Black Sun

Air Date: 11/6/75    written by David Weir    Directed by Lee H. Katzin

This is the episode in which the moon and the base enter another region of space, sort of explaining how it gets very far from Earth. It begins with the approach of an asteroid; no one is alarmed because the rock looks like it will pass by the moon. Then, at the last minute, it changes course, heading straight for Moonbase Alpha; total destruction seems imminent. Then, just above the base, something again affects its trajectory - it veers up and explodes.  The cause turns out to be a black sun (in our universe, I suppose it's known as a black hole). The moon is inexorably drawn towards this cosmic object and doom seems inevitable. As a feeble, long shot counter-measure, the best minds (Bergman) come up with a force field over the base. Koenig also decides to send a half-dozen personnel off in one of the eagles, to assure that at least some survive. As the moon enters the black sun, reality unravels.
This one generates some genuine suspense as the moon draws closer to what seems certain doom, but even here there are some slow spots. There is some nice camaraderie between Koenig and Bergman, recalling the Kirk-McCoy relationship on Star Trek TOS, though they behave as if they'd been traveling on the moon for years rather than weeks. The lightshow, aging make-up FX and brief metaphysical discussions in the final act again copy scenes from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.  I did note how Koenig again uses the computer to select the 6 individuals to send away, consistent with the selection process in Earthbound (makes command decisions a bit easier, eh?).  The ending, however, in which the six castaways are reunited with the base personnel, is the stuff of fantasy and devoid of any logic. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10