Point 783
Encyclopedia
"Point 783" is the 13th episode of the Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Peter Curran and David Williams
and directed by Robert Lynn
. In this episode, the Mysteron
s attempt to kill the Supreme Commander of Earth
Forces.
— the Unitron, an unmanned tank
impervious to almost all weapons. It is controlled by an operator or can be pre-programmed to attack a designated target until it is totally destroyed.
Two army officers (Major Brooks and Colonel Storm) are killed in a car crash engineered by the Mysteron
s and re-created to assassinate the Supreme Commander. At a conference headed by the Commander and Captains Scarlet
and Blue
, in which Scarlet's "sixth sense" for Mysterons is evident, the Mysterons use Brooks as a walking bomb to try and kill the Commander in the same way they had tried to kill the World President
. However this attempt is foiled when Scarlet trips the emergency system in response to his sixth sense. This leaves the second Mysteron agent Colonel Storm to kill the commander.
The Supreme Commander is taken by Captain Blue to Point 783, a military blockhouse
on a test range in the Sahara Desert to observe the demonstration of the Unitron. The meeting is also attended by Storm. The demonstration initially proceeds according to plan with the vehicle swiftly destroying a selection of targets. This is until the Commander decides to step outside the bunker, at which point the Unitron starts to attack the building by firing shells from its main gun and then a flamethrower
at the blockhouse which starts to weaken under heavy fire. Undamaged by attacks from the Spectrum Angels, the tank moves in for the kill.
Captain Scarlet requisitions a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
to remove the Commander from the danger. Blue is left in the blockhouse and leaves the Commander in the care of Storm. The SPV speeds away from the building as the Unitron closes in, however after ramming the bunker the tank turns off in pursuit of the SPV. It is then revealed that Storm has programmed it to attack himself rather than just the blockhouse.
Scarlet reasons that this is the case and is held at gunpoint by Storm who shoots him several times at point-blank range. Despite this, Scarlet still manages to eject both himself and the Supreme Commander to safety, leaving Storm in the SPV. The SPV, with Storm still in it, is chased by the Unitron until both vehicles are destroyed when they plummet over a cliff. The Supreme Commander is rescued by Spectrum agents while the wounded Scarlet is taken away for treatment. At the end of the episode Captain Blue explains that the Mysterons will stop trying to kill the Supreme Commander because their agents have been killed.
specially created for "Point 783" includes a track titled "The SHEF March" which accompanies the sequences of the Supreme Commander arriving at SHEF Headquarters. The march can also be heard in various episodes of later Supermarionation
productions, such as "Business Holiday", an episode of Joe 90
. All music for "Point 783" was recorded in a single four-hour studio session held on , which incorporated an orchestra of 14 musicians.
-related fanzine Andersonic, Vincent Law interprets the plot involving the Unitron as a negative commentary on technological advancements in automation
and mechanisation. He compares "Point 783" to "Recall to Service", an episode of The Secret Service
featuring a malfunctioning superweapon
called the AquaTank, and to the Star Trek: The Original Series
episode "The Ultimate Computer". For Law, "Point 783" is "quite a bloodthirsty installment" of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
, in part due to the accident that kills the human Colonel Storm and Major Brooks. The explosion of the reconstructed Brooks reinforces the "very alien" nature of the Mysterons, whose ability to self-destruct prompts Law to compare Brooks to a Second World War-era Kamikaze
pilot. However, he considers some elements of the Mysteron plot confusing, citing the brief appearance of the tanker: "... it appears that they've reconstructed the tanker driver whom they use to kill the two officers in a crash, both of whom are then recreated to do the assassinating. Just a tad long-winded." The highlights, according to Law, are the special effects: the Angels' assault on the Unitron is "what Century 21 is, in a nutshell - fast editing, great music, big explosions and unrelenting action." He summarises "Point 783" as "a snapshot of what Captain Scarlet is all about" as well as "visually and technically impressive, loud and exciting, yet perhaps just a tad flawed at script level".
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Peter Curran and David Williams
David Williams (screenwriter)
David Williams is a British television screenwriter.He co-wrote four episodes of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the 1960s, forming a writing duo with Peter Curran: "White as Snow", "Point 783", "Seek and Destroy" and "The Launching".-External links:...
and directed by Robert Lynn
Robert Lynn (director)
Robert Lynn was a British film and TV director.He was the son of actor Ralph Lynn.-Selected filmography:* Information Received * Postman's Knock * Victim Five * Coast of Skeletons...
. In this episode, the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s attempt to kill the Supreme Commander of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
Forces.
Plot
The episode begins with a demonstration of the latest in computer-controlled weaponryMilitary robot
Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled devices designed for military applications.Such systems are currently being researched by a number of militaries.-History:...
— the Unitron, an unmanned tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
impervious to almost all weapons. It is controlled by an operator or can be pre-programmed to attack a designated target until it is totally destroyed.
Two army officers (Major Brooks and Colonel Storm) are killed in a car crash engineered by the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s and re-created to assassinate the Supreme Commander. At a conference headed by the Commander and Captains Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
and Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
, in which Scarlet's "sixth sense" for Mysterons is evident, the Mysterons use Brooks as a walking bomb to try and kill the Commander in the same way they had tried to kill the World President
World government in science fiction
In both science fiction and utopian/dystopian fiction, authors have made frequent use of the age-old idea of a global state and, accordingly, of world government.- Overview :...
. However this attempt is foiled when Scarlet trips the emergency system in response to his sixth sense. This leaves the second Mysteron agent Colonel Storm to kill the commander.
The Supreme Commander is taken by Captain Blue to Point 783, a military blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
on a test range in the Sahara Desert to observe the demonstration of the Unitron. The meeting is also attended by Storm. The demonstration initially proceeds according to plan with the vehicle swiftly destroying a selection of targets. This is until the Commander decides to step outside the bunker, at which point the Unitron starts to attack the building by firing shells from its main gun and then a flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
at the blockhouse which starts to weaken under heavy fire. Undamaged by attacks from the Spectrum Angels, the tank moves in for the kill.
Captain Scarlet requisitions a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
to remove the Commander from the danger. Blue is left in the blockhouse and leaves the Commander in the care of Storm. The SPV speeds away from the building as the Unitron closes in, however after ramming the bunker the tank turns off in pursuit of the SPV. It is then revealed that Storm has programmed it to attack himself rather than just the blockhouse.
Scarlet reasons that this is the case and is held at gunpoint by Storm who shoots him several times at point-blank range. Despite this, Scarlet still manages to eject both himself and the Supreme Commander to safety, leaving Storm in the SPV. The SPV, with Storm still in it, is chased by the Unitron until both vehicles are destroyed when they plummet over a cliff. The Supreme Commander is rescued by Spectrum agents while the wounded Scarlet is taken away for treatment. At the end of the episode Captain Blue explains that the Mysterons will stop trying to kill the Supreme Commander because their agents have been killed.
Music
Incidental musicIncidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
specially created for "Point 783" includes a track titled "The SHEF March" which accompanies the sequences of the Supreme Commander arriving at SHEF Headquarters. The march can also be heard in various episodes of later Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
productions, such as "Business Holiday", an episode of Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
. All music for "Point 783" was recorded in a single four-hour studio session held on , which incorporated an orchestra of 14 musicians.
Reception
In a review published in the Gerry AndersonGerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
-related fanzine Andersonic, Vincent Law interprets the plot involving the Unitron as a negative commentary on technological advancements in automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
and mechanisation. He compares "Point 783" to "Recall to Service", an episode of The Secret Service
The Secret Service
The Secret Service is a British children's espionage television series, made as a Century 21 production for ITC Entertainment and broadcast in 1969...
featuring a malfunctioning superweapon
Superweapon
A superweapon is an extremely powerful weapon by the standards of its time and its scale. Examples include the Tsar Bomba , various superguns and other various weapons employed to give a decisive advantage over opposing countries or forces. The given advantage is usually based on intimidation and...
called the AquaTank, and to the Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Ultimate Computer". For Law, "Point 783" is "quite a bloodthirsty installment" of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
, in part due to the accident that kills the human Colonel Storm and Major Brooks. The explosion of the reconstructed Brooks reinforces the "very alien" nature of the Mysterons, whose ability to self-destruct prompts Law to compare Brooks to a Second World War-era Kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
pilot. However, he considers some elements of the Mysteron plot confusing, citing the brief appearance of the tanker: "... it appears that they've reconstructed the tanker driver whom they use to kill the two officers in a crash, both of whom are then recreated to do the assassinating. Just a tad long-winded." The highlights, according to Law, are the special effects: the Angels' assault on the Unitron is "what Century 21 is, in a nutshell - fast editing, great music, big explosions and unrelenting action." He summarises "Point 783" as "a snapshot of what Captain Scarlet is all about" as well as "visually and technically impressive, loud and exciting, yet perhaps just a tad flawed at script level".
External links
- "Point 783" at Fanderson.org.ukFandersonFanderson is the official appreciation society for the works of Gerry Anderson. It is a not-for-profit organisation endorsed by Anderson Entertainment Ltd, Gerry Anderson Productions plc and ITC Entertainment Group Ltd...
- "Point 783" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Point 783" at TheVervoid.com
- "Point 783" at the Gerry Anderson Wiki