Most ridiculous thing about TOS

[johnnybear]

^The purple wigs were a defense against too much static electricity around the controls on Moonbase.

Or so we've been told! Did they actually say that on the show as I can't remember!
JB

 

[johnnybear]

Are you familiar with "Space: 1999"? "UFO" was Gerry Anderson's previous series and his first foray into live action, as everything he created earlier involved marionette type puppets. His most famous is arguably "ThunderBirds". Anyway, in retrospect it is entertaining what a series created around 1970 imagined how the "future" of 1980 might appear, particularly the clothing fashions. Lots of Nehru suits for the men and "cheek" length micro-skirts for the women. That's not even considering the vividly purple hair all the female moonbase personnel sported. Those were apparently wigs even "in universe" as we occasionally saw Gay Ellis on earth with conventionally brown hair. No, it was never explained within the series (or the creators) why they wore the purple wigs.

I always assumed it was because if the aliens received their transmissions on the moon they wouldn't be able to identify the girls back on earth in their private lives!
JB

 

[Warped9]

One of the best sci-fi themes ever done.

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[The Badger]

Or so we've been told! Did they actually say that on the show as I can't remember!
JB

Nope, never. That was a fan theory.
At the time the show was made brightly coloured wigs were fashionable. Sylvia Anderson (co-producer and costume designer) thought they might be part of uniforms in the future.

 

[johnnybear]

Yes I can get that! It was all about the look rather than the explanation in Gerry Anderson shows!
JB

 

[Warped9]

One of the things that I liked about UFO was that it had something of a TOS like quality to it.

 

[Kor]

One of the best sci-fi themes ever done.

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Somehow the pace/cutting of the visuals, and the guitar riffage, make me think of "Hawaii Five-O" in the future.

Kor

 

[Warped9]

Somehow the pace/cutting of the visuals, and the guitar riffage, make me think of "Hawaii Five-O" in the future.

Kor

The visuals are clearly dated by today's standards, but the general calibre of execution still works for me. If done with the same straightforward approach I think rebooted version could still work.

 

[Galileo7]

You've never heard of UFO? Are you from the mirror universe or what? Next you'll be telling me you've never heard of Space 1999 either!
JB

My favorite Gerry Anderson series are:
1- Space:1999
2- UFO
3- Thunderbirds

 

[One Lucky Red Shirt]

Wow i knew something was weird when i had got off the bus. Men were wearing miniskirts and wearing makeup while the women looked like they were trying out for a new incredible hulk series. Ok let me take this next bus and hope it bring me back to our reality. This shit freaking me out.

Anyways..in the meantime..I've heard of space:1999 vaguely and heard of thunderbirds. Never watched them though. Although i heard that movie team america wad kinda like it. Funny movie. Never heard of ufo though.

 

[J.T.B.]

Anyway, in retrospect it is entertaining what a series created around 1970 imagined how the "future" of 1980 might appear, particularly the clothing fashions. Lots of Nehru suits for the men and "cheek" length micro-skirts for the women.

Though on the submarine women wore pants. Pants with net-mesh tops.

 

[Warped9]

Like TOS, UFO understood eye candy.

 

[scotpens]

Maybe it's because I was a kid and then a young teen when minis were in fashion, but I never found them *empowering*. Frankly, they were a pain in the ass. One always had to watch one's movements lest one flash the undies.

Indeed, I used to wonder how miniskirts could be considered "liberating" if the wearer had to perform contortions just to get in and out of a low-slung sports car while maintaining some semblance of dignity. But, hey, you know, the Sixties!

Are you familiar with "Space: 1999"? "UFO" was Gerry Anderson's previous series and his first foray into live action, as everything he created earlier involved marionette type puppets.

Actually, Gerry Anderson's first live-action production was the theatrical feature film Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (aka Doppelganger), released in 1969. U.F.O. was Anderson's first live-action television series. The two "futuristic" cars and the SHADO jeeps used in U.F.O. were recycled from Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.

Though on the submarine women wore pants. Pants with net-mesh tops.

And the men on the Skydiver crew wore the same fishnet shirts (with apparently nothing underneath) and looked like male models! Lots of pretty people on that show.

 

[Warped9]

Never mind the purple wigs. You gotta wonder what the thinking was behind this costume design.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

There's a lot of humidity and general wetness under the ocean. They had to wear those so they could air out and be generally less fungusy.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

And the men on the Skydiver crew wore the same fishnet shirts (with apparently nothing underneath) and looked like male models! Lots of pretty people on that show.

You have to view this photo in the context of old-style, 20th century television sets. The screen was smaller with much lower resolution. When you got a glimpse of this, you weren't sure what you'd seen. You had to lean in and be sure to watch the whole show.

This was long before the VCR (to say nothing of the Internet) would make erotic images available at a click. Compared to today, 1970 was still a sex-starved time for most young men. They had maybe a girlie magazine or two hidden away and that was it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^The purple wigs were a defense against too much static electricity around the controls on Moonbase.

They never heard of clean rooms?

 

[scotpens]

Compared to today, 1970 was still a sex-starved time for most young men. They had maybe a girlie magazine or two hidden away and that was it.

And you know this from personal experience?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

^The purple wigs were a defense against too much static electricity around the controls on Moonbase.

Maybe she often had to service machinery that posed a danger of electrical arcs. The suit and wig would be rated to withstand a hit and not melt into her flesh causing severe injury, which regular fabrics will do.

I work in a building with a lot of high-voltage machinery, and the electrician on duty wears special overalls that can withstand arcs and heat blasts.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

And you know this from personal experience?

Nah, in 1970, puberty was a thing of the future!