UFO (1970)

[ulthar]

I watched this show with my Dad when I was about 7 years old.  I remember all my friends watched it, too.  For many years, I've missed it - really missed it.  Got the Volume 1 DVD from NF the other day, and man, what a joy to watch!  I will be buying the full set for my own collection.

For those that have not seen this 1970's alien paranoia TV show, the premise hangs around the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization, aka SHADO.  The SHADO folks protect the earth from UFO's (which they pronounce "yoo-fo"), that are silver-metallic spinning craft.  The idea is simple.  The alien race, very very similar to earth humans, come here to harvest our organs for transplants.  This gives the aliens a sinister purpose, but for the most part they look just like us.  You can extrapolate any racial/ethnic undercurrents to that that you wish.

The first episode, "Identified," lays the premise and introduces us to the main characters, as well as much of the FX scenes used repeatedly in later episodes.  We open with two young lady's and a man who get attacked by one of the alien beings; the man is the sole survivor, and I believe we later meet him as the pilot of Sky 1 - a rather cool submarine launched rocket propelled aircraft.

My favorite in 1970, and my favorite now, however, is the Moon Base and the Moon Interceptors.  I remember building lego models of them when I was a kid!

This show is considered by many to have been years ahead of its time.  The production is very stylized 70s-ish but trying to be "in the future" (the show takes place in 1980 - they took some leaps in predicting 1980's tech, and got a few close, like the appearance of early cordless phones and in-car phones).  The acting and dialog is serious but not heavy handed and usually not melodramatic. The show presents some serious questions, as good sci-fi should.  For instance, is it right to manipulate a man to go on a suicide mission, even if he is a traitor feeling guilt about his betrayal?  Or should we blindly trust computers to make decisions for us?

UFO is not a shoot-em-up, explosion every thirty seconds modern era 'sci fi,' and may not appeal to all that well to younger audiences.  Indeed, as Gerry Anderson (creator, director Ep. 1 Identified) commented, the pacing is a bit slow.  FX are pretty good, with heavy use of models.  But let's be honest - these models and their 'fit' in the show are fantastic.  UFO provides dynamic visuals, complete with all the out-there 70's colors in everything, ranging from Straker's office bar to the purple hair of the female members of the Moon Base Crew.

And finally, for those that have not seen UFO, I've got two words that should convince you:  Gabrielle Drake (aka Lt. Gay Ellis).

[Scott]

I remember watching episodes of SPACE 1999 more and just a little bit of UFO the TV series.

UFO TV SERIES

In the late 70's they had PROJECT UFO which was kind of a bummer of a TV series based on the goverment Project Blue Book. UFO's, Bigfoot, and even Atlantis where good TV and Movie subject matter of the 70's. Especially remember the IN SEARCH OF series with Lenard Nimoy.

[ulthar]

Yeah, Space 1999 took some of the thunder away from UFO.  But, there were some true innovations with UFO.  For example,

They custom built a timing apparatus that linked the cameras to tv monitors that would be on-screen.  This allowed those on-screen monitors to not flip or 'flicker' due to non-synchronized vertical retracing.  If you watch UFO, you'll notice none of the monitors 'flip' (including radar scopes and video 'phones' etc).  That's some pretty serious hardware for a low budget TV show in 1970.

They showed women in high-ranking military leadership roles (Lt. Ellis as the Moon Base commander, for example).  Gerry Anderson claimed he could 'see this coming' in western society, and since the show took place in the future, he grabbed the chance to show it.  Star Trek ToS showed women and minorities and everybody all working together, but the executive leadership of the ship/star fleet was all men (later changed, of course, in TNG).

Wasn't Space: 1999 more of a soap opera?  I'm trying to remember.  I was not a fan of that show when it first aired - not like I was with UFO.  UFO was true Sci Fi in the classic sense.

[trekgeezer]

 I like all of Gerry Anderson's stuff, even the marionettes. They did some really spectacular model work.

[Scott]

Even for me SPACE 1999 was slow with a lot of talking from what I remember, but I always watched the opening intro to the show because I thought it was really neat then maybe a few watched a few minutes of the show then turned the channel. I was to young perhaps. It wasn't STAR TREK, but the intro always had me tuning in for while. Don't remember any of the storylines. Must have been about 10 years old and they must have been reruns at the time.

[Alan Smithee]

The Sci-Fi channel used to show episodes of this show. Last Xmas, I bought myself a couple of the more recent diecast toys of the space fighter and ufo. Well made collectibles.