Re: episode discussions: Close Up

It's definately not the WORST episode from UFO, but personally I reckon
they'd've been better not to cut eth extra scenes on Moonbase from the
scripts - It made a lot more sense of the scene between Straker and Ellis if
you saw the problems she was ahving adjusting to her command, and some of
the drawn-out footage of, say, the NASA launch could have been omitted to
allow time. Or the completely pointless scenes on SkyDiver at the
beginning.

Also, does anybody else see something slightly suspicious in that Kelley was
the one to prepare the camera systems that ultimately failed? He doesn't
get his funding for his microphotography - then the B142 probe mysteriously
fails to transmit all it's data, and Kelley's project just 'happens' to
demonstrate this? All a bit dodgy.

Jessica




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Hi All :)

>"" ...Also, does anybody else see something slightly suspicious in that
Kelley was
>the one to prepare the camera systems that ultimately failed? He doesn't
>get his funding for his microphotography - then the B142 probe mysteriously
>fails to transmit all it's data, and Kelley's project just 'happens' to
>demonstrate this? All a bit dodgy... Jessica""

----------

Yes, I've had this thought ever since I first saw Close Up - why else even
mention the budget aspect to the story? In fact, I was just about to forward
this suspicion, but Jessica beat me to it :) Hi Jessica :)

As I have said before, personally I prefer the first set of episodes as
opposed to some of the weird and wacky second set; I like their stark,
ascetic, chique, and straightforwardness. Their clean, cool and
matter-of-factness somehow accentuates the sinister aspects of UFO.

I know Close Up has a load of technological flaws, but I like to watch and
appreciate UFO for what it is (in its own little universe) and mentally edit
out these oversights.

One of these of the electron-telescope itself - the idea for the telescope
has been extrapolated from the simplified workings of an electron
microscope. But again there is a difficulty with this approach. Normal
optical - whether analogue optical or CCD enhanced - telescopes are passive
devices - they purely receive light (from infra to ultraviolet) and images
are made from the resultant intensities. Straker implies that the
electron-telescope scans an area. I interpret this to mean that the
telescope sends out electrons that are bounced back and interpreted into
images, much like radar imaging or in an electron-microscope. This approach
would not work, and also there would be no benefit to this approach, as
opposed to optical (infrared (thermal) thru to ultraviolet) or radar
imaging. Also, magnifications of 2500 were nothing special even in 1969.

Another possible flaw is the fact that at the start of the episode, there is
already a B142 satellite in Earth's orbit with a working electron telescope.
How did SHADO get that one in orbit? How did SHADO get that B142 funded,
launched without the Astro-Space Commission getting involved, or indeed
their approval? ...it's these little niggles in logic that really should
have been thought through from the beginning...

There are others, but I'll ignore them... I like Close Up for what it is
(warts and all). The weird relationship (?) between Straker and Ellis
intrigues me, and I simply love the scene when Paul Foster walks in on
Straker and Ellis... the look on his face :) ha ha... great stuff!!! Also,
there is a lot of tension in this episode, personal, cronological,
technical... I think it's okay :)

Finally... Keith Ford finally makes it to Moonbase... Straker must have a
quiet grudging respect to have awarded him this responsibility and need for
his assistance.. ;)

Later,

Griff

ps. I can't bear to touch on STS-107 Columbia - my heart goes out to them
all. I believe President Bush was right oon, when he vowed the tragedy would
not mean the end of the space program: "The cause in which they died will
continue."

I don't think you can for sure say Kelly did it out of spite. The
Hubble Space Telescope cost $1.5 Billion dollars and it did work right
because the mirror was not ground correctly.
Yes, would have like to see more of what was going one with Ellis.

James K.


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