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UFO - Conflict
episode 4
UK 1970
produced by Reg Hill, Gerry Anderson (executive) for Century 21 Television, ITC
directed by Ken Turner
starring Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Michael Billington, Peter Gordeno, Grant Taylor, Norma Ronald, Keith Alexander, Antonia Ellis, Drewe Henley, Michael Kilfarriff, Dolores Mantez, David Courtland, Gerald Norman, Alan Tucker, Ayshea Brough
screenplay by Ruric Powell, created by Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, Reg Hill, visual effects by Derek Meddings, costumes by Sylvia Anderson/Century 21
TV-series UFO
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Commander Straker (Ed Bishop), head of SHADO, the vast secret alien
defense organisation, wants all spacejunk removed from earth's orbit,
because he fears the aliens could hide drones or something similar among
the junk. But he has one mighty opponent, General Henderson (Grant
Taylor), head of a rivaling space organisation who is jealous not just of
the limitless grants SHADO seems to be getting, he also detests Straker
because Straker's power overshadows even his own. So he doesn't only turn
down Straker's request to remove all space debris, he also wants Straker
removed from his post. Of course, Straker was 100% right in his
assumption that the aliens might use the debris as clever hideouts, and
soon enough, a rocket from moon to earth is destroyed by a drone that
somehow managed to alter the rocket's entry path into the earth
atmosphere. Immediately, and without knowing the cause of the crash,
Henderson shuts down all traffic between earth and moon, just to
demonstrate his power - but commander of the moonbase Foster (Michael
Billington) has a creeping suspicion and makes a trip to earth anyhow, but
deliberately taking a wrong entry path into earth's atmosphere which is
then corrected by the drone that destroyed the earlier rocket. For
Straker and Foster, this is proof that the aliens hide drones in the space
debris, but Henderson flatly disagrees. So Straker sends out all of
moonbase's interceptors to find and destroy the drone, which leaves
moonbase unguarded. Soon enough, a UFO shows up, too, but not to destroy
moonbase, it makes its way straight to earth to destroy SHADO-headquarters
- and when Henderson is there for another unfriendly visit, too. Straker
has expected that, has figured the drone just have been nothing but a
decoy, but he waits until the very last minute before he has the UFO shut
down by an interceptor, just to prove Henderson his point. Henderson
promptly agrees to have all space debris removed ...
An episode
that mostly deals with the politics that normally take backseat behind the
actual plot, this story is a bit talky, far-fetched and features quite a
few plotholes - but it is at least carried by a more than competent cast,
and quite a numbrer of these excellent miniature effects the series has
become famous for.
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