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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 12:42 am Post subject: |
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Doomsday Minus One
One of the best episodes in this great seris. This posts contains —
_______________________SPOILERS!
A decorated general conspires with the aliens, but he has a hidden agenda: he thinks he's going to cause all nuclear weapons to be banned and therefore prevent future wars by helping the aliens set off an explosion caused by the combination of an America nuclear weapon and an alien "antimatter" bomb.
That in itself distinguishes this incredible story. And the writing, direction, and acting are all top notch.
The general has made secret plans to expose the existence of the aliens after a "routine bomb test" supposedly causes world-wide devastation which shifts the Earth on its axis, resulting in earthquakes and tidal waves. He's convinced that mankind will unite and mount a defense against the invasion when they find out that they — not the nuclear test — caused the global tragedy.
Naturally the clever aliens are one step ahead of mankind, the general realizes that his plan wouldn't only result in the unnecessary deaths of millions of people.
He thinks he's doing what's best for humanity, but he's been tricked by the aliens, and his very misguided thinking will result in the deaths of millions of people.[
How all this plays out was as impressive as the concept itself, and this episode strengthened my admiration for this series. _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:26 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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Bulldogtrekker and I did a synchro-cinema today with the season 2 episode in which an alien is shot by the local sheriff in the middle of the town square, and several dozen citizens watched in horror as the "man" suddenly blazed red and burned up before their eyes.
I won't spoil the episode by saying how it ended. Suffice it to say, the aliens were not happy about the fact that their earthly foe, the dedicated David Vincent, had finally managed to present undeniable proof to a sizable body of people that aliens were in our midst.
But I will warn you that after watch 3/4 of this episode and thinking it was one of the very best in the series, the climax for this compelling story had the same effect on my enjoyment of it as taking a big bit out of juicy red apple and finding the severed half a recently deceased worm.
Be ready to say "Oh brother . . . " a few times when you reach the end of this episode. But other than that, I loved it, and so did Bulldogtrekker.
Another thing he and I agree on is the unfortunate design of the aliens' flying saucer. It's always looked way too squat, too boxy, to un-streamlined. I've never understood why someone involved with the show didn't point out that the ship would look a lot better if they stretched it out a bit, so that instead of this —
— it would look more like this. It's still not as good as the C-57-D or Harryhausen's saucers, but it helps a little.
![](https://i.imgur.com/aJhv9vO.jpg) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:26 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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scotpens Starship Captain
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 879 Location: The Left Coast
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Bud Brewster wrote: | Another thing he and I agree on is the unfortunate design of the aliens' flying saucer. It's always looked way too squat, too boxy, to un-streamlined. I've never understood why someone involved with the show didn't point out that the ship would look a lot better if they stretched it out a bit, so that instead of this —
— it would look more like this.
![](https://i.imgur.com/Awl3mOK.jpg) |
Sorry, but that picture just looks like someone has their HDTV adjusted to the wrong aspect ratio.
I never saw anything wrong with the design of the Invaders' saucer (except that the landing gear seems a bit over-complicated). How streamlined would the thing have to be, given the aliens' advanced technology? It's just about as aerodynamic as an Apollo capsule. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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scotpens wrote: | How streamlined would the thing have to be, given the aliens' advanced technology? It's just about as aerodynamic as an Apollo capsule. |
This is not about aerodynamics, it's about aesthetic appeal. When I said the saucer wasn't streamlined, I meant it lacked the beauty that a streamlined design has, even when it isn't shaped that way for aerodynamic reasons.
For the record, an Apollo capsule is not intended to be either streamlined or beautiful.
This, however, has a very beautiful design.
So does this.
And so does this . . . below the silly hat.
This, however, just looks like the silly hat . . . without the pretty girl.
![](https://i.imgur.com/vvn9PPF.jpg) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:30 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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scotpens Starship Captain
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 879 Location: The Left Coast
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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Well, it was a good enough design to make the Aurora model kit a popular item — look at how many times it's been reissued!
[img [/img] |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 12:45 am Post subject: |
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I gotta admit, it looks damn good in those artist's renderings. They picked great dramatic angles, and several of them give the surface the kind of color and texture which the 1968 special effects couldn't quite manage.
That was not the fault of the design, I'll grant you.
And you mentioned not caring for the landing gear. Ironically I like the way the underside of the saucer is divided into five sections that are hinged and fold down to form the legs.
I found this picture online tonight while looking for good jpegs of the saucer.
![](https://i.imgur.com/ZQcoALw.jpg) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:41 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Krel. Guest
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 9:21 am Post subject: |
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scotpens wrote: | Well, it was a good enough design to make the Aurora model kit a popular item -- look at how many times it's been reissued. |
The funny thing is that the person at Aurora that decided which model kits to make turned down the Jupiter II despite all of the letters asking for a kit. He felt that the Jupiter II design was "too plain and simple". And yet he approved the Invaders saucer kit!
David. |
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Brent Gair Mission Specialist
Joined: 21 Nov 2014 Posts: 469
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 9:22 am Post subject: |
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scotpens wrote: | I never saw anything wrong with the design of the Invaders' saucer (except that the landing gear seems a bit over-complicated). ... |
Overly complicated? Five hinged panels have less moving parts than the gear on a Piper Cub .
https://youtu.be/lLV7jAyJEcc?t=20s |
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Randy Space Ranger
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 127 Location: Ohio
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orzel-w Galactic Ambassador
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1876
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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scotpens wrote: |
Sorry, but that picture just looks like someone has their HDTV adjusted to the wrong aspect ratio. |
Any better?
. . . . . . . . .
_________________
Prop exterior mockups are typically built in a reduced scale for budget, handling, and available space considerations. We can see some of the practical aspects of this in the images posted by Bud.
The landing gear portion of the saucer was the only actual physical prop on the set. Above that, the rest of the saucer was added by optical printing. The saucer's shadow on the ground is a giveaway. Only the landing gear and the actor are casting a shadow; there is no shadow from the main rim of the saucer.
But there's a shadow in the area within the landing gear, so it must have been covered as well. (In fact, there appears to be a blue-colored tarp over the top of the landing legs in the larger image.) If there were scenes in which several actors were to climb into or out of the saucer (I don't recall the series well enough to say there were), that covering had to be strong enough to support their weight. All these prop components had to be transported to and from each filming location and set up and taken down in between. If filming was taking place on a sound stage, it all had to fit nicely in the confined space and still leave room for the desired camera framing.
All in all, the saucer portion above the landing gear couldn't be overly large in relation to the physical prop without the shadow discrepancy being glaringly obvious. Making the landing gear larger to get around that only compounds the budget, handling, and available space issues. _________________ ...or not...
WayneO
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Last edited by orzel-w on Wed May 11, 2016 7:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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Enjoy this video on YouTube of a 3D rendering of the saucer, with a tour of the interior. I must admit that the shape of the saucer allows more interior standing room than the more slender and wider version I suggested.
And it looks pretty damn good from this low angle. Not quite so much like a hat . . .
________________________________
__________ The Invaders Flying Saucer Revealed!
![](https://i.imgur.com/HmS3Ynr.png) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17126 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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Just for fun I modified the alien saucer's design to give it a little in common with Klaatu's ship. I've always liked the beveled edge of Klaatu's ship, and it looks good on this one too.
I like this much better than my previous version of the ship.
_________________________
Original.
Modified version.
![](https://i.imgur.com/3wMYrzN.jpg) _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Mar 31, 2024 4:52 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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orzel-w Galactic Ambassador
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1876
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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I was wondering what that section hanging from the crane was supposed to be. After watching some of the video tour, I take it to represent a hatch opening. There was apparently to be a scene showing a view from underneath of some alien(s) entering or exiting the ship through the hatch. _________________ ...or not...
WayneO
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Robert (Butch) Day Galactic Ambassador
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1437 Location: Arlington, WA USA
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 4:14 am Post subject: |
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Wayne, turn it 90 degrees. it's a piece of the upper portion of the saucer. There was no top piece. That was added by a matte. _________________ Common Sense ISN'T Common |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador
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Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3432 Location: New York
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Read The Invaders Companion Book about the making of the TV Show.
Looking at the photo where the crew is assembling the alien saucers landing struts for filming reminded me of something from the book.
Quinn Martin was one of the first producers in television to insist on his various shows having location filming. The majority of TV series would either shoot scenes in a studio sound stage or on the studio backlot. It saved time & money.
QM Productions would leave the confines of the studio to find real locations for filming.This added a fresh look to the QM shows that other shows lacked.
It cost time & money, the 2 big enemies for television productions, but Martin did not care. |
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