V (TV series)
Encyclopedia
V is a science fiction
franchise created by American
writer, producer and director Kenneth Johnson about an invading alien race
known as the "Visitors
" – reptilian humanoid
s disguised as human beings
– trying to take over Earth, and the human Resistance
group attempting to stop them.
It debuted in 1983 as the two-part television miniseries V, written and directed by Johnson. It was followed in 1984 by a three-part miniseries, V: The Final Battle, and a one-hour weekly television series, V (sometimes referred to as V: The Series) during the 1984-85 television season.
A number of novels, comic book
s, video game
s and other media have been spun off from the franchise. Johnson's novel V: The Second Generation
, an alternative sequel to the first miniseries which disregards V: The Final Battle and V: The Series, was released on February 5, 2008. Johnson claimed he was in negotiations for a TV adaptation of his sequel novel, but in October 2008, Warner Bros. Television
announced they were producing a complete remake
of V instead. This new V series
ran for two seasons on ABC
, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011.
A common misconception is that the title V is an abbreviation for the Visitors. Instead, it refers to the "V for Victory" sign; in the original 1983 miniseries, several resistance fighters are shown spray painting the V sign over the Visitors' propaganda posters.
on May 1, 1983, airing for a total of about 200 minutes on two nights. Series creator Kenneth Johnson has said that the story was inspired by the 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here
by Sinclair Lewis
. Also, several scenes from the original TV pilot resemble the Bertolt Brecht
play The Private Life of the Master Race. Damon Knight
's short story
"To Serve Man
" (previously adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone
) had a similar theme of deceptively friendly aliens secretly cultivating humans for food.
In a commentary track on the DVD
release of the first miniseries, Johnson reveals that V was originally intended as a straightforward political thriller, charting the rise of a fascist movement in the United States. NBC was interested in a sci-fi hit, to capitalize on the success of films such as the Star Wars
trilogy.
The story remains a Nazi allegory, including the Swastika
-like emblem used by the Visitors and their SS-like uniforms. There is a Visitor youth auxiliary with obvious similarities to the Hitler Youth
and Visitor broadcasts mimic Nazi-era propaganda
. The show's portrayal of human interaction with the Visitors bears a striking resemblance to stories from Occupied Europe during the Second World War
with some citizens choosing collaboration
and others choosing to join underground resistance movements.
Where the Nazis primarily persecuted Jews
, the Visitors were likewise depicted to persecute scientists, their families and anyone associating with them and distribute propaganda in an effort to hide their true identity. Some of the central characters in the initial series were from a Jewish family and the grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, frequently commented on the events of the past again unfolding. The Visitors declared martial law to control the scientists. Later, throughout the TV series, the Resistance Network's TV news bulletins report stories of erstwhile enemies uniting in common cause against the alien occupiers, such as black and white South Africans (the series was produced when South Africa
was still under apartheid). In addition, direct figure analogies are used, such as the senior Visitor scientist, Diana, who is a direct analogue of Dr. Josef Mengele
.
The miniseries was successful enough to spawn a sequel, V: The Final Battle, which was meant to conclude the story, and also a television series in 1984-1985 that continued it. Johnson left the franchise during production of The Final Battle.
The cancellation of the TV series in the spring of 1985 appeared to have caught its producers by surprise, as the season ends with a cliffhanger. The TV series' single season was released on Region 1 DVD in 2004.
Most of the info provided here about the plots of each book is false, entirely fabricated and bears no relation to those books, except if they were published in bizarro world!!
The first three books were republished in 1994.( false information, again)
Kenneth Johnson—V's original creator—had been trying to bring the series back to television as a sequel to the original miniseries that would ignore the second miniseries and all the other subsequent fiction. When Warner Bros.
decided to go with a complete reboot instead, Johnson wrote his story as a new novel.
published an 18-issue V comic book
series from February 1985 – July 1986, with stories set to be concurrent with the events of V: The Series. The editor
of the comic reported at one point in the letter (fan mail
) column that DC was working to acquire permission to continue the storyline of the television series should it not be renewed for a second season. In the end, either such permission was denied or DC decided not to pursue the matter further. While the cover of the 18th issue did state "Final Issue", and led to the events of the final television episode—it also left various plot threads from the comic series unresolved.
In Japan
, Go Nagai
wrote a manga
adaptation of the series with art by Tatsuya Yasuda.
In 1986 Ocean Software
released a video game based on the series for Amstrad CPC
, Commodore 64
and ZX Spectrum
: V (video game)
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
franchise created by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, producer and director Kenneth Johnson about an invading alien race
Alien invasion
The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial life invades Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial system, harvest humans for food, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether.The...
known as the "Visitors
Visitors (V TV series)
The Visitors are a fictional invading alien race from the V science fiction franchise. The "Visitors" are reptilian humanoids who disguise themselves to look human but prefer to eat live prey, such as mice. In the 1983 and 1984 miniseries, but not the 1984 TV series, the disguised Visitors can be...
" – reptilian humanoid
Reptilian humanoid
Reptilian humanoids comprise a common motif in mythology, folklore, science fiction, fantasy, conspiracy theories, ufology, and cryptozoology.-Male:...
s disguised as human beings
Human disguise
A human disguise is a concept in computer science, fantasy, folklore, mythology, religion, literary tradition, iconography and science fiction whereby non-human beings such as aliens, angels, demons, gods, monsters, robots, Satan or shapeshifters are disguised to seem human.Stories have depicted...
– trying to take over Earth, and the human Resistance
Resistance (V TV series)
This is a list of the known members of the Resistance, a fictional worldwide movement consisting of a large number of groups dedicated to fighting the Visitors in the V science fiction franchise.-The Atkins:...
group attempting to stop them.
It debuted in 1983 as the two-part television miniseries V, written and directed by Johnson. It was followed in 1984 by a three-part miniseries, V: The Final Battle, and a one-hour weekly television series, V (sometimes referred to as V: The Series) during the 1984-85 television season.
A number of novels, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, video game
V (video game)
"V" is a video game featuring the popular TV series V in the eighties. It was developed by Ocean Software-External links:* at MobyGames* at World of Spectrum...
s and other media have been spun off from the franchise. Johnson's novel V: The Second Generation
V (The Second Generation)
V: The Second Generation is a novel written by American television writer/producer Kenneth Johnson. It is an alternative sequel to his 1983 science fiction television miniseries V, which depicted an alien invasion of Earth by an advanced race of carnivorous reptilians known as "The Visitors." The...
, an alternative sequel to the first miniseries which disregards V: The Final Battle and V: The Series, was released on February 5, 2008. Johnson claimed he was in negotiations for a TV adaptation of his sequel novel, but in October 2008, Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
announced they were producing a complete remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of V instead. This new V series
V (2009 TV series)
V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes...
ran for two seasons on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011.
A common misconception is that the title V is an abbreviation for the Visitors. Instead, it refers to the "V for Victory" sign; in the original 1983 miniseries, several resistance fighters are shown spray painting the V sign over the Visitors' propaganda posters.
Television
The original miniseries debuted in the United States on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on May 1, 1983, airing for a total of about 200 minutes on two nights. Series creator Kenneth Johnson has said that the story was inspired by the 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here is a semi-satirical American political novel by Sinclair Lewis published in 1935 by Doubleday, Doran. It describes the rise of a populist politician who calls his movement "patriotic" and creates his own militia and takes unconstitutional power after winning election —...
by Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
. Also, several scenes from the original TV pilot resemble the Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
play The Private Life of the Master Race. Damon Knight
Damon Knight
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"To Serve Man
To Serve Man
"To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story written by Damon Knight. It first appeared in the November 1950 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction and has been reprinted a number of times, including in Frontiers in Space , Far Out and The Best of Damon Knight...
" (previously adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
) had a similar theme of deceptively friendly aliens secretly cultivating humans for food.
In a commentary track on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the first miniseries, Johnson reveals that V was originally intended as a straightforward political thriller, charting the rise of a fascist movement in the United States. NBC was interested in a sci-fi hit, to capitalize on the success of films such as the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
trilogy.
The story remains a Nazi allegory, including the Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
-like emblem used by the Visitors and their SS-like uniforms. There is a Visitor youth auxiliary with obvious similarities to the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and Visitor broadcasts mimic Nazi-era propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. The show's portrayal of human interaction with the Visitors bears a striking resemblance to stories from Occupied Europe during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with some citizens choosing collaboration
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
and others choosing to join underground resistance movements.
Where the Nazis primarily persecuted Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, the Visitors were likewise depicted to persecute scientists, their families and anyone associating with them and distribute propaganda in an effort to hide their true identity. Some of the central characters in the initial series were from a Jewish family and the grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, frequently commented on the events of the past again unfolding. The Visitors declared martial law to control the scientists. Later, throughout the TV series, the Resistance Network's TV news bulletins report stories of erstwhile enemies uniting in common cause against the alien occupiers, such as black and white South Africans (the series was produced when South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
was still under apartheid). In addition, direct figure analogies are used, such as the senior Visitor scientist, Diana, who is a direct analogue of Dr. Josef Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
.
The miniseries was successful enough to spawn a sequel, V: The Final Battle, which was meant to conclude the story, and also a television series in 1984-1985 that continued it. Johnson left the franchise during production of The Final Battle.
The cancellation of the TV series in the spring of 1985 appeared to have caught its producers by surprise, as the season ends with a cliffhanger. The TV series' single season was released on Region 1 DVD in 2004.
Novels
V spun off a series of original novels, including a novelization of the first two miniseries combined into one story. Unusually, most of the original novels that followed did not feature characters from the TV series, but rather focused on battles against the alien invaders in other parts of the world. While the series was on the air, new novels were published once a month by Pinnacle Paperbacks. In 1987-88, a new series of novels was published by Tor.Most of the info provided here about the plots of each book is false, entirely fabricated and bears no relation to those books, except if they were published in bizarro world!!
The first three books were republished in 1994.( false information, again)
| Num. | Title | Author | Published | ISBN Again, this bears no relation to the actual plot |
|---|
The Second Generation
- See V: The Second GenerationV (The Second Generation)V: The Second Generation is a novel written by American television writer/producer Kenneth Johnson. It is an alternative sequel to his 1983 science fiction television miniseries V, which depicted an alien invasion of Earth by an advanced race of carnivorous reptilians known as "The Visitors." The...
for more detail.
Kenneth Johnson—V's original creator—had been trying to bring the series back to television as a sequel to the original miniseries that would ignore the second miniseries and all the other subsequent fiction. When Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
decided to go with a complete reboot instead, Johnson wrote his story as a new novel.
| Num. | Title | Author | Published | ISBN |
|---|
Other spin-offs
DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
published an 18-issue V comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series from February 1985 – July 1986, with stories set to be concurrent with the events of V: The Series. The editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the comic reported at one point in the letter (fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
) column that DC was working to acquire permission to continue the storyline of the television series should it not be renewed for a second season. In the end, either such permission was denied or DC decided not to pursue the matter further. While the cover of the 18th issue did state "Final Issue", and led to the events of the final television episode—it also left various plot threads from the comic series unresolved.
In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
wrote a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation of the series with art by Tatsuya Yasuda.
In 1986 Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
released a video game based on the series for Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
: V (video game)
V (video game)
"V" is a video game featuring the popular TV series V in the eighties. It was developed by Ocean Software-External links:* at MobyGames* at World of Spectrum...
.