GEEKEPEDIA: 'V': THE SERIES overview

As a post-script to our recent coverage of the original 'V' mini-series and by way of a preview of our upcoming highly-detailed episode-by-episode analysis of the series, here is an overview of 'V: THE SERIES'.... The Visitors are NOT our friends. Remember that.

On-screen, the series is known simply as 'V' (indeed, only THE FINAL BATTLE has any official sub-title) but in NBC's publicity material (including press adverts) it was billed as V: The Series.

None of the episodes have any on-screen titles leading fans to create some “interesting” alternatives. The now firmly established official titles come from Warner Brothers VHS and DVD releases.

The complete series is available on R1 DVD with no extras.

The move to a weekly production schedule (and a weekly budget) forced the producers to compromise on some of the key elements of the success of the two mini-series: The Visitor's laser weapons were costly to complete in post-production (each blast cost over a $1000 dollars) so usage was kept to a minimum with Visitor troops instead issued with (normally) non-lethal stun batons.

The aliens distinctive voices, an effect again added in post, was also abandoned without explanation. The fan-produced Visitor Technical Manual (now long out-of-print but a nice-to-find item) speculated that the change was the result of extended exposure to Earth's atmosphere. The show's producers made no such effort to explain it. A fringe benefit of the decision was to open up the possibility of aliens disguised as humans, something unlikely with their distinctive reverb.

The first episode, LIBERATION DAY, continues directly from the events of the second mini-series before jumping ahead to the first anniversary of the alien retreat from Earth. The novel THE PURSUIT OF DIANA (by Allen Wold), written before production begun on the weekly series, offers a different take on Diana's fate and Earth's reconstruction.

The Red Dust is only active in parts of the world that experience freezing temperatures. In climates such as Los Angeles, it dies. Science Frontiers research has discovered that further releases of the chemical would have disastrous effects on Earth's species making it impossible to repel the second invasion with further releases.

LIBERATION DAY's memorable effects shot of the alien fleet hiding behind the moon was achieved using models (the 30-inch Saucer in the foreground, newly built smaller ships behind and a 36-inch model of the moon's surface) because there wasn't the money in the budget for optical compositing.

Despite boasting an increased budget on early episodes, the producers were confronted with their first major budget crunch as early as episode two. The Visitor super-weapon, the Particle Beam Triax, was a key plot-point but there was no money in the kitty to fund the construction and filming of new miniature work. The initial plan was to hire some existing stock footage from another production and alter it as required. Faced with this unsatisfactory solution, the show's effects team found an existing model (built by Dale Fay, one of the team, for a student film) and filmed that instead. Even then, only one shot could be filmed but cut into smaller segments to be placed throughout the episode.

Despite being completed, NBC passed on the third episode, BREAKOUT, during the show's initial run. To cover the gap, the producers shot additional scenes for the next episode which offered alternative explanations to how several of the characters met for the first time. When NBC put the show into reruns the following summer, BREAKOUT was included in its correct place in the season. When released on VHS and DVD, both episodes are included, creating the impression that they contradict each other.

BREAKOUT introduces the alien Crivit creatures, inspiration for the original novel THE CRIVIT EXPERIMENT.

Selected episodes credit “Science Fiction Advisors”. Really.

Network and studio asked Kenneth Johnson to return to his creation and turn things around toward the end of the first (and only) season but he declined, believing too much damage had been done.

Despite capturing large amounts of hardware, including equipment that must have been abandoned at the end of the second mini-series, the Resistance seem very reluctant to use clearly superior alien tech. The real reason, of course, is that it would have pushed budgets too high.

According to show writer David Braff, the episode VISITOR'S CHOICE fell victim to network concerns over levels of violence and a battle scene was cut from the final edit.

Several characters from the mini-series return, albeit briefly, for episodes of the weekly series: Robert Maxwell (LIBERATION DAY and DREADNOUGHT), Sean Donovan (DECEPTION and SANCTION) and Young Elizabeth (LIBERATION, DREADNOUGHT and REFLECTIONS IN TERROR).

Despite already featuring a larger than average cast that the show's writers found difficult to juggle, NBC offered to fund the creation of a talking land vehicle (ala K.I.T.T). The studio declined.

Mid-season saw a drastic reduction in the number of regular and recurring characters. Amongst the casualties: Charles (accidently poisoned by Lydia), Elias Taylor (vaporised by a Visitor weapon), Nathan Bates (killed in a gun battle), Ham Tyler (departs for Chicago), Chris (Chicago), Robin Maxwell (Chicago), Mr Chaing (suddenly unemployed), Howard K. Smith (unknown).

Howard Kay Smith was a former real-life news anchor. The Freedom Network was intended to expand the scope of the alien invasion and give it a more 'epic' feel than the show could afford on its limited budget.

The second half of the season did, however, introduce some new characters: Lt. James became Diana's most trusted foot soldier as the was effort continued. Another Visitor, despatched from the homeworld to speed victory, turned out to be a slightly less valuable addition to the fleet's forces. Phillip (inexplicably Martin's twin brother, despite wearing the standard alien-issue human disguise mask) swore revenge on the man he believed killed his brother (that would be Donovan then) but quickly secretly sided with the resistance once he knew the truth. This allowed the show's writers, albeit belatedly, to reintroduce the idea of a Visitor Fifth Column in the fleet despite going to great pains to make them off-limits (we're told all suspects were purged after the fleet's initial retreat) at the beginning of the series.

Despite establishing that Nathan Bates' death would trigger a massive release of Red Dust particles which would make Los Angeles off-limits to the Visitors (a plot-point mentioned again in THE HERO), his passing triggers no such alien apocalypse. A scene was shot showing Kyle Bates taking Bates Snr's pulse monitor and placing it on his own wrist as his father slipped away but the scene was dropped from the final edit and no explanation was ever offered. Bates' company, Science Frontiers, charged by the US government with reverse engineering and exploiting Visitor technology prior to the second invasion, is never mentioned again following his death despite, presumably, holding vast stocks (albeit unseen) of alien technology which could be invaluable to the resistance effort.

The weekly series divides fairly neatly into three distinct styles: The early episodes are an A-TEAM/ DYNASTY hybrid with simplistic action aimed at an early evening family audience and high-camp on the Mothership as the aliens devote more time to foiling each others ambitions than the Resistance. Suddenly, mid-season, the show suddenly starts to develop an edge with slightly more gritty storylines (and an extreme rise in the body count). This strategy, despite being something of a creative success (at least compared with earlier episodes), clearly failed to arrest declining audience and the final part of the season (suffering from a reduced budget as well as a reduced cast) has the stench of desperation and treading water until inevitable cancellation. With no money and no ambition, the final episodes slide into high camp with only the alien antics on the Mothership holding any attraction.

A formal Visitor written language was never devised for the show but the fan compilers of the Visitor Technical Manual had a crack based on what was shown on-screen.

Including the originally AWOL BREAKOUT, the weekly series clocked-up 19 episodes. An unexpected ratings bounce toward the end of the season prompted the commissioning of a 20th script, THE ATTACK, which would have acted as a pilot for any second season. The episode, had it have gone into production, would have seen the death of Juliet Parish (Faye Grant had expressed a desire to leave the show), a shift of emphasis onto Kyle Bates and Elizabeth (the two characters the network felt most comfortable with) and the introduction of a new format that would see the surviving Resistance members crossing the United States looking for something of vital importance to the invading aliens while pursued by Diana and her minions. Apparently Mike Donovan was also due for the chop had the show continued. When the ratings showed no sustained upswing, the 20th episode and the second season were both abandoned leaving the plot lines of the 19th outing (including the alien ceasefire and Diana's apparent assassination of the leader) unresolved.

Warner Brothers hoped that NBC would buy a third mini-series (or TV movie), V – THE CLOSING CHAPTER, to keep the franchise alive but the network, no doubt sensing damaged goods, declined. Ideas for the third mini-series included taking the war to the alien's home planet (difficult and expensive) or an examination of how the remaining aliens would be treated on Earth after being abandoned by their retreating fleet, or Fifth Columnists who choose to stay behind (cheaper to film and not special effects intensive). Ultimately, neither materialised and the publishers of the licensed books and comics also decided (or were told) to stay away from events after the final episode.

Following the success of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION in first-run syndication, Warner Brothers looked at the possibility of relaunching the franchise in syndication but abandoned the idea when the relatively low revenues generated by sellings shows to local stations couldn't match the high budgets the show would have demanded. JMS (previously of animation and soon to launch BABYLON FIVE for Warner Brothers) proposed V: THE NEXT CHAPTER which would have removed most of the surviving members of the original cast in favour of new faces.

More recently, Kenneth Johnson has been working with both network and studio on ideas for a new V mini-series. Sticking points seem to include whether it should be a remake of the first mini-series, a continuation (which would probably ignore, or at least skate round, the events of the second mini-series and the weekly series) or a BATTLESTAR GALACTICA style re-imagining of the original idea for a modern audience. His follow-up to the original mini-series (ignoring the events of THE FINAL BATTLE and the weekly series), V: THE SECOND GENERATION, was published by TOR in hardback and paperback in 2007. Johnson hopes this will serve as the basis for a television revival.

V: The Series was supported by a massive merchandising campaign in the United States and abroad. Tellingly, most of the material issued was aimed at younger viewers and collectors. Amongst the most interesting pieces are the 16 original novels issued between 1984 and 1988. Only the first is a direct adaptation of television material, the two mini-series. The third book, The PURSUIT OF DIANA, offers an alternative account of events immediately after the first alien withdrawal. The remainder recount events around the world and many feature no appearances by the human characters from the tv show. None of them conclude events after the final episode of the television show.

The complete television 'V' saga runs to 29 commercial hours: four hours for the initial mini-series, six for THE FINAL BATTLE and nineteen for the weekly series, including BREAKOUT. Today, the saga is often shown as a twenty-nine episode series.