Cloudbase

Cloudbase 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). In the 2005 computer-animated remake, Cloudbase is re-imagined as Skybase.

Not to be confused with Cloud base.
Cloudbase
First appearance"The Mysterons"
Information
AffiliationSpectrum Organisation
Launched2067
Combat vehiclesAngel Interceptors
Auxiliary vehiclesSpectrum Passenger Jets, Magnocopters, gyroscopic escape capsules
General characteristics
PropulsionHover combine jet thrusters
Cahelium engines
PowerSolar panels
Length630 feet (190 m)
Width330 feet (100 m)

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).

Background

While developing the series in 1966, creator Anderson remembered that in the Battle of Britain the RAF had found it difficult to counter the Luftwaffe because of the delays caused by launching fighters from the ground:[1] 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."[2] He therefore decided to make Spectrum's headquarters a hovering airborne aircraft carrier:[1] "This could launch aircraft that would then climb to 100,000 feet and intercept extraterrestrial invaders within minutes."[2]

In a separate interview, he pointed out that Captain Scarlet was produced 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.[3]

Special effects director Derek Meddings created the Cloudbase studio prop as a scale model over six feet (1.8 m) long.[4] It was the easiest Captain Scarlet vehicle to make and typically appeared in a stock long shot filmed against a sky backdrop consisting of a background painting, cotton wool clouds and dry ice effects.[4][5] Too heavy to be hung on wires, the model was sometimes fixed to a metal pole concealed by the camera angle.[6] Larger sections of the flight deck were built for scenes showing aircraft taking off and landing.

Specifications

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 600.[7] 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. One fighter is manned around the clock, with the others on continuous standby. Auxiliary aircraft include Spectrum Passenger Jets and Magnocopters, which are launched from a separate part of the flight deck.

Areas onboard 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[8]
  • The Observation Room, containing atmospheric and space-monitoring equipment[8]
  • The Room of Sleep, where hypnosis and gimbal-mounted beds minimise the time required for personnel to rest[9]
  • The Sick Bay, manned by chief medical officer Dr Fawn
  • The Conference Room, Generator Room, Radar Room and Lounge

Skybase

In the computer-animated remake series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet (2005), Cloudbase is re-imagined as Skybase. The updated headquarters, now situated at 60,000 feet (11 mi; 18 km), resembles the original Cloudbase both in appearance and function. Robotic deckhands are stationed on Skybase's flight deck to assist in the take-off and landing of aircraft. Skybase is protected by a fleet of Falcon Interceptors (updated Angel aircraft) and, in addition to the facilities featured previously, is now also equipped with squash courts.

The CGI Skybase 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 TV series and films).[10] The computer 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 model for Star Trek: Enterprise, was too large to be rendered in a single step.[10]

Reception

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". [11]

Cloudbase has also been viewed as part of a possible religious allegory in the series' premise.[3] Actor Cy Grant, who voiced the original Lieutenant Green, believed that Christian symbolism was heavily implied, with Colonel White representing God and Cloudbase serving as a Heaven analogue (incidentally guarded by fighter aircraft codenamed "the Angels").[12][13] In a discussion of the series' alleged "Biblical theme", Wales Online noted that the God-like Colonel White is shown to be stationed "in his heavenly Cloudbase, surrounded by his angel protectors".[14] Anderson denied that any of this symbolism was intentional.[3]

The Valiant, an airborne aircraft carrier seen in the Doctor Who universe, has been compared to Cloudbase.[15][16] 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.[17]

A toy version of Cloudbase was released by Vivid Imaginations in the 1990s. The Toy Retailers Association later ranked it among the top 50 toys for 2001.[18][19]

A secret project in the expansion pack for the 1999 video game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is titled Cloudbase Academy.

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Meddings, p. 89.
  5. Meddings, p. 88.
  6. Meddings, p. 90.
  7. Drake and Bassett, p. 31.
  8. Drake and Bassett, p. 36.
  9. Drake and Bassett, p. 35.
  10. 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.
  11. Fryer, Ian (2016). The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The Story Behind International Rescue. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-781555-04-0.
  12. Grant, Cy (2007). "Lieutenant Green and De Anderson CODE – Spectrums, Subconscious Connections & Synchronicities". Archived from the original on 23 January 2008.
  13. La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
  14. Turner, Robin (31 March 2013). "We Love ... Captain Scarlet". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. "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.
  18. 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.
  19. "Top 50 For 2001". toyretailersassociation.co.uk. Toy Retailers Association. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2019.

Works cited
  • Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-84222-405-2.
  • Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. London, UK: Boxtree. pp. 31, 34–9. ISBN 978-1-85283-403-6.
  • Meddings, Derek (1993). 21st Century Visions. Surrey, UK: Paper Tiger Books. ISBN 978-1-85028-243-3.
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