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The Rings Of Saturn
Synopsis:
In the vicinity of the planet Saturn, Galasphere 347 makes contact with an object that turns out to be a ship from the unexplored planet. Dart is invited to join the crew and be the first human to set foot there. Peaceful talks ensue and the captain returns to Earth with recordings of Saturnian language that can be used to program the Elektrans. But the first translated message warns Earthmen to stay away as Dart took leaves from their ‘holy tree’. Dart did not realise their importance but the Saturnians refuse to respond to apologies. He sets off in Galasphere 347 in an attempt to get through the defensive rings to return the leaves and restore the peace...
Cast
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Captain Larry Dart
Husky
Slim
Colonel Raeburn
Marla
General Smith
Saturnian Voices
Radio Operator
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Dick Vosburgh
Ronnie Stevens
Ronnie Stevens
Murray Kash
Libby Morris
Dick Vosburgh
Dick Vosburgh
Ronnie Stevens
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And The Moral Is:
• As Slim hammers home at the end ‘Never Take Anything Without Asking’. Or maybe that should be ‘Leaf Things Alone’. (Ooh, that’s got to hurt... )
Today I Will Be Mostly Learning... :
• Ultraviolet light can blind you.
Slimantics:
• “I have great anxiety lest they keep you there.”
• “My apprehension is considerable.”
• “Captain, I am being impelled to move again.”
Raeburnt:
• “Safety has never been an important part of Space Patrol. My men live with danger.”
Is This A Joke ?:
• The Saturnians only wanted to give Dart ‘a little fright’, to which Slim comments ‘what a sense of humour.'
Riding Along In My Monobile... ‘:
• Dart and Raeburn go to see General Smith.
The UGO Needs You‘:
• Husky seems to quote what could be the slogan for his own career, spoofing that of the Navy - “Join Space Patrol And See The Galaxy.”
‘I’m An Alien!‘:
• Saturnians are four-armed amphibians, with six claws on each arm and leg.
Ooh, Bitch... :
• Husky about the Saturnian leader “He’s got a face that would frighten a vampire.”
Continuity:
• One Galasphere has already been lost trying to land on Saturn and was destroyed by the rings.
• The journey from Saturn to Earth took 42 days, while the return takes 44.
Harmony For Strings:
• The magnetically controlled walk of the crew is interesting.
Take A Break:
• The crew go into the freezer for the journey to Saturn.
"...You should have stayed away.
Now you must all pay the penalty."
Saturnian
Astro Viewer Working:
• Although in the sequel The Miracle Tree Of Saturn the cold is brought to the planet by Jones, there is a suggestion that Husky may originally have been the cause as he is coughing towards the end.
• As the freezer switches off, Dart's head can be seen moving. This scene is footage from the first episode, but with the dialogue excised.
• The first ring around Saturn is electromagnetic, the third is ultraviolet and the fourth is infrared. We never find out what exactly the second ring is, and it has been speculated by some fans that this part of the episode is missing. However, the running time would not appear to be substantially shorter than any of the others.
Hoorah!:
• While a little comical in appearance, the Saturnians have a nice feel to their identity and we love the way they talk. It’s a pity we never really learn that much about them.
• The idea that the rings are a defensive shield is a nice touch too.
• Dart inspired Homer Simpson! On being forced from his chair by the Saturnians, he exclaims "Doh!"...
Boo!:
• The Saturnian ship changes its appearance between shots, with a larger drive and less detailed fluting.
• The spinning wheel near the vacuum door changes speed, and in one scene seems to be stopping and starting.
• The Galasphere 024 launch is used.
• A shot of Space Headquarters reveals that the detailing bands do not go all the way round.
• Amusingly, Dart fumbles for the Robot Control switch while blinded by the ultraviolet ring and confuses small switches for the whacking great one he actually needs...
Computer Central:
• First screened: May 19th 1963 (Tyne Tees)
• Running time: 24 minutes 35 seconds
• BFCC Classified - 24th February 1998
• VHS - Volume 2
• DVD - 'The Best of', Vol. 1
• DVD - Complete Series Box Set, Disk 2
Listings
• London, August 22nd 1963:
No one from Earth has penetrated the mysterious flashing rings of Saturn, yet this is what Dart and his crew set out to attempt.
• Malta, February 20th 1964:
No-one has ever been able to penetrate Saturn, for the brilliant, flashing rings about it are a form of protection put up by the Saturnians themselves. One day Dart meets a Saturnian ship in Space and is taken down to the planet. He meets the reptilian Leader of Saturn and persuades him to consider joining the United Galactic Organisation. Dart returns to Earth and brings Colonel Raeburn a present from Saturn - a cutting from a strange purple-leaved tree.
Ready To Lift ?:
Another planet, another race. The Saturnians have a nice cultural feel, even if they seem rather volatile in temperament. It is interesting that we don’t see them until Dart tries to return to the planet. The episode begs to see more of them - its greatest failing - but at least we know there’s more to come
 
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