Welcome to The Chopping Block, a miniseries dedicated to
television shows that showed great potential but were cancelled way too soon
before reaching their pinnacle of perfection. In honor of its 50th Anniversary,
here is a retrospective of UFO; a phenomenal science fiction series, gone way
too soon!
UFO (1969–1970)
What happens when you broadcast a series that comes off like
some hybrid of S.H.I.E.L.D meets The X-Files? Well, that would be the British
Sci Fi cult series UFO of course.
The Premise
Developed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds,
Captain Scarlet), UFO chronicles the exploits of a highly secret military
organization is set up in the hope of defending the Earth from alien threats.
In the future, Mankind is threatened by an alien race who kidnap and kill
humans for use of body parts. The secret organization commissioned to stop the
Aliens is named SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization) and
operates from a secret location beneath a film studio. They also operate a
fleet of submarines and have a base on the moon as well as an early warning
satellite (SID) that detects inbound UFOs.
The setting takes place sometime in the future: 1980 to be
exact (Note: this series was filmed during 1969-1970 therefore, the 80's were
perceived as a highly sophisticated decade when it came to advancement in
technology along with futuristic fashion statements and trends).
SHADO is led by Commander Ed Straker, an American military
officer who experienced an encounter with a UFO (pronounced "You-foh")
when his convoy was ambushed when revealing classified information about the
aliens. Under Straker’s command are Alec Freeman and Colonel Paul Foster
(Michael Billington). The latter was a former test pilot whose plane was
critically damaged when SHADO's Sky One intercepted and destroyed a UFO within proximity
to Foster's jet. His subsequent persistent investigation of the incident
threatened to expose SHADO's existence and Straker considered having him
killed, but instead was impressed enough with Foster to offer him a position
with SHADO.
As George Sewell, who played Freeman, departed the series
(along with a few notable actors Mark Baird, Gabrille Drake, Keith Alexander
and Peter Gordino) during post studio productions, Billington’s Paul Foster had
a more prominent part during the remaining episodes and instantly became
Straker’s protégé. It is revealed during the first episode; Identified, that
the aliens have arrived on Earth to collect human organs to sustain their species.
Fast forward a few more episodes and we learn that they are from a dying planet
thus offering further explanation of why they committed heinous actions. As the
series had gained its momentum during the second half of the season, the
stories became more fascinating.
The Look and Hook of the Series
Straker poses as a movie studio executive of Harlan-Straker
Studios. However, underneath the studio lot lies SHADO's underground base. And to
protect Earth while keeping watch of impending "close encounters," SHADO's
Moonbase deploys three interceptor crafts, each armed with a highly explosive
torpedo capable of destroying the alien spacecraft.
Among the cool vehicles used throughout the series, my
favorite goes to Skydiver; a submersible base that can jettison an Aircraft
(Sky 1) to intercept a UFO once it arrives on Earth. Should a UFO also avoid
this and manages to land it can be tracked and destroyed by a group of Mobiles
(armored vehicles equipped with Rockets) deployed immediately on site
With all these fascinating aesthetics, it wouldn't be
possible if not for the brilliant SFX Genius that was Derek Meddings, (007
Films, Superman, Batman) who cut his teeth conjuring spectacular practical
effects and vehicle designs that were cool before CGI became all the rage.
Besides the special effects and the eclectic but “out-there” soundtrack
courtesy of composer Barry Gray there were also interesting set pieces and
futuristic designs such as the Gulf Wing cars, a studio exec office that
doubles as a hydraulic elevator and a female moonbase staff dressed in silver
catsuits and purple wigs, just to name a few of the Anderson's perceived take
on the future.
Speaking of which, UFO had quite the selection of beautiful
women that nearly rivaled most of the Bond girls during the era of the Sixties
and Seventies. Most notably was Col. Virginia Lake (played by Wanda Ventham of
Sherlock who is actually Benedict Cumberbatch's Mother in real life.), Ayshea, Lt. Gay Ellis and especially Lt. Nina Barry who during the
2nd half of UFO, became the new Moonbase Commander.
What I love most about UFO, is how the Andersons weren't
afraid to take any chances when it came to taking on topics that may have been controversial
during the early seventies era: Women in superior roles, interracial
relationships, adultery or life and death decisions that pushed the envelope. As
if that was not enough, there’s sexual innuendo, drug abuse, attempted rape and
nihilistic endings made it more than obvious that this series was aimed toward
a mature demographic. And to be honest, it is the stories that were the strength
of this series. Prior to UFO, Anderson has been mostly associated with
producing children series like Stingray and of course Thunderbirds. So, it was a
completely different turn from his previous work.
The lead protagonist Ed Straker, is an overly complex man who goes against that Sci fi hero archetype. Straker is willing to sacrifice both his personal life and the ones he loves most to stop alien threats, as demonstrated in A Question of Priorities and Confetti Check A-Ok. Straker unlike Captain Kirk, could not be seduced as easily as seen in The Responsibility Seat. This episode tackled current topics like the "MeToo" movement. During the latter episodes, Col. Virginia Lake had more screen presence almost to the point of replacing Paul Foster as Straker's right hand man..er, Woman. This was a progressive move, considering how many female roles were not as prominent during that era.
Stalk's Picks o' the Litter
Question of Priorities: Straker faces a terrible decision:
attend to an alien defector or deliver life-saving medicine to his critically
injured son.
Identified: SHADO officially
goes into operation and encounters its first UFO. An alien pilot is captured
and discovered to have a shocking revelation!
Psychobombs: The aliens target SHADO’s operations by
transforming three humans into brainwashed walking bombs that ends with a tragic
finale.
Timelash: Time stands still at the film studio and SHADO
HQ for everyone but Straker, Colonel Lake and an enigmatic enemy who has ulterior
motives.
Reflections in the Water: Straker and Foster investigate an
undersea alien base that mirrors SHADO Headquarters and its personnel.
The Square Triangle: SHADO
and an alien find themselves amid a murderous romantic triangle that ends in a disturbing
credits scene.
Ordeal: Colonel
Foster is abducted by the Aliens. (A Bait and switch episode, but still fun.)
Survival: Foster is
stranded on the Moon, where he experiences a “close encounter” of another kind.
The Computer Affair: A
SHADO investigation reveals that romance may be thwarting Moonbase operations.
Sub Smash: With the
Skydiver submarine damaged and unable to surface, Straker is left face his
claustrophobia and past traumas!
The Long Sleep: A woman awakening from a decade-long coma sparks a hunt for an alien bomb. Note:This episode was delayed due to scenes of drug abuse and is perceived by many to be the
final episode. Judging by the ending it should have been.
UFOh-No!
Gerry Anderson had proposed a format in which the SHADO
Moonbase had been greatly enlarged to become the organization’s main
headquarters, thus pre-production on UFO 2 began with research and design for
the new Moonbase, vehicles, outfits and so forth. Unfortunately, when ratings
for the syndicated broadcasts in America dropped towards the end of the run,
ITC lost confidence and had cancelled plans for the second season.
Unwilling to let the UFO 2 pre-production work go to
waste, Anderson instead proposed ITC with a brand new concept that is unrelated
to UFO, in which the Moon would be blown out of Earth orbit thus
taking the Moonbase survivors with it. This series would be known as Space:
1999.
With all abrupt cancellations, there remained a few unanswered
plot threads and there were quite a few from this series: Whether Foster's
brainwashing from the aliens (Kill Straker!) may reoccur and if so, what will
happen? Will he succeed at "Killing Straker" or die trying? At the
very end of the episode The Long Sleep, we see Virginia Lake comforting Ed, as
they leave the hospital. Is this a sign of a potential romance between the two
SHADO superior officers? Who lives? Who dies? Did Straker, with the aid of
SHADO, finally manage to tattoo the aliens once and for all? What planet did
the aliens come from and what of their species, societies and where the green women at??
ForeSHADOwing
If you ask me, UFO was canned way too soon especially after
the series had found its legs. Not only was UFO influential, but one of
the things I loved the most about UFO, is how it foreshadowed the trends and
events that has happened or is still current. For example:
- Spacecraft launched from an aircraft as in the episode "Computer Affair".
- Extensive use of computers in day-to-day life, even to the extent of predicting and analyzing human behavior.
- Electronic fingerprint scanning and identification against a database.
- Voice print identification systems: also, vocal analysis used to identify individuals in the same way as fingerprints.
- Metadata and a space observatory (called an "electron telescope"), as shown in the episode "Close Up".
- The episode "Survival" indicates that racial prejudice will have "burned itself out" on Earth in the mid-1970s, a prediction which unfortunately was not proven to be true.
- UFO also featured episodes dealing with issues that would become topical in later years, such as space junk and the disposal of toxic waste.
- Cordless telephones - The three telephones on Straker's office desk had no cords between the handsets and the base.
- MP3 Music Players – In "Court Martial," Straker's secretary Mrs. Ealand, has one playing on her desk.
- Liposuction – In "Ordeal," the doctor threatens, "When all else fails, I'll remove that blab around your middle surgically!"
- There's even a scene in Mindbender, where Straker is notified of a UFO sighting via 5x5' text messaging screen!
Sometime after its cancellation, UFO garnered a sizable cult
following and is forever perceived as a very innovative science fiction series.
There have been constant rumors of a live action Movie adaptation but as
with many proposed TV and film projects, UFO falls within the category of
development hell.
Also unfortunate, is that most of the cast from UFO are no longer among us. This article is dedicated to the memory of those whose contributions made this series both timeless and overwhelming.
Legacy
Although Gerry Anderson's UFO had a very short lifespan, it still remains a cult favorite among science fiction enthusiasts and has influenced other mediums within entertainment. You can tell by watching the intro of Neon Genesis Evangelion, that they were inspired by UFO as well as the popular Videogame series, X-Com
Someone call Marty Abrams of MEGO and have him produce these figures! "Meee, want"!!
