The Eagle Transporter: why space 1999’s birds still fly 50 years later

[@Humans_Eh]

The Eagle is so iconic for the simple reason that it looks believable. It looks like it was actually designed to work and operate as a practical space vehicle by actual engineers with a purpose in mind as opposed to just looking cool and futuristic.

[@Terrestrial..1]

Exactly

[@casinodelonge]

spot on.,

[@scifientertain]

100% agree that the key is that it ''looks'' real. When I first saw it as a kid, I loved it entirely because I thought it seemed less like a fantasy space prop than something NASA might actually use. When I got a little older and saw 2001:ASO, I fell in love with the Discovery, Aries, and Orion - which were really inspired by potential real world design.

[@Malcrom1967]

I was going to type Exactly but it's been done.

[@dpsamu2000]

The other vehicles of Gerry, and Sylvia Anderson are stubby toy looking. Never thought they were cool looking. Suspect they were stubby so toys made of them would be shorter, and cheaper to make. The reptilian/insect like cockpit was painted in the pattern of the Apollo Lunar Module, but was not reflecting the practical reason the LM look which was so it could be landed, and controlled by the astronauts standing up. That gave them a larger field of through smaller windows than from a seated position. Reduced weight of the windows, and further eliminated the weight of the seats.

[@BaseDeltaZero1972]

I've said it many times, the Eagle looked like it could be in service in reality...everything looked functional, it was a damn good ship design. Utterly iconic craft.

[@Beery1962]

Except for the engine nozzles on the modular pods. They would never work.

[@miamijim5964]

I was 6 when this show debuted and I was given an Eagle for my 7th Birthday, as well as a UFO Interceptor, I cherished them throughout my early childhood.

[@davidharding1299]

I still have the Eagle One playset my grandmother gave me for Christmas back when I was a little kid. When I moved out of my parent's house... it was one of the first things I took with me to my new house. There was no way I wanted that going to my mom's church rummage sale.

[@beaker2000]

I was a smart kid who read many hundreds of sci-fi novels, and a more than passing interest in design and engineering, and eventually went to school for mechanical engineering. I still to this day love the Eagle. In space, streamlining is a waste of resources. The eagle is built for space operations, it is modular and multi-functional for different purposes. This is exactly the metality engineers would take for a workhorse platform spaceship. Things in space are expensive so you need swiss army knives that can do lots of functions. The only flaw, and keep in mind that it is a TV show, it would need more reaction mass in reality, even with the hyper efficient propulsion system. The Hawk showed up minimally in one episode, but if you love the Eagle, you love the Hawk even more.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I did like the Hawk but they make the Eagle look like an underdog which makes me just love the Eagle even more 😂

[@hemaccabe4292]

You are so right!

[@ninjabearpress2574]

That's why I like the Eagle, it's a sound, logical design. Heinlein's my favorite author because he was an engineer, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, he never dumbed down a damn thing.

[@warshrike666]

You are spot on mate still my most fav and iconic sci-fi ship. Love the Hawk for its military application it was built for war as was actually said in the show. The eagle was the all rounder work horse of earth space operations in that show.

[@RoyCyberPunk]

This is why Space X should consider incorporating the design for a space truck to be taken to space by their Starship rocket of which I saw the launch and it was spectacular. Not to mention historical as its truly the first rocket designed to open the door to actual space colonization so I mean a real moon base Alpha or Mars Base Beta and so on.

[@rEdf196]

I was 11 when Space 1999 debuted on TV. I became a huge fan. I loved those Eagle ships.

[@Blackedoutewoks]

The Space 1999 Eagle is just a fantastic design and struck a chord with us back in the mid-70s and reinforced by the brilliant Dinky Eagle that I played with as a child! Even though I collect mainly Star Wars I have a couple of Dinky Eagles and the gold plated one from Product Enterprise! It’s the best ship design ever!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

It’s one of the few Gerry Anderson toys that I never had when I was a kid

[@mistsmogguru8378]

The Eagle and Liberator, brilliant.

[@Adey-yd9gj]

The space 1999 ice lolly is sadly very missed in our house.

[@davebeattie9573]

The reason that I love the Eagle so much is that it is not a hero ship. Hero ships are like main cast in many shows, they are protected by plot armour. But something like the Eagle, is just there. It is a workhorse, that does its job without any fanfare, and any time they face danger, there is a very real sense that they may not be making it back in one piece. In Star Wars, how many times do we see the Millenium Falcon get the stuffing shot out of it, and yet it emerges more or less the same as it went in. In Star Trek Voyager, how much damage did Voyager take, and yet, always it was back up and running by the end of the episode. In Voyager's case this was made worse by the fact that Voyager is supposed to be stranded on the far side of the galaxy, away from supply, and yet they never really suffer from any negative effects of that. If an Eagle gets damaged, the crew has to deal with that damage. If it crashes, the crew has to deal with that crash. Entire stories can revolve simply around the crew of the Eagle, as well as the rest of the people on Alpha as they try and rescue their stranded people. One hero ship that I do like is the Liberator from Blake's 7. An alien vessel found and salvaged by Roj Blake and his band of escaped criminals use the Liberator to try and take down the Terran Federation, a totalitarian regime headquartered on Earth. One thing that Blake's 7 did that most show's won't is that they avoided plot armour. No one was safe. Even the Liberator itself, despite its advanced auto repair systems that could fix everything while the crew relaxed in soma induced states of contentment, was not given plot armour, being destroyed at the end of its third season. Even its replacement ship, the Scorpio, a far less capable human designed ship only lasted a single season. As for the crew, starting with Oleg Gan, mid season 2, they started being killed off, or written out. Even Roj Blake, the titular character of the series, was written out at the end of season 2, along with their pilot Jenna Stannis. Blake's and Jenna's fate would be revealed in the series finale, when all of Blake's crew, and their replacements, were killed off. No happy everafter on this show. No matter how much I like a show, once I realise that someone or something has plot armour, I start to lose interest, because the plot armour removes tension in what are supposed to be tense moments.

[@paulmyles6126]

A heartfelt look at why the Eagle Transporter is so popular with the fandom and is definitely because the design looks so practical and restrained and exist in the real world. Also interesting that the original design for the Millennium Falcon had a similar general layout to the Eagle Transporter, so George Lucas demanded a different design so there was no chance of confusion for moviegoer and rest is history. Thanks for using some of my photos. It's great to be part of a fandom that has such a positive vibe for the future (0 toxicity) and seeing the Dynetics ALPACA Lunar Lander being considered for the Artemis moon landing programme (as it really does look like a deconstructed Eagle Transporter) gives me hope for that Gerry Anderson that we all deserve🚀

[@paulmyles6126]

I meant “that Gerry Anderson future that we all deserve🚀”

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

No Paul thank YOU for letting me use your awesome photos they are genuinely brilliant and you are right the worlds of Gerry Anderson are an inspiration to people the world over for a better technological future.

[@another3997]

I think a lot of the Gerry Anderson series' vehicles were memorable not just because of their general design, but because the models and the special effects were just so incredibly detailed. They always looked "used", always a bit of dirt and dust, soot and burn marks... not ultra shiny and clean. There was smoke and flames from jet and rocket engines, with intricate details in all the moving parts. Vehicles had suspension, exhaust smoke and they threw up dust as they moved. This created a real sense of scale and believability.

[@johnny--dollar]

It's the practicality of the Eagles. They seem real from an engineering point of view, they just make sense. Not until the Babylon 5 Starfurys came along have I got that feeling of innate realism.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I loved the star fury !!!

[@andrewmclachlan4242]

It's Believable, Practical, Visually Interesting from any angle!🤔😎

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

It’s definitely looks the part.

[@madmaxine4185]

A great insight into the love of the 1999 Eagle! I think everyone should have one parked in the driveway!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

How cool would the world be if that were true

[@geraldscott4302]

What I like about the Eagle is that it is a true spacecraft. It can lift off slowly from a planet, and fly into space, and when landing, it lands slowly, under power, all the way down, never having to deal with high speed atmospheric re entry. There have been many spacecraft like that in various science fiction movies and tv series. They don't need heat shields or parachutes.

[@daviderickson8230]

Indeed, in one episode, you learn that it took 4 hours to clear a planet's atmosphere.

[@mcal27]

I’m one of the Eagle addicts.. I met Brian Johnson in 2014 and got to tell him how the Eagle had influenced my life and got me obsessed with Technology which became my career. I still watch an Episode of Space 1999 every Sunday (which is when it used to be shown here in North West UK during the 70’s. It’s all a comfort blanket against the battlefield of life lol

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

This is awesome!!! I would love to get to meet him one day. You’ve given me the idea of watching some old science fiction on weds-fri evenings now.

[@LeahRebeccaUK]

Beautifully put together with passion - and it shows. Congratulations 😎👌👍

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Thank you !!! Am glad you enjoyed it.

[@lexloose2112]

I absolutely love the Eagles and also the Mobil units with tracks in UFO. a practical design as well.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Like how you emphasised the way that the Eagle is practical and is a design that would work. The modular design so obviously has it's roots in the design of Thunderbird 2. Some of the drawings have lots of elements that were used on the Millenium Falcon @4:48 Even took the name from 'Falcon Shuttle'. Not surprised that the designer, Brian Johnson, worked on 2001 a Space Odyssey (one of very few sci-fi films that addressed the problem of zero gravity). See alot of the practicality in design in the spacecraft like the Moonbus and Discovery 1 etc. Not joking that the Eagle had a high loss rate. I watched Space 1999 as it came out way back in the '70's. It was aired If I remember on a Saturday or Sunday morning I remember being disappointed about Barry Morse's character. Prof. Victor Bergman 'disappearing' from series 2 dont know why they did that. Great upload. Would like to go to one of these conventions they have sometime.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I think a new producer took over for series 2 and Barry Norse was a bit too expensive for him so the character was sidelined. Thanks for watching and I hope to see you at a convention one day.

[@AndyCash-lq2jy]

I am 65 and love the Eagle. Loved it as a kid. Love it as an adult. I bought nice blueprints of the Eagle and had them professionally framed. They are centerpiece of my home office.

[@Xeromith]

I was 11 in 1975, and it was and still is my favorite show. I'm into model building and have made several of them.

[@RoySATX]

The program didn't age well, the Eagle sure did. Iconic

[@ArmyJay]

I had a toy Eagle when i was a kid. Another hugely popular and insectoid craft from another series is the green, beetle-like, Thunderbird 2 which i also had as a toy, including the little yellow Thunderbird 4 shuttle.

[@sci-fimodeler1701]

I love the eagle. I have built (3) 22" size models and will still build a cargo version and (1) with a detailed cockpit and passenger pod with lighting! The eagle started my modeling hobby!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Its comments like this that makes KZbin for me, thanks for sharing it with me.

[@sci-fimodeler1701]

See my quick short of my shelf kzbin.infoqUpzuPBOsLY@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci

[@deathonredbull]

NIce take. I'm 52, and I remember seeing Space 1999 not long after it was first released on UK TV. To this day, it, and Blake's 7 remain firm favourites - there's something about those two productions that is somehow unreplicable. Anyway, 'Whispering Jack Grealish' (as I have dubbed thee), I just subscribed, so good for you. ;-)

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I’ve got such a soft spot for both of those programs. Thanks for watching and subscribing!!!

[@bikechainmic]

As a chil;d interested in Sci Fi I remember seeing a Dinkly model in a shop window and thinking WOW what a practicle , purposefull looking craft ( and fell in love with its design). Then I got to see space 1999...and copuldnt get enough of them. Always wanted to see behind the rear door into the engine room! Think this is why I became a Naval Tiff!

[@Epsilon1Zeta]

An ex-girlfriend of mine is an avid fan of FUTURAMA. In an episode of which it is explained that lots of science fiction programmes (including STAR TREK) were dumped on an alien planet. I pointed out to her that the cartoon spaceship dropping the videos was an EAGLE Transporter from Space: 1999 (a programme that my ex-girlfriend had never heard of at that point in time).

[@JasonAdank]

Moonbase Alpha looks almost identical to the one seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[@cornwalloncamera8043]

The Eagle was always one of my favourite sci-fi vehicles, to mirror the comments of others it’s always looked like something that would actually work, it looks real world.

[@heathquinby229]

The Eagle still gives me goosebumps when I see it land or takeoff. I always called it "the tugboat of space" when ranting to my friends about the greatest spaceships ever.

[@johnwenzel2003]

It was the sheer versatility and practically of it that always got me; and it just looks cool. Something very much like it will be an absolute necessity on Luna as activity there actually starts taking place.

[@66meikou]

My fave Dinky toys as a kid growing up were the UFO Interceptor and the armoured missile launcher closely followed by the normal Eagle and the cargo Eagle. I played with those things for years!!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I’d still be playing with them now !!!

[@jwenneberg]

For me the Eagle was the star of the show. To show my love for it I have build a big model of it.

[@TK42138]

Great analysis, absolutely nailed it. I'm 54 and I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek on BBC in the 70's then Space 1999 then Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7. Didn't see 2001 A Space Odyssey until it got its British TV premiere on BBC1 New Years Day back in '82. As a kid when Space 1999 aired, I would make Lego versions (or nearest I could get to the shape) and attach fishing line and 'fly' them. These ships are our culture and our imaginary escapism from a world where our imaginations wildly exceed our actual abilities to build them for real.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

I've always thought the Eagle could be a NASA design. It just looks like the next generation space ship after the shuttle. It's number two on my list of best looking space ships. Number one being the original series Enterprise. That design by Matt Jeffries looks like he tapped into the thoughts of a 23rd century starship Naval architect. She is a creature of space. Btw: The C57D saucer from Forbidden Planet is modular as well. Not only did they un-ship the power plant to juice the radio gear they also removed the main armament to defend the camp.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

That Enterprise and the D are timeless and possibly my favourite looking spacecraft of all time!!!! That’s an interesting thought about the c57d but it does make perfect sense now you say it.

[@Name-ps9fx]

4:44 The "Falcon" shuttle cockpit bears a strong resemblance to the Millenium Falcon's cockpit....?

[@fredericlepeltier3435]

That is a node to the 1st design for the pirate ship/Millenium falcon that was modified to become the Tantive IV / Blockade runner. Since Space 1999 aired 1st GL had to came up with a nex design : "the hamburger with the olive on the side".

[@monkeysausageclub]

It's actually a brilliant design. Having played with the toy great fun was had popping off the centre module. The white stars from B5 very much have an eagle feel. UFO = best music 1999 = best space craft

[@Semiam1]

The Eagle hooked me onto the show here in America when it was shown after school. It’s practical yet also fires the imagination.

[@MrGeneralPB]

my older brother got one of those as a model... well i kinda got my hands on it and loved it to bits... still one of the most awesome space ships produced

[@scoobsm6994]

I loved this show as a kid. The eagles were a favourite, they looked so cool, yet they also seemed so practical & realistic with their modular construction. They never, ever struck me as remotely insect like though. I think they're reptilian, being a dead ringer for a bobtail skink: Tiliqua rugosa

[@Robert-ff9wf]

I had all the Eagle toys. A giant plastic eagle with a crane in the center compartment to raise things off the ground. It was really big, like 3 and half feet long.I can't remember if it had action figures.. I think it did because all the compartments opened. I also had a die-cast metal eagle with shock absorbing landing gear, and the center or passenger compartment separated and had its own legs to rest on. I loved the eagle!

[@stevegelnett4469]

As a boy I liked that show and I loved the transporters. I’d forgotten about them. Great video.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Thank you very much for watching !!!

[@hemaccabe4292]

I don’t think moonbase could manufacture new Eagles. Rather, everything about the Eagle was modular, which is very realistic, so the hangar would have had components and crew would assemble the Eagle for the mission ordered by the commander for that mission.

[@RyllenKriel]

When designing a tool, vehicle or even clothing I believe perception of function equals familiarity, comfort and ultimately success. This link to the familiar is one reason why mankind mimics nature in many creations. I love how practical the Eagle is with the industrial/insect aesthetic, vectoring thrusters and different interchangeable modules you mentioned. You don't have to be an aerospace engineer to appreciate the function of the craft, it's on full display as an intensely solid design. Many designs fail by becoming too abstract and defying the familiar. Of course, when the form of function is obscured an object becomes mysterious and alien. This can be fun to dabble with if that is your intention too!

[@ExcelsiorsDomain]

I recently put all the old Dinky Eagles in my collection, having grown up with the white and the green. One of these days I will save up some pennies for a different version, although I do have a couple of the Eaglemoss releases as well. Just such a practical ship with the separable command module as an escape pod on top of the pods. Also appeared in Red Dwarf in a spaceship graveyard I believe. Plus they had to change the design of one Millennium Falcon because the original looked like an Eagle as per the one pictured here in fact. Also, as soon as you said insect I thought Lexx! Lovely video!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Oh yes I remember now in Red Dwarf 6 ep1 they are traversing the asteroid belt if remember correctly ? Thanks for watching!!!

[@scottlyons8130]

I love the insect look. I also thought the interchange of the center modules was so smart.

[@progKansas]

Red Dwarf's Starbug: Am I a joke to you?

[@donm5354]

Amazing that 50 yrs later there are more licensed EAGLES being produced than ever before. I old DINKY Die Cast models, plastic kit models, Product Enterprise versions. From tiny ones all the way up to 23" Giant Laboratory Eagle version and a 19" Mark IX Hawk (they should have based some of these on the Moon before 1999-but were only seen as projections by ALIENS who pulled them from the Alphans minds). STAR WARS and STAR TREK fans by and large hate the most recent incarnations of the films and TV programs and sales of those have cratered. But the EAGLE is more popular than ever - for a 2 Season/Series 50 years ago - that is amazing.

[@hemaccabe4292]

Don’t forget the space bomber variant.

[@ExcelsiorsDomain]

Are you thinking of the Hawk?

[@hemaccabe4292]

@@ExcelsiorsDomain No, in the first episode Moonbase gets attacked by other humans (not really) and the main attacking enemy ship is an Eagle-like bomber ship. Tony pulls off a really cool move in his Eagle.

[@davidharding1299]

It's interesting to me that you mention the Thunderbirds... because Thunderbird 2 has always been my favorite ship from that show too... and it's for the same reason the Space:1999 Eagle is one of my favorite sci-fi space ships. It had a modular capability to it that would allow it to be a multi-purpose vehicle. The Eagles were the "swiss army knife" of sci-fi vehicles. I also think it's interesting that you mentioned the Runabouts from DS9. I hadn't thought about whether the Runabout designers might've taken some inspiration from the Eagle... but it would make sense if it did.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Ronald D Moore seems to be a fan of space 1999 so am guessing he’s responsible for that one.

[@urbanstarship]

I always assumed it was called the Eagle to reference the Eagle lunar lander from Apollo 11, and that many of the building blocks from the original were carried over, as if NASA kept designing iterations into the future.

[@jojokrako7818]

I have loved the Eagle and Hawk ships ever since first watching the series in 1974-75. I have always felt that they would be totally practical for space station/moonbase(or even a Marsbase) usage for transporting people and machinery. As far as inter-atmospheric flight on earth, it could be possible using heavy reliance on the various external thrusters for stabilization, though they would not likely be practical for high speed flights in the atmosphere. I would love nothing more than seeing Eagles become a reality in our space program.

[@_WillCAD_]

The Eagle is a brilliant design. I think it holds up fifty years later because it seems so incredibly practical and realistic. First, the overall modular approach was taken from the real lunar landing system of the Apollo program. Each Apollo spacecraft consisted of a command module, a service module, and a two-stage lunar module. By expanding that concept to having a reusable standardized command module and service module that could accept multiple standardized mission modules, the design maintained continuity with the real past. Bonus: The truss system that connected the modules is very similar to the truss system that would be used more than twenty years later on the International Space Station. Second, the shapes and details were practical: * The rounded shape of the command module evoked the capsule shapes of real US spacecraft, the spherical shapes of real Soviet spacecraft, and the curved shapes of the Space Shuttle Orbiter which was then in development. * The faceted shape of the leg modules evoked the faceted shapes of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and many real-life satelites. * The landing legs evoked the Apollo LM (though the Eagle's feet were upturned crosses and the LM's were dishes) * The reaction control thrusters on the ends of the leg modules evoked the thruster packs on the sides of the Apollo SM and LM and the RCS nozzles of the Space Shuttle Orbiter * The main engine bells of the service module evoked the Saturn V rockets used to launch the Apollo spacecraft * The vertical lifting thrusters evoked the descent engine of the Apollo LM * The exposed fuel tanks on the service module evoked the exposed tanks on the Saturn 1B rocket that launched several of the early Apollo flights (the ones that stayed in Earth orbit and didn't go to the moon) * The overall black and white color scheme evoked the Apollo spacecraft (especially the Saturn V rocket that launched the lunar missions), and the Space Shuttle Orbiter then in development Lastly, the configuration of the command and service modules, connected by a truss system that can accept standardized container-like mission modules or operate with no mission module, also borrows heavily from the design philosophy of the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, one of the coolest and weirdest helicopters ever made. Look it up on Wikipedia, its basically a helicopter version of the Eagle. The guys who designed the Eagle are simply geniuses. Elon Musk - give us an Eagle now!

[@Terrestrial..1]

I watched the first episode when it came out on tv, just imagine if the moon approached Earth instead of leaving it's orbit

[@athrunzala6919]

Hello from Canada, I still love the Eagle even after all the other sci fi I've enjoyed. It just looks simple and beautiful

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Hello from the uk !!!, you are right even growing up on a diet of science fiction the eagles really do stand out.

[@simonjones7727]

The design is just perfectly balanced and it has an appeal that is also in some way uncanny. The first time we see it, we feel we have always known it. I watched S1999 in its first transmissions in 1975-76. In the STV/Grampian region it was shown on Saturday mornings after the transmitter information and (Cosgrave and Hall's "The Magic Ball" dubbed in Gaelic, without subtitles!). It has haunted my dreams my whole life...

[@shodanki3736]

The Eagle is a spaceship that could be a real one that we could actualy realy build. So i still Love it and Hope one day WE make the move to Just build it ;)

[@jamespfp]

RE: On the Initial Question, Why Does the Eagle Get Love?; A: Speaking as a person who had only a glimpse at the series "Space: 1999" the clincher came with the Space Flight Simulation game "Orbiter" which, over the years, has maintained a fleet of spaceships to use with the sim. One of them is called the "Shuttle-A" and it takes its "form-factor" directly from the Eagle. Modifications to Orbiter have added player-made models, the whole 9 yards. I like the way that style of ship handles in Lunar gravity. I mean, I *really* like it. The Length of the ship makes it "heavy" on the Pitch axis, otherwise it Rolls really well, which makes changing direction of travel easier when at suborbital or orbital velocities. Geeks and Nerds all agree... Good Design. See also: Orbiter 2016 Space Flight Simulator (I believe the primary website is based out of the UK!)

[@kevinputry5655]

Right on! Eagles are the most beautiful spaceships ever. Both visually stunning and realistic. Brian Johnson himself wasn't merely just a FX guy and model maker, he was also an engineer. And it clearly shows by his designs! It's funny but I read some fanmail that was published in the old magazine Starlog and there was one person who actually complained about these fine ships! This guy thought they had too much eagle footage! Crazy, eh? But that's the only complaint I've ever seen. They spent good money on these models so why shouldn't they use them... a lot!? But a good point was said here. These vehicles are tools. Definitely sets them apart from your usual variety of spaceship. Anyway, there's no question about the love these awesome ships get. The continual manufacturing of the models and the collectors of them proves this!

[@gavinrothery8825]

Awesome video

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Thanks for watching !!!

[@pwnmeisterage]

When Sternbach and Martin (re)designed Star Trek's Runabout, they used the _Eagle_ as one of their inspirations. That's why Runabouts have a very modular multi-purpose multi-configuration design. It's a shame that the one modular piece shown on the _Eagle_ - the main "cargo" module in the center - was the one modular piece that we never saw changed for anything else on Runabouts.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I really like the idea of special modules designed for the dominion war like a troop transport or something.

[@VCMR]

Awesome video as always bro. I think I commented on the top 10 list you made, I never actually watched the show this ship was in! I love a good spaceship model though!

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Thank you @VCMR you legend!!!

[@Whalewraith]

The Eagle always looked like it could actually be practical. Its in my top 3 Space ships the others being the Enterprise refit from TMP & the Normandy from Mass Effect.

[@Meower68]

The Eagle's recovery module has one additional superpower: you can land, disconnect the module and fly off, leaving the module on that location. It's not dependent on the Eagle staying attached to be able to operate. We see this in "Earthbound." I'd like to see SpaceX or someone build a modular space tug, something made to stay in zero-G environments. And I can't help but expect that it would look a bit like the Eagle. It's just so practical.

[@AC3handle]

My cousins had the large size Eagle 1 playset that worked with the large figures. I still look for it when I go to their parents house, now and then, even though I know it must have been tossed or given away decades ago. DOes anyone know if the Mark Lenon customization page was ever mirrored anywhere? Original site is long gone

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Have you tried the way back machine ?

[@dustind3960]

Was there one space 1999 eagles showed up in epslon 9 space in star trek tmp??

[@garymorrison277]

Being of a age that remembered watching space 1999 as a kid I just loved the Eagle probably because it looked realistic that space flight would look in 25 years but alas it went pear shaped and it's only the past few years it looks a possibility but for a realistic space 2099.

[@chichiboypumpi]

the design is beyond it's time, practical, feasible I don't know if a reimagining is worthy of 2099 in the title.

[@forestgump8401]

The Eagle looks like something NASA would of built. Its so simple yet brilliant. It design is so practical you can see it being a real ship. Its as good as the designs in 2001 a space odyssey...

[@Some_Guy_Called_Raven]

One thing I've wondered since I was a kid is, could an Eagle actually work? If so, Why not create them and put them to work? Loved my Eagle I got as a kid.

[@azoriusmage]

I loved my Eagle I had as a kid

[@JamesMartland65]

Dreamchaser or crew dragon at the front, superheavy launching modules. What a way to build Moonbase 1!

[@elfeintwentyfives1620]

the reason space 1999 was and still is considered great is not because of the stories but due to eagle and other vehicles actually doing things that what in real life vehicles would do.

[@winstonsmith1222]

I grew up with Stingray, Thunderbirds and of course I loved Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space 1999

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I would have loved to have been part of that first generation to experience all those great shows, sadly though I am part of the repeat generation. 😔

[@erich2385]

The Eagle was designed by Brian Johnson. In my opinion it is the most ascetically pleasing designed iconic space craft of all time.

[@darrenpeters4647]

You have an outstanding amazing narrative voice 🙂 I own the original Eagle 3, 44" from season 2. Come to Canada and let's have an interview 🙂 BTW - I am an expert on the Eagle as well.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

The original shooting model ? That’s incredible!!!

[@madmaxine4185]

Oh man, the wife would be out the door!

[@darrenpeters4647]

yes you see it in 90% of season 2@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Wow that is AMAZING!!! How do you feel about being my first interviewee on the channel ? @darrenpeters4647

[@inspector2363]

Red Dwarf's Starbug wouldn't exist without it, same crash rate as well.

[@simonjones7727]

The key to S1999 is its Anglo-Italian DNA. This partly explains the high design content and the Giallo elements in the direction. There is a debt to Hammer, also.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

On reflection you are 100% correct it is actually a really stylish show !!! and I don’t think there is a more stylish people on earth than the Italians so this really was a good match (although I do believe the costume worn on moonbase were by an Austrian designer)

[@simonjones7727]

@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci Yes, Rudi Gernreich. Bizarrely, so many of these styles from the Joe Columbo seating to the Bertoia chairs were revived in the late 90s but as part of a complex aesthetic that was about a nostalgia for a future than never actually happened. The signature look of Apple products in the 2000s also owes a debt to Moonbase Alpha. I always feel too. Anyway, if you watch a Dario Argento movie from the early 1970s you will see much that is familiar in the set design and direction.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I really do like that style though vaguely more clockwork orange than 2001.

[@AbelMcTalisker]

Hammer had something to do with "Moon Zero Two" didn`t they. Some aspects of that ended up in UFO and Space 1999.

[@simonjones7727]

@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci There is a big debt to Kubrick too, including all those endless white corridors. It all goes to make S1999 a very interesting mix. The visual design of S1999 is "next level" though. They had a Richard Sapper "Tizio" lamp on Koenig's desk in what must have only been its first or second year of production. That looks modern, not even retro-futurist, even now. Tiny details: Elizabeth Fritsch ceramics, with "1980s style" geometric motifs. These would have been strikingly discordant and avant-garde objects in 1974-5 so it was all done with a brilliant eye.

[@MarkMeade-e1y]

The Eagle Transporter is an iconic space vehicle, absolutely brilliant design and after 50 years is still one of the great spacecraft…… Gerry Anderson a complete maverick…….. Brian Johnstone one of the all time greats …..

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Couldn't agree more!

[@johnadama]

the Eagle should make it into Star Citizen

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

That would be awesome!!!

[@deaddropholiday]

I remember the story which broke on Newsround in the 80s of a copper who locked himself into the cells because he picked up one of the canisters carried by the green nuclear transporter which was marked with a radiation hazard sticker.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I only found out about this story after I made the video. I bet he felt both relieved and utterly embarrassed at the same time. Thanks for watching my video !!!

[@blackterminal]

A real Eagle needs to be made.

[@martinhsl68hw]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/naW0ZomhpZZqi7s

[@Vault57]

Absolutely one of the most believable concepts for a space vehicle intended to be used in an earth/moon theater of operation. I agree with you! We need a billionaire to explore the viability of making the Eagle concept a reality. People have been building their own R2 units for decades now. Why shouldn't we explore the versatility of this pretty decent design for a utilitarian spaceship? This is life imitating art, and I'm all for it (and I can't wait for the licensing to get worked out on the commercial production of the R2's 😂). 11:54 Yeah, it really doesn't seem suited for long term atmospheric flight. There doesn't seem to be room for fuel reserves. It would need quite a bit to overcome earth gravity and atmospheric drag. But that really isn't the role of the Eagles, is it?

[@Baekstrom]

It's ironic that such a cool realistic looking spaceship appeared in a show that had the most absurdly unrealistic premise.

[@oNe-TwO-fReE]

I had an original one as a kid. Wish I`d kept it

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I often envy your generation because you got to see all these great shows on their first run !!! I’m sadly from the repeat generation who only got to see them in the 90’s

[@oNe-TwO-fReE]

I loved watching your enthusiasm and depth of appreciation. I am glad that there are younger generations still enjoying these shows up until this day. Strange thing is all these decades later I am learning more about them now than I did way back. You have a better knowledge than I did easily. My daughter takes the piss when I say things like, Well, blah blah blah was better in my day. Often its true. @@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I made my kids watch E.T for the first time this weekend and I had a mutiny on my hands so trust me I hear you.

[@oNe-TwO-fReE]

@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci Nice one. Keep drilling it into them 😂 My 27 year old is into all things retro. Can't get enough of it. Speaks volumes eh

[@kittyhawk9707]

One thing that bugs me about the Eagle .... the "passenger pod" has take off nozzles on it's underside ... but where are the engines?? .. People can get to the cockpit to the pod and vice versa pretty easily ... Doesn't appear there are any engines in the pod .. I can only surmise they somehow operate similar to the Harrier ... drawing power from the main engines via ducts or pipes under the floor or the pod ... Also the takeoff nozzels behind the cockpit / In front of the main engines ... again where are the engines for those ... I can only surmise that there is two small engines behind the cockpit with a corridor between them for access to the pod ... .

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

These are very good points well spotted !!!!

[@dongilleo9743]

I vaguely remember one episode in which the Moon base was being attacked by aliens, and four "War Eagles" were launched to oppose them. One gets promptly blown up by the aliens, and the other three, obviously outmatched, are ordered to withdraw. I don't remember them looking wildly different than the ordinary Eagles. I assumed that instead of a transport or work module, they were supposed to have some sort of weapons module, but I don't remember any explanation or details about what the weapons might have been. Since the Moon base was originally, first and foremost, a scientific mission, it would seem odd that there would been a weapons module. Who would be a potential enemy, before the Moon was blown away from the Earth to distant places?

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

So in universe Space 1999 is a sequel to UFO so at a guess possibly moonbase would need defences if the Aliens from ufo started their attacks again an armed eagle would be useful, or perhaps like most of the weapons in red dwarf the eagles weapons are adapted from mining tools.

[@Adey-yd9gj]

This may be ave already been pointed out....but the transport vehicle in that us show V....is a total rip off of the eagle.....and I know I amazing story about the radio active drums that a version of the eagle carried about....if your interested. Great show... glad I found the channel.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Now you have definitely peaked my interest please do tell ???

[@Adey-yd9gj]

@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci .....so somewhere in an English back garden, the home owner was horrified to find a small orange or yellow cannister with a radio active sticker on it....he calls the cops who call the mod who evacuate the whole neighbourhood....only to find it a plastic part of the dinky Toys fantastic waste disposal eagle. Cool a .

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

🤣🤣🤣 that’s AWESOME!!! and utterly hilarious 🤣 🤣🤣

[@Adey-yd9gj]

It's on tinter web somewhere.....I think I saw the item on John cravens news round. Many moons ago

[@Adey-yd9gj]

Could ave been Nationwide now I think back

[@paulinetinsley68]

The eagle is a believable vehicle you could see working on the moon in real life

[@greghowell9986]

To steal the term being used to describe Starfield, the Eagle is actually the best example of near-future NASA Punk you’ll possibly ever find.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I had never heard of NASA punk until this but I tell you what you are both 100% correct and responsible for the the phrase NASA punk becoming a thing on this channel.

[@greghowell9986]

@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsciI saw the show during its original TV run here in the States. (Why, yes, I am old.) I instantly fell in love with the Eagle, and had one of the large model playsets when I was probably nine years old. I remember the Eagle, and LEGO Space sets of the time, both having that functional and practical look and feel. I’d love to see a LEGO Ideas set of the Eagle.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I’m part of the repeat generation and I really wish I was able to watch these shows on their first airing so I do envy you. It’s not an official kit but I did spot a “Lego” eagle on Ali Express.

[@onetruekeeper]

I never recalled seening the engines seperate from the framework that supports the command module and the passenger module. I believe the engines are firmly part of the framework and are not modules that can be swapped out.

[@chris.hinsley]

What a god damb great spacecraft ! And Elon can you please also after that make the Liberator ?

[@RoyCyberPunk]

I hope that Space X incorporates the Eagle Design for a space truck and shuttle for their Starship rocket.

[@ninjabearpress2574]

What I like about the Eagle Transporter is realistic design, NASA should've built something close to this by now.

[@tomstamford6837]

Compare the Eagle to what is needed in reality to get something, even as small as a satellite into orbit and you will understand that unless there is some incredible leap in fuel and engine technology, it is entirely impractical and would never get into orbit. Yeah it looks nice and seems 'realistic' but physics trumps the imagination of sci-fi model makers every time.

[@ninjabearpress2574]

@@tomstamford6837I don't see an Eagle actually taking off or landing on Earth, just shuttling back and forth between the moon and a space station.

[@tomstamford6837]

@@ninjabearpress2574 You have a point there. The ascent stage of the Apollo LM did have one relatively small motor to get into lunar orbit for rendezvous. It's a shame that current fuels are what limits space travel and the need to have such large quantities or things like Eagles could be possible.

[@magikmoonmark]

It's beautiful is why

[@Skaramine]

It has the practical bits - the lunar lander elements in the legs, the directional thrusters, the modules. But where you see insectoid, I see a space puppy. The head, the shoulders and hips, the tail, and even the eyes. At once realistic and the animal version of anthropomorphic.

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

Great now I can’t unsee the space puppy 🤣 thanks for watching!!!

[@andyf4292]

the eagle and the starfury look like they would actually work

[@carstenkoloc5226]

I do love SPACE 1999.

[@davidobrien9362]

First time on hearing about UFO Morphing into Space 1999 ,can well believe it ,same vibe and actors,? Well a handful at least .

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

I always imagine how cool it would be if the crew of space 1999 were to discover the moon base from ufo.

[@davidpope3943]

Love the Eagle ~ and the Hawk. Why? Because they look believably workable ~ apart from when they suddenly became atmosphere capable. Yes, with sufficient power you can make a brick fly, but it was never explained to my satisfaction how the Eagle could fly in an atmosphere. No anti-grav facility that I’m aware of ~ I’m open to persuasion though.

[@andyf4292]

i keep getting tempted to try and build one in Starfield

[@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci]

That would be awesome!!!

[@evillabrador1]

It is a space van.