“The Bringers of Wonder: Part 1” is episode eighteen of season two of Space: 1999.
Commander Koenig is flying an Eagle very erratically, laughing as he does. In the Command Centre, Sandra calls Tony over, but Koenig doesn’t respond. Dr Russell comes in and Maya says that Koenig went up to investigate an increase in the neutron count. The Eagle is now heading for the nuclear waste dumps and remote control of the Eagle has been deactivated. The commander is now skimming the waste domes and Tony tells Alan to head there with a couple of nuclear physicists. Just before he hits a dome, Koenig pulls up, but still catches it. The Eagle crashes and he puts his helmet on as fire breaks out in the main cabin. The rescue team get there, put out the fire and rescue the unconscious Koenig. The two physicists record the damage and report no radiation.
In medical, the doctors explain to Tony and Maya that Koenig has concussion. He’s been linked up to an experiment machine. Then Sandra contacts Tony from Command Centre; there’s something on the screen.
Back at the Command Centre, Maya says it’s some kind of spaceship. The commander is still out of it and the crew from the nuclear site is coming back. The approaching spaceship is coming in faster than light. Alan enters with the physicists and reports everything is okay. The spacecraft is brough up on the screen. Alan says it’s a Super Swift. Tony says it can’t be, but the craft definitely looks related to the Eagles. It’s coming in to land and Tony orders the laser guns readied and tries to contact them. The ship lands, and finally they respond. Tony recognises the captain. His older brother, Guido.
A crowd is gathered outside the travel tube and when the crew of the Super Swift disembark, it seems that everyone knows something. Back in the command centre, Dr Shaw, who Dr Russell knows, says that they will explain everything soon. People are talking and introducing each other and they’re told that transports are coming to take everyone to Earth. They can travel anywhere. Two of the Swift crew quietly leave. Dr Russell knows one woman, Diana Morris, who knew Koenig before she did. The doctor and Morris are clearly not friends.
A man checks on Commander Koenig, then leaves. He passes the two Swift crewmembers that left, stops, then heads back to Koenig. Clearly not acting normally. Then he tries to kill Koenig by messing with the machine. The first definite sign something is wrong; having everyone on the Swift crew know someone on the base was odd, but explainable.
Assuming that Koenig’s odd behaviour in the Eagle is linked, and it’s an odd coincidence if it isn’t, two attempts have been made to kill him. And it definitely suggests the people from Earth are not what they seem. And, it seems, Koenig can tell that.
The episode ends on a cliff-hanger leading into the next episode, “The Bringers of Wonder: Part 2”.