UFO is Gerry Anderson’s 26 episode science fiction series that
originally aired from 1970 to 1971 in the United Kingdom and Canada followed by
U.S. syndication in 1972 and 1973. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson worked together to
create some of the most memorable children’s shows in the U.K., including Supercar (1961-1962), Fireball XL5 (1961-1962), Stingray (1964-1965),
Thunderbirds (1965-1966), Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967-1968),
and Joe 90 (1968-1969). All the shows
are science fiction-based and feature high-quality models as well as the
Andersons’ own "Supermarionation" marionette puppetry, lauded at the
time, but an antiquated technique compared to today’s digital technology.
UFO was a radical departure for the Andersons. Not only was it
live-action, but the storylines were decidedly adult-oriented. Adultery,
murder, betrayal, deception, and relationship problems were all on the table.
The decision was also practical as well. Special effects are expensive and time
consuming, particularly when models are involved. Dramatic, adult-oriented
storylines balanced out the budget; however, they also had the effect of
slowing down the action and alienating the Andersons’ young fan base.
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| Interceptors ready to launch! |
Synopsis
The action of the series takes
place ten years in the then future of 1980. Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop,
who also had a small part in 2001, A
Space Odyssey), with his distinctive styled white hair, turtlenecks, and
Nehru jackets, runs SHADO, an alien-fighting organization whose name is an
acronym for Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization. As the name
alludes to, SHADO operates sub rosa, under the pretense of being a film studio,
and in typical “Men in Black” fashion maintains its secrecy at all costs, even
if it means risking innocent civilian lives. This is a theme repeated throughout
the series and deaths are not infrequent occurrences.
The limitations of the special
effects of the times, as well as the cost involved, forced the Andersons to
base many of the stories in terrestrial settings with wholly human problems.
Paranoia, betrayal, and mistrust are common to many scripts. The endings are
often dark with an ambiguous resolution. Permeating everything, however, is the
mystery of the aliens themselves. No stories are told from their perspective.
We learn very little about them, who they really are, what they call
themselves, or their home planet. We know they are desperate and are mining
organs from humans to sustain their dying race, but little beyond that is
revealed.
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| The aliens breathed an oxygenated green liquid and seldom communicated with humans. |
Production Notes
The opening theme
by composer Barry Gray is a classic in a genre that can loosely be defined as
“Action Jazz” — a tight ensemble with horns and keyboards producing a
fast-paced intro grounded with a recurrent melody. The video montage
establishes what the series is about and highlights the special effects.
It’s typical of some action shows of the era, such as Mission Impossible and in the successor series to UFO, Space: 1999, whose theme was also
composed by Gray. The opening credits are woven into the early scenes of an
episode after the theme, giving time for a slow reveal.
The closing credits theme to UFO, also by
Gray, is an underrated piece deserving of more attention. It is a departure
from the other work Gray has done for Anderson. Rather than a fast-paced,
action-oriented piece like the intro, it is an ambient sound bed, tinged with a
bit of mystery, that slowly builds to a dramatic crescendo. It is more reminiscent of Brian Eno’s ambient
work than a theme for sci-fi TV series, but it complements the often somber
endings.
UFO was also ahead of its time in terms of the social issues dealt
with in the scripts. Divorce, drug use, and even interracial relationships turn
up. In the episode Computer Affair,
the frequently purple-wigged Lt. Gay Ellis (Gabrielle Drake) makes a command
decision to save her lover, Lt. Mark Bradley (Harry Baird), at the cost of
another man’s life. As Lt. Ellis faces the fallout from her decision,
throughout the entire episode the fact she is white and Bradley is black is not
even mentioned. In the future, interracial relationships are not an issue.
Meanwhile, in the United States interracial marriage was still illegal in 17
states until 1967, just four years before the airing of this episode. For the time, the Andersons’ approach to this
issue was ground-breaking.
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| SID — The ever-watchful Space Intruder Detector. |
Legacy
Based on initially positive U.S.
ratings, the distributor, ITC Entertainment, approved development of a second
series, but with the caveat that it take place entirely on the Moon. This was a
response to improving the pacing and ratings of the show by shifting the focus
to the more popular elements of the series — the spacecraft models and special
effects. Unfortunately, U.S. ratings dropped in the second half of season one,
which led to ITC cancelling work on season two. The Andersons salvaged their
ideas for their new series, Space:
1999 (1975-1977). Due to this connection, many fans regard both series as
inhabiting the same "universe." The late 1990s and early 2000s saw
several efforts to revive the series on TV, and a feature film was under
development for a planned 2013 release; however, all these efforts fell
through.
The Andersons attention on the
series’ overall production design and special effects left an enduring
impression on sci-fi. The spacecraft model designs, influenced by 2001, A Space Odyssey, remain highly
regarded nearly fifty years later. The adult story content was on a level
beyond that of Star Trek and established
that both the genre and the Andersons were capable of far more than expected.
Nevertheless, the show, caught in the middle-ground between being an
action-oriented children's show and an adult-oriented drama, never quite
satisfied both. UFO’s weakness,
however, lay in the dialog, which tends to be a bit too expository. While this
is a problem endemic to sci-fi as a genre, it slowed down the pacing for a
show’s young audience. ITC addressed these problems by requiring the
aforementioned move to the Moon for the never-realized second season, which in
turn led to the more successful, if equally troubled, Space: 1999.
As Space: 1999 was being cancelled in 1977 Star Wars was just getting started, and the Andersons' previous
sci-fi shows soon paled in comparison. Nevertheless, UFO and Space: 1999 set a
standard in mature themes, realistic sci-fi modeling, season-long story arcs, and
unified production design for future shows to emulate.
UFO Series Episode Guide
Descriptions by G. Jack Urso.
SHADO’s first operation results in capturing an alien and
discovering the secret of their existence — transplanted human organs.
Episode 2: Exposed | Original UK Airdate: September 23, 1970 | Production Order: 5
Civilian test pilot Paul Foster accidently witnesses a SHADO
operation and is given a choice — either join SHADO with their groovy outfits
and foxy ladies or die! Hmm . . . what to do . . . what to do . . .
Episode 3: The Cat with Ten Lives | Original UK Airdate: September 30, 1970 | Production Order: 19
A cat under control by the aliens puts a SHADO interceptor
pilot under a hypnotic spell.
Episode 4: Conflict | Original UK Airdate: October 7, 1970 | Production Order: 6
After a Lunar Module is destroyed, Shado moves to destroy
space junk in Earth orbit.
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| SHADO Moonbase — Ready for operations! |
Episode 5: A Question of Priorities | Original UK Airdate: October 14, 1970 |
Production Order: 8
Straker must decide whether to use Shado’s resources to
investigate an alien defector or deliver life-saving medicine to his hospitalized
son.
Episode 6: E.S.P.
| Original UK Airdate: October 21, 1970 | Production Order: 15
A psychic comes under control by the aliens.
Episode 7: Kill Straker! | Original UK Airdate: November 4, 1970 | Production Order: 16
Alien’s use mind control to take over Paul Foster and his
lunar module co-pilot, Captain Frank Craig, and order them to assassinate Straker.
Episode 8: Sub-Smash | Original UK Airdate: November 11, 1970 | Production Order: 17
A damaged Skydiver submarine stuck on the bottom of the
ocean forces Straker to deal with his claustrophobia.
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| Skydiver on patrol. |
Episode 9: Destruction | Original UK Airdate: December 2, 1970
| Production Order: 20
A Royal Navy destroyer dumping highly toxic nerve gas into
the sea comes under attack by a UFO that wants to release the gas into the
atmosphere.
Episode 10: The Square Triangle | Original UK Airdate: December 9, 1970 | Production Order: 11
While tracking down an alien, SHADO uncovers a murder plot.
A man and a woman having an affair plan to kill the woman’s husband and make it
look like an accident. Straker must decide whether to risk revealing SHADO’s
existence or allowing the lovers to carry out their plan.
Episode 11: Close Up | Original UK Airdate: December 16, 1970 | Production Order: 13
SHADO sends a satellite to take a close look at the alien
home world — too close a look.
Episode 12: The Psychobombs | Original UK Airdate: December 30, 1970 | Production Order: 22
A UFO reprograms the minds of three humans, giving them
super strength and turning them into bombs.
Episode 13: Survival | Original UK Airdate: January 6, 1971
| Production Order: 4
Paul Foster and an alien are stranded on the Moon and the
two enemies must work together to survive.
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| Straker’s car — Custom-built by Derek Meddings. |
Episode 14: Mindbender | Original UK Airdate: January 13, 1971
| Production Order: 25
An alien crystal causes hallucinations at SHADO HQ, and not
even Straker is immune!
Episode 15: Flight Path | Original UK Airdate: January 20,
1971 | Production Order: 3
In an attempt to strike at Moonbase unchallenged, the alien’s
use a mind-controlled SHADO operative to feed false data to SID (the Space
Intruder Detector).
Episode 16: The Man Who Came Back | Original UK
Airdate: February 3, 1971| Production
Order: 21
A SHADO pilot disappears while on a mission to repair SID,
but later returns — under alien control!
Episode 17: The Dalotek Affair | Original UK Airdate: February
10, 1971| Production Order: 7
The source of communications blackouts at Moonbase are
identified as coming from a corporate-owned mining base whose personnel discovered
an alien jamming device.
Episode 18: Timelash | Original UK Airdate: February 17,
1971 | Production Order: 24
An alien operative uses a device to make time stand still
for everyone but Straker and Colonel Lake.
Episode 19: Ordeal | Original UK Airdate: April 24, 1971 |
Production Order: 9
Paul Foster gets drunk at a party and is abducted by aliens.
Foster endures an attempt to transform him into an alien, but is it real? Note:
3:43 to 4:35 muted to remove the Beatles "Get Back" from the
soundtrack and avoid a copyright violation.
Episode 20: Court Martial | Original UK Airdate: May 1, 1971 | Production Order: 12
When Col. Paul Foster is identified as the source of a
security leak, he is tried and sentenced to death.
Episode 21: Computer Affair | Original UK Airdate: May 15, 1971
| Production Order: 2
During an alien attack on Moonbase, Lt. Gay Ellis breaks
protocol to save a pilot she is in love with. To prove she is impartial, she
must put his life at risk. Note: This is one of the first TV episodes to
feature an interracial romance, which is further highlighted by the fact that
the race of the two actors is not mentioned nor made a focus of in the story.
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| SHADO Moonmobile. |
Episode 22: Confetti Check A-O.K. | Original UK Airdate: July 10, 1971 | Production Order: 14
In this flashback episode, which recalls events shortly
after SHADO is set up, Straker is forced to keep secret the alien’s existence
from his wife who suspects him of having an affair.
Episode 23: The Sound of Silence | Original UK Airdate: July 17, 1971 | Production Order: 18
An investigation into a missing equestrian leads SHADO to
the alien who abducted him.
Episode 24: Reflections in the Water | Original
UK Airdate: July 24, 1971 | Production Order: 23
SHADO discovers an underwater alien base and a plot to
create doubles to infiltrate the organization.
Episode 25: The Responsibility Seat | Original
UK Airdate: March 8, 1973 | Production
Order: 10
While Straker investigates a reporter who planted a
listening device in his office, he leaves Col. Alec Freeman in charge, who
gains a new appreciation for the decisions Starker makes on a daily basis.
Episode 26: The Long Sleep | Original UK Airdate: March 15, 1973 | Production Order: 26
A woman in a coma for ten years suddenly wakes up and
reveals that she and a boy she was with witnessed aliens planting a bomb. The
boy is back, having not aged a day, and ready to set off the bomb.
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