THE DALOTEK AFFAIR

Hi all,

I think we set a new record -- a week ago I announced that THE
DALOTEK AFFAIR as our UFO episode up for discussion, and in the past
week I've seen *zero* messages about it.

We've still got another week left to discuss this episode, so
hopefully we can get some sort of discussion going!

Marc

I was lucky enough to get three boxes of the UFO trading figures.
Therefore I have some spare to trade, at least one each [apart from
the lovely Ms Ellis -who I'm holding onto]

I think the prices being obtained on Ebay for these is plain crazy. So
I would like to trade my spares [which are boxed and sealed] for the
remainder of Konami Thunderbirds [Vol 1&2] figures I need.

I need one each of the following:

Fireflash
TB-2
The Helijet
Fab 1
The Elevator Car
The Rescue Vehicle

I also need the two figure the good Lady and her Butler but as I'm not
offering up a Ellis figure. I reasoned it was not fair to ask, or more
like it no one in there right mind would want to swap. But if for some
strange reason feel inclined I'm open :D

Marty.........

PS The Dalotek Affair my favourite episode [I always thought it would
make a great name for a revivalist Psych rock band]

Hi all,

Thought I'd share a few thoughts about our latest UFO episode: The Dalotek
Affair.

I must say that I enjoyed this episode very much -- a nice change from the
previous episodes we've been reviewing. From the opening scene to the ending,
I thought this was a well-done episode.

I loved the "mod" restaurant that opens (and closes) the episode -- I also
like that we are taken through the episode in flashback fashion - a nice
departure from previous episodes.

Other things I loved:

- the double entendre for the episode title <g>
- Interesting story/mystery -- those aliens are tricky as Michael pointed out
in a previous review.
- The nicely played "stud" aspect of Paul Foster. I loved the scene in
Moonbase when Foster is asking out Jane Carson (Dalotek operative)for some
"fettuccine" (loved the way it rolled off his tongue, too!) and Moonbase
operative Harrington pretends to not hear it (and not act jealous!)
- the special effects were pretty decent as usual. I thought the space ship
blowing up after going off course was a bit overdone (explosion-wise) but well
done tension-wise. I didn't know till the end that it wasn't going to make it.
- the penultimate and final scenes were very well done. I could really feel
for Foster losing Jane in the continuing war against the aliens. I really
loved the way the episode ended with Foster talking to Jane in the restaurant.
BTW, did anyone notice that the music used while they showed Foster and Jane
kissing was the same library music used for Sandra and Paul on the Moon's
surface in "Last Sunset"?

Things I didn't like:

- is SHADO secret or not? If so, then why did Foster wear a uniform with
"SHADO" on it? I did like the idea that the Dalotek people were told Moonbase
was part of the military --- but, but --- don't they question it when they get
back to Earth? I'm not talking about the end scene when they get the amnesia
drug. I'm talking about in general -- wouldn't the Dalotek people question why
the military has a Moonbase? Or do Earth people know?
- the "mod" Dalotek moonbase -- yikes! I wasn't too convinced they were on the
Moon!
- the usual "regular gravity" on the Moon's surface complaint

I think we're going into an upswing period in terms of story and acting.

Overall: B-

Anthony
-------------------------
Come visit me at:

http://www.tony-island.com

A while back there was some debate on the finish of the UFO. This was
pertinant for "us" model makers.

I have recently come across a photo which I'm I believe will rest some
of the discussion.

I have two photo's which clearly in indicate the arms holding the
paddles are made out of a clear material, probably cut from perspex
sheet. The next is less definative, but from the photo's I have the
front of the paddles are highly polished, the back appear not to be.
This would make sense, as for filming effect as having a refelective
finish to the back of the paddles would have no discernable effect.
The central cone is grooved and has a duller finish. So I believe the
only area were silver tape could have been applied was the front of
the paddles. The perspex under filming conditions would have been just
as refelctive when spinning. So those of you making a model donn't
have the tiresome job of either polishing the whole model with SnJ or
applying masses of silver tape.

Marty......


Space Belongs To The Rich......... Moon Zero Two, Out.

"Anthony D" wrote:

> - is SHADO secret or not? If so, then why did Foster wear a uniform
> with "SHADO" on it? I did like the idea that the Dalotek people were
> told Moonbase was part of the military --- but, but --- don't they
> question it when they get back to Earth? I'm not talking about the
> end scene when they get the amnesia drug. I'm talking about in
> general -- wouldn't the Dalotek people question why the military has
> a Moonbase? Or do Earth people know?

Not only that but Straker - who is reasonably well-known as the
head of a film studio - personally holds a videoconference with
one of the head honchos at Dalotek, to talk about their
operations on the Moon.

James Gibbon <[hidden email]> wrote:
"Anthony D" wrote:

> - is SHADO secret or not? If so, then why did Foster wear a uniform
> with "SHADO" on it? I did like the idea that the Dalotek people were
> told Moonbase was part of the military --- but, but --- don't they
> question it when they get back to Earth? I'm not talking about the
> end scene when they get the amnesia drug. I'm talking about in
> general -- wouldn't the Dalotek people question why the military has
> a Moonbase? Or do Earth people know?

Not only that but Straker - who is reasonably well-known as the
head of a film studio - personally holds a videoconference with
one of the head honchos at Dalotek, to talk about their
operations on the Moon.
Through out the show, SHADO seemed to have an idenity crisis. I can remebember when they put Foster on "Trial" for selling SHADO secrets to the press, and yet their are times when Mobiles openly unload from marked SHADO aircraft onto to military bases.

This kind of behavior is all too common in some "Secret" oganizations. Thunderbirds had a show where they were thought to be spies, and hunted by the British and Americans, yet they couldn't find Thunderbird Five in orbit. One wonders how the Weekly (Monthly?) supply runs to Moonbase are concealed? We couldn't hide the F-117 Stealth while testing it here at Area 51, how the hell do you hide a rocket launch?







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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>One wonders how the Weekly (Monthly?) supply runs to Moonbase are concealed?

One gets the impression that in UFO's version of 1980, space flights
are somewhat routine, so that nobody would really be paying that much
attention.

Marc

On 12 Nov 2002 Robert Thomas <[hidden email]> posted:

<< Not only that but Straker - who is reasonably well-known as the
head of a film studio - personally holds a videoconference with
one of the head honchos at Dalotek, to talk about their
operations on the Moon.>>

Obviously the writer presumed that nobody would link a military
commander to a film studio head. Of course, Straker could
always state that he was an active USAF reservist, and the
Dalotek leader would never think twice about the matter.

<< Through out the show, SHADO seemed to have an idenity crisis.
I can remebember when they put Foster on "Trial" for selling SHADO
secrets to the press, and yet their are times when Mobiles openly
unload from marked SHADO aircraft onto to military bases. >>

Perhaps the assumption was that all vehicles on a military base
are military, and that 'SHADO' must be just another RAF/USAF/NATO
unit. But I suspect you will be amused upon viewing the military
roadblock sequence in "E.S.P."

On a similar vein, Marc Martin answered the following question:

>> One wonders how the Weekly (Monthly?) supply runs to
>> Moonbase are concealed?

with

<< One gets the impression that in UFO's version of 1980, space flights
are somewhat routine, so that nobody would really be paying that much
attention.>>

Yes, just because a civilian might witness a piece of SHADO hardware
does not necessarily mean that the 'secret war' with the Aliens is
automatically exposed in the process.

Jeff Kuzma

Jeff Kuzma wrote:
Remember also that the Lunar module is launched from its Carrier, which
is a VTOL aircraft. There are no fiery launches of SHADO rockets, so
there really isn't much to see on the Moonbase runs.
AT

But still.......an amateur astronomer or even kid with a telescope would never
see one of these launches (actaully, the part when the ship leaves the Earth)?
NORAD or any other defense system wouldn't detect it?

Anthony
----- Original Message -----
From: <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 9:14 AM
Subject: Re: [SHADO] Re: THE DALOTEK AFFAIR


<snip>
>
> Remember also that the Lunar module is launched from its Carrier, which
> is a VTOL aircraft. There are no fiery launches of SHADO rockets, so
> there really isn't much to see on the Moonbase runs.
> AT

Anthony D wrote:
>
> But still.......an amateur astronomer or even kid with a telescope would never
> see one of these launches (actaully, the part when the ship leaves the Earth)?
> NORAD or any other defense system wouldn't detect it?

The IAC keeps Norad in line. Remember, SHADO was created at the behest
of an international consortium of governments and is funded by them. As
for amateur astronomoers seeing it with a telescope, why not point one
towards Florida next time a Shuttle launches? I would bet you won't be
able to find it even with a column of fiery exhaust a mile long. Unless
you were within a couple of hundred miles or so of it and could see the
exhaust with the naked eye to know where to train your telescope,
obviously.
AT

--- In SHADO@y..., "Anthony D" <atd1999@n...> wrote:
> But still.......an amateur astronomer or even kid with a telescope
would never
> see one of these launches (actaully, the part when the ship leaves
the Earth)?
> NORAD or any other defense system wouldn't detect it?

NORAD is probably recognized as being part of the Military. So, why
would they mention detecting a moon launch when they know about it?
After all, SHADO lands at military bases all the time, so it isn't as
if the military isn't aware of them. The military doesn't rush out to
do battle with SHADO everytime one of their planes fly by. Someone
has to be in the know. But it is interesting that the British Navy
officers don't seem to know much about them, in the episode where the
UFOs are trying to get the nerve gas released. So there probably is
some kind of compartmentalization.

As for amateur astronomers, that would seem to be the biggest threat,
although the brightness of the moon might be enough to screw up those
observations. I'm not sure that any amateurs would be looking at the
moon when it is 'New' - easier viewing on a full moon. But amateurs
have certainly done a good job at tracking satellites by watching for
reflections. The flip side of that, though, is that moon launches
wouldn't be predictable, meaning they wouldn't orbit the Earth
repeatedly before heading to the moon. So, any observations by
amateurs might be dropped when no one else is able to confirm the
observation. And one observation probably wouldn't be sufficient to
get a good estimation on the orbit.

"Anthony D" wrote:
> But still.......an amateur astronomer or even kid with a telescope
> would never see one of these launches (actaully, the part when the
> ship leaves the Earth)? NORAD or any other defense system wouldn't
> detect it?
>

NORAD might spot it, but I think it's fair to assume they
would be in on the secret. I can't honestly imagine someone
with a telescope seeing the lunar vehicle separating from the
aircraft, at speed and high altitude.

"Paul Carroll" wrote:

> But it is interesting that the British Navy
> officers don't seem to know much about them, in the episode where the
> UFOs are trying to get the nerve gas released. So there probably is
> some kind of compartmentalization.
>
> As for amateur astronomers, that would seem to be the biggest threat,
> although the brightness of the moon might be enough to screw up those
> observations. I'm not sure that any amateurs would be looking at the
> moon when it is 'New' - easier viewing on a full moon.

It wouldn't be possible, even now, to spot something that size on
the Moon's surface using ANY telescope on Earth, and certainly
not an amateur telescope.

James

>NORAD might spot it, but I think it's fair to assume they
>would be in on the secret. I can't honestly imagine someone
>with a telescope seeing the lunar vehicle separating from the
>aircraft, at speed and high altitude.

Especially since SHADO could routinely do the lunar module/carrier
separation/docking over the mid Atlantic...

Marc