In 1980, the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization covertly defends Earth against threats from a dying extraterrestrial race that needs to harvest human organs to survive.In 1980, the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization covertly defends Earth against threats from a dying extraterrestrial race that needs to harvest human organs to survive.In 1980, the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization covertly defends Earth against threats from a dying extraterrestrial race that needs to harvest human organs to survive.
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I recently had a chance to review ALL of the UFO episodes in the order that they were numbered. Now I realize that this is not the order that they were originally presented, however they were great. Just great. I saw Star Wars in the theater. I have been weaned on science-fiction, so I think that I can say when I see good stuff and when I don't. Another reviewer said that the basic premise of this story could go for at least FIVE YEARS. I agree. 100%. Even the LAST episode (which was obviously not meant to be THE last episode) was very high quality and an appropriate ending, where it referenced the original pilot.
My friend highly recommended this show to me, and I cannot say that I'm disappointed. I've seen people complain about the acting? Unreal. The acting is top-notch, and many of the principals have been (or were) involved in high-end British acting gigs at the time. To me, the characters and the story were the driving forces. At the time they were very original. In fact, I am not surprised that many of the 'key elements' have been recycled in other places.
If Hollywood were to make a movie of this series they had best hold true to the original notion(s). As I said before, one review said that this idea could go for 5 years. It could. They could have COUNTLESS plots with the Moon Base, SkyDiver, the Mobiles, people from the past, people about to expose SHADO, budget funding, and so forth. Frankly, I think that they quit while they were FAR AHEAD. I'm sure that the fans would salivate for more, but only if the quality was as good. More often than not any sort of revival is often met with disdain. It would be unfortunate if UFO was met with that sort of inane fandom. It was far classier than that.
To me, probably one of classiest sci-fi show I've ever seen. Awesome. Truly awesome. Don't ruin it. Please! Cheers! PAYROLL
My friend highly recommended this show to me, and I cannot say that I'm disappointed. I've seen people complain about the acting? Unreal. The acting is top-notch, and many of the principals have been (or were) involved in high-end British acting gigs at the time. To me, the characters and the story were the driving forces. At the time they were very original. In fact, I am not surprised that many of the 'key elements' have been recycled in other places.
If Hollywood were to make a movie of this series they had best hold true to the original notion(s). As I said before, one review said that this idea could go for 5 years. It could. They could have COUNTLESS plots with the Moon Base, SkyDiver, the Mobiles, people from the past, people about to expose SHADO, budget funding, and so forth. Frankly, I think that they quit while they were FAR AHEAD. I'm sure that the fans would salivate for more, but only if the quality was as good. More often than not any sort of revival is often met with disdain. It would be unfortunate if UFO was met with that sort of inane fandom. It was far classier than that.
To me, probably one of classiest sci-fi show I've ever seen. Awesome. Truly awesome. Don't ruin it. Please! Cheers! PAYROLL
I remember this show when I was a kid in the late 70's. Every so often it was on during Saturday afternoons. Always a fan of spaceships and such, I was hooked. I couldn't remember much other than the various vehicles and Ed Straker's hair.
I recently got the entire thing on DVD and yes it's kind of campy but it's so fun to watch. I love retro stuff. I love British programming. I love SciFi. For me this was a hit.
I can echo the comments of another poster who said that he must be the only American to have seen and remembered it. I felt the same way. All through the years I when the topic came up I would describe it and the series name and NO ONE would remember it to the point of questioning if there was such a series ever on American TV. There was. U.F.O.
As far as the criticism goes... Yes some of them are a bit true but that is part of what makes this a SciFi cult classic.
I love the series with all of it's campiness and am so happy to own it on DVD. I received it as a Christmas present and still haven't watched the entire thing. I take it in small doses in order to savor every last drop.
My favorite female is Joan Harrington (Antonia Ellis - what a beautiful lady) and although Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) is an awesome character I really enjoyed the "James Bond" like smoothness and eye for the ladies of Alex Freeman. (George Sewell)
My favorite prop was the liquor dispenser in Straker's office and how they are all smoking cigarettes. I don't smoke cigarettes but it's so 60's/70's.
I LOVE IT!
I recently got the entire thing on DVD and yes it's kind of campy but it's so fun to watch. I love retro stuff. I love British programming. I love SciFi. For me this was a hit.
I can echo the comments of another poster who said that he must be the only American to have seen and remembered it. I felt the same way. All through the years I when the topic came up I would describe it and the series name and NO ONE would remember it to the point of questioning if there was such a series ever on American TV. There was. U.F.O.
As far as the criticism goes... Yes some of them are a bit true but that is part of what makes this a SciFi cult classic.
I love the series with all of it's campiness and am so happy to own it on DVD. I received it as a Christmas present and still haven't watched the entire thing. I take it in small doses in order to savor every last drop.
My favorite female is Joan Harrington (Antonia Ellis - what a beautiful lady) and although Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) is an awesome character I really enjoyed the "James Bond" like smoothness and eye for the ladies of Alex Freeman. (George Sewell)
My favorite prop was the liquor dispenser in Straker's office and how they are all smoking cigarettes. I don't smoke cigarettes but it's so 60's/70's.
I LOVE IT!
UFO was one of the most ambitious science fiction series ever produced for television. The array of hardware ran from a base on the moon with interceptor space ships to submarines with a jet aircraft that could detatch itself from the bow & rocket through the ocean depts & into the sky. In between the S.H.A.D.O. organization had S.I.D., the satellite in space to detect enemy/alien saucers, to mobiles that were futuristic tank-like vehicles,and much, much more.These were all employed by the secret Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Org. which was a collection of earth governments whose mission was to defend the planet from an unknown & hostile alien race invading us.Gerry Anderson created an epic series for TV that I doubt could be done these days for television due to what would be an enormous cost. If this premise is ever revived, it would be better served as a multi-million dollar feature film.I can't think of many U.S. series that had so much hardware, models, & fx all going on in them. To be sure it had its flaws.The Shado h.q. hidden beneath an operating movie studio hardly seemed the best choice for covert ops.The Interceptors, the first line of defense against the alien saucers, only had one missile to fire with no other weaponry on board,& the design for the alien saucers made it look more like a kid's toy.But you certainly got your money's worth & then some every week with this show.
I had vague memories of this show from when I was a kid. No one I asked could remember it and I wasn't sure it really existed. Fast forward to now and a search of the good ol' IMDb and there it was. even more surprising was it was (is) available on DVD. I rolled me own smokes and didn't buy any video games for the month of July and half of August. I bought a pre-paid VISA and ordered it. Oh, happy happy joy joy!! It arrived on a Friday, allowing me to hole up and spend the weekend with it. WOW! It was worth every crappy self-rolled cigarette. Some complicated characters, great writing, and lots of fun make it more than a treat. It also shows black characters as members of the team, no more and no less. Isn't that what equality is all about? Anglophiles, sci-fi buffs, and wanna-be film makers (myself included) should watch every minute. The models are great and the fashions for 1980 are hip, slick, and cool. By all means, check it out. You won't be disappointed.
I watched this show as a child in Canada, and I remember it fondly. It was very ambitious in its reach - the anti-alien organization had at its disposal a moon base, space craft, special land mobiles and a submarine that could also launch a manned aircraft! This involved lots of models and special effects, and was very exciting at the time. I also enjoyed the personal life conflicts of the characters in the series; the show was not just an endless series of explosions and chases, it tried for a more serious, complex approach. It's funny now to look at the odd clothes worn and bizarre hairdos (including purple wigs as part of the uniform of the female personnel on the moon base!) but the show was meant to be taking place 10 years in the future, so it is possible that the unusual costuming was meant to add an exotic, futuristic atmosphere.
Did you know
- TriviaIn the UK, people drive on the left side of the road and steering wheels are on the right side of the vehicle. However, in UFO's version of 1980s Britain, both of these have been reversed. The show's creators were simply going along with what was being predicted at the time, which was that the UK would switch its driving system sometime in the near future. That change never happened. Just as the U.S. was predicted to have switched to the metric system, which also didn't happen.
- GoofsSHADO was supposed to be a top secret organization, but they put their name on all of their vehicles.
- Quotes
Alec Freeman: I don't like this. This cloud gives about as much cover as a G-string on a belly dancer!
- Crazy creditsDuring the opening theme, the show's title "UFO" is flashed on the screen for only a fraction of a second. It appears "officially" on screen at the end of the teaser sequence.
- Alternate versionsMany episodes had censorship cuts for the Italian edition, for example Foster drunken in Ordeal (1970) or Straker's relationship with Jo Fraser in The Responsibility Seat (1971) and Freeman's many flirts and jokes about women.
- ConnectionsEdited into UFO: Distruggete Base Luna (1971)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
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- Also known as
- UFO
- Filming locations
- MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK(Harlington-Straker Studios as SHADO HQ. Frontage and some interior shots)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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