Paul Morrow
Encyclopedia
Paul Morrow is a fictional character
who first appeared in 'Breakaway
', the premiere episode of the science fiction television show Space: 1999
, and was portrayed by Prentis Hancock
. He is a British national who appears to be in his early thirties.
's second-in-command. His pre-'Breakaway
' responsibilities also included supervising Alpha's communications activity and co-ordinating flight traffic to and from Moonbase Alpha
, as well as any spaceflights in Alpha airspace. He is also a competent Eagle pilot—both in a hands-on capacity (as seen in 'The Last Sunset
' and 'Collision Course
') and by remote-control ('Breakaway' and 'The Last Sunset' among many others).
Morrow had served on Moonbase Alpha
for several years prior to the Moon's departure from Earth orbit and was thus familiar with John Koenig
when he assumed command of Alpha in September 1999. It can be assumed he was present on Alpha in some capacity during the Ultra Probe
incident of 1996–1997.
' among others). He can sometimes seem a bit standoffish, but he does have an attraction to senior Data Analyst Sandra Benes
. This develops into a romantic relationship after the death of Astronaut Mike Ryan, who had been involved with Sandra previously. In an alternate future witnessed after the Moon's passage through an unexplained space phenomneon, Morrow was found to have married Sandra and was the father of two children. In 'The Last Sunset', they were the first Alphans to venture onto the temporarily habitable lunar surface, where they shared a kiss. Later, while strolling along the Alpha perimeter, they were involved in a discussion taking their relationship to the next level (as, while cooped up in Alpha, this was a 'thought we just can't allow ourselves to think'), as well as the potential of building a life outside of Alpha and away from duty and responsibility.
His loyalty to Koenig is absolute, though the relationship between them is one of professionalism and mutual respect rather than friendship (perhaps as a result of the fact that Koenig has been witnessed being less than respectful to his number two on several occasions). Only under extreme circumstances is he seen to publicly disagree with the Commander: in 'Collision Course', he cannot make the leap of faith proposed by Koenig to allow the collision of the Moon with the planet Atheria and in 'Voyager's Return', he vociferously campaigns against Koenig's decision to try to manipulate the Voyager One craft for personal prejudices discussed later in this document.
He is good friends with David Kano
(he is one of the few persons on Moonbase to address the Technical chief by his given name) and Alan Carter. There is a perceived attraction between him and Tanya Alexander
, another Main Mission operative, in the episode 'Black Sun' where, waiting for probable death, she visits him in his quarters and the looks exchanged are far from platonic. (If there are any personnel with whom he shares an active dislike, it seems to be Doctor Bob Mathias
; command decisions that affect the Medical department can lead to tense (and loud) verbal encounters ('Force of Life', 'The Testament of Arkadia') between the two men.)
In his too-brief off-duty time, Morrow is seen as a competent guitar
player; he is shown playing his guitar in his quarters in 'Black Sun' and in the Medical Diagnostic Unit during a celebration in 'Guardian of Piri'.
Morrow's father was killed in 1985, shortly after the launch of the Voyager Two interstellar space probe. Morrow Senior and two hundred other persons died when the probe's main drive engaged too soon; all life in the vicinity was extinguished by the Queller Drive's stream of fast neutrons. Happening during his teenage years, Morrow would never forget his loss and responded with understandable rage when the wandering Moon encounted another Voyager ship fifteen years later and an Alpha research scientist was revealed to be the infamous creator of the lethal propulsion system.
The Morrow character was originally conceived as Russian in an early draft script for 'Breakaway' (at that time titled 'The Void Ahead') and was named Vorkonen. This character otherwise differed little from what was seen in the final version of the opening episode.
Morrow appeared in every episode of Year One except 'The Infernal Machine
', when actor Prentis Hancock was being treated for a minor medical condition. While being made up for the shooting day during 'Space Brain', the make-up artist had noticed a small tumour or polyp on the side of his neck.
and David Kano
- Paul Morrow did not appear in the show's second-series episodes. No on-air explanation was ever offered for his sudden disappearance. The fan episode 'Message From Moonbase Alpha' had Sandra Benes mentioning Morrow with affection when she reminisced about those Alphans who had died or been left behind. The Moonbase Alpha Technical Journal indicated Morrow was killed along with Kano in an Eagle crash. The Powys novel Space: 1999 - The Forsaken told the between-series' story where Morrow participated in an act of mutiny to settle on an alien world and protect the unborn child of Tanya Alexander from a possible abortion on Moonbase.
In reality, American producer Fred Freiberger
dismissed all cast members with the exception of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain (later reinstating Zienia Merton, Nick Tate and Anton Phillips) as he did not care for the Year One format characters and felt that they had garnered no fan loyalty.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who first appeared in 'Breakaway
Breakaway (Space: 1999)
"Breakaway" is the first episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by George Bellak ; the director was Lee H. Katzin. Previous titles include 'Zero-G', 'The Void Ahead' and 'Turning Point'. The final shooting script is dated 22 November 1973...
', the premiere episode of the science fiction television show Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
, and was portrayed by Prentis Hancock
Prentis Hancock
Prentis Hancock is a British actor, best known for his television roles.He was a regular cast member of the first season of science fiction series Space: 1999 as Paul Morrow, and also appeared in a number of Doctor Who stories throughout the 1970s - Spearhead from Space and Planet of the Daleks...
. He is a British national who appears to be in his early thirties.
Character biography
Paul Morrow held the position of Main Mission Controller and was John KoenigJohn Koenig
John Koenig is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Martin Landau. He is American, apparently in his early forties.-Character Biography:...
's second-in-command. His pre-'Breakaway
Breakaway (Space: 1999)
"Breakaway" is the first episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by George Bellak ; the director was Lee H. Katzin. Previous titles include 'Zero-G', 'The Void Ahead' and 'Turning Point'. The final shooting script is dated 22 November 1973...
' responsibilities also included supervising Alpha's communications activity and co-ordinating flight traffic to and from Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha is a fictional moon base and the main setting in the science fiction television series Space: 1999.-Moonbase Alpha:Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas...
, as well as any spaceflights in Alpha airspace. He is also a competent Eagle pilot—both in a hands-on capacity (as seen in 'The Last Sunset
The Last Sunset (Space: 1999)
"The Last Sunset" is the eleventh episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Christopher Penfold; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is dated 21 July 1974, with blue-page amendments dated 22 July 1974 and pink-page amendments dated 23 July...
' and 'Collision Course
Collision Course (Space: 1999)
"Collision Course" is the thirteenth episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 13 August 1974...
') and by remote-control ('Breakaway' and 'The Last Sunset' among many others).
Morrow had served on Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha is a fictional moon base and the main setting in the science fiction television series Space: 1999.-Moonbase Alpha:Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas...
for several years prior to the Moon's departure from Earth orbit and was thus familiar with John Koenig
John Koenig
John Koenig is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Martin Landau. He is American, apparently in his early forties.-Character Biography:...
when he assumed command of Alpha in September 1999. It can be assumed he was present on Alpha in some capacity during the Ultra Probe
Ultra Probe
The Ultra Probe was a fictional spacecraft in the Space: 1999 episode "Dragons Domain".A long-range explorer ship, the Ultra Probe was designed to take a crew of four to the planet Ultra, which had been discovered by Professor Victor Bergman in 1994...
incident of 1996–1997.
Series one
Morrow is, as a rule, a by-the-book man; this unwavering devotion to duty can make him unpopular with other Alpha staff members (see 'Black Sun', 'The Testament of ArkadiaThe Testament of Arkadia
"The Testament of Arkadia" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Johnny Byrne; the director was David Tomblin. The final shooting script is dated 5 February 1975, with a revised final shooting script dated 25 February 1975...
' among others). He can sometimes seem a bit standoffish, but he does have an attraction to senior Data Analyst Sandra Benes
Sandra Benes
Sandra Benes is a recurring character in the British science-fiction television series Space: 1999. She is of Western European/Burmese origin and is in her late twenties. Her role was played by actress Zienia Merton.-Character Biography:...
. This develops into a romantic relationship after the death of Astronaut Mike Ryan, who had been involved with Sandra previously. In an alternate future witnessed after the Moon's passage through an unexplained space phenomneon, Morrow was found to have married Sandra and was the father of two children. In 'The Last Sunset', they were the first Alphans to venture onto the temporarily habitable lunar surface, where they shared a kiss. Later, while strolling along the Alpha perimeter, they were involved in a discussion taking their relationship to the next level (as, while cooped up in Alpha, this was a 'thought we just can't allow ourselves to think'), as well as the potential of building a life outside of Alpha and away from duty and responsibility.
His loyalty to Koenig is absolute, though the relationship between them is one of professionalism and mutual respect rather than friendship (perhaps as a result of the fact that Koenig has been witnessed being less than respectful to his number two on several occasions). Only under extreme circumstances is he seen to publicly disagree with the Commander: in 'Collision Course', he cannot make the leap of faith proposed by Koenig to allow the collision of the Moon with the planet Atheria and in 'Voyager's Return', he vociferously campaigns against Koenig's decision to try to manipulate the Voyager One craft for personal prejudices discussed later in this document.
He is good friends with David Kano
David Kano (Space 1999)
David Kano is a fictional character who regularly appeared during the first season of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is of Jamaican origin and in his mid-thirties. He was played by actor Clifton Jones.-Character biography:...
(he is one of the few persons on Moonbase to address the Technical chief by his given name) and Alan Carter. There is a perceived attraction between him and Tanya Alexander
Tanya Alexander
Tanya Alexander is the name of a semi-recurring character on the UK science fiction television series Space: 1999. The role was portrayed by German actress Suzanne Roquette.-Character Biography:...
, another Main Mission operative, in the episode 'Black Sun' where, waiting for probable death, she visits him in his quarters and the looks exchanged are far from platonic. (If there are any personnel with whom he shares an active dislike, it seems to be Doctor Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:...
; command decisions that affect the Medical department can lead to tense (and loud) verbal encounters ('Force of Life', 'The Testament of Arkadia') between the two men.)
In his too-brief off-duty time, Morrow is seen as a competent guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player; he is shown playing his guitar in his quarters in 'Black Sun' and in the Medical Diagnostic Unit during a celebration in 'Guardian of Piri'.
Morrow's father was killed in 1985, shortly after the launch of the Voyager Two interstellar space probe. Morrow Senior and two hundred other persons died when the probe's main drive engaged too soon; all life in the vicinity was extinguished by the Queller Drive's stream of fast neutrons. Happening during his teenage years, Morrow would never forget his loss and responded with understandable rage when the wandering Moon encounted another Voyager ship fifteen years later and an Alpha research scientist was revealed to be the infamous creator of the lethal propulsion system.
The Morrow character was originally conceived as Russian in an early draft script for 'Breakaway' (at that time titled 'The Void Ahead') and was named Vorkonen. This character otherwise differed little from what was seen in the final version of the opening episode.
Morrow appeared in every episode of Year One except 'The Infernal Machine
The Infernal Machine
The Infernal Machine is a play by the French dramatist Jean Cocteau, based on the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus. It received its première in 1934 under the direction of Louis Jouvet.-Sources:...
', when actor Prentis Hancock was being treated for a minor medical condition. While being made up for the shooting day during 'Space Brain', the make-up artist had noticed a small tumour or polyp on the side of his neck.
Series two
Like most other supporting characters from the first series - Professor Victor BergmanVictor Bergman
Professor Victor Bergman is the name of a recurring character on the UK science fiction television series Space: 1999. The role was portrayed by actor Barry Morse.-Character Biography:...
and David Kano
David Kano (Space 1999)
David Kano is a fictional character who regularly appeared during the first season of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is of Jamaican origin and in his mid-thirties. He was played by actor Clifton Jones.-Character biography:...
- Paul Morrow did not appear in the show's second-series episodes. No on-air explanation was ever offered for his sudden disappearance. The fan episode 'Message From Moonbase Alpha' had Sandra Benes mentioning Morrow with affection when she reminisced about those Alphans who had died or been left behind. The Moonbase Alpha Technical Journal indicated Morrow was killed along with Kano in an Eagle crash. The Powys novel Space: 1999 - The Forsaken told the between-series' story where Morrow participated in an act of mutiny to settle on an alien world and protect the unborn child of Tanya Alexander from a possible abortion on Moonbase.
In reality, American producer Fred Freiberger
Fred Freiberger
Fred Freiberger was an American film and television screenwriter and television producer, with a career spanning four decades including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Star Trek, and Space: 1999...
dismissed all cast members with the exception of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain (later reinstating Zienia Merton, Nick Tate and Anton Phillips) as he did not care for the Year One format characters and felt that they had garnered no fan loyalty.
External links
- Space 1999 Cybermuseum - Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook Profile Paul Morrow
- Space 1999 Catacombs - Character Bio Paul Morrow