Mission Control

Andrea Straker

Gold

Silver

Mark (mentioned only)

Sapphire

robot

Steel

Mercury (mentioned only)

Copper (mentioned only)

Didja Notice?

The space shuttle Aspirant that appears in this storyline is a fictitious space shuttle. Given that the astronaut and mission control voices heard all seem to be British, it must be a shuttle of the British National Space Centre (the British civil space program at the time, now the UK Space Agency) or the European Space Agency.

The name of the captain of Aspirant, Andrea Straker, is likely a nod to the character of Edward Straker, the commander of S.H.A.D.O. (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization) on the 1970 British TV series UFO.

    Silver and Gold, as Specialists, are assigned to the Aspirant case alone. Silver seems to indicate that Specialists such as themselves are assigned to strictly technical missions. He notes that this case is not a technical mission anymore when they discover that people have died on board the shuttle and, so, they must ask for assistance from Operatives.

    It is interesting to note that Silver and Gold were assigned together at the beginning of this case. Are agents always assigned in pairs, just as are Sapphire and Steel? In the past, agents (like Silver or Gold or Lead or Ruby) have been assigned individually to assist Sapphire and Steel, but it seems as if there is always at least two agents assigned at the opening of an investigation.

    When Sapphire and Steel arrive to assist Silver and Gold, Sapphire tells Silver that Mercury sends his regards and that he wants to remind him, "It's your move." Mercury is not one of the elements listed in the series' normal opening titles, but P.J. Hammond ponits out in an interview, "the final adventure's title sequence ("The Trap") differed from the previous five's - Lead being replaced by Mercury," and that it was intended that Sapphire and Steel would escape "the trap", probably with the help of Mercury if the TV series had been renewed.

    Mercury's message to Silver implies that the two are engaged in a game (chess?).

Silver tells Sapphire that he's been out of action for a while and Sapphire responds that she's heard that. She goes on to say that she's surprised he'd fall for a simple trick like a Möbius loop. It was mentioned that Silver had been trapped in a Möbius loop in "Second Sight" Part 2 and to have escaped it in "Second Sight" Part 3.

Sapphire mentions that Copper is still missing. Copper is one of the elements listed in the series opening titles and had a further brief mention in "Escape Through a Crack in Time" Part 4.

When Sapphire needles Silver that she's surprised he would fall for a simple trick like a Möbius loop, he retorts, "Better than getting myself trapped on a compact disc." This is what happened to Sapphire and Steel in "The Mystery of the Missing Hour".

Gold sarcastically responds to Sapphire and Steel's arrival with "the cavalry's here" and follows up with "Silver sent for you without my blessing." Since Silver and Gold are lower-level agents than Sapphire and Steel and it is later revealed in "Zero" Part 3 that Gold has accepted an alliance with the Transients, and we know that Sapphire and Steel were both separately offered a position with the Transients (as revealed in "The Trap" Part 4), could it be one of the prerequisites of becoming an Operative with the "higher power" is the rejection of a role with the Transients? We don't know at what point in their careers Sapphire and Steel were made an offer by the Transients.

Steel tells Gold that he will pay whatever cost is necessary to stop the time incursion. Gold retorts, "Including me?" to which Steel responds, "Including you." This sets up the payment of the bill in "Zero" Part 4.

This episode implies that Copper was Silver's mentor until Silver "graduated" to become a full agent. Silver remarks that the more he works with Gold, the more he appreciates how Copper must have felt, implying that Silver is a mentor to Gold.

Memorable Dialog

do you copy?.mp3

Silver and Gold have been assigned.mp3

they get what they deserve.mp3

they have dreams.mp3

trapped on a compact disc.mp3

now that the cavalry's here.mp3

I will pay whatever cost is neccesary.mp3

zero.mp3