UFO: The Vault

26. The New Milenium

Entering the 21st century, and following the DVD releases of Space Precinct (by Digital Entertainment hoping also to unsuccessfully release UFO on DVD), Thunderbirds, Stingray, Space: 1999 and Captain Scarlet by Carlton Video (basically ITV), UFO was released on DVD with two sets being released on 18th March and 10th June 2002. The series was also released individual sets of 8 discs - all digitally remastered for the first time. The big sets featuring exclusive picture cards as well as a vast host of special features with extended sequences from Identified and Exposed, a Gerry Anderson commentary on Identified, Ed Bishop commentary on Sub-Smash, 100+ behind-the-scenes and publicity photos, actor biographies, merchandise photos, pre-production artwork, SHADO information, storyboards, sketches and an illustrated text feature relating to Doppelganger. When Carlton was emerged with Granada to form ITV plc, the sets was re-released under ITV Studios Global Entertainment in 2004. The same year the UFO Documentary was released with the Space: 1999 documentary released exclusively to Fanderson members. 

However, in 2016 Network released Invasion: UFO on Blu Ray digitally restored into high definition also featuring the original VHS version, trailer and clean titles. Later on 14th November, Network released the series in full with the series digitally restored in high definition in 24 frames per second and its original 4:3 frame (with black bars). The original set, which was hugely successful, came with a 2-sided poster based on the 1970 Anglo UFO trading cards and an exquisite 620 paged booklet by noted TV historian Andrew Pixley. The set also featured a new 5.1 surround sound option, a host of brand new special features including extras such as the 90 minute From Earth To The Moon explaining the production and making of the series. Also included was the documentary The Women of UFO, a SHADO briefing film, brand new photo galleries, interviews, Italian trailers plus older extras from the DVDs such as the commentaries and extra scenes. The set was re-released on 16th September 2017 with only the Blu Ray set whereas, on 21st May 2018, the 2002 DVD set was re-released by ITV once more. 

Elsewhere in the US, A&E Video via Carlton released two sets of UFO in 2002 and 2003, until the complete series was made in a big "Megaset". Extras include the UK commentaries as well as Micheal Billington and Director Alan Perry on Kill Straker and Timelash with Sylvia Anderson and Wanda Ventham plus video/audio outtakes and "production photos", - frame grabs from episodes. On 27th June 2003, Japan released the series on DVD. In France in 2002, TF1 released all 26 episodes on 7 discs with English and French dubbed or with subtitles with only four of the episodes being digitally remastered. Extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, merchandise galleries and the Invasion: UFO trailer. In Italy, Cult Media released all 26 episodes of UFO on DVD in 2003. Set 1 is available in a standard and a deluxe version, containing many features found on the UK DVDs with an Ed Bishop interview, plus "fake" 5.1 surround sound, dubbed Italian and subtitles and Invasion: UFO. EpiX in Germany released all episodes of UFO onto DVD in 2005. In 2007, Australia released under Umbrella Entertainment all 26 episodes of UFO in an 8-disc boxed set September 2007 (also released separately as four 2-disc volumes) in the PAL format under Region 0 (able to play in almost any DVD player worldwide) as well as a host of commentaries and for its first public release - the UFO Documentary. Invasion: UFO was released separately on DVD in Australia on 20th February 2019.  

The Blu-Ray releases of UFO commenced with Germany's release in 2014, after a Japanese release in December by Geneon Universal Entertainment with the majority of extras coming from the previous Japanese releases. These two previous releases were largely the same, and 25 of the 26 episodes used the same exact video encode, based on 2006 film scans of the original 35mm camera negatives, they looked great overall but fell short of perfection by having a few notable flaws. On the Japan release, all of the sepia-tinted flashbacks in The Long Sleep were incorrectly black & white (later fixed on the German release). On both releases, the aspect ratio on Ordeal briefly switched 4:3 to 16:9 for about a minute.

For the show's books, in 2009, a big book of the UFO Technical Manual was released featuring schematics of the SHADO crafts. The Complete Book Of UFO was released three times written by Chris Bentley (2003/2006/2017). Ed Bishop would help promote the 2002 DVD releases as he was interviewed in UK magazine SFX in the Spring of that year. A Japanese article was featured in Autumn 2003 in Japanese Starlog magazine features a 4-page article on UFO. Trading cards include Fanderson's 1998-2000 was issued to its members.  In February 2004, Cards Inc. is expected to release a set of UFO trading cards. Another set from Unstoppable cards was issued in 2016 along with other Anderson shows.

Fanderson in June 2003 would also release a soundtrack available only to Fanderson members, with a limited edition of 1,000 copies of tracks equaling a time of 155 minutes. In September 2003, the Japanese company released a UFO soundtrack CD with tracks mostly from Identified, Survival and A Question Of Priorities. Silva Screen Records released a UFO soundtrack on compact disc, 2-LP colored vinyl, and digital download on 13 September 2019, with Fanderson releasing in March 2020 and 4 CD disc set only available to Fanderson members. Yeah, we could be here all day discussing merchandise! In broadcasts, UFO was repeated on ITV4 in 2009 alongside Space: 1999 and New Captain Scarlet (actually in 2007). The series was also shown in 2019 on Forces TV also with Space: 1999.

In 2015, Thunderbirds returned for the ITV 2015 reboot Thunderbirds Are Go! and in the Series 1 episode Relic, and later returning in Signals Part 2 in Series 3, International Rescue saved Jeff Tracy's old friend Captain Lee Taylor from a meteor shower in SHADO Alpha 1 - the Moonbase a reference to Moonbase Alpha and slightly based off its design from Space: 1999 and of course UFO's SHADO Moonbase. So it seems that UFO is still present in modern pop culture to some extent. In Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule, the title sequence for the British comedy series featured clips of Ufoes! Of course, developments and attempts have been made to reboot UFO to TV or as a feature film relating directly to Gerry Anderson's UFO TV series. The Doctor Who novel The Indestructible Man featuring the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe released in November 2004 featured many elements and similarities to not only the worlds of UFO, but also Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Stingray.

In January 1996, Albert Hastings sent a message to the FAB-UFO mailing list, stating that he was part of an Australian film production company,  was going to attempt to create a new TV series to be a direct sequel to UFO. He contacted Ed Bishop about reprising his role as Straker and contacted Gerry Anderson. Several concepts and designs were made including the Stealth Interceptor - which was perhaps to be the series' version of Skydiver. But by October 1996, with the proposal completed and sent, there was no response and Hastings admitted defeat. The proposed script however was later completed and adapted into a fan-made production on YouTube.

In 2009, Producer Robert Evans and ITV Global would be teaming up to produce a big-screen adaptation of the series. Ryan Gaudet and Joseph Kanarek were to write the script, which was to be set in 2020. It was claimed that the UFO movie would be visual effects supervisor Matthew Gratzner's directorial debut and that Joshua Jackson would be playing Foster (who defiantly looks the part!). Ali Larter was also under consideration for the part of Lake (again who looks good for the role). Producers Avi Haas and Matthew Gratzner posted on the official UFO film website that the film was under development and planned for a summer 2013 release. However, nothing was completed, and the film's web page was taken down. This could easily have been for a number of reasons, perhaps taking too long with only a little development. ITV also having to invest in planned Space: 1999 remake Space: 2099, or focused on the bigger developments of Thunderbirds to produce the remake Thunderbirds Are Go!. CaptainThunderWho wonders how this film would have panned out, either a superb remake of a classic legend (hopefully) or go horribly wrong like the abomination of the Thunderbirds 2004 movie (remember - if your views differ that's perfectly ok) or the butchered scheduling of New Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds Are Go!. Century 22 has its own offering...