RE: TV SF's glorious past ;-) - Reply

Simon wrote:

>It [UFO] was made in 1975, and you wouldn't think 'five
>years from now' was very Sci-fi.

Try _10_ years from now. UFO was actually made around 1969-70, and the
primary SF aspect was the aliens, not the earthlings -- except, maybe,
Moonbase, FTL communications, etc., is all rather futuristic.

>Equally odd that everything in it (with the possible exception
>of the submersible & jet fighter) was actually feasible in 1980.

Um, no -- depends on what you term feasible, I guess. We could have
built a
Moonbase by then, and Mach 4 SSTs, but FTL communications (the
"Utronics"
equipment from Monday's episode) are still very much theory. Actually,
the
sub-launched fighter is the most feasible piece of equipment of the lot,
with the
possible exception of the Mobiles. There have been sub-launched aircraft
since
World War I! They just haven't been mounted on the front of the sub up
till now...

>But why did those Interceptors have one missile? And why 
>did they have wings, for that matter?

The short, cynical answer to the great one-missile question, which has
chewed
up Mb upon Mb in such forums as the UFO mailing list, is that, that way,
the
UFOs can get through at times, so that episodes can have plots set on
Earth.

Oh, and those things on the side of the Interceptors aren't wings,
they're landing
gear struts!

>I had one of those interceptor toys with the spring-loaded missile
>when I was about 6. Now how old do you feel?

I've still got mine. And the Mobile. And the SHADO car. I know how old I
am -- I
just don't worry about it. Being an adult with kids means that you get
to have the
same sort of fun with stuff like UFO as you did 25 years ago, but you've
got
more control over the budget, and you can _really_ appreciate the
Moonbase
gals this time around. Not to mention Ayshea...

Phil, getting to see UFO in colour for the first time
      -- oh, those purple wigs!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"I think... I think I am!	     |	  I think _I_ am:
 Therefore I am... I think..?"	     |	   Phil Atcliffe  
   -- The Moody Blues		     |	(p-atclif@uwe.ac.uk)