Various Artists - Space: 1999: End of Eternity (1975)

Portrait of immortal and banned Progron citizen Balor, the elitist death philosopher.
Music Notes: The track "Balor" is formed of three cues, "The One Room World" (1958) by Robert Farnon, "Malice Aforethought" (1969) by David Snell, "Toy Soldiers" by Robert Farnon (1958). Also contains the cue entitled "Regeneration" (1971) from "Assimilation" composed by Roger Roger & George Teperino.

[@WirralBagpuss]

RIP Peter Bowles aka Balor who died today 17th March 2022. Great actor who was magnificent as evil Balor!!

[@Mark-lj1dj]

He had lived for over a thousand of our years

[@CharlesFiddler]

The first season was more of a horror series than anything else. I love it.

[@lovemunchkin]

Several episodes of season 1 were banned in many countries in the 1970s. Either ITV in the 1980s or BBC in the 1990s got complaints about a number of episodes especially Dragon's Domain. The Dragon's Domain is the episode I remember as a 6 or 7 year old in 1976 when it was broadcast on ITV (Granada). We had been to ASDA in Golbourne or Tesco in Irlam. I remember having a bowl of Weetabix. When something has an major impact on you you recall that day almost vividly. A great television series.

[@oddities-whatnot]

I remember watching this a while back on KZbin and really began to wonder how they would defeat him. Seemed impossible, very good episode.

[@paulberks5466]

Getting blown out of an airlock would merely have deposited Balor onto the lunar dirt outside it. It wouldn't have been sufficient to send him into space! He would simply have stood up and prised the airlock door open, like he did with all the other doors. Plot fail. Even watching as a child I laughed.

[@topkatz58]

​​@@paulberks5466 It is plausible as the moon was moving at a great enough speed that the moon would be moving faster than he was moving. If what you say was true then the moon was going so slow they would never reach another planet for years or longer - contradiction to your argument.

[@Mality]

Some episodes of Space:1999 I barely remember, but this one I never forgot, even after decades. Intelligent sci-fi rarely has purely evil characters, but Balor was certainly one. I imagine after a 1000 years alone in a cave, he became even more demented and insane. He still is not dead, just floating endlessly in space...

[@UFO_computers]

Or why not still on the moon ?

[@shmuli9]

The part that really disturbed me as a kid (and I suppose even today) is the part where there are people screaming in agony (suddenly) and one sees the portraits of people being tortured....

[@UFO_computers]

Horrifying

[@scottptolomey3498]

That creepy EMS VCS 3 synth Barry Gray used made the episode much darker It was called ‘Assimilation’ and originally used on the earlier episode Force Of Life.

[@cosmosgato]

The best part was when they realize the asteroid wasn't designed to keeps things out. *_It was to keep him in!_*

[@henryrobinson3820]

They did fairly well in capturing the same sinister feel of an "Alien" movie. Dark undercurrent shows that side of humanity which science has difficulty accepting. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[@tobymears7328]

That's one of my favourite episodes, the moral is don't go rescuing psychos from inside their asteroid prisons because there's no guarantee they'll be grateful. Incidentally I saw Balor (Peter Bowles) striding through Plymouth UK city centre a few years ago; he was appearing in some kitchen sink play at the local theatre.

[@oddities-whatnot]

Toby Mears I do hope you moved out of his way !

[@zerokomma]

Outstanding editing, almost hallucinatory pace...love the awakening sequence.That Bowles dude gives me the creeps...Beautiful work Thomas. Fiver and faved.

[@jmars309]

This is one of the weird' Space 1999 episodes , I liked this one from the first season , the creepy music...........the theme is eternal life has it's consequences '

[@reimerbard1552]

Very good indeed. I recall the scary paintings, the screams and the asteroid prison-cell from childhood but little else, perhaps mercifully. I think this episode's deep themes would have been very disturbing to my young psyche had I been able to appreciate them.

[@ilgwent8061]

I wish to see Balor rockin' a pair of JNCO Jeans.

[@baraxor]

@shmuli9 I found those as disturbing as the vore creature in "Dragon's Domain", actually. "Night Gallery" in space.

[@abdullahazzam40]

that would mean though that the aliens had not thought things through - unless they wanted to give him the option of being found/released, by someone breaking into balor's tomb. maybe they actually send him out to find/claim more victims?

[@sinbad0910]

Yes! I got me Eagle Transporter! super editing as usual Thomas, I think this is the only time I ever saw Peter Bowles not playing a shameless cad. Great work mate

[@shmuli9]

@baraxor The pictures themselves, while rather unpleasant, are made (for me, anyway) immeasurably more scary by the rather unexpected screams at the beginning, and just showing the pictures suddenly like that...

[@borusa32]

The scene with the toy biplane was truly horrific. Peter Bowles was superb as Balor and I think he must have enjoyed playing a fiendish villain.

[@TomthatiscalledTom]

The most flared man in the history of flaredom

[@DesertBro]

He is the pure evil essence of 70s fashion, and he wants all his platform shoes back!!!!

[@bruceramsey5489]

Who ever directed this probably wasn't a Johnny Cash fan.

[@williamhaggard451]

RIp Balor gone too soon

[@fannyblancmange4709]

He's probably working for the WEF now, having been captured by Earth's gravity, so don't get too upset.

[@UFO_computers]

@@fannyblancmange4709 • Or why not still on the moon?

[@StarwasterPrime]

Wow I don't think I remember this episode...

[@FreedomZealot]

The scariest thing in this episode was the spectacle of a young Bill Clinton attacking Koenig with a model airplane for some reason.

[@Argus625]

Balor, protoplasta reformacji poradzieckiej.

[@UFO_computers]

One theory posted in Shout! tv Space ‘99 steaming chat on YT is that Balor was merely sucked out of the base through the airlock back onto the surface of the moon.

[@Mark-lj1dj]

3:49 probably the only scene in history to feature a model aeroplane as a murder weapon

[@FIFO566]

Balor,has the look,of CRONOS,the singer of VENOM.

[@billjoe39]

They finally catapulted Liberace into space

[@tungstenkid2271]

SPOILER ALERT- they got rid of him by blowing him into space from an airlock, hehe, so presumably he'd go sailing through space for eternity because he was immortal and couldn't die, but if he was lucky he'd be captured by the gravity of a planet or moon and end up there.

[@erichwise9936]

A sequel was written as a novel "Resurrection" by William Latham.

[@UFO_computers]

He was blown out the airlock on the surface of the moon. So why not just somewhere on the moon ?

[@tungstenkid2271]

@@UFO_computers I suppose It depends whether he was blown out the airlock at "escape velocity" so the moons gravity wouldn't be able to hold him.

[@Halflife2-y2m]

@MegaBoxer77 hahahahahahahahahahahaha he does look like him !