Series Two
Bergman appeared in every episode of the first series of Space: 1999, which aired in the 1975-1976 television season. He did not return for the second series. (See the article List of Space: 1999 episodes for specific episode information.) The fate of Victor Bergman is alluded to in a trimmed scene from the second series opener "The Metamorph", when Tony Verdeschi notes 'I wish Bergman were here,' and then 'One lousy spacesuit with a faulty helmet and Victor had to be in it.' Sandra Benes would then have replied 'We can't bring him back, Tony.' This scene was filmed, but cut from the final print. Since it was never broadcast and has never been seen, fans do not consider this to be the canonical fate of Bergman. It was also mentioned in the Planets of Peril novelisation of "The Metamorph".
In the Powys Media novel Space: 1999 Survival, the near-death and resurrection of Victor Bergman is chronicled in this between series' tale. The novel, written by Brian Ball, features a foreword written by Barry Morse. In it, Bergman floating in space with a ruptured suit is kept alive by a fragment of the living ship, Susurra, which is then reincorporated. Bergman is revived and Susurra takes him and the surviving Leira people to a new world (Leiram II). In the short story, "Spider's Web" (collected in the anthology Shepherd Moon), Bergman and his new wife Yendys investigate a spacecraft approaching Leiram II, only to find it infested with 'dragons' (from "Dragon's Domain"). The 2010 novel Space: 1999 Omega featured his return to Alpha long after the events of the second series. In the novels Omega and Space: 1999 Alpha, two Victor Bergmans are featured. One is the alternate Victor Bergman from "Another Time, Another Place"; the other is the Victor Bergman from the Year One through Survival.
The true reason for Professor Bergman's absence was due to unsatisfactory salary and contract negotiations between actor Barry Morse and the show's producers. Morse initially wished to retain salary and benefits commensurate with that which he received in series one, although he eventually agreed to a significant decrease (33 percent less) in pay and elimination of benefits (chauffeur service to and from the studio). Even in light of Morse's concessions, the producers declined to renew the actor's contract indicating that during the short negotiation period other plans had been made and his character was eliminated from the show. Morse and others surmised that the negotiations were a ploy on the part of American producer Fred Freiberger to dispense with all series one cast members with the exception of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain and that no agreement would ever have been made.
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