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Alien Attack

Name: Alien Attack
Director: Lee H. Katzin, Charles Crichton
Released: 1980
Duration: 104 min

Representation Score

7.5/10

Good

1980

Director

Lee H. Katzin, Charles Crichton

Runtime

104 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Alien Attack compiles episodes from Space: 1999, inheriting the production standards of the mid-1970s. It presents a globalized, multicultural scientific community that moves away from traditional Anglo-centric clichés. The film effectively challenges gender hierarchies by placing women in positions of operational leadership and technical command. This professional focus emphasizes competence over traditional social roles. However, the work is limited by its era. It lacks explicit multi-layered identity politics and fails to provide meaningful representation for characters with disabilities, resulting in a moderate inclusion score.

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Category Breakdown

Does Alien Attack have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not explicitly depict queer identities or romantic relationships. However, the setting challenges traditional social structures, though the narrative remains focused on straight relationships typical of the time.

How does Alien Attack portray gender?

Fair

Women play key roles in high-pressure, technical, and command situations within the scientific colony. This portrayal of women as intellectually authoritative figures challenges the stereotype of women as passive observers in science fiction.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Alien Attack?

Fair

The crew of Moonbase Alpha includes a diverse, international group of scientists. This multicultural team suggests a global approach to space exploration rather than a purely Anglo-centric viewpoint.

How does Alien Attack represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques the stability of Western institutions through the mishandling of atomic waste. It also delves into subjective reality through encounters with an advanced alien civilization.

Does Alien Attack include disability representation?

Limited

There is no significant depiction of characters with visible or invisible disabilities having substantial roles. The narrative focuses on physical and psychological stressors rather than specific disabilities.

Present on Screen

Women hold significant positions of intellectual authority and command.
The cast reflects a diverse, international, and multicultural scientific workforce.
The narrative critiques the systemic instability of terrestrial industrial institutions.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities.
There is a notable absence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
Character development lacks deep exploration of multi-layered identities.

Official Synopsis

Earth's Moon is the site of Moonbase Alpha, a scientific research colony nestled in the crater Plato. Staffed by over 300 men and women from Earth, it is the operations center for several space expeditions. It is also a watchdog for vast amounts of atomic waste from Earth stored in silos on the Moon's far side. Magnetic radiation builds up and causes the wastes to explode with such force that the Earth's centripetal pull on the Moon is overcome, and the Moon is broken free of Earth's orbit to drift at incredible speed out of the Solar System off the plane of the ecliptic. The survivors on Moonbase Alpha are unable to return to Earth and must survive in unknown space on their wandering Moon. They encounter a planet whose advanced people project an illusion of a devastating attack on Moonbase. This TV movie was edited from scenes of two episodes ("Breakaway" and "War Games") of "Space: 1999" (1975).

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