I'd never even heard of this series when I stumbled across a PAL DVD edition in my local video store. I've long liked Ralph Bates' work and figured I'd give it a chance. My time was not wasted.
The series is set in the early twenty-first century. A group of European countries has established Moonbase 3. It is an underfunded science station on the lunar surface, one of five such bases. Others are operated by the United States,
Soviet Union, China, and Brazil. The series' six episodes tell stories of everyday life at the post, mostly from the perspective of the senior staff. The plotlines of most episodes involve the psychological and character weaknesses of those
posted to the base. Events and characters from previous episodes are referred to in later episodes thus displaying continuity superior to many better known and more successful science fiction series. The final episode is downright
riveting and involves the possible extinction of life on Earth.
The series had many strong points. Special effects are acceptable by early
1970s standards and involve a lot of model work. The teleplays are intelligent and there was a genuine effort to portray the environment and space travel in a scientifically plausible manner. "Moonbase 3" is by no means perfect, but given the limitations of budget, it was a solid piece of work. It certainly warranted more than six episodes and is, in my opinion, superior to the better known "Space
1999." Hopefully BBC or some licensee will consider releasing this onto DVD in the U.S. one of these days.
