WayneLigon
Adventurer
One of the things I ordered through Netflix was UFO, Disc 1. UFO, for those that never saw it, was Gerry Anderson's (he of Thunderbirds fame) first live action show. Set in the distant future time of 1980, it concerned the efforts of SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) to thwart the efforts of a dying humanoid race that had decided to use humanity as a stock of transfer organs to supplement their own failing bodies. SHADO was a top secret organization that made use of tons of cool equipment. Say anything you like about Gerry Anderson, he was and is still the king of cool vehicles and equipment. They had a moonbase, they had an AI in orbit scanning the globe, they had a fleet of submarines, they had it all.
Somewhere, I still have the Corgi toys of a SHADO Interceptor and a SHADO Mobile. I still have them because they were indestructable. They were solid steel and if you got hit by one, by God it put you out like a light. Not that that ever happened.
But the show... doesn't travel well
It's still a good show, but looking at it from 2003 makes it a little funny. The color scheme of the restaurant in episode 2 will be with me until the day I die. Imagine a cozy intimate place to eat with cozy booths and privacy walls and all that. Now color every single surface in the place either day-glo orange, yellow or red, with the occassional shimmering blue or purple. Most of the other humorous points have to do with Sylvia Anderson's futuristic costuming ideas. It's not really embarrasingly funny, but it does take some getting used to. For those of you that might have thought that the Sixties scenes from the first Austin Powers movie were over the top, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Too bad there are on;y three episodes per disc. I'll be renting more.
10 Things I Learned from Watching UFO
1. In 1980, the Neru jacket is king of the professional business attire, while the jumpsuit is the prefered relaxation suit for men and women.
2. In 1980, the beige skintight jumpsuit is the attire for the professional female alien fighter. This is however preferable to the silver miniskirt you have to wear on the Moon.
3. In 1980, all non-truck vehicles have six wheels and gull-wing doors.
4. If you serve on a submarine your choice of attire, man or woman, is a thick mesh overshirt that cannot conceal your nipples.
5. Everyone in Britain smokes.
6. If you are a SHADO Interceptor pilot, you are obviously working off some huge Karmic debt from a past life, since you're fighting a spacecraft that can move at many times the speed of light and you only have ONE missile. And it will miss.
7. In 1980, the most advanced computers on Earth still take up a huge room and use tapes.
8. A pinprick hole in your spacesuit dooms you to instant death even if you repair it.
9. Computer monitors can only show five lines of text, ever.
10. Going to the Moon turns women's hair purple.
Somewhere, I still have the Corgi toys of a SHADO Interceptor and a SHADO Mobile. I still have them because they were indestructable. They were solid steel and if you got hit by one, by God it put you out like a light. Not that that ever happened.
But the show... doesn't travel well
It's still a good show, but looking at it from 2003 makes it a little funny. The color scheme of the restaurant in episode 2 will be with me until the day I die. Imagine a cozy intimate place to eat with cozy booths and privacy walls and all that. Now color every single surface in the place either day-glo orange, yellow or red, with the occassional shimmering blue or purple. Most of the other humorous points have to do with Sylvia Anderson's futuristic costuming ideas. It's not really embarrasingly funny, but it does take some getting used to. For those of you that might have thought that the Sixties scenes from the first Austin Powers movie were over the top, you ain't seen nothing yet.Too bad there are on;y three episodes per disc. I'll be renting more.
10 Things I Learned from Watching UFO
1. In 1980, the Neru jacket is king of the professional business attire, while the jumpsuit is the prefered relaxation suit for men and women.
2. In 1980, the beige skintight jumpsuit is the attire for the professional female alien fighter. This is however preferable to the silver miniskirt you have to wear on the Moon.
3. In 1980, all non-truck vehicles have six wheels and gull-wing doors.
4. If you serve on a submarine your choice of attire, man or woman, is a thick mesh overshirt that cannot conceal your nipples.
5. Everyone in Britain smokes.
6. If you are a SHADO Interceptor pilot, you are obviously working off some huge Karmic debt from a past life, since you're fighting a spacecraft that can move at many times the speed of light and you only have ONE missile. And it will miss.
7. In 1980, the most advanced computers on Earth still take up a huge room and use tapes.
8. A pinprick hole in your spacesuit dooms you to instant death even if you repair it.
9. Computer monitors can only show five lines of text, ever.
10. Going to the Moon turns women's hair purple.
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