Nerds That Geek TV Rewind: 'V (1983)'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Oh the late 1970's and early 1980's were a fantastic time for science fiction. Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back had set a new standard in special effects and everyone it seemed wanted to see how far they could take it. It led to incredible innovations in film that we still see to this day and it even reached as far as television. 

One of those incredible moments that took our imagination to the next level came from a mini series that answered the question as to whether or not there was intelligent life in outer space with V.  The plot was simple enough. One day, massive motherships appear around the world and humanoid aliens with a message of peace and love arrive on our planet. By and large the public seems to embrace them as they bring technological and medical miracles to our world, but there are others that believe the Visitors are here with darker motives in mind, and their suspicions are correct.  

Well, this show was nothing short of pure and unadulterated awesomeness. Sure the special effects are dated, but growing up, this was state of the art for television. At the time those ships were believable to me and the first discovery that this species of humanoids turned out to be lizards blew me away.  But the show went beyond the simple shock value of special effects, bringing forth some fine science fiction storytelling by challenging what we view in our saviors and the cost of surrendering our freedoms in exchange for in this case, the cure to our societal woes.  

It was a show far ahead of its time and thankfully it was popular enough to continue the storyline after the original miniseries came to an end. V: The Final Battle, took us into the heart of the resistance against these oppressive reptiles in impressive fashion before evolving into a weekly television show that sadly, ended in a cliffhanger upon cancellation. However the lasting impression this show left upon the sci-fi world was felt for many years, to the point where the show even saw a reboot in 2009 that made it two seasons before oddly enough...ending in a cliffhanger upon cancellation.  

But this was a whip smart series, one filled with as many cheesy moments as thought provoking ones and one that I oddly enough have not added to my collection on DVD. I still have the VHS, but clearly it's time I added this opus to my shelf on disc.

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