“The Seance Spectre” is episode twenty of season two of Space: 1999.
It’s been three weeks since Alpha sighted the space phenomenon called ‘Tora.’ In a few hours they’ll know if three’s habitable planet. Commander Koenig is keeping this secret to avoid raising false hopes and Command Centre is off limits to almost all. Elsewhere on Alpha, four people want to know what’s happening.
Alan and the commander are in an Eagle when Koenig says Tora has changed position. Maya confirms it from Command Centre. The four arrive at Command Centre and the leader, Sanderson, easily takes out the guard. They enter Command Centre and stun Maya, Tony and Sandra. One, Eva, brings up Tora on the screen. Sanderson orders the computers off and they hold some kind of seance to determine if the planet is habitable.
The Eagle detects something and starts to head back. Koenig tries to contact Command Centre, reporting that Tora is on a collision course with Alpha. Sanderson is yelling that it’s a habitable planet and that the astro-prediction was right.
The Eagle returns and the commander and Alan arrive at Command Centre where Sanderson is still yelling. They take back control and medical is summoned. Koenig speaks to Dr Russell. She says Sanderson is suffering from autohypnosis. Greensickness. She says she has to take responsibility. The surface explorer units like Sanderson’s have it rougher than the rest of them and she should have seen it coming. Sanderson’s team has been out longer than the others but even the other teams are showing signs. She’ll have to limit space exploration. Maya reports that Tora is a weather belt and they wonder if there’s a planet inside. The commander wants a recon Eagle readied.
Dr Russell tells Sanderson he has greensickness. He disagrees, claiming this is just a cover for Koenig’s lies, and storms off to find the commander, taking out two thoroughly useless guards on the way. Sanderson arrives at Command Centre claiming that Koenig is covering up the existence of a habitable planet in order to remain in charge. Koenig says all data will be processed on main computer so that everyone can see what’s happening. Sanderson can accept that.
Tony has a go at Sanderson, but the doctor says he’s sick. Sanderson disagrees. Tony wants him locked up; the doctor wants him in medical. Tony agrees, but under proper guard this time.
Koenig and Maya lift off in an Eagle as Sanderson is in medical denying he’s sick. The doctor says Eva isn’t; she’s in love and free to go. Which is stupid, as Eva immediately calls in a false medical emergency, which lures most of the staff away and then Eva takes down the still useless guards.
As the Eagle approaches Tora, Sanderson’s team heads to the Computer Room. The computer is reporting unbreathable air and there’s a gravity problem. Sanderson says Koenig needs to be made to go all the way in. He sabotages the computer to give false readings.
The commander thinks three’s something wrong. Tony says it’s fine, but Koenig wants him to check the computer for problems. By the time a malfunction is reported, the Eagle has already crashed on a definitely not habitable planet. They lack communications with Alpha and the oxygen plant is damaged.
Alan is going to try to bring the Eagle back on remote, but Sanderson’s team is still out there. And he’s still convinced there’s a habitable planet, and anything that says otherwise is a lie. Plus, the Moon is still going to collide with Tora. Which would be bad.