I was in 10th grade when Space 1999 was first released and being a science major I became an instant fan. Funny enough I never liked Star Trek (too many precocious clichés and unbelievable stuff). However, I loved Space 1999. Although many criticize it for not being realistic, it was the most realistic SciFi show about space available to that date (with the exception of "2001 A Space Odyssey"). It showed us how we (humanity) might deal with the real situation of being hurled away from the Earth; heck they even had a Physicist as a main character; how much more real can you get? I watched each episode of the first season religiously and remember it among the most fond times of my life.<br /><br />I still remember being all psyched up for the first episode of the second season. I even got my Dad to relinquish the living room television and watch it with me (a Herculean task). All it took was the new intro for me to instantly become discouraged (which was really horrible compared to the dramatic and well scored intro of the first season). Then I saw Maya and thought "Oh my God! are these people for real?" This woman was a Star Trek refugee with the most ridiculous make-up and eyebrows that looked like modeling clay. Also she had a power that bordered on the magical; heck they may as well have made Merlin the Magician a character also. By the time the episode was over my heart was broken. They took a visually realistic scientific atmosphere and turned it into a cheap rip off of Star Trek. My father looked at me in disbelief and said "I can't believe this is the show that you get so excited about every week." I tried watching another season two episode but couldn't even sit through it and never watched the show again. Recently I purchased the DVD set (season one only) and have been happy to re-live the genius that was this show.<br /><br />As for those that say it was boring, like all first seasons the show was developing a direction and was positioned for a killer second season (before they butchered it without giving it a chance to grow that is). I'm convinced that had the original theme been pursued the second season would have been more exciting while still maintaining its scientifically realistic roots  truly a loss for a truly brilliant show.<br /><br />Favorite character was probably Victor, but liked Martin Landau and loved seeing Barbara Bain each week (which fed a crush I had on her since the Mission Impossible days).