I think picking on the pressbook for the show is a little unfair, as it was written by publicity guys (one step lower on the evolutionary ladder than ad men), and not by the writers or producers of the show. It was written to appeal to TV buyers, who're a pretty conservative bunch.
When you start dealing with the show itself, I think your criticism's become a lot more valid, though you're still judging a 1970's show by 21st Century standards. Compared to similar contemporary shows, the degree of ethnic diversity in UFO is staggering, and the fact that they had plots and decent characterisation was almost unheard of at the time.
It's at this point I should mention that Gerry Anderson is a friend of the family. I've actually discussed racial diversity in his shows with him, and he used to get quite angry about the subtle pressure he'd get to have an all-white cast.
You make some interesting points about "Survival". I find it interesting that the first racism we see in the show actually comes from Bradley; he assumes that Straker is just making a show of offering him the job and is not at all sincere, while Straker is actually genuine. Would the scene have been done the same way if Straker were black or asian? Of course not. The whole "earnest white guy is poorly judged by the angry black guy" becomes a bit of a genre TV trope after this unfortunately, and gets used as a short-hand way of showing how wonderful our lily-white heroes are.
I think your comments on "The Computer Affair" are way off though. The characters aren't in a relationship and are, for a large part of the story, actively in denial about the attraction they feel to each other, so your criticisms about the way their "lerve" is portrayed come off as cheap shots. Both characters are highly trained professionals who've worked hard to reach coveted positions, working in an environment where relationships are strongly discouraged, under observation by their superiors, in war-time. They don't want to be in love, and indeed aren't even aware of it until the computer points it out to them. It'd be stupid and out of character for them to be leaping into bed or skipping around holding hands.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 09:25 am (UTC)When you start dealing with the show itself, I think your criticism's become a lot more valid, though you're still judging a 1970's show by 21st Century standards. Compared to similar contemporary shows, the degree of ethnic diversity in UFO is staggering, and the fact that they had plots and decent characterisation was almost unheard of at the time.
It's at this point I should mention that Gerry Anderson is a friend of the family. I've actually discussed racial diversity in his shows with him, and he used to get quite angry about the subtle pressure he'd get to have an all-white cast.
You make some interesting points about "Survival". I find it interesting that the first racism we see in the show actually comes from Bradley; he assumes that Straker is just making a show of offering him the job and is not at all sincere, while Straker is actually genuine. Would the scene have been done the same way if Straker were black or asian? Of course not. The whole "earnest white guy is poorly judged by the angry black guy" becomes a bit of a genre TV trope after this unfortunately, and gets used as a short-hand way of showing how wonderful our lily-white heroes are.
I think your comments on "The Computer Affair" are way off though. The characters aren't in a relationship and are, for a large part of the story, actively in denial about the attraction they feel to each other, so your criticisms about the way their "lerve" is portrayed come off as cheap shots. Both characters are highly trained professionals who've worked hard to reach coveted positions, working in an environment where relationships are strongly discouraged, under observation by their superiors, in war-time. They don't want to be in love, and indeed aren't even aware of it until the computer points it out to them. It'd be stupid and out of character for them to be leaping into bed or skipping around holding hands.