Lunacon 2009 and Gerry Anderson's UFO

Due to the holidays, I'm combining this week's Science Fiction & Classic TV posts into one:  

The New York Science Fiction Society (AKA The Lunarians)'s 52nd annual Lunacon Convention will be held February, 2009 in Rye, NY.  Details can be found here.  I've only attended one (in 2005) and had a lot of fun. 

My recent post some weeks back on the Space:1999 series reminded me of another UK-based science fiction series also created and produced by Gerry Anderson, which the library carries:  UFO.  Produced in 1969-70 (and aired in the US in 1972), UFO focused on the efforts of the SHADO organization to protect the Earth from mysterious aliens from a dying planet.  Set in the "future" of 1980 (!), UFO may look somewhat dated with its fashion sense (Nerhu jackets, purple wigs) and overly optimistic viewpoint on advanced technology (on the show, SHADO actually has a base on the Moon!), but a surprisingly mature,"adult" attitude towards the material and some still-excellent-after-all-these-years special effects overseen by the late Derek Meddings (1978's Superman The Movie; the James Bond films; Thunderbirds)  more than make up for any flaws.

Here's a link to Marc Martin's UFO Series Home Page site, which offers meticulous background information (as well as an episode guide) on the series.  The library offers the first thirteen episodes on DVD, which you can access on our online catalog here.  Check them out if you're interested.  -Ed