Revisiting UFO....
- Thread starter Warped9
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Same here. Funny thing is I didn't much care for Space: 1999 back when it was first aired and I've next to zilch of it since, so it will be interesting to see what my adult self thinks of it now.
Agree.
Man, I soo want to see this happen.
"The Computer Affair" ***
Failure to intercept an incoming UFO also results in the death of an Interceptor pilot and reassessment of Moonbase personnel.
I'm not really sure what this one is about other than commenting on the question of how much reliance can be based on computers as opposed to human judgement. I also found it a bit slow. That said the performances and much of everything else are still there in good measure.
I can see how a young kid could want to be a pilot, an astronaut or aeronautical engineer after watching this. A lot of the hardware could make you drool. I really like the launch of the Lunar Module and how in operation it conforms to the realities of zero-g. Also some nice detail in the launching of the Interceptors as we see traces of what looks like residual air coming out of the launch hatch/elevators. The space shots in this pre cgi production are really nice. I also really like the Shadow Mobiles. The models in this also show a measure of weathering and even dirt which adds to their sense of realism.
I have a passing familiarity with Space 1999, so, I'm sure I watched at least an episode of it as a kid, but, I really don't remember anything about it, so, it'll be all new to me
That was actually an episode that had a couple of examples of dicey science in it. First of all, SHADO launched the probe to follow a UFO (which they chased away by making the Interceptors deliberately miss) back to the alien homeworld; unfortunately, the aliens can travel at superluminal speeds, so there's no way the probe could have followed. Then, when they received the transmissions from the probe, the pictures were allegedly useless because a malfunction resulted in there being no sense of scale-- they interspersed pictures of the alien world with pictures of microscopic structures to prove that you have to know scale to understand what you're looking at. This is as ridiculous as anything LIS ever came up with.
All I remember other than the basic premise, the pilot and Martin Landau being a pretty good lead was having a crush on the redhaired shapeshifter. After that I think I stopped paying attention to the plot.
Back in the day I felt UFO made a decent bit of pre TOS history given that we were supposed to get DY100 type ships in the 1990s. But UFO does have something of a 2001 look to it even though the continuity doesn't really match unless one considers SHADOW manages to keep the existence of aliens secret.
Well, if they could keep their entire underground complex hidden under a movie studio . . . (One of the show’s sillier conceits, BTW).
One thing I never understood was the use of military rank in the SHADO organization. Straker was addressed as Commander (a naval rank), while his subordinates all seemed to be colonels, captains or lieutenants. Was SHADO a military or quasi-military outfit, or was it a non-military agency whose members were largely recruited from the armed forces and kept their former rank as a matter of courtesy?
There was an in story rationale given for the having under a movie studio - moving SHADO stuff in an out could be disguised as movie making though the reality was it was done as a costing saving excersize.
and to make things more confusing, Straker was an Air Force Colonel.
We're never given much back ground of SHADO staff to know if they were military or what (Lt Ford who was communications was a reporter in previous life).
There's no W in SHADO.
It stands for, I think, Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization. Or maybe it was Secret Headquarters."Commander" was Straker's position, not his rank (in the same sense that a Lieutenant would be called Captain while in command of a ship). I would imagine that since SHADO involved operations on land, at sea, in the air and in space, its personnel were probably recruited from all branches of the military and maintained their regular ranks. Like NASA, although it would be something along the lines of a multi-disciplinary task force rather than a civilian organization.
SHADO = Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation
They used English spelling rather than American English. I can't recall how they pronounce "Lieutenant" on the show - "lew-ten-ant" or "lef-ten-ant".
They used English spelling rather than American English. I can't recall how they pronounce "Lieutenant" on the show - "lew-ten-ant" or "lef-ten-ant".
I vaguely remember it being American-style 'lootenant', esp as most often said by Straker/Ed Bishop.
Thanks for reminder
I just liked the idea of things not being what they seemed, which felt pretty high concept for a cheesy retro sci-fi show.
"Lef-ten-ant" is definitely uttered, e.g. in Computer Affair, as "Leftenant Ellis" when Freeman reads the report conclusion.
ETA: Straker says "Lootenant Ellis", same episode, when she first appears before him on Earth.
So, the pronunciation of "lieutenant" goes both ways in UFO.
ETA: Straker says "Lootenant Ellis", same episode, when she first appears before him on Earth.
So, the pronunciation of "lieutenant" goes both ways in UFO.
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Still enjoy this show quite a bit. Definitely had a very dark tone to it, and I think it's aged better than Space: 1999. Agree with what others have said, I'd love to see a good remake.
Same here. I'm still hopeful that the Gratzner version will get made and hit the theaters next year as planned. I also hope that the rumors about Joshua Jackson being slated to play Paul Foster are true; I think he's a good choice.
This was probably my favorite show when it was on originally, I loved everything about it including:
It'll be tough to imagine someone other than Wanda Ventham as Colonel Lake!
"Flight Path" ****
A SHADO member is blackmailed into passing on information.
A definite quasi X-Files feel to this as Straker and SHADO personnel try to figure out the significance of information passed on by a blackmailed SHADO member. I like Straker being shown trying to figure things out as well rather than just relying on the staff.
At this point there's evidently a lot of attention to detail. You can't miss how they depict people moving on the Moon. They look like they move normally or rather almost so. They often seem to move just a bit differently than they would in normal Earth gravity. Thats a nice touch of detail. There's also some gritty stuff in what is widely assumed to be a more innocent era in television.
A SHADO member is blackmailed into passing on information.
A definite quasi X-Files feel to this as Straker and SHADO personnel try to figure out the significance of information passed on by a blackmailed SHADO member. I like Straker being shown trying to figure things out as well rather than just relying on the staff.
At this point there's evidently a lot of attention to detail. You can't miss how they depict people moving on the Moon. They look like they move normally or rather almost so. They often seem to move just a bit differently than they would in normal Earth gravity. Thats a nice touch of detail. There's also some gritty stuff in what is widely assumed to be a more innocent era in television.
"Isolated" ****
A test pilot witness the destruction of a UFO and fights to prove what he saw.
Another good one as we're introduced to a test pilot who is eventually recruited by SHADO. Paul Foster won't let go as everyone tries to convince him he imagined seeing a UFO and its destruction. In the beginning I actually wondered if Straker would have had Foster killed if he couldn't sidetrack him or shut him up.
I have to say that some of the colour choices for the men's fashions are so far from what anyone would consider even remotely acceptable today.You need shades to wear this.
A test pilot witness the destruction of a UFO and fights to prove what he saw.
Another good one as we're introduced to a test pilot who is eventually recruited by SHADO. Paul Foster won't let go as everyone tries to convince him he imagined seeing a UFO and its destruction. In the beginning I actually wondered if Straker would have had Foster killed if he couldn't sidetrack him or shut him up.
I have to say that some of the colour choices for the men's fashions are so far from what anyone would consider even remotely acceptable today.You need shades to wear this.
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