Cloudbase

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Not to be confused with Cloud base.
Cloudbase
Captain Scarlet vehicle
An airborne structure resembling a seagoing aircraft carrier, hovering at high altitude above clouds
Cloudbase as seen in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
First appearance"The Mysterons"
(29 September 1967)
Information
AffiliationSpectrum Organisation
Combat vehiclesAngel Interceptors
Auxiliary vehiclesSpectrum Passenger Jets
Spectrum Helicopters
Magnacopters
Gyroscopic escape capsules[1]
General characteristics
PropulsionHover combines
Anti-gravity compensators
Jet cloud conversion engines for horizontal flight[2][3]
PowerNuclear reactor
Solar energy panels[2][3]
Mass87,000 tons[4] or
4,520,000 pounds (2,050 tonnes)[3]
Length630 feet (190 m)[2][4]
Width330 feet (100 m)[2][4]
Height130 feet (40 m)[4]
Population volume593 personnel[2][4]

Spectrum Cloudbase, often shortened to Cloudbase,[2] is the fictional skyborne headquarters of the international security organisation Spectrum from Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–68).[5] In the 2005 computer-animated remake, Cloudbase is re-imagined as Skybase.

In both series, the base's design is that of an airborne aircraft carrier, stationed in either Earth's high troposphere (in the original series) or low stratosphere (in the remake).

Behind the scenes[edit]

While developing the series in 1966, Gerry Anderson remembered that during the Battle of Britain the RAF had found it difficult to counter the Luftwaffe due to the delays caused by having to launch fighters from the ground.[6] In his biography, he recalled that "it took [the Spitfire squadron] about 20 minutes to climb high enough to intercept the bombers that were already at 16,000 feet."[7] It was for this reason that Anderson decided to make Spectrum's headquarters a hovering airborne aircraft carrier:[6] "This could launch aircraft that would then climb to 100,000 feet and intercept extraterrestrial invaders within minutes."[7] In a separate interview, he noted that Captain Scarlet was made during the Cold War, "when world leaders held conferences on aircraft carriers, and bomber pilots were constantly in the air waiting for attack orders. So I was thinking along the lines of a wartime setting, and had the idea for Cloudbase, a giant flying aircraft carrier, and the Angels, fighter pilots ready for take-off at any time.[8]

The Andersons' original script for the first episode stated that the base is kept airborne by "powerful jet engines that are pointing downwards and are obviously powered by atomic energy".[9]

The Cloudbase filming model was designed by special effects director Derek Meddings and measured over six feet (1.8 m) in length. According to Meddings, it was the easiest Captain Scarlet vehicle to build. The base's wide-angle establishing shot, repeatedly re-used as stock footage, was filmed against a sky backdrop consisting of a background painting, cotton wool clouds and dry ice effects.[10] Too heavy to be hung on wires, the model was held in place on the end of a horizontal metal pole.[11] Larger-scale sections of the flight deck were built for scenes showing aircraft taking off and landing.

The puppet-size control room set incorporated green Perspex arches and a 15-foot-long (4.6 m) electrically-driven moving walkway from which the character Lieutenant Green operates the base's main computer.[12]

Depiction[edit]

Resembling an aircraft carrier, complete with flight deck and powered by jet engines, Cloudbase hovers at a fixed altitude of 40,000 feet (7.6 mi; 12 km). Though usually geostationary, it is equipped with horizontal jet thrusters that enable it to be moved to any point above the Earth's surface. It was constructed in Earth orbit and has a crew of approximately 600.[13] The whole structure is pressurised; pilots entering or exiting aircraft on the flight deck do so via airtight shafts and docking ports.

Cloudbase's main defence is its squadron of three Angel Interceptor fighter aircraft, flown by five female pilots.[14] One fighter is crewed around the clock, with the others on continuous standby. Auxiliary aircraft include Spectrum Passenger Jets and Magnacopters, which are launched from a separate part of the flight deck.[15]

Areas aboard Cloudbase include:

  • The Control Room, containing Colonel White's desk and Lieutenant Green's computer, which is used to operate the base's public address and other systems
  • The Amber Room, the standby post for the Angel pilots
  • The Spectrum Information Centre, containing "seventh-generation" supercomputers[16]
  • The Observation Room, containing atmospheric and space-monitoring equipment[16]
  • The Room of Sleep, where hypnosis and gimbal-mounted beds minimise the time required for personnel to rest[17]
  • The Sick Bay, staffed by chief medical officer Dr Fawn
  • Conference Room, Generator Room, Radar Room and Lounge

Reception[edit]

Commentator Ian Fryer praises the Cloudbase interior sets designed by Keith Wilson, describing them as "both stylish and highly detailed with ground-breaking use of see-through coloured Perspex".[18]

Cloudbase has also been viewed as part of a supposed religious allegory in the series.[8][19] Commentators have suggested that the base can be interpreted as Heaven, with Colonel White serving as a God analogue and the resurrected Captain Scarlet representing the Son of God; the Devil is symbolised by either Captain Black or the Mysterons.[8][19][20][21][22] Both Robin Turner of Wales Online and Chris Jenkins of Total DVD magazine compare White to God seated in his "heavenly Cloudbase" (defended by a fighter squadron that happens to be codenamed "the Angels").[8][22] Anderson denied that any of this symbolism was intentional.[8]

In 1993, toy company Vivid Imaginations released a Cloudbase playset.[23] The Toy Retailers Association later ranked it among the top 50 toys for 2001.[24][25] A secret project in the expansion pack for the 1999 video game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is titled Cloudbase Academy.

The Valiant, an airborne aircraft carrier seen in the Doctor Who universe, has been compared to Cloudbase.[26][27] Also similar are the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier from the Marvel Universe and the mobile airstrip from the 2004 science-fiction film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.[28]

Skybase[edit]

In the computer-animated remake New Captain Scarlet (2005), Cloudbase is re-imagined as Skybase. The re-designed headquarters, now stationed at 60,000 feet (11 mi; 18 km), has robotic deckhands on its flight deck to assist in the take-off and landing of aircraft. The base is protected by a fleet of Falcon Interceptors (the updated Angel aircraft) and, in addition to the facilities featured previously, is equipped with squash courts.

In a 2004 interview, Anderson said that the changes from the original were for commercial reasons, "so that merchandising opportunities aren't confused and all the revenue goes to another company."[29]

The CGI model was created using LightWave 3D software under the supervision of Ron Thornton, co-founder of animation studio Foundation Imaging (whose commissions included the Star Trek series and films).[30] The model – which at three million polygons (described by Thornton as "way over the top"), was originally three times the size of the Enterprise NX-01 from Star Trek: Enterprise – was too large to be rendered in a single step.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Drake and Bassett, pp. 35–36.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-84222-405-2.
  3. ^ a b c Denham, Sam (2017). Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Spectrum Agents' Manual. Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-1-78521-143-0.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bleathman, Graham (2000). Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation Cross-Sections. London, UK: Carlton Books. p. 33. ISBN 9781842224113.
  5. ^ Cloudbase (Captain Scarlet): Century 21 Tech Talk (3.6). November 6, 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b Marcus, Laurence (October 2005). "Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master – Part 3". teletronic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  7. ^ a b Archer, Simon; Hearn, Marcus (2002). What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson. London, UK: BBC Books. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-563-53481-5.
  8. ^ a b c d e Jenkins, Chris (October 2001). Jenkins, Chris (ed.). "Scarlet is the New Black". Total DVD. No. 30. London, UK: WV Publications. pp. 16–18. ISSN 1464-889X. OCLC 877789732.
  9. ^ Bentley 2017, pp. 79–81.
  10. ^ Meddings, pp. 88–89.
  11. ^ Meddings, p. 90.
  12. ^ Bentley 2017, pp. 44–45.
  13. ^ Drake and Bassett, p. 31.
  14. ^ Angel Interceptor: Century 21 Tech Talk. October 23, 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Drake and Bassett, pp. 35–39.
  16. ^ a b Drake and Bassett, p. 36.
  17. ^ Drake and Bassett, p. 35.
  18. ^ Fryer, Ian (2016). The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The Story Behind International Rescue. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-781555-04-0.
  19. ^ a b Taylor, Anthony; Trim, Mike (2006). The Future Was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-932563-82-5.
  20. ^ La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
  21. ^ Grant, Cy. "Lieutenant Green and De Anderson CODE – Spectrums, Subconscious Connections & Synchronicities". Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  22. ^ a b Turner, Robin (31 March 2013). "We Love ... Captain Scarlet". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  23. ^ Bentley 2017, pp. 196–197.
  24. ^ Blair, Andrew (2 February 2016). "Remembering '90s Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet Toys". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 50 For 2001". toyretailersassociation.co.uk. Toy Retailers Association. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  26. ^ Anderson, Martin (3 May 2008). "Doctor Who Series 4, Episode 5 Review: 'The Poison Sky'". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  27. ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (20 April 2014). "TV Reviews: Doctor Who: 'The Sound of Drums'/'Last of the Time Lords'". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  28. ^ "The Best of SFX's Attack of the Clones". sfx.co.uk. Future plc. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  29. ^ Pennington, Adrian (June 2004). "Look – No Strings". Televisual. Centaur Communications. pp. 26–28. ISSN 0264-9845.
  30. ^ a b Marcus, Laurence (2005). "Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master – Part 5". teletronic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

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