A nod and a list of vessels, their routes and maximum speeds were listed in front of him, along with a hologram of all their locations in respect to the remains of Thunderbird Three.
“Thank you, EOS.” John started the task of assessing which vessels could help them and contacting them.
***
EOS watched John work. She had only stopped to inform him that Virgil and Gordon were back on the Island. Continuing to field calls elsewhere, she had listened in when Scott had sat his brothers down and broken the news. Gordon had struggled to believe it, and he and Virgil watched the holograms. EOS had learnt how each brother showed and expressed pain, and she could see it in all three. Grandma had comforted Virgil and Scott had sat down with Gordon. Scott had explained what the plan was, and after a short time of sitting in silence, the younger Tracys disappeared in different directions. EOS fielded Gordon’s call to Penelope, who changed her plans and had Parker fly straight to Tracy Island. There was tension and worry in every Tracy, and EOS had concerns about John. She monitored his bio-readings, breaks, meals and sleeping patterns. He was overdue a meal by two hours now, and she was starting to see the effects of mild dehydration, but the look on his face as he worked told her she shouldn’t inform him.
EOS continued to monitor the wreckage. She was aware that Thunderbird Five’s scans couldn’t be improved, but she still scanned. Hope was an amazing thing for humans. She’d learnt that first-hand, and she wanted to give it to John. There was nothing new in her last scan, just wreckage moving as it should. EOS scanned again, then analysed every byte of data that came from them. She analysed it again. Something was different. There was a blip. One piece of the wreck had moved in a direction it shouldn’t have. It was only a fraction out, nothing to concern John with, but she noted it for later. Five minutes later she ran the scan again. The wreckage had moved further in the wrong direction. She rechecked the data. Whether it was significant, she couldn’t tell, but John was on a call to a nearby vessel, and it could wait. The call lasted a while, and another five minutes passed, and another scan was performed. The blip was definitely moving, and EOS plotted its trajectory. It was heading for Earth.
***
John hung up. Another ship wanting to help but unable to due to the superiors wanting the schedule to be kept. They considered it a recovery. That meant it wasn’t a priority. Well it was for him! It was his little brother out there. Lost in space. Anger churned inside him. Anger at the lack of help, anger that his brother was lost, anger the he couldn’t do more. John took a breath and tried not to let it surface. He had a job to do.
“John.”
“Yes, EOS.”
“Something has shown up on my scans.”
John looked up at EOS, gazing into the lens and seeing his reflection. He turned to the holograms before him.
“Show me.”
The picture changed and EOS highlighted a small scrap of debris on it. EOS displayed the time next to it and then flipped through the scans from the past forty minutes. John saw what she saw. The wreckage changed direction. Only something with an engine could do that. It was a flicker, a small spark of hope in his heart. Alan was a Tracy. John zoomed in, but the scan struggled to resolve the image. A quick run through Thunderbird 3’s inventory and the idea came to him.
“It’s moving a little too fast to be Alan on his board, but it could be the space pod. I would expect it to go faster if configured, but if damaged it might be slower, or if not configured, the basic engine would go about that fast.”
“A space pod would not have enough fuel or oxygen to get back to Earth.” EOS stated.
“But if we, or someone, could meet it halfway we might just…”
John could feel it now, the hope. He headed back to the list of vessels, trying to find one that might just be able to make a detour. As he was searching, a call came from Tracy Island. John accepted it and was greeted by Scott.
“There is a small spacecraft attached to Global One. Colonel Casey and the GDF are going to allow us to use it. It should be able to get you there and back. There is a shuttle being prepared now, but it won’t be able to launch until tomorrow. I’ll be on it and will meet you when you return to transport Alan back to Earth.”
EOS brought the information on the GDF vessel up in front of him, and John scanned the data. His eyes fell on the maximum velocity. It really was a small ship.
“Scott, it’ll take almost two days to reach Thunderbird Three in this ship. Alan won’t have that much time.”
The sorrow in Scott face tore into John.
“I know, but we have to bring Alan home.”
“FAB.”
John cut the link and looked at the last scan of the wreckage.
“You didn’t mention the pod.” EOS stated and John swore he could see the confusion in her lens.
“I don’t want to give him false hope. There is limited oxygen on the space pod. There is no guarantee we’ll make it in time.”
watching doctor who all out of order is so entertaining ppl out here making plans and smiling n shit like they arent about to be stranded alone on a broadcast satellite full of corpses in the middle of the fourth great human empire within the next two episodes
The movie Film Ventures International decided to show us over the opening credits of Stranded in Space is Prisoners of the Lost Universe, which stars most of the same cast as Hawk the Slayer. It’s actually a much better movie than Stranded in Space (although it’s still not good) and I’ll have to use it as an Episode that Never Was one of these days, but today is Friday, so let’s watch this.
Square-jawed astronaut Neil Stryker is the only survivor of some kind of space disaster, and when he wakes up, he’s in a hospital on another planet! Sadly, the movie’s budget isn’t up to showing us anything actually alien, or even anything vaguely foreign, so it’s a planet of people who look and dress exactly like white Americans of the early 1970’s, speak English, and drive Chryslers. Sure, there’re three moons, but other than that the only odd things are that there’s no Florida (bitter Clinton supporters may insert their jokes here)… and oh, yeah, everybody here is a left-handed communist! Stryker is desperate to return to his own right-handed capitalist planet, so he sets out to sneak on board another space capsule. Maybe not such a good idea, considering what happened to the last one he was in charge of.
The Stranger was supposed to be the pilot episode of a TV series that would have been a very faintly sci-fi tinted version of The Fugitive. Surprise, surprise, the networks didn’t want it, so Film Ventures International took over and turned it into Stranded in Space.
This movie annoys me on all kinds of axes. For starters, I hate the idea of an alien world that looks exactly like Earth, because why fucking bother? I mean, even with budget limitations and the fact that your characters obviously have to be played by human actors etcetera etcetera, it still seems like a massive failure of the imagination. In the case of Stranded in Space, the premise demands that Stryker be convinced he’s in a hospital on Earth and that he be able to blend in outside of that hospital… but why not have the aliens set something up to look like an Earth hospital so that he can find an alien world outside of it? If your aliens look like humans, he can blend in by simply changing his clothing, as the characters on Star Trek did all the freaking time! They had to give their aliens names like ‘Henry’ and “Bettina’? They really couldn’t come up with anything better than button-down shirts, phone booths and Chryslers?
Well, no, they couldn’t, because this movie isn’t about space travel or aliens. It’s about communists and what a horrible world we’ll be living in if they take over. No music, no art, no booze… yeah, that’s right – they’ll outlaw fun! Report your commie neighbours, folks!
God damn it, if you must have an ‘alien world’ that looks so exactly like the normal one, there are two ways to do this without pissing me off. One is an alternate universe. No problem, just have the capsule happen across some kind of wormhole or whatever, and Stryker can use his stolen spacecraft to try to get back to it! Another is time travel. Why can’t this be a dystopian future Stryker wants to go back in time and prevent? It had to be another planet? Seriously?!
The thing that makes this ten times dumber is that the stated reason for keeping Stryker captive and interrogating him is to learn about Earth’s space program… but apparently it’s so much like theirs that Stryker has a realistic hope of being able to pilot the space capsule he’s trying to steal! Even according to the movie’s own rules, the world it has created makes no goddamn sense.
The other thing that annoys me here is the way Stranded in Space treats the main trope it’s trying to explore. This is a theme we’ve seen before on this blog, in It Conquered the World and Terror Beneath the Sea among others – the idea that in order to live in any sort of real harmony, humans must lose all creativity and individuality. The bookshop owner tells Stryker that there was more music and laughter before the Perfect Order brought peace to his world, but nowadays there’s no war, hunger, or starvation. Much has been gained, but much has been sacrificed along the way.
While this is not a new idea, somehow the way Stranded in Space uses it is particularly repulsive. When you think about what the man in the bookshop says, it seems like the writers believe that in order for people to have music and art and whatever, somebody has to suffer. Not necessarily the artist, just somebody, somewhere, as if Beethoven couldn’t have written symphonies if people he never met didn’t die of smallpox.
What a horrible idea that is! It basically excuses all the awful things humans do to each other on the grounds of ‘well, somebody’s life has to suck!’ Allow me to put forward the radical idea that the proverbial Hungry Children In Africa don’t have to starve so that people can design pretty buildings or write moving novels! In fact, if you fed and educated those children, they could become architects or writers themselves! There’s no fixed amount of happiness or human achievement that anyone has to hoard, for fuck’s sake, and no fixed amount of misery that must exist to balance it. Pretending that there is just leads to shitty politics, shitty economics, and apparently, shitty movies.
What’s more, Stranded in Space seems to think that any step away from a world in which suffering exists is actually a step back. It Conquered the World wasn’t always clear on what it was trying to say, but it did seem to believe that humanity can get our shit sorted out if we work hard at it. Stranded in Space seems to be telling us that we shouldn’t work at it, that a world in which things like poverty don’t exist is actually undesirable by its very nature.
The one kind of interesting thing that goes on is how we don’t see anything happen on the Left-Handed Communist Planet that hadn’t already gone on in Right-Handed Capitalist America. The people are expected to repeat platitudes confirming their loyalty to the Perfect Order – kind of like pledging allegiance to the flag. Everyone is encouraged to inform on nonconformists, like the McCarthy era when the US was shitting its collective pants over communists hiding in the foliage. Forms of entertainment that are deemed detrimental to good social order have been outlawed, which ought to put one in mind of prohibition. But Stranded in Space doesn’t have a single satirical bone in its body, so I’m sure if you brought any of this up the film-makers would say no, that’s different and just carry on.
As far as just being a movie goes, there’s not much I can say about Stranded in Space. It feels very made-for-tv, in that there’s nothing about it that actually tries hard to be impressive. When we see things like the moon copypasted twice to make three, or the cartoon space capsule drifting by, we get the impression that somebody did it, shrugged, and wasn’t getting paid enough to try harder. Beyond those few moments, special effects are carefully avoided so as not to do anything expensive.
The actors, too, are made-for-tv bland, doing exactly what they’re being paid to do, and no more. Glenn Corbett (if he looks familiar, he was Cochrane in the original Star Trek episode Metamorphosis – the one in which a sentient alien dust cloud could have done much better for herself) just sort of wanders around staring at things, and Cameron Mitchell (if he looks familiar, imagine him with a whole colony of people living in his beard and a daughter about his own age) as the villain Benedict throws as much conviction as he can into boring monologues about how awesome it is to be a communist. As usual, the more interesting characters are the ones with smaller roles.
Tim O’Connor (if he looks familiar, he was Ambassador Briam in the TNG episode The Perfect Mate, the one with the cocoon lady who imprinted on Captain Picard and we weren’t supposed to think the whole thing was fucking creepy) as Dr. Revere is pretty good. He’s torn between his honest care for his patient and his loyalty to the government he works for, with a third layer thrown in when he knows that he also has to protect himself.
Sharon Acker (she was Odona in the TOS episode The Mark of Gideon, in which a whole civilization decides suicide is better than birth control… man there was some fucked-up shit on Star Trek) as Dr. Cook does a couple of interesting things. The way she touches her mouth after Stryker puts a hand over it to keep her from screaming gives the impression that nobody has ever been rough with her in that fashion before, and she seems honestly surprised by Stryker lying or using force even when she’s been told he’s a potentially violent subversive. Her character goes through a number of moments of indecision and while her weepy delivery gets kind of false and annoying, you’re never quite sure whose side she’s on. Her naivete makes her both a potential ally and a potential threat.
There was only one surprise in this entire movie, and that happened when I looked it up and discovered that Cameron Mitchell was never on Star Trek. That actually shocked me. He seems like the kind of actor who’d turn up there in five different roles over three different series. Weird.
