November 6th, 2022 the Facebook Space: 1999 “Fandoms” Group Page admin had an impromptu video session; one of the guest speakers was Jeffrey Morris, or better known as “Future Dude”. He is an award-winning writer, director, producer, entrepreneur and production designer; his company’s website is FutureDude.com. He has been working towards reenergizing Space: 1999 in one form or fashion.
There hasn’t been too much interest in entertaining the notion of hanging with a bunch of survivors after an apocalyptic event as the stored nuclear waste blowing the moon out of the Earth orbit. As near and dear to us fans the classic 1975 show and it’s premise of demise, the world itself here in reality has learned a lot scientifically. Anywho, Mr. Morris wants to pursue a documentary referencing “For the Love of the Eagle”. The focus will be about the cultural phenomenon surrounding Alpha Moonbase’s main mode of travel: the Eagle Transporter, and why fans love it so much to this day. He wants to have it completed by 2025 for the celebration of the show’s amazing 50th Anniversary. 19 Dec 2022 update by Mr. Morris:
“We also closed a deal with New York-based production company Zero Point Zero (makers of SOMEBODY FEED PHIL, PARTS UNKNOWN with the late Anthony Bourdain, and MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION with David Letterman) to co-produce and develop THE EAGLE HAS LANDED — a theatrical documentary about the Eagle Spacecraft from Space:1999. This will be followed by a limited series about other cool sci-fi influences from my formative years for streaming.”
The Eagle Transporter (for better or for worse) is a significant science fiction space ship icon and a real star of the show. We fans have traveled to just about all of the upcoming planets or heavenly bodies that have been travelling in deep space during its 2 year production run. A great many kits and toys have been produced these last few decades (no, I’m not going to go into the various ones, the inaccuracies, the green paint, the wheels or any of that; it’s been extensively covered). Fans and collectors cannot seem to get enough of this iconic, realistic and aesthetically pleasing craft. For how pleasing it is to gaze upon, there is a lot of appreciation that went into the functionality of this dynamic moon craft. Sure, there are limitations, technologies and sheer absurd qualities that were used for our vehicle in its run during the show’s 48 episode run back at the mid-seventies, but what a ship it is. Most of the other science fiction shows did not produce a ship that is so iconic and has almost 50 years of staying power; there is truly something to be said about the Eagle Transporter from Space: 1999.
Mr. Morris mentioned he wants to break the documentary down into several proposed parts:
- Timeframe of the space program and the inspired: meaning that there was some significant emphasis with the various NASA space programs of the 60’s and 70’s, how they transpired (especially with the United States’ Moon landings), and the effect it had which inspired a large amount of story telling within television and the movies.
- History of how the Eagle was created showcasing discussions with Brian Johnson and Jamie Anderson to name a few.
- The popularity, the marketing leading to the enduring fandom aspect playing/collecting/appreciating the love of the Eagle as an enduring hobby.
- Different levels of Eagle appreciation and why fans/non-fans love the Eagle.
- Chat with some experts at NASA and what they are planning for the future.
He indicated that he is in the process of lining up several Hollywood A-Listers for their input asking what they remember and love about the Eagle Transporter. He brought up a couple of names such as George Lucas and Tom Hanks to interview. There are a lot of folks that love the Eagle, but never watched the show.
He also is planning on building an interior of the Eagle, and to show of some modern visual effects to perhaps bring the Eagle in to the 21st century (something that really is far overdue); he reported that he is planning a budget between three to five million dollars and would take approximately two years to complete bringing the timeframe into1999’s 50th birthday. There was a small suggestion that there might be some crowd-funding to get the project off the ground.
The Eagle is alive and well, even to this day. It sure doesn’t hurt that there are some truly amazing companies out there producing kits, die casts, hell, even a factory produced 44” Eagle was expertly crafted with precision and screen accuracy. It helps amplify the popularity of our beloved Eagle. Some folks have taken on the task to build very large editions from 88” to over eight feet. Although there are some wonderful accurate blueprints out there, building an Eagle of the magnitude, in all actuality, is more art than science.
As you can see, there is a lot of inspiration out there (with some hints of a slight obsession: guilty!!) so why wouldn’t there be a thought of a documentary about the Eagle? And not a moment too soon. Perhaps it might spark a reboot, a movie, or some sort of mini-series on some streaming service in the future. Space: 1999, although somewhat sandwiched in between Star Trek and Star Wars, was truly an original science fiction epic; it kept us fans mystified, horrified, shocked and wanting to help ensure those Alphans somehow find a home somewhere in the universe. We were “with them” with a sense that we were there on Alpha trying to survive. Especially within the first season (not gonna get into that, either).
What is your favorite childhood Eagle? Did you get one of the plastic “wheeled” ones or that die cast Eagle and trade the pods to get yours “all white”? Did you build one, fly one, put little figures in a big one? The Eagle was marketed very well then and apparently it is being marketed very well today. Get on board, Alphans. The Eagle is here and will be here for a while.
Thanks to Warren Friedrich, Darren Peters and David Hirsch for inviting me to the meeting to participate in this chat. If you want more information on their FB group page, look up Space: 1999 Fandoms. They are planning an upcoming event in Calgary Canada coming in April parallel to the Calgary Expo happening April 27 – 30, 2023 at Stampede Park in Calgary Alberta, Canada. They also formally invited Mr. Morris to attend the event and represent this endeavor.
Thank for the awesome shout-outs and coverage! We look forward to seeing everyone in Calgary next April. We have some very exciting things planned in regards to our favorite spacecraft…
Trust me, you won’t want to miss it!
The Mattel Eagle was the coolest toy from my childhood.
The Eagle has always been one of my top fictional spacecraft ( up there with the original Starship Enterprise ). In fact, those two craft are the ones I have the most models and toy replicas of.
I still have my first Dinky ( plus 7 others, transporters and freighters ), the Mattel Eagle 1, the Road Stars and Yot Toys wheeled diecasts, 6 different Product Enterprise / Sixteen 12 variants, a couple of the Konami candy toys, the IMAI model, an unbuilt AMT reissue and probably more I can’t think of. They all have varying degrees of accuracy and features, but I enjoy all of them in one way or another.
It’s funny. As a kid I was always frustrated with the replicas available, always wishing for a much more accurate model. Now that I have them ( and I’m thrilled with them ), I’ve relaxed and can enjoy the older toys and models, warts and all, for what they are. Especially the Dinkys, as they were pretty darn good for the time ( despite the color choices ).
I’ll be looking forward to this documentary.
I should find a way to tell them that we, Kepler Shipyards, is building something very similar to, and inspired by, an Eagle for real. https://www.keplershipyards.com/divisions/vehicles.html We call ours “Aethon”.
The Eagles were basically the perfectly functional spacecraft type for that level of technology.
I have been a fan of the Eagle for decades. I got a Mattel Eagle for my 6th birthday when 1999 was on the air. I have three Dinky ones (Green, white and blue) plus I had a Centuri flying model rocket Eagle for a time. I even was given the rare privilege to build a test shot 22″ Eagle model kit from Round 2 before it got released to the general public. Can’t wait for this project!
Right up there with the Thunderbirds, what kid did NOT get googly eyed when the Eagle graced our 13″ black and white TV screens!
What is the status on this doc?
Future dude. I found my niche in space development in promoting Oklahoma certified spaceport Burns flat.. I live 15 minutes away on I-40 . I have a launch plan that differs from anything else I’ve seen and a very remote but possible route to get there love to tell my story text me at 5803799565. rpm.firestar@gmail.com
One could write a very complicated analysis as to why the Eagle Transporter visually appeals so much. At an aesthetic level, it incorporates many features seen in real world spacecraft from the faceted shoulder pods (very Apollo Lunar Moduley), NERVA inspired main engines, very recognisable RCS thrusters, a lightweight but fascinatingly intricate girder structure and pleasingly contoured Command Module with recessed windows reminiscent of the Gemini program. Some might also argue, slightly phallic. In short, it’s a futuristic extrapolation of what we thought NASA was going to build next or may still. Possibly by accident (because it was originally intended to be shorter) I also think it hits the golden ratios that Da Vinci wrote about. The length and width are in perfect harmony and the low squat appearance supported on large foot pads gives a solid stable feel, and the permanently lowered undercarriage legs counterweight the top heaviness of the spine. In brief, a perfectly balanced design with all the looks and reality rooted features that a near future spacecraft might have. It’s almost impossible to improve on. Many have tried but it’s a fool’s errand because you can’t.