We start our journey on board a spaceship, about to take-off on a routine survey flight, with Captain Tempest. Also aboard are technical officers, a science officer, a cook and a first-aid officer. Shortly into the flight, the ship accidently flies into an asteroid storm and the ship is damaged. Annoyed that Tempest does not listen to her because she is female, the Science Officer makes good her escape on the ship's only shuttlecraft. The ship carries on, off-course. Suddenly there is a strange noise, and the ship is pulled towards a planet - the planet Dillyria. The crew try to escape the invisible force, but it is no good.
The ship crash-lands on Dillyria, and the technical officers immediately try to fix the ship. A strange man from the planet requests to come aboard. Captain Tempest talks to him through the monitors, and recognises him. It is Prospero, an evil scientist. Prospero insists that he is now a good man, and Tempest agrees to give him another chance. Prospero comes aboard with his robot servant, Ariel. The crew are astonished.
Prospero tells the crew how, 15 years ago, he distilled a drug in his laboratory, called the X-Factor. His assistant, and wife, Gloria, stole the drug and banished him and their baby daughter to the planet Dillyria. Unknown to her, Prospero kept the blueprints with him.
Miranda comes aboard the spaceship, and Cookie is instantly in love with her. She is amazed by the spaceship. She spies Tempest, goes over to him and falls in love with him, he returns the sentiment also, thinking she is older. Cookie goes up to speak to Miranda, and she innocently kisses him on the cheek. He thinks that she loves him too.
Prospero - Don't let Me Be Misunderstood
Prospero explains that the X-Factor is designed for the good of mankind, and that it will change the world. We now understand that the X-Factor takes thoughts and makes them into real objects. He talks to Miranda, and she tells him of her love for Tempest. He is astonished, and tells her she is being silly - she only just met him. She asks him to understand, but he strikes her in temper. The crew are shocked, and Miranda is left alone to wonder why she is a teenager in love. She confesses her love to Tempest, who has just learned how old she is. Although he has feelings for her, he feels that she is still too young to be in love. Cookie sees them talking, and overhears Miranda confessing her love. Understandably upset, he vows to take his revenge because she's not there for him.
Alone, Prospero drinks some of the X-Factor, and a strange feeling comes over him. Meanwhile, the crew think about the situation.
Just then, an officer spies something on the scanner. On closer inspection, it turns out to be a huge monster and it is coming towards the ship. Prospero is amazed, he has seen nothing like it on Dillyria before. A human is heard in the airlock, and it is opened. The person turns out to be the science officer, running from the monster. She looks a mess.
Prospero sees her and the recognition is instant - it is his wife, Gloria, who sent him into space.
There is no time for anyone to think about it, because the monster is already attacking the ship, chasing Gloria. It manages to break into the ship, gripping Gloria in a tentacle. Ariel is knocked out, but manages to save everyone, and the monster escapes.
Gloria and the Space Monster
The science officer, Gloria, is trapped in a force field until it is decided what to do with her. Knowing the upset she has caused Prospero, Ariel taunts her. Gloria pleads with the crew, and they let her loose. They need a science officer to get the ship working again. Knowing that Prospero has the blueprint, Gloria decides to use Cookie's love for Miranda to get it. He tells her that if he gets it, and tells her how he feels, Miranda will love him too. Cookie eventually agrees, knowing that she may hurt people with the drug. His love for Miranda is stronger. Meanwhile, the technical crew are having problems, and polarity is reversed.
Miranda is persuaded by Ariel to make Tempest jealous, amybe this way he will see what he is missing. She dresses up like Marilyn Monroe, and puts on a sexy voice. This doesn't tempt him, so she pretends that she is in love with Ariel. Ariel is only too happy to oblige! Although he is pretending not to notice, we can tell that Tempest is jealous. Tempest exits, and Cookie enters with the blueprint, trying to hide it. He doesn't notice Ariel and Miranda until they ask him what he is doing. Ariel notices the blueprint in his hand, and tries to get it off him. A comical war ensues between the three, ending with Ariel swallowing the blueprint.
Prospero discovers that Ariel has swallowed his precious blueprint and is furious. He has discovered that the monster is the spirit of Id, a monster brought from his mind by the drug. Something he had forgotten was that the X-Factor also materialised thoughts from the sub-conscious. Without the blueprint, he cannot make an antidote. There is only one choice - and that is to end his life. Otherwise the monster will destroy everything, including his mind.
Gloria realises the problems of the X-Factor for the first time, and also realises that Prospero is serious. She tells how much she loves him and Miranda, and we see that she is honest. Prospero bids her a tearful fairwell, and the last we hear is a yell as he confronts his monster.
Miranda and Tempest
Gloria gives her blessing to Tempest, and Miranda and the Captain finally get together at last. Just as this happens, there is an earthquake. It turns out that Dillyria is also a product of Prospero's mind, and is now coming apart. Tempest scoops Miranda up in his arms and lifts her to safety. The technical crew do the final checks on the craft, and they once more blast into space, back to safety, and achieving a no-emergency scenario.
Cookie is to be taken to jail back on earth, but Miranda kindly decides to let him off the hook. He now realises he will never be with her. It's ok, his crush has worn off anyway!
Music is "YOUNG GIRL"
