After UFO, but, before Space: 1999, Gerry Anderson had hoped to re-boot UFO, with a new series - featuring the technical advances which had been made with such films as Star Wars, and Star Trek. This film (which is actually the first few episode's of that series cobbbled together) was made, in hopes of stirring up interest in the project. Unfortunately, a continuation of UFO was not to be, for various reasons. After the idea of relaunching a revamped UFO collapsed, it was decided to make a new series - but, focus on the iconic Moonbase (rechristened 'Moonbase Alpha', and also without the fabulous purple-haired women officers, including
Dolores Mantez, who manned it). The Commander, John Koenig (
Martin Landau), along with Alpha's Dr. Helena Russell (the still gorgeous
Barbara Bain), and Prof. Victor Bergman (
Barry Morse), along with many others became the focus. Instead of being a first-line in Earth's defence against the UF0's, the Moon was jettisoned out of orbit - hurled across the galaxy, due to the explosion of the nuclear waste dumps.
—U.N. Owen