UFO Series Home Page: The Ultimate Fan Resource for the 1970 Cult Classic
UFO Series Home Page: "UFO" TV Series from 1970
This fan-maintained site is the definitive online archive for the 1970 British sci-fi series UFO, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and starring Ed Bishop as Commander Straker. It offers episode guides, publicity and 3-D photos, dialogue and music clips, scripts, marketing materials, merchandise, fan art, and details on the 1996 revival attempt. Curated by Marc Martin, it also includes a SHADO discussion forum and links to other fan communities.
Welcome to the UFO Series Home Page, devoted to the 1970 British science fiction television series UFO, created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and starring Ed Bishop as Commander Straker.
- rootbear
I rewatched this series a few years ago and was surprised that it held up as well as it did. Yes, lots of sexism, but not untypical for that time. Like Star Trek, it had women in authority roles, but also in sexy outfits, so a bit of a mixed bag. They also got handsome Michael Billington out of his shirt a few times, which I found quite interesting for reasons that didn't become clear to me until some years later :)
Space:1999 started as a sequel to this series, set ten years later, on a greatly expanded Moonbase. They eventually abandoned that connection.
The opening credits theme music and editing are just brilliant.
- jmbwell
I just watched through this over the summer. It’s a fascinating specimen of a show. I am highly confident much of the Austin Powers aesthetic is borrowed from this, from the featureless suit coats to the everyone-is-mad-sexy to the swinging soundtrack.
It’s a Gerry Anderson production, so lots of great Thunderbirds-style miniatures too. And wild cars. All the action sequences have the delightful feel of an eight year old playing with toys. In fact a lot of it seems to have a fun child’s-idea aspect. “And it’s part submarine and part fighter jet! And they slide down chutes into the cockpit! And his office is a secret elevator! And all the grownups are doing computer things! And to get a whiskey you push a whiskey button! And the whole thing is under a movie studio!”
But god yes, Stryker’s family story is harsh. Way overbearing the trope that he’s such a powerful dedicated man keeping the world safe that his utterly neglected family has to suffer so badly. Particularly when much of the time, he’s standing around the office smoking and drinking and asking the nearest woman to go fetch him some coffee. You thought you were getting a show about high tech futuristic alien defense. Well, you have to watch a lot of office banter too, that’s the deal.
Still, super stylish. And its cousin “Space: 1999” might be more interesting/bonkers sci-fi, but UFO (pronounced YOOFO) is just relentless with the looks and swagger. Each episode is worth watching for the intro alone.
- WarOnPrivacy
My kids enjoyed UFO S01E01 (the pilot?) but never got into the series. They really like Space 1999 however.
I've found it useful to use my kids as a barometer of what bits of culture have persevered (as opposed to whatever ancient thing I still like).
Barney Miller: Lasts
Blazing Saddles: Didn't age as well as I thought.
I put on Magnificent Seven (1960) last night and had an audience pretty quick.
- shoo
Apparently, this UFO series was one of the influences that went into the 1994 game UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM).
- themadturk
I lapped this up eagerly when it was first syndicated in the US, I was in high school at the time. It wasn't until a few years later that I saw Doppelgänger, probably the first time it was on TV.
I was actually introduced to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson as a much younger kid, when I saw Fireball XL-5 on Saturday morning TV. But I missed Thunderbirds until I was an adult!