This episode begins with a landing party on a strange planet to mine some ore. The party consists of the series regulars plus Patrick Mower who plays a Texan who is a mining expert. However, it seemed like the writers and director told Mower his character should be almost exactly like Yukon Cornelius from "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer"--he's that over-the-top in his characterization and seems about as much a Texan as Allen Carter (Nick Tate)! It makes me wonder if American actors imitating Brits come off that badly when those in the UK view the shows! One reviewer compared this to the original "Star Trek" episode "The Devil in the Darkness", though it also has similarities with another Trek episode "The Savage Curtain", as the crew encounter an intelligent life force that appears to be a rock. This similarity may not be that unintentional, as Fred Freiberger (from the "Star Trek" series) had begun as the show's producer and occasional writer starting in the second season of "Space: 1999". I am sure he had some influence on this rock-monster plot.
The show begins with 'Yukon Cornelius' Mower bouncing about excitedly as he announces that they've found a valuable ore the Moonbase needs. However, on closer inspection, this is NOT the ore and might just be a trap--as the giant glowing rock seems, in some ways, to be alive! A bit later, it attacks Tony and Tony appears dead. However, a bit later, Tony comes to life as a zombie working for the rock! In addition, the rock seems to have some impact on each of the crew--as their personalities seem affected by the rock in some weird way. Attempts to communicate with it are fruitless and eventually they realize that it's holding them prisoner. Why it is doing this and how they escape is up to you to find out for yourself.
The concept, while somewhat reminiscent of the Trek episodes, is pretty unusual and original. You certainly can't compare it to previous "Space: 1999" episodes and it's nice to see them focus on life that doesn't, oddly, look almost exactly like humans--like almost all their other contacts over their two seasons. Unfortunately, however, a glowy rock, while unusual, isn't the most interesting character (in fact, it's a bit dumb) and is no where near as cool as the Horta or the nasty rock creature that orchestrated the battle in the other Trek episode. As a result, the episode does little to breath life into this moribund series.