Helena Russell
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| Doctor Helena Russell | |
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 Helena Russell |
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| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5' 7" |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Green |
| Date of birth | 1957 |
| Home planet | Earth |
| Affiliation | Moonbase Alpha |
| Posting | February 23, 1999 first tour of duty on Moonbase Alpha |
| Rank | Doctor, Chief Medical Officer |
| Section | Medical |
| Portrayed by | Barbara Bain |
Helena Russell is a fictional character from the television series Space:1999. She was played by Barbara Bain.
Helena Russell is a doctor of medicine and a scientist, and as of the time of Breakaway, the first episode of Space: 1999, she was Moonbase Alpha's Chief Medical Officer.
Doctor Russell had previously served in the role of evaluating the mental health of Tony Cellini, the command pilot and sole survivor of the disastrous Ultra Probe mission of 1996.
[edit] Metaprobe Crisis
In September 1999 a mysterious rash of deaths hit Moonbase Alpha. 11 astronauts - some workers at the Nuclear Disposal Area Two, and Frank Warren and Eric Sparkman, the two pilots for the manned probe to a newly-discovered planet called Meta - suddenly become violent and irrational before collapsing into a coma and dying. Dr. Russell believes that the astronaut's behavior and deaths are being caused by radiation leakage from the two nuclear waste dumps on the moon, but repeated tests of the waste dumps reveals no leakage. She tries to convince Commander Gorski, the commander of Moonbase Alpha, to let her report her findings to authorities on Earth, but he refuses. Gorski is subsequently fired and replaced as Moonbase Alpha's commander by John Koenig. Unlike Gorski, he investigates her suspicions and they prove to be true - the astronauts were all affected by a previously unknown form of magnetic radiation coming from the nuclear waste dumps, which are building towards a massive explosion. When it happens, the moon is thrown out of the Earth's orbit and plunged into deep space.
[edit] Character Development
Following the Moon's breakaway from Earth, Dr. Russell and the other Alphans have one encounter after another with mysterious and often hostile or unexplainable alien races and forces. In one episode she encounters her husband, Lee Russell, who had been declared dead after being lost on the Astro 7 mission to Jupiter. He is discovered living (apparently) alone on the planet Meta, where he has been transformed into a being who is far superior to normal humans. Often Dr. Russell's medical expertise proves inadequate to diagnose the strange diseases, forces, and events affecting Moonbase Alpha, and she is forced to experiment and innovate in order to find cures or remedies for the crew. In the first season Dr. Russell slowly develops an emotional attachment to Commander Koenig, and he develops an interest in her as well. However, in the series first season Dr. Russell often appears to be humorless and almost unemotional at times, especially in responding to the various crises which occur during the first season.
In the series second season Dr. Russell became more outgoing and personable. Her relationship with Commander Koenig is much more open and affectionate in the second season, as they often flirt and tease one another. The sudden change in Dr. Russell's personality was the result of a deliberate attempt by the show's producers to "spice up" the chemistry between the main characters and to make them more lively and interesting.
[edit] Personal Details and Character
Helena Russell is a widow, her husband Lee Russell having been lost on the Astro 7 mission. She is an outstanding scientist, medical doctor, and surgeon; in the series first episode it was revealed that she had won an antique microscope (a replica of Louis Pasteur's microscope) as a prize for her medical work in college. In the series first season Dr. Russell is depicted as a highly competent and professional medical chief, but also as very cool, emotionally flat, and at times a bit overwhelmed by the bizarre events occurring on the moonbase. As noted above, in the second season she becomes much more friendly and outgoing, and develops a sharp sense of humor and even playfulness.
Dr. Russell was in all episodes of Space:1999, though she had only a narrators part in Devil's Planet.
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