Victor Bergman

Space:1999 character|if=
bgcolor = #aaa
Title = Victor Bergman


Caption = Barry Morse as Victor Bergman
Species = Human
Gender = Male
Appearance =
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Birth = June 27, 1940, London, England
Death = 2000?
Planet = Earth
Affiliation = Moonbase Alpha
Posting = Moonbase Alpha's lead scientist, confidant and adviser to Commander John Koenig
Rank = Third in command, Physicist, philosopher and astronomer
Section = None
Portrayed = Barry Morse|Professor Victor Bergman is the name of a recurring character on the UK science fiction television series "". The role was portrayed by actor Barry Morse.

Victor Bergman is in his mid 50s and serves as Moonbase Alpha's lead scientist, and as a close confidant and advisor to Commander John Koenig.

He is conversant with most of the scientific disciplines, and is something of a philosopher. He is also a noted astronomer; in 1994 he discovered the planet Ultra and then helped to plan a manned mission to explore the planet (as seen in "Dragon's Domain"). He also is very capable in astrophysics and physics in a broader sense (for example in "Black Sun").

Over the course of the first season Dr. Bergman emerges as a kind of "father figure" on the base; his normally calm, rational, and understanding demeanor make him a highly respected person on Alpha. He often acts as a calming influence on the more excitable John Koenig, Moonbase Alpha's commander. Furthermore, Dr. Bergman's scientific brilliance saves the moonbase several times during the first season. A prime example occurs in the episode "Black Sun", in which Victor devises an ingenious force field which protects Alpha when it moves through a massive Black Hole in space.

Following the disastrous failure of the 1997 Ultra Probe mission he was forced to temporarily leave Moonbase Alpha and return to Earth, but by September 1999 he had returned to Moonbase Alpha (noted in the episode "").

Professor Bergman had an artificial heart, which was an issue in the episodes "Black Sun", "Force of Life", "Guardian of Piri" and "The Infernal Machine" and was mentioned briefly in the second season episode "Catacombs of the Moon".

Victor appeared in every episode of the first season of "Space: 1999", which aired in the 1975-1976 television season, but did not return for the second season. See the article for specific episode information. The fate of Professor Bergman is alluded to in a single line of the shooting script for "The Metamorph", when one character notes, "One lousy spacesuit with a faulty helmet and Victor had to be in it." This scene was filmed, but cut from the final print. Since this scene was never broadcast and has never been seen, fans do not consider this to be the canonical fate of Bergman. However, this was also mentioned in the "Planets of Peril" novelisation of the early season 2 episodes. In real life the reason for Professor Bergman's absence after the first season was due to a contract and salary dispute between the actor Barry Morse, who portrayed Victor, and the show's producers. When the dispute could not be resolved Morse chose to leave the series and thus his character was eliminated.