Renegade Rocket
Encyclopedia
"Renegade Rocket" is the 16th 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 Ralph Hart and directed by Brian Burgess. In this episode, Spectrum fights to stop a rocket
from destroying its target.
expert and friend to Colonel White
, has been touring Cloudbase
. As Reeves returns to Base Concord by ship, Captain Black
uses the Mysteron
influence to nauseate him and the Major falls into the sea and drowns when a side rail collapses. A Mysteron reconstruction of Reeves arrives at Base Concord and takes over the launch control room, shooting the officer on duty, priming an incendiary
Variable Geometry
Rocket and launching it under the code "ZERO". Reeves escapes from Base Concord in a J17 interceptor
with the Flight Program Unit, with the result that personnel do not know where the VGR will strike, nor which code out of the 10,000 listed in the Base Concord manual is required to remote-activate
its self-destruct
mechanism. Curiously, the VGR is also not registering on ground radar
. The Base Concord Commander contacts Cloudbase and Captains Scarlet
and Blue
are dispatched, while the Angels are launched to start a search for the J17. Reeves is soon located but refuses to surrender the Flight Program Unit, crippling Melody Angel with the J17's machine gun
and forcing her to eject before her aircraft crashes into the ocean.
At Base Concord, it is realised that the VGR would be invisible to radar only if it were moving on a vertical ascent and descent flightpath, leaving Base Concord itself as the only possible target. With a replacement Flight Program Unit, personnel start to test self-destruct codes in alphabetical order despite the impossible odds. Elsewhere, Rhapsody Angel orders Reeves to surrender, but the Mysteron agent deliberately crashes the J17, sending the original Flight Program Unit to the ocean floor. With three minutes to impact, and all the Base Concord personnel evacuated, White commands Scarlet and Blue to leave. However, the officers ignore orders
in a daredevil bid to hit on the correct self-destruct code. The apt "AMEN
" proves unsuccessful, but on the seabed, the Flight Program Unit is dislodged from a rock and the self-destruct is activated. By a stroke of fate, the VGR detonates and Base Concord is saved. White is furious with his officers' conduct, but rules out a court-martial
because valour is essential in Earth
's war with the Mysterons.
for "Renegade Rocket" was recorded with music for the episode "Operation Time
" in a four-and-a-half-hour studio session held on , with a 12-member orchestra conducted by Barry Gray
.
, and also relating it to the 1964 Kubrick
film Dr. Strangelove. He comments negatively, however, on the dialogue and characterisation
, questioning, for example, Colonel White
's lack of an emotional response on realising that Reeves, supposedly a friend of his, has been killed and reconstructed by the Mysteron
s. Despite praise of the episode's visuals, he sums up "Renegade Rocket" as "a forerunner of effects-led films like Independence Day
and its ilk — flashy, nice to look at but insubstantial and ultimately unfulfilling."
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 Ralph Hart and directed by Brian Burgess. In this episode, Spectrum fights to stop a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
from destroying its target.
Plot
Major Reeves, a rocketRocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
expert and friend to Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
, has been touring Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
. As Reeves returns to Base Concord by ship, Captain Black
Captain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
uses 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...
influence to nauseate him and the Major falls into the sea and drowns when a side rail collapses. A Mysteron reconstruction of Reeves arrives at Base Concord and takes over the launch control room, shooting the officer on duty, priming an incendiary
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
Variable Geometry
Variable geometry
Variable geometry may refer to:* Variable-geometry ways to alter the shape of an aircraft's wings in flight in order to alter their aerodynamic properties* Multi-speed Europe, a proposed strategy for European integration...
Rocket and launching it under the code "ZERO". Reeves escapes from Base Concord in a J17 interceptor
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
with the Flight Program Unit, with the result that personnel do not know where the VGR will strike, nor which code out of the 10,000 listed in the Base Concord manual is required to remote-activate
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
its self-destruct
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances.Self-destruct mechanisms are also found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people...
mechanism. Curiously, the VGR is also not registering on ground radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. The Base Concord Commander contacts Cloudbase 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....
are dispatched, while the Angels are launched to start a search for the J17. Reeves is soon located but refuses to surrender the Flight Program Unit, crippling Melody Angel with the J17's machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and forcing her to eject before her aircraft crashes into the ocean.
At Base Concord, it is realised that the VGR would be invisible to radar only if it were moving on a vertical ascent and descent flightpath, leaving Base Concord itself as the only possible target. With a replacement Flight Program Unit, personnel start to test self-destruct codes in alphabetical order despite the impossible odds. Elsewhere, Rhapsody Angel orders Reeves to surrender, but the Mysteron agent deliberately crashes the J17, sending the original Flight Program Unit to the ocean floor. With three minutes to impact, and all the Base Concord personnel evacuated, White commands Scarlet and Blue to leave. However, the officers ignore orders
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
in a daredevil bid to hit on the correct self-destruct code. The apt "AMEN
Amen
The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
" proves unsuccessful, but on the seabed, the Flight Program Unit is dislodged from a rock and the self-destruct is activated. By a stroke of fate, the VGR detonates and Base Concord is saved. White is furious with his officers' conduct, but rules out a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
because valour is essential in 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...
's war with the Mysterons.
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"....
for "Renegade Rocket" was recorded with music for the episode "Operation Time
Operation Time
"Operation Time" is the eighth 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 Richard Conway and Stephen J...
" in a four-and-a-half-hour studio session held on , with a 12-member orchestra conducted by Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
.
Reception
Reviewing the episode in the Anderson fan publication Andersonic, Vincent Law identifies "Renegade Rocket" as just one example of a Gerry Anderson production that uses a theme of the dangers of advanced technology, or "runaway machinery". He also notes that the Reeves duplicate effectively pulls rank to launch the rocket, drawing a connection between this episode and perceptions of double agents during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and also relating it to the 1964 Kubrick
Kubrick
is a line of collectible block-style figures and associated products created by Japanese toy company MediCom Toy Inc. Kubrick figures are produced in three scales, designated as 100% , 400% , and 1000%...
film Dr. Strangelove. He comments negatively, however, on the dialogue and characterisation
Characterisation
Characterization or characterisation is the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation...
, questioning, for example, Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
's lack of an emotional response on realising that Reeves, supposedly a friend of his, has been killed and reconstructed 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. Despite praise of the episode's visuals, he sums up "Renegade Rocket" as "a forerunner of effects-led films like Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
and its ilk — flashy, nice to look at but insubstantial and ultimately unfulfilling."
External links
- "Renegade Rocket" 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...
- "Renegade Rocket" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Renegade Rocket" at TheVervoid.com