Librarian IAC Member Offline I may be blonde but... Posts: 658 Location: Washington (not DC) Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #15 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 5:24am Print Post Straker being an astronaut was a key element in 'The Man Who Came Back'. From what I've seen, the writers in most series don't bother to do their homework on how the real world works. And if they do bother to do their homework, if the requirements of the plot line or the budget needs it, reality is ignored. If you only have one solution to a problem - you're not trying. IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #16 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 5:39am Print Post Hi Deb, yeah - I remember that. But not clearly enough (so will have to rewatch and that's one I do not like - duh, Nesbitt gives me the willies!). I seem to remember though that in that episode all that is mentioned is that they both together set up SID. That's after SHADO was commissioned to be built, so it can have no influence on the basic timeline. Additionally it should be no problem for SHADO to place someone like Straker as an astronaut on a NASA-mission without him coming up through the full training and ranks. Absolutely fascinating discussion this. IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #17 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 5:42am Print Post Hi Deb, oh and - regarding writers and TV series... Did you watch HLOTS? Truly some of the best screenwriting (movies included) I ever saw. The scope and the authenticity, to the merest details, was breathtaking. It's a real pity this wasn't honoured more. IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #18 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 6:53am Print Post Okay.. dweeb here.. HLOTS.. ? Uh???? as for Straker being an astronaut, i was thinking that maybe he was merely a 'passenger' along for the ride with no command pilot training, but in TMWCB, he does say that he flew 'one of these' and didn't it take a couple of years to train to be a Saturn 5 pilot? and you had to be a test pilot as well? or at least a very good Airforce pilot.. And they liked their astronauts to be married! So I think the Andersons tried too hard to make him out to be all-action hero. I agree.. Derren Nesbit gives me the creeps as well! I need some air. WWW IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #19 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 6:58am Print Post Hi Louise, Quote:Okay.. dweeb here.. HLOTS.. ? Uh???? Homicide: Life on the Streets One of the best TV series I ever watched. Unfortunately not very popular, as it is very realistic. IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #20 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:15am Print Post Not screened over here I think.. unless it is on Sky.. I don't have Sky.. only Freeview..and i don't watch much TV anyway. Thoroughly enjoyed the recent updated Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch though. Excellent photography, filming, and still true to the original Holmes but in the modern world. I need some air. WWW IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #21 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:19am Print Post Hi Louise, and everyone else who writes and never saw that one: my recommendation is to buy at least the 1st season to have a look-see and usually then you buy the rest, because it's deadly addictive. Perfect TV - so rare. IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #22 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:27am Print Post Just added HLOTS to my birthday list! Richard Belzer.. I LIKE Richard Belzer!! I need some air. WWW IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #23 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 5:14pm Print Post We had ERIC time in English today (Everybody Reading In Class) so I read as well. and as i had my COmplete Book of Gerry Andersons UFO with me.. very conveniently! I read up Straker's personnel file. Devised/written by Chris Bentley and generally assumed to be canon. Born Boston ( no year given) Colonel in US Air Force degree in Astrophysics from Yale he conducted two years of lunar research at MIT adn trained as an astronaut at Cape Kennedy ( trained... not necessarily was..!) Assigned to USAFs Project Blue Book programme to investigate UFOS worked closely with RAF secretariat DS8 (UFOs in UK) met Mary Nightingale there (secretary at MOD) and met ALec Freeman, opposite numbewr in DS8 1970... Straker /henderson attacked by UFO two months later Straker marries Mary. Arrgghh.. have to go.. will finish this later! I need some air. WWW IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #24 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 5:19pm Print Post Hi Louise, who is Chris Bentley exactly? IP Logged
SHADO Librarian IAC Chair Offline UFO Rocks Posts: 222 Location: Washington (not DC) Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #25 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 6:23pm Print Post Chris Bentley is associated with Fanderson - which makes him a paid fan. There are some serious implications with going to Yale - it's EXPENSIVE. He'd've spent all his time not in classes filling out grant forms. The Administrator. WWW Facebook IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #26 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 6:36pm Print Post Hi Deb, ah - okay. I tried to find him among those associated with making the series. As to additional works or books... I've held it like a large fraction of trekkers (I don't mind trekkies either ) hold it: if it is not up on the (small or big) screen it is not canon. Only what you see and hear is indeed canon. Everything else, including not filmed scripts, omitted scenes or random thoughts of directors, producers or actors, is not. I - personally - find that easiest to deal with, because anything else opens a huge can of worms. E.g. I'd have grave trouble associating "secretary at the Ministry of Defense" with Mary Straker. Quite simply because she not once behaved like a truly competent working woman. Anyone working in a MOD just about anywhere certainly would have to have a bit more nerve and direction in her life. *shrug* And yes, Yale would imply money, Bishop himself does not and would be hard put to portray that physically. IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #27 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:13pm Print Post Hmmmm Should I carry on!! Or have I opened a can of worms .. a large glass of white wine.. so please excuse the typos..You should have seen what 'Worms' came out as first!! So. back to Chris Bentley.. and UFO! ( Great book by the way! Loads of information!) March 1972... pricvate detective hired by Mary's mother photographs Ed during covert liaison with Nina Barry. Mary ( 34 weeks pregnant) falls downstairs during an arguement and John born by emergencyt caesarean. Shado fully operational August 1980 24th August 1980; succeeds in capturing a live alien Okay. that's me done. Comments etc to .. Chris Bentley....... Some fans would take these dates as canon, simply because there is so little other data availale. I take anything I can get!!! ( that fits in with the current story I am writing!!!) : I need some air. WWW IP Logged
Guina Ex Member Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #28 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:17pm Print Post Hi Louise, by all means add everything here. I just asked because to me canon is exclusively what I see and hear on-screen. IP Logged
Lightcudder Colonel Offline Trust no one. Posts: 1311 Location: Here. When you least expect it Re: Time lines and ages - Something Matt Wrote Reply #29 - Sep 8th, 2010 at 7:22pm Print Post Well yes, I agrree, but there is a dearth of information about certain aspects of UFO adn it is always good to get other perspectives. Perhaps we should create a 'bible' for UFO.. what is definitely canon and what is not. Is Alec an Austrailian for example? Does Ed ever drink alcohol Is Mary a stuck up, frigid, *77($3 ? I need some air. WWW IP Logged