THE MYSTERON MENACE
Geoff Willmetts
looks at one of the great issues raised by the Captain Scarlet TV series ...
just how Mysteronised was Captain Black?
(Article originally
appeared in SF Crownsnet,
January 2002)
‘This
is the voice of the Mysterons.
We
know that you can hear us, earthmen...’
The actions of the Mysterons
in the TV series ‘Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons’ can be viewed with a
measure of justification in their action against the inhabitants of Earth.
Representatives of our species made the wrong decision with dire consequences.
The 2068 Mars survey mission investigating radio signals from the red planet
discover the Mysteron complex.
The Mysterons in turn
focused their scanners on the Martian Exploration Vehicle impressed that the
humans had come so far. The crew decide the alien city was mounting an attack
and launch a preemptive strike destroying most of the complex. To their
amazement, concealed machinery restores the complex to its original state and
the Mysterons committed themselves to retaliate against the rather
trigger-happy aggressive humans.
Rather than an all-out
assault, they declare a war of nerves in a series of terrorist actions to
intimidate and bring down the arrogant primitive humans for their unwarranted
violence.
Based on the actions
depicted in the series, the Mysterons probably had a serious point to make.
Whenever there is an emergency, Spectrum’s commanding officer, Colonel White,
sends in armed aircraft often to back up his officers who drive into action in
speedy tanks with almost complete autonomy as to what actions they should take.
The other armed forces are
no better, especially when as in the episode ‘Avalanche’, General Frost
threatens to fire his missiles at Mars without a Presidential order. This
Earth’s reality is clearly far too aggressive compared to our own.
There has been much debate
as to whether there were actually ‘Mysterons’ on Mars or their computers in an
abandoned base operating under limited protocols. There is much to favour the
latter in terms of their lack of further communication, limited options and
unrelenting determination to succeed.
The placement of the
Mysteron base has many similarities to the Monolith in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
waiting for sentient life to develop sufficiently to meet them. This being the
case, then the Mysterons are not only not native to Mars but also extra-solar
aliens. They were also expecting peaceful visitors as the base was obviously
unarmed.
Whichever, it was an
unforeseen development that the Mysterons’ initial actions were so badly
misinterpreted by the MSV’s investigation officer, Spectrum agent Conrad Turner
aka Captain Black, that created the crisis. He had been selected for the team
solely for the need of a military advisor to assess the radio signals.
As a potential ambassador to
an alien race, Captain Black was a poor choice in view of his actions.
The initial action the
Mysterons undertook was to dominate and control the MSV crew, specifically
Captain Black himself. There was no attempt made to destroy and recreate either
the MSV or crew either on Mars or on the return to Earth. With their ability to
manipulate machinery such an action was well within their abilities or even to
destroy it but neither action was considered.
Considering the Mysteron
base in Crater 101 on the Moon also appeared weaponless and defenseless, the
Mysterons themselves may well have been pacifist in nature. There is also some
speculation that the Mysterons had to consider their actions carefully once
they decided upon their war of nerves or terrorist acts suggesting they had
only limited capabilities for such purposes.
The latter re-enforces the
belief that this is a war led by sentient computers than whatever the real
Mysterons were or are. Likewise, there is no information to suggest if the
Mysterons would have acted any differently to their computers. As such, the
term ‘Mysterons’ will be used for either computer or alien in this article.
The examination of the crew
no doubt displayed they had one amongst them totally familiar with Earth
security procedures and potential targets, Captain Black himself. Considering
that the likes of the World President and military targets were selected, it
would stand to reason the information was sourced from Black than direct
observation.
Until the MSV encountered
the Mysteron city, they had obviously not examined mankind in detail or else
would have realised the human aggressive potential. There have been no reported
instances of or the whereabouts of the rest of the MSV crew. It is possible that
the Mysterons have hidden them away as potential replacements for Captain Black
should he ever be killed beyond resurrection.
There is sufficient
information to indicate Captain Black was mentally dominated than
‘mysteronised’ - the alternative name for the retro-metabolism technique used
to resurrect living beings and inanimate objects. Black’s pallor and demeanor
suggests that he was not a willing victim and fighting his control. All other
mysteronised agents looked quite normal in comparison.
The rather more conclusive
evidence is given in the episode ‘Man Hunt’ where Captain Black was
photographed breaking into a nuclear plant. Later evidence in the episode
‘Flight 104’, indicates that ‘mysteronised’ humans silhouette when photographed
with a regular camera. If the Mysterons were aware of this property, it would
have made sense for them to have an agent who could pass such a security check
with impunity. On the many occasions when it appeared Captain Black could be
captured, the Mysterons teleported him to safety than risk him being captured
or killed.
There are a number of times
where Captain Black’s actions appear humane and even against his orders. Again,
in the episode ‘Man Hunt’, his release of Symphony Angel could be seen not only
as a means to hide Black’s own escape but resisting his own control in letting
an ex-colleague live than mindlessly kill her. Considering how easily Captain
Black murdered other people to reach his masters’ aims this would seem out of
character.
It would have been a simple
matter to murder Symphony and let a mysteronised copy lead the other Spectrum
officers away from the nuclear plant. There might have been an additional
ulterior motive here. There is also a possibility that the proximity to a
radioactive fuel source might have hindered a total regeneration in some way
that might also have reconsidered the standard option. In any event, rather
than compromise Captain Black’s mind control further, he was invariably
teleported to safety in future.
There seems to be some conflict
with the novels and comicbook strips depicting Captain Black as being
mysteronised agent. This writer suspects this was done to provide Captain
Scarlet with an equal adversary and therefore endowed him with similar
abilities. In light of the evidence above, such material can hardly be regarded
as canon to the TV reality.
Captain Black is never seen
recovering from injuries to indicate his body has been mysteronised. All other
Mysteron agents look exactly as they were before their deaths and regeneration.
In comparison, Captain Black resembles a walking zombie with his haunted look.
To regenerate him in that state would not have been wise.
The Mysterons had nearly
total control of him anyway so why would there be a need to re-create him as
well? A mysteronised human is post-hypnotically ordered to carry out a specific
set of instructions. If Captain Scarlet is anything to go by, after completing
the instructions or after 24 hours, a controlled mysteronised human is capable
of returning to nomad. Neither option is suitable for Captain Black who also
appears to have limited autonomy in carrying out his masters’ orders.
For the present, let’s
examine the regeneration/retro-metabolism process. Within the original Mysteron
use, it was probably a restoration tool for these aliens and their machinery in
case of accident. Whether they developed this technology because they were
extremely fragile or accident-prone is hard to say.
What is important is that
once they’ve been regenerated, the retro-metabolism feature ensures perpetual
life except when suffering a high voltage discharge. Although this same
electricity is also capable of killing a human, it is possible to survive if
suitably earthed. A mysteronised being has no such chance. This again gives
some clue as to the nature of the process.
A speculation on this
author’s part is that a mysteronised organism might be unable to reproduce
itself and could be inherently sterile. This would no doubt prevent a
mysteronised regeneration as a career option for all seeking immortality.
Certainly the indications are that further physical growth is impossible as
anyone mysteronised will remain that way forever. Colonel White once commented,
albeit in Symphony Angel’s dream, in the episode ‘Attack On Cloudbase’ that
Captain Scarlet’s hair is slightly longer than regulation.
No doubt he was going to
have a haircut prior to the Mysterons killing him but is an indication that the
mysteronisation process maintains a body’s status quo. The duplicate has
properties unlike the original. Whereas an injured human will scar when healed,
a mysteronised human will be restored with no such imperfections.
Whether this also reduces
the amount of pain received is debatable.
The first two subjects of
the mysteronising treatment were Spectrum Captains Brown and Scarlet. This
process required the deaths of the original officers. Presumably, this is a
protocol logged into the Mysteron computers to prevent unnecessary duplicates
wandering around. In the episode ‘Triple Cross’, the original of a mysteronised
subject, Major Gravener, was revived with no ill effect on either body.
There is no transfer of
anything resembling a ‘soul’ to a new body and supports the hypothesis that the
personality is nothing more than a series of memories that can be reproduced.
Even more importantly in that particular case was that neither the Mysterons
nor Captain Black appeared certain as to whether this was one of their own
suggesting a fallibility in their cognitive recognition or they are incapable
of continual observation.
This could also have been a
blind as the mission was seemingly aborted while in progress. The Mysterons may
simply have continued the mission to further assess how far the humans would
investigate or provide a blind alley on their own motives or vulnerabilities.
A slight digression but it
also emphasizes an alternative point. Having the original and a mysteronised
version alive at the same time creates confusion with the Mysteron computers
especially if they cross each other’s paths as each would believe himself as
the original.
There is nothing to say that
coexisting duplicates could then develop along different paths of thought or
opinion and see the other as a potential threat to itself.
Returning to Scarlet and
Brown, the Mysterons made little attempt to conceal the crash or perhaps
underestimated humans discovering the bodies so soon. Again, this was early in
their war of nerves and were still adjusting to their own rules of engagement.
In their original use, the Mysterons may have seen their original bodies as
empty shells to be forgotten when regenerated or their machines removing at a
later date.
Isolated with the President,
Captain Brown smolders and then violently explodes. He made no threat during the
process. This gives some clue to the process of retro-metabolism. The
regenerated body does not draw mass from the original body suggesting that it
draws matter continually from an alternative source.
Should the absorption rate
exceed the body requirements then combustion is possible in the equivalent of a
sub-atomic fart and explodes. The Mysterons first experiment with a
mysteronised body as a living bomb was a complete success although the action
failed to kill anyone. This was rarely repeated although other cases would
certainly have been more effective had they kept to this strategy.
Even in the episode ‘Point
783’, an exploding mysteronised human was only used as a maneuver to separate
Captain Scarlet from acting as a bodyguard to the main threat. It may simply
have been a means to gauge how far they should go in the regeneration process.
It is extremely rare that a mysteronised human regenerates let alone recovers
after they’ve completed their mission suggesting the Mysterons have two
versions of regenerated copies.
In that respect, Captain
Brown could have been considered an inferior made or short-term copy. Captain
Scarlet, on the other hand, was the first fully long-term mysteronised
resurrection. His programming was later modified to abduct rather than kill the
President. This author suggests that at this time in the game, that Captain
Black was also fighting his own mind control rather than let the assassination
continue and turned it into a preferred kidnapping.
After Captain Blue ‘killed’
Captain Scarlet, as indicated in the episode ‘Winged Assassin’, he regenerated
with his original personality intact and no recollection since the car crash.
This supports the theory of a full Mysteron regeneration and their first major
mistake. Not only had they revealed their main ability, they left someone in
the opposition’s hands capable of tackling other mysteronised agents. As
commented previously, the instructions may only have worked for 24 hours before
the original personality can assert itself.
The statistics from these
apparent ‘mistakes’ allowed the Mysterons to determine the level of
regeneration so none of their later agents survived their missions. All
mysteronised people in future were purely short-term regeneration and had their
programming initiated by Captain Black. It is significant that he says the same
words to each, ‘You know what you have to do?’, rather than detail their
mission.
The short-term limit can be
inferred simply because none of them appear to resurrect from their fatal
injuries even when shot with a regulation Spectrum pistol. The Mysterons did
not want a repeat of their previous failure and provide more mysteronised
bodies to their enemy.
The only real knowledge we
have of living long-term mysteronised bodies can only be discovered from
Captain Scarlet. Despite fatal injuries on a number of occasions, he has
restored to life with no apparent memory loss other than the time when he was
under direct Mysteron control on his first resurrection.
He also suffers apparent
dizziness in the presence of other mysteronised humans and equipment. This
might well be an effect they all have from sharing a similar matter source and
there is a limit to how much each body can receive at a time. Of significant
note on both visits to the Moon, Captain Scarlet was in the presence of
mysteronised humans with no ill-effect. However, as Crater 101 was a Mysteron
base, one could well believe being closer to one of their generators or there
was an adequate supply of material for them all.
If Captain Scarlet is such a
threat to the Mysterons, why can’t they simply cut off his ability to draw on
matter? If, as believed, these are actually Mysteron computers, such an action
would not be allowed in their programming. They can only resurrect after a
person or object is destroyed. There is little in that line to suggest that the
same applies to a mysteronised being If, as suggested, there are long and short
term levels of mysteronisation, then Scarlet clearly falls into the first
category.
The Mysterons might well
have been considering Scarlet as a potential second-in-command to Captain
Black. A military officer with total retro-metabolism properties would have
done much of the physical work. By their own mistake, the Mysterons are
frustrated with creating their own nemesis and resort to short-term
mysteronised agents instead. This doesn’t mean that they cannot send other
mysteronised agents to do such a deed just unable to do so by a direct
approach.
The matter used for
retro-metabolism does not come from the original body although death does not
prevent the Mysterons scanning it with twin white halo lights prior to and
after regeneration. Considering that all the necessary ingredients -
principally carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and many minor elements - are available
for reconstruction from the surrounding atmosphere that might not be a problem.
If anything, it is the speed
of recreation that can best be described as incredible. As mentioned above, two
or more mysteronised humans or machinery together drawing upon the same free
elements to maintain their own body integrity can cause momentarily dizziness
before some form of homeostasis is achieved. It is also significant that high
voltage can disrupt the internal body matrix permanently suggesting the
whatever makes it function is part of the mysteronised body.
No doubt the original
Mysterons are aware of this problem and probably ensure there is sufficient
free molecules to provide for all mysteronised bodies prior to regeneration.
The fact that this continues suggests a certain instability with maintaining
the form.
The use of regeneration and
retro-metabolism from the Mysterons equipment has made their computers
extremely formidable in a low order way without replying on anything else from
their potential arsenal. What has been discovered from an examination from
their Crater 101 complex on the Moon indicates a power source based on a single
crystal.
When Captain Scarlet removed
the crystal from its conduit, the complex didn’t automatically close down
suggesting a reserve or battery-like source keeping the machinery active. It
might also have been part of a complex ruse by the Mysteron computers
especially as it was later used in an attempt to destroy Cloudbase in the
following episode ‘Dangerous Rendezvous’.
The only device that the
Mysteron computers use freely is that of teleportation in order to rescue
Captain Black from possible capture or death. Used in an aggressive way, such a
device could remove any assassination victim in their war of nerves with the humans.
The same could also be said for the ease they have for taking control of
airplanes and land vehicles.
With the latter, there must
be some obvious limitation or there wouldn’t be any need for mysteronisation.
As so much of their technology can be disrupted by high voltage to overuse such
control could reveal a potential weakness to the humans.
The final results of this
war was never revealed in the TV series and any comment on it can only be regarded
as speculation. The Spectrum speculation, albeit a dream by Symphony Angel, in
the episode ‘Attack On Cloudbase’ that the Mysterons would launch a physical
attack by flying saucers against Cloudbase would be extremely questionable.
It is well within the
military training of a Spectrum pilot but such actions are probably beyond the
Mysteron computers programming. The entire point of their ‘war of nerves’ is to
teach the upstart humans the folly of their mistakes. When such a punishment is
deemed completed, the Mysterons will probably stop of their own volition.
Whether they will talk to the humans or even want to hear what our species have
to say for themselves only time will tell.
There is always a
possibility that the ‘real’ Mysterons might return to settle things and then
there would be a real quandary as to whether they would agree with their
computers’ actions.
The lessons for our reality
out of all of this is that whatever the original reason for aggressive action
against an opponent is, it’s too easy to let such offenses carry on definitely
with no attempt made for some sort of peaceful settlement or compromise. This
does not belittle the original reason for the start of any war but there is a
time when both parties have to move on from what caused the first
confrontation.
However, when it comes from
misunderstanding rather than an outright aggressive desire for domination of
another territory, then both sides need to act adult and admit they both made
mistakes, end hostilities and reach a peace. To carry on a war ad infintium
shows a preference to be at war than peace. I doubt if this was ever the
intention of ‘Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons’ but to impressionable
youngsters who enjoy the show, an awareness of the futility of such struggles
compared to our own reality can’t really be avoided.
The series was unique in
that it was the humans who started off as the aggressor. One can only hope that
should an alien encounter happen in our reality, that we might start by giving
the benefit of the doubt before opening fire.
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