"Conflict" is the fourth episode aired of the first series of ''
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
'' – a 1970 British television science fiction series about an
alien invasion
Alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and films, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade Earth to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it, harvest people for food, steal the planet's resource ...
of Earth. Ruric Powell wrote the screenplay and it was directed by
Ken Turner. The episode, initially titled "Ambush", was filmed between 2 and 14 July 1969 and aired on the
ATV Midlands
ATV Network Limited, originally Associated TeleVision (ATV), was a British broadcaster, part of the ITV (Independent Television) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to ...
network on 7 October 1970. Though shown as the fourth episode, it was actually the sixth to have been filmed.
The series was created by
Gerry Anderson
Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...
and
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In ...
with
Reg Hill
Reginald Eric Hill (16 May 1914 – 31 October 1999) was an English model-maker, art director, producer, and freelance storyboard artist. He is most prominently associated with the work of Gerry Anderson.
Early life
Born on 16 May 1914, Hill ...
, and produced by the Andersons and
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a Ukrainian-born British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production ...
's
Century 21 Productions
AP Films or APF (renamed Century 21 Productions in 1966) was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette t ...
for Grade's
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in the production and distribution of television programmes.
History Incorporated Television Programme C ...
company.
Plot
Lunar Module 32, commanded by Steve Maddox, departs from the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
bound for Earth; its radar picks up an unidentified object shortly before
re-entry
Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entry ...
. The audience sees that this is a small alien
limpet
Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...
-like
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
, hiding in the
Apollo 8
Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Sphere of influence (astrodynamics), Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times ...
space wreck, which attaches to the passing LM 32 and interrupts communications with the SHADO Moonbase and modifies the
spaceplane
A spaceplane is a vehicle that can flight, fly and gliding flight, glide as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and function as a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbit ...
's course, causing the Lunar Module to re-enter the atmosphere at too steep an angle. The limpet UFO detaches from the stricken spacecraft, which explodes shortly after, and returns to its hiding place to await another victim.
Meanwhile, Straker is trying to convince General Henderson, head of the International Astrophysical Commission, to increase debris-eliminating space missions as he thinks that his pilots risk more in a month than Henderson's do in a year. Henderson mockingly accepts this but insists on activating the "Washington Square" protocol: the cancellation of all lunar
spaceflight
Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly objects, usually spacecraft, into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such ...
s.
After Maddox's
burial-in-space funeral at the Moonbase Paul Foster, convinced that it was not human error that killed his friend, blasts off in a lunar module against orders and flies on the same course to prove Maddox's innocence. As with LM 32, the limpet UFO attaches itself to Foster's module and interferes with the controls, proving his theory. Foster survives by deliberately entering the atmosphere at a very shallow angle which prevents the limpet UFO from steepening his spacecraft's descent enough to destroy it before it detaches and returns to hiding. Straker issues orders to destroy all space wrecks where the UFO might be located and invites Henderson to SHADO Control, having deduced that the limpet craft was some sort of lure.
In response a standard UFO prepares to attack the Harlington-Straker Studios but is soon destroyed by
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
. Henderson is convinced of the merits of Straker's request to clear all space debris and agrees to support the plan but cautions Straker that, like himself, he may also have been too sure about being right.
Regular cast
Reception
Rating the ''UFO'' episodes from best to worst, review website ''anorakzone.com'' ranks "Conflict" 19th, calling it "better than many of the episodes ranked above it" but "
otas much fun". It considers the episode an example of how, "by concerning itself with the minutiae of bureaucracy", ''UFO'' showed itself to be "more adult" than other science fiction series.
John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir (born December 3, 1969) is an American literary critic. As of 2022, he has written thirty reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres.
Biography
Bor ...
regards the episode as one of the best, describing it as "fascinating" for "
ealising thatthe real impediment here is not the actual nemesis of Earth (the alien device), but our own human politics". Muir also considers the episode "extremely forward-looking" for the 1970s due to its focus on the emerging problem of
space junk
Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, space garbage, or cosmic debris) are defunct human-made objects in spaceprincipally in Earth orbitwhich no longer serve a useful function. These include dere ...
.
References
External links
*
{{UFO (TV series)
1970 British television episodes
Television episodes set on the Moon
UFO (British TV series) episodes