Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Eagle

The engineers behind the design of the iconic Eagle from Space:1999 built the ship comparing it to which living thing?

A. Gecko.
B. Bombardier Beetle.
C. Grasshopper.
D. Salamander.

I know Space:1999 fans have to be out there. Okay, this wasn't an easy one. I went with a question not so easily found on the internet. Heck, I didn't know the answer.

I happened upon this bit of trivia while reading Brian Ball's Survival [2005]. It's actually a strong little science fiction yarn centered around Professor Victor Bergman, played by the late Barry Morse [who provides the Foreword here], Commander John Koenig, Helena Russell, Alan Carter, Tony Verdeschi. Sandra Benes and David Kano appear along with his soul mate Computer too. The timeline appears to be somewhere between Year One and Year Two during the character changes. Paul Morrow is notably gone. So, it would appear to take place between Year One and Year Two. Anyway, it's making for a solid science fiction story with the added bonus of being populated by our favorite characters from the Space:1999 series. Ball even makes references from events within the series like Force Of Life and Ring Around The Moon giving the true fan of the series a bit of added fun.
*
Without further adieu, the answer to the above question is referenced on Page 11 in Survival. ""The builder of the Eagle spacecraft once famously compared his unique design to a grasshopper," Victor reminded John." I was uncertain if that was old information about the Eagle or if Brian Ball was adding to the mythology. Don't you just love science fiction?
*
I have a new found love for my green backyard friends and I liked them just fine before reading that line. Still, with that cool Eagle landing gear, the gecko might be a better option with those equally cool feet.

No comments: