Space: 1999 (TV Series) The Rules of Luton (1976) User Reviews

Pure S1999 Satisfaction

[Flubber69 · 6/10 · 7 September 2021]

A total rip off of Star Trek? Sure is. Big deal!

This episode has dramatic tension and a lot of action. It also provides meaningful insight on Koenig and Maya's back stories. I guess in 1975 it was conceivable there'd be a war in 1987 that was so bad it truly was the war to end all wars. From thence on, everybody just got along and did meaningful stuff like building an awesome base on the moon.

Those looking for sci-if originality will find this episode unappetizing. True S1999 fans will find it plenty satisfying. It even features the rare occurrence of Alpha encountering strange and exotic aliens who aren't fluent in the King's English.

Added bonus: a sweet "mid space" refueling of Tony's Eagle.

Beware of the Berries

[trevski2001 · 5/10 · 12 July 2016]

Others have compared this to episodes of 'Star Trek' & 'The Outer Limits', but when, shortly after arriving on planet Luton, Koenig and Maya get accused of murder for nibbling some of the abundant fruit, I was immediately reminded of the 'Lost in Space' episode 'The Great Vegetable Rebellion' .... in which the villain was a walking, talking carrot. In 'Luton' the villains appear to be some rather nasty trees on a hill, who proclaim that all visitors who break the law (ignorance is no excuse) must fight to the death in order to gain their freedom. Thus Koenig and Maya are matched against three motley aliens and this struggle takes up most of the episode. The aliens appear to be having a 'bad makeup' day and are none too bright, so the trees give them some 'superpowers' to even things up. Even so, two of them go to meet their maker along the way, more as a result of their own stupidity and clumsiness than any particular aggression from our heroes. When Koenig finds himself in a position to be able to kill his last opponent he refuses to do so and enters into a 'Captain Kirk' style speech in which he accuses the trees of staging the whole event for their own perverse pleasure. This seems to strike a chord with the other vegetation who start a 'peasants revolt' and there is much waving of grass and shaking of leaves. The trees back down remarkably easily and tell all those left alive that they are free to go. The trees are indeed fiendishly clever, as they manage to block communications with Moonbase Alpha and even make their planet appear to vanish from the Alphan scanners (thus preventing any rescue)up to this point. The basic concept of this episode is quite fascinating and we can only hope that one day it will be developed rather more intelligently. I wonder how the story would have been developed had it been included in series one of Space 1999? As it is, the episode is pretty typical of TV SF of the period - lots of plot holes and inconsistencies which are ignored for the sake of expediency. A reasonably satisfying lightweight tea-time adventure, so long as you don't look too deeply into the cracks.

Percy Thrower Never Said It Would Be Like This

[ShadeGrenade · 3/10 · 1 April 2009]

Koenig and Maya are exploring a world covered in lush, semi-tropical vegetation. Casually picking a flower, he is startled when a voice booms out of nowhere: "Cannibals! Murderers! You will be punished as cannibals and murderers deserve to be!". This is a world where evolution has taken a different turn and plants are the dominant life-form. Koenig has accidentally committed murder. He and Maya are both sentenced to death.

The Rulers of Luton conjure up three grotesque aliens from nothingness - 'Alien Strong' ( David Jackson ) who is powerful, 'Alien Transporter' ( Godfrey James ) able to teleport at will and 'Alien Invisible' ( Roy Marsden ) who can..well, guess. Despite attempts by the Commander to make peace with them, they pay no heed. A battle for survival ensues...

This was one of three Year 2 episodes penned by producer Fred Freiberger under the alias 'Charles Woodgrove'. Actually, 'Charles Woodworm' would have been more apt. Fred was about as good a writer as he was a producer; that is to say, not good at all. His episodes are far and away the worst the show ever produced. 'The Rules Of Luton' is a rip-off of an old 'Star Trek' plot entitled 'Arena', itself a rip-off of an 'Outer Limits' story called 'Fun & Games', loosely based on Fredric Brown's story 'Arena', in which an Earthman is forced to fight to the death an alien for the gratification of a higher intelligence.

The problem with 'Luton' is not that it is derivative, but simply that it is not remotely exciting. Just people and aliens larking about in a field. The unconvincing monsters don't help. While one can forgive the threadbare creatures that shuffled their way through Classic 'Dr.Who' and 'Blake's Seven' on the grounds that those were low budget B.B.C. series, in a well funded show like '1999' such shoddiness is inexcusable.

The legend goes that Fred got the name 'Luton' from a road sign he spotted while driving on the M1 motorway. We can only give thanks he was not driving through North Wales, otherwise the episode might have been titled 'The Rules Of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery etc.'. Did he give any consideration as to how his naming a planet 'Luton' would be received in Britain? I never saw this when it went out but I bet there were more than a few giggles going round the school playgrounds the morning after it was first broadcast. In fairness, I should point out the plants pronounce the name 'Loo-tarn', rather like Hyacinth Bucket's insistence on being called 'Mrs.Bouquet'.

How can plants talk in any case? What are they using for vocal chords? Just think if anyone wanted to take over the planet they would not need ray guns and space ships - a few hundred gallons of weed killer would do the job nicely.

Roy Marsden - the future star of 'The Sandbaggers' and 'Inspector Dalgleish' - is virtually unrecognisable as 'Alien Invisible' ( probably why he took the part ). David Jackson ( Dave Prowse must have been busy that week ) - 'Alien Strong' - went on to play 'Gan' in 'Blake's Seven'.

There's a nice scene where Koenig and Maya talk about their home worlds, and he mentions his late wife. But we are long, long away from the heights of Year 1 with this. And things would get worse.

Not as bad as I was expecting...

[canndyman · 7/10 · 16 August 2021]

It was great to see this episode at long last (I may have seen it on its first run in the 70s, but I can't honestly remember).

The title 'The Rules of Luton' adds an unintentionally humorous aside for British viewers - especially those who have ever visited (or lived in) this slightly non-descript Bedfordshie town (the story of how this title came to be is of course legend in the Anderson universe).

But, going back to the episode itself, it's great to see one with a huge amount of location filming - and the teaming of Koenig and Maya in a tense life or death situation where they need to outwit three random alien opponents is very watchable.

It all starts when the ill-fated duo arrive on what they see as a suitable Earth-like planet for the Alphans to populate to do a recce. But, thr pair soon run into trouble when they eat some berries off a tree - it seems that vegetation is the primary conscious life on this planet, and what they have done is tantamount to cannabalism... thr rules of Luton.

From here, their invisible tormentors set them to a battle to the death with the three aforementioned aliens in a story that's reminiscent of the Hunger Games - as they all regroup and escape into thr wilderness to plan each other's next move.

The aliens themselves aren't the best-realized in the show's history - as if they're three cast-offs that have been given a story to at least appear in perhaps!

But what saves it for me is the location filming (mainly around Black Park, which we've of course seen before in UFO), and a disused quarry which evokes images of 70s Dr Who.

The other good thing is the very likeable Maya, who's certainly one of the best things about this often shaky second season.

Her whole shape-shifting gimmick is a very good one, and it's used here to good effect - and at one point, even to Maya's disadvantage.

It does have the feel of a 'second unit' story (where I'm guessing filming was simultaneously taking place on the Alpha sets on a story featuring little of Koenig and Maya) but, if you're prepared to suspend disbelief and go along with it, it's a tense and fun episode that really showcases Mayas abilities - and how resourceful she and John can be when they're backed into a corner.

As for Luton - well, it can keep its crazy rules!

weak and predictable with some good moments

[marcgreenman · 3/10 · 28 November 2019]

This episode is basically a retelling of frederic brown's arena which had already been done by star trek, so the plot is predictable as is the outcome. talking trees just seem like a daft idea and it struggles to come off. the outdoor setting looks like a quarry but it is nice to see some outdoor location shooting instead of the standard studio sets, likewise the use of some woods make for a nice change. basically it's just running around and chasing, there is not much else going on. landau and schell both acquit themselves well. landau is particularly likable, even cracking some jokes. one particular scene, in which koenig describes a nuclear war and the death of his wife, is actually very moving.

Rip-Off!!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 29 June 2010]

Ugghh....make it stop!! This is yet another shoddy episode of season two of "Space: 1999". The biggest reason this episode is so shoddy is that the show is clearly a copy of other, better made shows from other series--the most notable is "Star Trek" and its episode "Arena". Not only is it a rip-off idea (in this case, Fred Frieberger actually ripped off his old show--taking a story by Gene L. Coon and Frederic Brown), but the premise is just dumb the way it is executed here--plus it ends pretty much the same way as "Arena"! What a rip-off!

When Maya and Koenig are investigating a nice looking planet, she picks a flower and he eats a piece of fruit and they are immediately accused of murder and sentenced! Not only is this dumb but the folks making the show OBVIOUSLY were economizing big-time, as they didn't even show the aliens--just having some very, very hastily over-dubbed pronouncements by the Lutons that they are to battle some other idiots in their arena. Yeah,...whatever.

Technically this particular show was pretty shabby. It didn't help when Maya turned into a lion and you could see African-style trees around it--yet the rest of the episode was shot in England! It clearly wasn't integrated well and I truly wonder if the people making it simply stopped caring because they suspected this would be the show's final season. Further evidence they didn't care were the alien costumes--among the worst of the entire series--and laughably bad. With crappy shows like this, this last season seemed to be a self-fulfilling prophecy!! So is there anything interesting about this rehash? Well, not a lot. Apart from hearing about a Third World War in 1987 and seeing Maya and Koenig talk about their lives (YET THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIFE AND DEATH STRUGGLE AND TAKE TIME OUT TO SIT AROUND DOING THIS!!!), not much that will impress unless you are a die-hard fan of the series. Even then, it might be real tough going.

By the way, perhaps it's only because I saw this on a 58" TV, but the wires on the Eagle that made it seem to land and take off were VERY obvious in this particular show.

Silly but still watchable.

[danrs000008 · 8/10 · 2 November 2021]

In spite of how bad this episode was I still enjoyed it. I enjoyed watching Maya and Commander koenig's struggle I guess their enemies. I enjoyed hearing them talk about their lives on their respective planets. I enjoyed watching Maya strut about in her Alpha uniform. She really looks sharp. In one scene Maya takes the form of a bird and she is perched on a limb just above the enemy aliens. We all know what she should have done at that moment. I think the commander had a great idea to make a bolo to fight with, I have is very lame how they the final alien went down and bumped his head on the rock. Also, I miss Sandra played by Zienia Merton. Apparently her character was kicked off the show to make room for Maya.

John and Maya

[oopboys · 13 September 2011]

The Monsters especially the transporter one was so fake..and why did all of them wear tennis shoe type shoes they are mutants why didn't the bird type monster have bird feet??he had canvas shoes on ,anyway I like the scenes with John and Maya you finally found out the history of John and Maya..John wife was killed and he was orphan?? I guess... he had no siblings or mom and dad..would had been nice to hear why he was alone what happen to his parents etc...the fight scene with john when he was injured by the mountain spear held by the transporter being... John post to have been stabbed with it in his shoulder , but look closely the monster missed ..John turned away from the blow of the spear rock it hit the tree instead along with a part of the lining inside John's jacket it never hit John's shoulder ,but john was injured and bleeding from a wound from the rock spear that hit nowhere near were the wound was..and why on 3 occasion did john slipped and stepped in mud and dirt and rocks, after telling Maya to watch her step the aliens are tracking them ,but he was the one leaving his foot prints all over the place..as for Maya in the cage. I would understand if it was a well made cage/steel ,iron etc. and if Maya did change back into herself.. I could understand why Maya would get crushed by her transformation, because she had no where to expand..but this was a cheap chicken wire made cage whether she was in it or not she could had transformed and came out of the cage as she did with or without help from John ..the Luton god let the last creature go..Why?? he claim the creature defeated John and Maya yet one had to die to have their freedom..and as far as the plants they were alive killed even the dinosaurs off on the planet along time ago how come they let john and Maya run around when they could just easily grabbed them???..John kept his arm free from debri ,when he promise Maya he will not get any dirt in the wound..but Maya kept using water from Luton..if Luton kills any thing alive why didn't May or John realizes that the water to them can be contaminated and infected his wound???