Destination Moonbase-Alpha

After an atomic explosion dislodges the Moon from its orbit around Earth, Moonbase Alpha drifts into deep space, carrying 300 people. When a rescue team arrives in a faster-than-light spacecraft, the Alphans are overjoyed at the prospect of returning home. However, Moonbase Commander John Koenig, who has undergone an experimental brain-soothing process following a concussion sustained in a crash on the lunar surface, perceives the Earth crew not as rescuers but as grotesque alien beings. These aliens have telepathically induced an illusion among the others aboard Alpha, making them believe the newcomers are friends. The aliens, desperate for radiation, seek to manipulate the Alphans into detonating nuclear waste stored on the Moon, which would destroy the Moon and everyone aboard it. Koenig must uncover the truth and reveal the conspiracy to save his people. This summary is compiled from the two-part episode "The Bringers of Wonder" from the second season of the TV series *Space: 1999*.