Posted by Richard A. Shores on
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/Obsessed-fan-tp1508836p1508858.html

I am new to this group; so please forgive me if I end up rehashing
some previously covered subjects.

I have been a limited obsessed UFO fan simply due to distance.

UFO did not exist for South Florida television viewers until the mid
1970s. It ran every Saturday afternoon for only a year or two.

Fortunately, I caught it early enought to record every episode to
audio tape, and even shot footage from the TV on 8mm film.

Living in the united States meant that Sci-Fi was Irwin Allen's Time
Tunnel, Lost In Space, and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Later
this was replaced by Star Trek (of every kind), and finally Star Wars.

But I was a fan of UFO from the first moment I saw it. It appeared so
well thought out. The model designs appeared to have the potential of
being used in real equipment later down the road.

With some modernization UFO could be a hugely sucessful major film in
the United States. The computer hardware must be updated of course,
SHADO could be set in the present day, and there is definately need
for some wardrobe improvements for the lead roles and average
citizens. Surprisely little improvements are needed for offical SHADO
uniforms over all of these years.

I was saddened to hear that UFO was out of production by the time I
started seeing it. There needed to be greater depth added to the
major character's lives. The show needed to become less about alien
attack strategies, and more about hiding your top secret job from your
regular life. Having Staker sacrifice his marriage and his son so
quickly for "the job" also sacrificed some potential story plots in
the process.

Gay Ellis most likely didn't reach the rank of Lieutenant, or was put
in charge of moonbase simply because she filled out the uniform well.
I was waiting to see her prove that she had ample skills to deserve
her place in a "man's world." They could have done so much more with
that character.

A developing project to bring the fight back to the alien planet
could have kept the series going for a couple more years. Let's take
a cruise through space with a spacecraft loaded with interceptors.  
How many story ideas could have sprung from visiting the alien planet?

My admoration for Gerry Anderson would be renewed by Space 1999 which
(once again) made to my television screen only after it was gone. But
no Sci Fi series (British or American) would take the place of UFO.

I would have enjoyed very much the chance to meet the show's stars. I
will instead enjoy reading about your encounters over the years. I
recently purchased the entire set of DVDs and watched them completely
over a span of a few days. It drove my wife crazy.

I look forward to comparing opinions of this fine show on this message
board. I ask in advance for your tolerance when it comes to limited
knowledge about other Gerry Anderson projects, or when I use phrases
that are American slang.

There is so much of British television that we never see here in the
states, so UFO is the last time I saw many of the actors. Although I
almost came out of my chair years ago when I saw Ed Bishop in
Twilight's Last Gleaming.

Thanks,

Richard