An expedition to a promisingly Earthlike planet goes awry when Verdeschi hears a member of his team screaming in agony on the surface. After wrestling the man to the ground, Verdeschi himself is overpowered by a pulsing light and goes missing himself – demonstrating a sudden burst of strength powerful enough to crush his comlock with his bare hands. Koenig and his team subdue Tony and retrieve him a few hours later and lift off to rush him back to the moon via Eagle, but a team left behind on the planet falls victim to a mysterious and sudden failure of equipment. And so does Koenig’s Eagle, which is forced to violently crash-land after its electronics fail and its outer skin and components turn brittle – and as the Eagle plunges to the ground, sensors on Moonbase Alpha register an increase in advanced technology on the surface. Koenig calls Alpha, unsure if he’s being heard, and tells his crew to stay put – there seems to be no way to land on this planet without giving up all chances of leaving. Naturally, Dr. Russell and Maya – despite hearing the warning – begin making plans to go there immediately.
written by Johnny Byrne
directed by Bob Brooks
music by Derek WadsworthGuest Cast: Tony Anholt (Tony Verdeschi), Nick Tate (Alan Carter), Nadim Sawalha (Zoran), Karl Held (Travis), Sam Dastor (Dr. Ed Spencer), John Hug (Fraser), Hal Galili (Voice), Alibe Parsons (Alibe), Walter
McMonagle (Les Johnson), Roy Boyd (Joe Lustig)
Notes: As seen on a computer screen, Verdeschi’s vital information is as follows: full name – Anthony Dean Verdeschi; graduated B.A. Honors, University of Rome, 1990; Ph.D, Cambridge, England, 1993; birthplace, Rome, Italy. According to Dr. Russell’s log entry, this episode takes places over 2300 days after the events of Breakaway – meaning that by this point, the series has chronicled over six years of the moon’s misadventures.
LogBook entry by Earl Green