alt Hacker NewsThe first sesason was solid for its time, a sort of twilight zone in space, or even a more fantastical take on Star Trek. It was less about an overarching plot or consistency or being based on a set of strict rules and more about exploring various themes, such as humans in the face of certain death. Nothing groundbreaking but the production and the actors make it work (some of them anyway - sorry, Barbara Bain is about as convincing as a piece of plywood).
Dragon's Domain has been living rent-free in my head for over two decades now even if I'm acutely aware how silly is the premise.
Second season is plain awful.
Long time Space:1999 fan here. I've been thinking about this a lot over the years and I agree with you; the show is best looked at as The Twilight Zone in Space. Well - first season anyway. You REALLY have to pick through the dung of second season to find a few "well, that bit was alright" moments.
I think the show worked best when it was a review of variations of loneliness.
* Dragon's Domain - Tony Cellini is burdened by the loneliness of a demon no one else sees. * Guardian of Piri - John Koenig is surrounded by the best of the best in his senior staff. But under the "spell" of the Guardian, he has disagree with all of them and make some very lonely decisions. * Voyager's Return - Ernst Queller is burdened by the memory of his mistake many years ago with development (and many deaths) of the Queller Drive. And it comes back to haunt him in real life, not just his imagination. * End of Eternity - The alien Balor shows us that immortality could be the ultimate form of loneliness.