July 1969: Apollo 11 vs. DS Eps #800, #801/802

[Mysterious Benefactor]

With all the recent coverage of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, I'm reminded of something that tends to stick in my mind more prominently and that's what was happening on DS at the same time. And don't get me wrong, the moon landing was a monumental moment in history - one that should be celebrated and memorialized. And back in 1969 I was a huge Science nerd. In fact, when I started high school in 1970 I was put into a Sophomore Science class rather than the Freshman. And I don't say that to brag, just to emphasize how into Science I was. But apparently I was into DS more because what was happening there was also huge in terms of the 1897 storyline. I mean, at the end of Ep #800 Victor Fenn-Gibbon's fake hand came off and we learned he was in fact Count Petofi, someone who was already an extremely large part of the 1897 storyline despite the fact that only his magical hand was physically a part of the story, or so we thought. And thanks to Apollo 11 we had to wait from that thrilling Friday ending until Tuesday to see how things would pick up because DS was to be preempted on Monday for the Apollo 11 splashdown. But what a worthwhile wait for Ep #801/802 it was, especially when through a kiss Petofi was able to take over Jamison and put forth his plan to have everyone face the truth about themselves, one of the best subplots ever on DS.

So while we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, let us also celebrate the 50th anniversary of a fantastic point in DS history...

[dom]

A DS anniversary of sorts for me. I started watching and began my obsession with DS during the Petofi storyline. Not too long before Jamison's possession.

[Gerard]

I remember both so well, the DS plot and Apollo 11, in that summer between 6th and 7th grade.  I had figured out that Victor was Petofi and waited to see what his move would be.  As for news coverage, we watched only CBS; when it began, the network had a marvelous opening, showing the drawing of a smiling, spinning sun with an intriguing soundtrack.  I've tried to find it on-line but to no avail. 

That evening of July 20, we sat transfixed watching those grainy black-and-white TV transmissions from the moon.  It was a marvelous time.  Now the Mars Rover, designed to last for three weeks, has continued operation for 12 years, sending back crystal clear photos and videos from the red planet and conducting experiments on the soil.  We've come so far.  What a wonderful age we live in.

Gerard