UFO Episode Discussion: CONFLICT

Hi all,

Okay, it's now time to move on in our 2-week UFO episode discussions,
and our new episode up for discussion is CONFLICT! So anyone who's
got the time, try to give us your thoughts. Thanks!

--
Marc Martin, [hidden email]

P.S. Thanks to Angelo & Christian for the UFO broadcast updates in
Italy & Germany. I guess nobody here is watching the UFO broadcasts
in New Zealand to let me know what the status is there?

--- In SHADO@y..., Marc Martin <marc@u...> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Okay, it's now time to move on in our 2-week UFO episode
> discussions, and our new episode up for discussion is CONFLICT!
> So anyone who's got the time, try to give us your thoughts.
> Thanks!
>

Ah conflict. One of my faves. Also the best picture quality of my lot.
It doesn't seem to have that speeded up quality common to PAL-NTSC
conversion either. :-)

Okay. Nitpicks. First of all, the existing space clearance program in
the opening sequence:

BIG problem. Why do they detonate the limpet rocets against the pieces
of space junk? What that does is to turn one large piece of space junk
(easily seen and avoided) into a bajillion little teeny tiny pieces of
space junk (invisible like bullets). It seems to me a more prudent
move would be to use the limpet rockets to de-orbit the debris in such
a manner that it burns up harmlessly over the pacific.

Minor problem. The first piece of space junk is identified as Vostok
2, launched june 13 1965 (Vostok 2 was in fact launched in 1961!) The
object in question is indeed a Vostok descent module. But the descent
module is actually the retro pack which de-orbited the manned vostok
sphere (and itself along with it) after its flight. It would have
re-entered along with the sphere and would certainly not be orbiting
at an altitude of 306.2 miles above the earth over a decade and a half
later.

Likewise for Apollo 8. The S-IVB rocket stage in question was used to
boost the Apollo 8 Command and service modules (along with iself) out
of Earth orbit into a translunar trajectory. It would not be found
parked in a low Earth orbit over a decade later.

The UFO hiding behind the S-IVB is not very smart. It destroys LM 32
by forcing its re-entry angle to steepen, resulting in its
destruction. Foster is able to trick the UFO by following in LM 29,
re-entering at a shallwer angle. Couldn't the UFO sense this and try
to make his angle even more shallow, causing him to skip out of the
atmosphere (presumably beyond reach of SHADO)?

Finally the UFO descending upon SHADO HQ is presumed to be of great
destructive power. Yet captain Peter "Deadeye" Carlin takes the UFO
with his usual single shot. And what about the debris? Wasn't it
destroyed over a populated area?

Oh well enough nitpicks. This is still one of my favorite episodes. It
has some of the best lines of them all:

Foster: I've gone too far for that.
Straker: You're right Foster. MUCH too far.

Henderson: So you say-
Foster: YES! I SAY!! <KERPLOP!!>

Foster: But we are RIGHT!
Straker: Sometimes, Colonel, that's not quite enough.

Straker: I've solved quite a few problems by just "sitting around" as
you call it. You should try it sometime.

Ok I've taken up enough space. Looking forward to reading other
comments.

Teresa

aka Maj. Carole Miller, Commander
SHADO Deep Space Tracking Facility

Hi all,

> BIG problem. Why do they detonate the limpet rocets against the pieces
> of space junk? What that does is to turn one large piece of space junk
> (easily seen and avoided) into a bajillion little teeny tiny pieces of
> space junk (invisible like bullets). It seems to me a more prudent
> move would be to use the limpet rockets to de-orbit the debris in such
> a manner that it burns up harmlessly over the pacific.
>

I agree - I think I read somewhere that even tiny bits of space
debris can travel so fast that an impact against a space shuttle
can be devastating.

> The UFO hiding behind the S-IVB is not very smart. It destroys LM 32
> by forcing its re-entry angle to steepen, resulting in its
> destruction. Foster is able to trick the UFO by following in LM 29,
> re-entering at a shallwer angle. Couldn't the UFO sense this and try
> to make his angle even more shallow, causing him to skip out of the
> atmosphere (presumably beyond reach of SHADO)?
>

Well, the device that we see attaching itself to passing SHADO
vehicles is not a manned UFO, so it's reasonable, I would say,
to assume that it's simply programmed to make the re-entry angle
deviate by some specific offset.

> Finally the UFO descending upon SHADO HQ is presumed to be of great
> destructive power. Yet captain Peter "Deadeye" Carlin takes the UFO
> with his usual single shot. And what about the debris? Wasn't it
> destroyed over a populated area?
>

This is the weakest aspect of the whole episode - to me it looks
like the scriptwriter couldn't think of an intelligent ending so
he came up with this idea that Straker somehow guesses that a UFO
of 'great destructive power' is on the way. Right over a
populated area as you say, not conveniently in some woods
somewhere as usual - a huge threat to the big secret about the
Aliens existence, but this is never explored or explained away.


Cheers then
James

James writes:
>to me it looks
>like the scriptwriter couldn't think of an intelligent ending so
>he came up with this idea that Straker somehow guesses that a UFO
>of 'great destructive power' is on the way.

The UFO "with great destructive powers" line really makes me wince.
The funny thing, it really isn't necessary -- can't we just assume
that *any* UFO attacking SHADO HQ would do a lot of damage? I mean,
we already saw that one wiped out Westbrook Electronics in IDENTIFIED...

--
Marc Martin, [hidden email]

James Gibbon wrote:

I never really understood what the whole point was. Why did Straker
launch all three interceptors and allow the ufoe in? Why did he assume
one would be coming for SHADO HQ and what was the point he was trying to
make? How did that ufoe attack prove the aliens were using the space
junk to hide in? And wasn't Henderson a real SOB in this ep? I don't
think he was this bad in any other ep, was he?

This is not one of my faves, although Paul DOES look great in that
purple suit! WooHoo! :-)

-- Yuchtar


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Hi again,

Yuchtar wrote:
> And wasn't Henderson a real SOB in this ep? I don't
> think he was this bad in any other ep, was he?
>

Well, depends if you count Mindbender or not - but I think this
is another weakness, not just of CONFLICT but of the
Henderson/Straker relationship in the whole series. Having
distrust and hostility between them is a good idea, it makes for
a bit of tension and adds interest, and allows Straker's forceful
character to come through. But either the Henderson character
is grossly overacted, or it's just badly conceived and executed
- a bit of subtlety, a bit of simmering ill-feeling would have
been more appropriate. Some carefully crafted quiet sarcasm. A
bit of thinly-veiled contempt. But instead Henderson just gives
out like a bad-tempered old git every time he and Straker meet.

Just my opinion of course,
James