Cygnus Alpha (1978) Review

Cygnus Alpha continues developing our heroes whilst featuring a surprisingly rich alien environment - a shame that it falls apart in the end.

WRITTEN BY

Terry Nation still, and Cygnus Alpha is probably his best planet since Skaro.

PLOT

In order to acquire a crew, Blake takes the Liberator to his original penal destination, only to find them trapped by the megalomaniacal Vargas, who rules over the cowering prison populace with an iron fist. Whilst he attempts a rescue, Avon and Jenna must make a decision regarding their future with Blake.

ANALYSIS

I was very impressed with the first half of the episode. The Liberator's design and backstory is very enigmatic, with fascinating little clues about its past, like the treasure room and the philosophical computer. Not to mention the interplay between Blake, Avon and Jenna. The fact that the latter two are criminals gives the episode some edge, because we have to count on their humanity(particularly in the face of free cash and ship) to rescue the others.

The planet Cygnus Alpha, both in script and execution, is very good. The night-time filming and use of echo initially gives the planet an eerie atmosphere, and when the prisoners discover the crossed unbeliever and the dilapidated castle, we're in full-on horror territory for a bit.

Vargas's backstory for the planet and the logic of his control over the prison populace is also very clever, and it feels like Nation did his best to really nail the show's first alien planet, which is nice. Unfortunately, once we have most of the answers, Cygnus Alpha starts to drag a bit. As much as I appreciate Brian Blessed, he's far more fitting in a campy affair like Doctor Who's "Mindwarp" rather than a proper chiller like this, and the rest of his cult are largely forgotten after he appears, leaving the threat toothless.

The whole rigmarole around whether the drug and/or Curse of Cygnus is real boils Vargas's psychological manipulation down to simple "stick around or die", which puts the far more interesting abuse of religion and fear(which seemed to be a cool reflection of the events of The Way Back) in the background, ending on an oddly comic moment.

CHARACTERS

Thomas gets to chew on a brilliant sequence where Blake denounces the prisoners as pathetic cowards once he finds out they don't want to leave. I thought it really highlighted his developing mania over battling the Federation(and other similar kinds of subjugation).

Already, there's a strong chemistry between Thomas and Paul Darrow, with Avon spending much of the episode toying with the idea of killing Blake off in a variety of ways. Which the latter ignores, either out of sheer blind faith in Avon's humanity, some kind of perceived insight into his nature or the knowledge that he'd have to worry about Jenna as well if he turned on Blake.

Knyvette, becoming more charming and less intimidating by the minute, gets to try off fancy new clothes(that look like a child threw multicoloured paint at) and show off her bum to the creepy self-interested dude he met yesterday. And I thought her characterisation went south next season?

Someone who did surprise me, however, was David Jackson. In Blake's absence, Gan assumes an unspoken leadership position amongst the prisoners, displaying an unflappable demeanour, a dry sense of humor and protectiveness over Vila. He also proves to be the most reasonable, listening to Blake's side of the story and choosing to stand up for himself. Jackson has a great presence here.

Keating starts off slightly irritating, cracking obnoxious dad jokes, but once the episode makes it clear he's simply under pressure, his character improves. Vila is sly, smug, but also clearly out of his depth and dependent. None of which are particularly good qualities, of course, but he's easy to relate to and feels real. Notably, Vila actually displays some genuine courage by choosing to side with Blake despite the lack of evidence for him being able to keep Vila alive.

Brian Blessed, bless him, he really tries. In fact, many of his quieter line deliveries are excellent in their own right. Vargas leers over Blake, supremely confident in his own power, the spider of the web. It's a great confrontation scene. But I just can't help feeling like there's something missing. Maybe I just wanted to see more of Vargas manipulating the populace, talking to his own people, showing off his political acumen. There's just this sense of Blessed completely taking over the episode by the end and brushing the character of Cygnus Alpha itself quietly under the carpet so he can rant and rave about ruling the universe. Alas.

NOTES

*Until late in the game, the characters of Arco and Selman were intended to join Blake's crew, hence why they become similar "fake-out" members like Nova in the previous episode.

*As a fan of Avon, it's fun to see Paul Darrow grow into the character. He's much more jovial here than he would be later on, though I suppose escaping the Federation and finding oneself on an advanced ship full of diamonds can do that.

*This seems to be the only episode to include the use of the direct mental interface to Zen(similar to Doctor Who's TARDIS telepathic circuits). Presumably, the crew chose not to use it to avoid Zen cherrypicking thoughts out of their minds again.

*Speaking of Zen in this episode, Peter Tuddenham's voice is far closer to how he'll eventually sound as Orac.

*According to Zen, humans need a "visual reference point" to communicate with him, at which point the screen activates. I kind of get the feeling that the Liberator is molding itself to appease to them and maybe that screen wasn't actually there at all before. Maybe it was just part of a wall that Zen figured can be used as a screen.

*Amusingly enough, Avon is the only member of the trio that Zen does not greet(perhaps recognising his volatile nature when compared with Blake or Jenna).

*I might understand Avon recognising an obscure metal on the spot, but Blake too? Also, is this the only time we get some remote insight into what Blake's actual job was beyond political rebellion? His involvement in the teleport project suggests at least some kind of scientific background.

*You'd think at least somebody on Cygnus Alpha would live at the landing pad. There's a built-in roof, even electrical light.

*So was Gan deaf or something? Why'd he not answer to the others' calls?

*It's very amusing to see Darrow and Knyvette awkwardly fiddle about with the teleport controls rather than the customary "pull a pair of levers" approach from later.

*There's a strange lack of communication throughout the episode between Blake and the Liberator. At first, Blake doesn't simply request immediate teleportation back up when he's under attack from the monks. Second, he seems to avoid telling Avon about them. And finally, neither Avon or Jenna seem to consider simply contacting Blake to see if he needs to be teleported or not.

*There's a really great moment where the priestess first appears to the prisoners and declares "I am the servant of your God. Kneel!". Dumbfounded, all of them do so, but clearly only to appease her whilst starting to work out what the deal is and how to profit from it. If that scene was made today, you can bet they'd stupidly refuse and start bantering about it, killing the tension as well as the realism.

*Ironically, everyone except Blake(and possibly Gan) seem to be alien to killing. Avon outright admits he's not sure if he's capable of it. Jenna says nothing. Vila is visibly shocked to be holding a bloody knife. How times change...

*How on earth does Laran miss Blake peeking right into his eyes through the gap in the door, or putting out the torch right behind him??

*How did Vargas's ancestor get a revolver on Cygnus Alpha?

*The priestess choosing to warn Gan at the end is a bit of an odd heel turn, considering she's been pro-Vargas the entire episode.

INFORMATION!

*Blake tells Vargas how he came to be on the planet and how he obtained the Liberator, as seen in Space Fall.

*Also, Captain Leylan records a log detailing the same events.

BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE

"Don't philosophize with me, you electronic moron. Answer the question."

CONCLUSION

A solid conclusion to the show's opening trilogy. Slight wobbles, but overall, an interesting story.