So the above ground identical office is all smashed up like in the 1950s Daffy Duck cartoon, “Home of the Future?” 
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While we only ever see the one, I think I did hear mention of there being several Skydivers in operation. Which would make sense for global coverage for when the UFO’s get by Moonbase (as they frequently do).
Besides from the base in the UK (seen in the episode Psychobombs), I’d assume bases at least on both coasts of the US, South America, South Africa, Japan, Russia and either Australia or New Zealand. Maybe a couple of Pacific Islands and the Med too. Anderson liked secret bases on remote islands.
I’m only up to episode 16 so far, but I’ve seen one Skydiver destroyed in Psychobombs and one sunk and recovered in Sub Smash. Although that was likely the same boat, I can’t remember the order of those episodes off the top of my head.
Now, the question I have is how the heck the sub recovers the fighter afterwards? Does it do a vertical landing on the ocean and wait for the sub to surface and dock?
And when are SHADO going to learn their lesson about alien mind control? Everytime they fall for it.
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At the time, there were allegedly 6 SkyDivers in operation, this was reduced to 5 after SkyDiver 3 was destroyed in the aforementioned ‘Psychobombs’ episode. The remaining 5 are on station in the Pacific, Arctic, Indian, and East and West Atlantic Oceans.
There are also 3 SkyDivers allegedly under construction.
The ‘grey lady down’ SkyDiver in the ‘Sub Smash’ episode is SkyDiver 1.
As for recovery of a Skyfighter by SkyDiver, it is explained as below…
As for mind control, I haven’t the foggiest, 
.
G, 
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Ok, aliens have re-evaluated the attack procedure … 6 waves of 5 UFOs and a reserve flight of 3 held in orbit around the moon…
World domination can begin …
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They should promote you to Commander Johnny, head of S.H.A.D.O., 
…I think you’d enjoy having all those ladies under you, 
.
G,
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There is so much scope here for me to make so many different replies and get an instant ban from the site … So I shall have to refrain… But it is a nice idea… And I would certainly rise 
to the challenge…
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Thanks, that’s from the technical manual?
I can’t help but think if Anderson had gotten a second series and bigger budget, we might’ve seen a much more expanded SHADO. It would probably be a good candidate for a revamp. If the right people were involved in writing and producing it, it could work. See the thing through to the end and finally get a conclusion to the story.
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Okay. What is the explanation for the You-Foes eventually deteriorating and then exploding in the Earth’s atmosphere?
I felt this was a weaker plot device — their technology could cross deep space at greater than light speeds, but somehow could not survive being in our atmosphere.
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SWAG…super wild a$$ guess…and rumor…
Were the You-Foe’s aliens actually humans from humanity’s future traveling back though time in a last ditch desperate attempt to steer humanity in a non-self destructive manner? The time dilation stress the UFO’s so they had a very limited life span in our time line. That’s why they tended to explode. Being in the atmosphere accelerated the deterioration.
Of course, communication between future humanity and present humanity proved very difficult given how humanity had evolved in the future.
Seems like I read something to that effect somewhere…like an old Space 1999 forum that disappeared twenty years ago.
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Stephen, yes the information is from the S.H.A.D.O. Technical Manual, it’s a good read for anyone interested.
I also agree with you regarding a second series, but alas it morphed into Space 1999, but on the plus side we did end up with the Eagle Transporter, and its variants.
Revamped would be good, they could certainly recreate the ‘darkness’ of the series, it would be interesting to see how they’d revamp the vehicles…maybe a group build option, the 2020s take, 
.
G,
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There is a suggestion in the aforementioned S.H.A.D.O. technical manual M70, that the deterioration is intentional, if a UFO fails to return it essentially self-destructs after a period of time, a natural process not requiring it to be triggered manually, thus preventing their technology falling in to our hands, .
G,
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It may, or may not be of interest to the good folk contributing here, but currently the S.H.A.D.O. and Space 1999 Technical Manuals are being sold as a bundle, thus giving a quite substantial 21% (£15.99) saving over buying each publication separately, see link below.
G,
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That makes sense.
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Watched episode 19, Ordeal last night and can’t help but feel a little disappointed with the ending. The whole thing turning out to be a sauna induced dream just felt silly. Like they ran out of ideas at the end, so they went with that old cliche.
The SHADO VTOL tilt-rotor was damn cool though. They were definitely taking note of some of the real prototypes and making it into a real workable aircraft.
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True, but they did it two whole decades before Dallas!
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I’m just hoping I haven’t revealed a spoiler for anyone like me catching up with it all like me.
Weird thing is I remember the scene with them removing the alien space suit and the doctor supervising over video, but always thought it was an alien they’d captured. I must’ve seen part of that episode at some point.
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Yeah, that was definitely a weird episode.
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It had potential I felt. Foster could have found out something more about the aliens while on the craft. More could have been done with Straker’s dilemma of choosing kill Foster or letting him be taken and giving away secrets or be harvested.
It was all just an anti-climactic cop out. And the less said about his gold suit at the party the better!
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Hahaha! Yes … that suit… 
No offense to anyone, but I had to laugh at the clothes and that uh, dancing (is it?) like it’s some UK pop music or Hefner After Dark (was it called?) TV show circa … 1969. I would think they would have tried to imagine something more forward for something to be set in the far away super advanced year of 1980.
You know, maybe some Deep Purple “Speed King,” something like that? Oops. That came out in 1970…
But you know what I mean. Something like that: Pink Fairies, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, etc. Hey, I’m an unabashed Metal guy. I will naturally think that.
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Yeah it all got a bit very Austin Powers groovy baby.
Maybe he was invited to a 60’s themed party just like 80’s theme was all the fad a couple of years ago.
Anderson was never very good at predicting where fashion or popular culture and music would go. But I suppose that would be difficult. Plenty of more recent examples out there.
Flared trousers in Space 1999. And wasn’t Cliff Richard performing as his own puppet in one of the Thunderbirds movies?
Although to be honest, having seen him on TV recently I’m convinced him and Keith Richards are immortal!
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