Posted by DropDead 1 day ago
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.
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.
My 1970's self liked it. My 2026 one not so much.
I also think Benedict Cumberbatch's mom was an early crush because of this series, but 1970's me didn't quite know what to do with those feelings.
It doesn't really seem that sexist for a 60s show. There's definitely a ton of male gaze, much like the miniskirts in TOS. OTOH the men are also in tight fitting clothing as well, and just like TOS it has the women in positions of power and authority which was progressive for the 60s.
While the show is campy as hell (in a fun way) many of the plotlines are extremely heavy and dark, like the episode where Striker has to choose between his duty and saving his son's life. Or the episode where his marriage falls apart because he's working too much.
From the perspective of Striker the show honestly shows the destruction of a man. He's left with nothing in life but his job, which also tortures him.
> And I find it cool there was never an in-universe explanation for the purple wigs.
I saw an interview with the costume designer (a woman FWIW) and she liked the idea of the purple wigs both as both a sign that fashion is more flexible in the 1980s and also that the wigs maybe play some practical purpose on the moon. The moon women are in some scenes on earth and they're not wearing wigs.
The silver miniskirt/leotard moon suits the women wear with removable leggings were supposed to be incredibly sexy of course, but also the designer was playing around with the idea of "modular" clothing that could be "reconfigured" for different contexts.
The fishnet shirts the submariners wear is likewise supposed to imply something both practical and highly modern. Of course, talking about male gaze the women in the submarine wear an undershirt under the fishnets whereas the men don't!
Recently, I got the box set from a charity shop, struggled with the misogynistic imagery and attitudes just watching the first couple of episodes. I put the box set on the shelf.
Perhaps, I need to try again to watch for the character development. Especially as my wife recently dyed her hair purple. My younger self would have stunned at that and my grey hair.
"I was wearing them on the street. What's wrong with wearing them on the air? I wore 'em on airplanes. It was the era of the miniskirt. Everybody wore miniskirts" —Nichelle Nichols, 2001 <https://web.archive.org/web/20011115192358/https://www.bbc.c...>
Edit: Interestingly, Ed Bishop and Michael Billington both died within five days of each other in 2005, despite Billington being quite a bit younger.