“The Metamorph” is episode one of the second and final season of Space: 1999.
Dr Russell is recording a log – the number of survivors she gives is massively inaccurate – and that a life support system has been damaged. A survey Eagle has been sent to recon a planet looking for titanium, needed to repair it.
On the Eagle, Fraser contacts the Command Centre – a new area replacing Main Mission – to tell them there are no signs of settlements. Titanium is detected and Commander Koenig orders they return to base. As the Eagle leaves, a green ball of light pursues them. Alpha detects this and warns the Eagle, as well as readying a never-before-seen weapons battery. The Eagle can’t escape and is dragged back to the planet. In the Command Centre, Anne faints.
Tony informs Koenig that life as they know it couldn’t exist on the planet. They are promptly contacted by someone who calls himself Mentor. Koenig tells Mentor they came in peace and he attacked; Mentor says many of his people have been lost by invaders making similar claims. Their pilots are alive but the Eagle is wrecked.
Koenig promises no hostile actions and Mentor tells him to send another Eagle to the planet. The commander doesn’t want any more misunderstandings and says they will meet in space as well. Mentor agrees. If Koenig sends a technical officer, he will ensure they get the minerals they need. And send a medical officer too; one of the pilots suffered minor injuries. After ending the transmission, Koenig orders Alan to fit additional boosters to an Eagle.
Mentor speaks to a lion in his room, calling her Maya. She transforms into a woman and calls Mentor ‘father.’ Mentor wonders what she thinks of the Alphans. She thinks they seem nice. Will the Alphans help restore their planet? Mentor says they will. Afterwards, when Maya has gone, he orders the Alphan pilots prepared.
The Eagle leaves and arrives at the rendezvous point. The commander contacts Mentor, who says his ship will join them shortly. And a green glowing ball of light becomes a ship. Sandra reports it leaving the planet. Tony wants a full scan. It turns out the ship has no-one onboard. The Eagle tries to break free as the ship drags it towards the planet. It finally manages it, but the other ship turns into the ball of light again, envelopes the Eagle and takes it to the planet, leaving it an area with more ships.
The Eagle is out of communication with Alpha. Mentor contacts them. He can understand they are angry and agrees they have cause. But they will understand. The pilots from the other Eagle are brought in and Fraser tries to warn the others but is zapped by a guard. Mentor says he’s ill and the others should remain on their ship until he contacts them. They don’t. Mentor is doing something to the other pilot, Torens.
Mentor shows Maya something. Power has increased. The Alphan pilot agreed to help. There were no harmful side-effects. The others find aliens mining; Dr Russell thinks they suffered brain damage. Then they encounter Torens, who is the same way. Koenig shoots one of the guards, who appears to turn into a pile of rock from being stunned.
Despite what Mentor claims, his intentions are definitely not friendly. Maya, however, doesn’t know this; her father has hidden the truth from her. The Alphans are unable to resist him, either.
Quite a few changes for this season. New uniforms, from somewhere, the Command Centre, not Main Mission. New weaponry on Alpha. New main characters and missing old ones. Paul, David and Victor are all missing. Deleted scenes reputedly stated that Victor died in a faulty spacesuit and the other two in an Eagle crash. Even the feel of the season is different.