Breakaway is the first episode of the sci-fi tv series Space: 1999 and stars Martin Landau as the commander of a base on the moon.

The year is 1999 and humanity is preparing to launch a manned spaceship and attempt to land on a planet moving close by called Meta. They will perform this launch through the base situated on the moon but lately there have been…a few issues. Men are dying, nine so far from something that looks like radiation. Commander John Koenig is sent to investigate and ensure that the launch to the planet Meta that is showing signs of life is carried out without issues but when he gets there things start getting out of control.

Thus begins an intense hour of sci-fi thriller/drama as the astronauts aboard the base Alpha attempt to figure out what is going on and man, I loved this episode. There are a lot of surprises and if you look past some head scratching astronomical stuff and just watch it with a clear head you will witness a ton of dazzling special effects and action and some intense moments with an air of mystery.

This show is a proper thriller in space or atleast it’s first episode is and by the end, you will want to know what happens next because it establishes the purpose of the series, the immediate conflict and introduces a ton of characters that it can explore more freely in future episodes.