“The Dorcons” is episode twenty-four of season two of Space: 1999 and the season and series finale.
The Alphans have detected a mysterious object. It has a power source but no lifeforms. It’s put on screen and Alan suggests it might be a robotic survey device. Maya reports there’s an energy build-up inside the device. Commander Koenig orders red alert, but a beam from the device penetrates their shields. Everyone but Maya in Command Centre is frozen. A beam passes over everyone, and the computer systems, frying part of it. The beam lands on Maya, then returns. It inflicts great pain on her. It turns off and everyone recovers as Maya collapses.
Dr Russell examines Maya and the commander orders Alibe try to contact the device. Maya comes around as Alibe is trying. Koenig asks her what the beam was. A mind probe. It probed them all, but when it found her, it increased in intensity and almost tore her brain apart.
Alibe is having no luck and the commander orders Maya and Tony to scan the device. Tony reports the probe burned out their data bank. Maya says the probe just has a highly sensitive forcefield. Tony suggests blasting it out of space.
The probe changes to raw matter, then becomes solid again, revealing a spaceship. Maya says it’s the Dorcons and starts panicking. Dorcons are the enemy Psychons fear most of all. She says they can’t help. Alan reports the ship has a meson converter. Maya says it can transform matter to energy and reshape it in whatever form they like. And, according to Alan, shift it through space almost instantly.
On the ship, a man, the Archon, is told that the Alphans are contacting them. Another, Malik, tells the Archon, his uncle, to ignore it and invade/ A woman, Consul Varda, asks what if they resist. Malic says they die. The Archon is concerned that the Psychon might be killed, and dismisses the idea. He tells Varda to get him the Psychon.
Maya explains the Dorcons hunt her people. The Dorcons control all the forces of nature, except death, but achieve immortality through Psychons. She wants them to promise she won’t be taken alive. Varda contacts Command Centre and apologises for what happened. The commander withholds his acceptance of that. Varda explains she represents the Imperial Archon, the supreme leader of the Federated Worlds of Archon. They come with peaceful intent. All they want is the Psychon. The commander refuses. Varda says that surely the Psychon has confirmed that it’s futile to resist. Maya confirms that resistance is futile. The commander orders laser batteries armed and combat Eagles readied. Maya says the Dorcons will kill everyone.
Alpha is ready and the commander asks Maya how Psychons help Dorcons achieve immortality. She explains Dorcons die when their brainstem ceases to function at a certain age. But Psychon brainstems last forever. By removing Maya’s brainstem, and implanting it, the Dorcon will live forever. She’s the last living Psychon and they won’t leave without her.
Malic and Varda are arguing until the Archon breaks it up. He knows Malic wants him to die. Afterwards, Malic tries influencing Varda. She’s perfectly happy for him to never take the throne, as he isn’t fit to lead their people.
The Dorcons open fire on Alpha, destroying sections of it. The laser batteries have no effect, and are destroyed. The combat Eagles also have no effect, and one is destroyed. Some Alphans want Maya handed over. She actually agrees. They are disarmed, and Maya begs the doctor to kill her. Dr Russell doesn’t, but Koenig threatens to kill Maya unless Varda stops the attack. She does, but sends in ground forces.
Resistance was, indeed, futile. The only hope now is that Malic really doesn’t want his uncle to live forever, and is also unfit to lead as Varda stated.
It was apparently known that this would be the last episode, but there are no threads wrapped up in it. Over 20 years later – in 1999 – “Message from Moonbase Alpha”, has Sandra broadcasting a final message from Alpha.