“The Rules of Luton” is episode eight of season two of Space: 1999.
Tony, Maya and Commander Koenig are heading on Eagle 1 to check out a planet that might be habitable. The Eagle develops a leak in the oxygen system and the commander tells Tony to return to Alpha to get a new Eagle, whilst Koenig and Maya survey the planet.
After landing, Maya reports the fruit is edible. Koenig eats some berries and she picks a flower. There are screams and voices accuse them of being murderers and cannibals who must be punished. When the commander tries to contact Alpha, three trees show on his commlink. The claim to be the Judges of Luton, and the berries and flower were members of their society. Koenig protests ignorance and the Judges tell him that they will be given a chance. Three alien humanoids appear and the Judges says that they, too, violated the Laws of Luton and claimed innocence due to ignorance. The two groups are to fight; the survivors will be given their freedom. And the commander’s gun doesn’t work on them.
Koenig is planning to make weapons; Maya wants to try and make peaceful contact. He agrees, but only with something between them. The three aliens are tracking them. One of the aliens rips rocks from the mountain to use as weapons and the attempt to establish peaceful contact fails.
Alpha can’t raise the commander or Maya and when Tony returns and plans to take off in another Eagle, Dr Russell tells him the planet has vanished.
Maya and Koenig have crossed a river, which the aliens won’t cross. He tries again to communicate, but gets nowhere. They come across an animal skeleton, wrapped in vines. Trying to contact Alpha again only gets the Judges, who tell Koenig he must fight. And their adversaries have been given abilities to match them. Koenig tells Maya to turn into a bird to keep an eye on the aliens.
Koenig is testing rocks when one of the aliens appears behind him, having transported across the river. They fight and Koenig gets injured. Maya distracts the alien as a bird, then turns into a lion. The alien falls into the river and sinks. Maya treats Koenig’s wound and they talk about the granted powers. One is strong; another could transport. Though oddly didn’t transport back. The surviving two are crossing on a log.
Tony is heading out in an Eagle, despite the planet having disappeared. Koenig’s wound needs treating and he and Maya could do with food. But all the animals are dead and picking more plants would just make things worse. The Judges don’t want anything but them all to fight to the death.
Most of the episode focuses on Maya and Commander Koenig (which is why neither appeared much in “The Mark of Archanon”; both episodes were filmed at the same time) which gives the two time to talk to each other. There are more than a few similarities between this episode and the Star Trek: TOS episode “Arena”.