Space 1999 - The Space Guardians

The Space Guardians by Brian Ball. Novelisation of "Missing Link", "Force of Life" and "Guardian of Piri". This novel's style is a hybrid of the first two; a continuous interlinking novel that can veer from the on-screen narrative, but with large portions adapted verbatim. Ball is much more liberal with the Alphans and their portrayals, while consistent within the novel, do not match up with the characterisations created on-screen. The protagonist is Commander Koenig, who is put through a tortured learning curve in these three segments. Alpha is depicted as a very realistic and interactive community. Changes are made both for creative and practical reasons: (1) The reconnaissance mission in "Missing Link" was not to explore the Cryton solar system, but searching for a detected mineral deposit on the Moon's surface. (This was also depicted in the final shooting script.) (2) Raan's faux-Bergman deceives Koenig for an extended time, revealing the sensor reading of the mineral deposit was actually that of a buried alien spacecraft boasting an interstellar propulsion system. During a visit to the excavated craft, he tries to tempt Koenig into abandoning the Alphans and using the ship to get the two of them home. (3) Koenig's love for Vana borders on epic and persists throughout the novel. In the "Force of Life" chapters, memories of Vana produce a fugue-like grief, causing him to withdraw from the normal routine and giving him crippling migraines. In "Guardian of Piri", he has come to terms with this, but its persisting memory gives Koenig the strength of will to resist the influence of the Guardian. (4) After Zenno, the Moon drifts out of the galaxy, encountering the heat-absorbing life force and the isolated Pirian solar system in the intergalactic void. (5) Piri alternates in appearance between the reality of a desert wasteland and the Guardian's vision of a lush paradise garden.

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