Buck Rogers actor's cosmic final message

Three months have passed since I first intended to make this post but never got round to writing it. Well, here it is, delayed but still relevant and poignant.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was a TV serial that ran from 1979 to 1981.

Its main star was Gil Gerard, who played the role of a cocky astronaut who'd been frozen in suspended animation since the year 1987 until he thawed out and returned to a very changed planet Earth. 

Anyone who grew up watching this television series, which came during the Star Wars-led science fiction renaissance of the late 1970s and early 1980s, will know how delightful the show was in terms of special effects not previously seen on TV, and its mostly playful story lines. 

Gerard was a perfect fit for the lead role, although he had his own reservations about the consistently non-serious side of his character's personality.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was a reflection of its time; providing light-hearted escapism that easily slotted into the weekly TV schedule. Fresh-faced Gerard became an instantly recognisable hero bringing some of the glamour of cinema's blockbuster science fiction genre to the small screen. Indeed, the extended pilot episode was released initially on the big screen, and I recall seeing it first at the cinema.

The aesthetic of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was pleasing to the eye - from the clean sets to the futuristic uniforms and non-stereotypical robots and computers, which made the show feel fresh.

I remember watching Buck Rogers as a youngster when I'd seek out any science fiction in the vein of Star Wars and the earlier TV show Space:1999. In formative years, while growing up, certain shows and actors feel as though they are part of our lives, and remain so even when the memory of them is far in the past. Often it is only when we hear of the passing of one of the main stars that we stop and reflect on what they meant to our younger selves.

And so it was for me when I heard the news of Gil Gerard's passing a week or so before Christmas last year. 

But I was also cheered to read his final message to his fans, which was posted on his Facebook account by his wife Janet. In it Gerard gave a heartfelt thanks for opportunities he'd had in life, for the people he'd met and for the love he'd given and received. He encouraged others not to waste time on anything that does not thrill them or bring love. And, in his final parting words, in true Buck Rogers style, said he'd one day meet us out somewhere in the cosmos.
It leaves a picture in my mind of the youthful Gerard, invariably as Buck Rogers circa 1979-1981, in space and untouched by the march of time, waiting to continue that connection first felt watching his exploits on TV.

Gil Gerard died on December 16, 2025 from a rare and aggressive cancer. He was 82.

Here is Gil Gerard's Facebook message, posted by his wife Janet the day after he died:

If you are reading this, then Janet has posted it as I asked her to.

My life has been an amazing journey. The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.

My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years. It’s been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has.

Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.

Breakfast club with space heroes

Barbara Bain, right, as Dr Helena Russell in Space:1999. Ms Bain was
a celebrity guest at Autographica, in March 2014

As strange moments in life go it's one that is vivid and does not fade. And that is not by lucky coincidence. 

For there are day-to-day memories, and then there are vivid snapshots - moments in time etched forever in your mind, ready to be replayed whenever you choose.

An example of this "vivid snapshot" technique was the morning I enjoyed breakfast in the company of some of my childhood heroes from the world of science fiction.

Walking into the breakfast room at the conference hotel I saw Kenny Baker, the actor who played R2-D2 in the Star Wars movie. He was seated at a table with actress Valerie Gale, who accompanied him.

He waved and called out "Bermuda" as Heather and I chose a table and sat down. We'd spoken to him the previous day at the reception gathering at the beginning of the March 2014 Autographica event, and that is how he had found out that I'd travelled from Bermuda.

A few moments after I'd entered the breakfast room, Space:1999 actress Barbara Bain also walked in. Like Mr Baker and Ms Gale, she was a celebrity guest for the weekend. She'd attended the reception drinks event held in the atrium at the top level of the Radisson Heathrow hotel on the outskirts of London. Others there included moonwalking Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Alan Bean.

Star Wars and Space:1999 were touchstone entertainment favourites of mine as I grew up in the 1970s. Now, to be sitting down for breakfast in the same room as two of the well-known names from those sci-fi adventures felt unique and almost unreal.

Shortly afterwards, in the main hotel lobby I encountered Dave Prowse, the man who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.  

Barbara Bain answers audience questions
during the Autograhica weekend, 2014

The conference was filled with other encounters and moments, including opportunities to speak briefly with Ms Bain, Mr Aldrin, Mr Baker, Mr Prowse and others. I wrote about the event in a contemporaneous blog post eight years ago.

That moment at breakfast has remained vivid in my mind, more so than if I'd taken a photograph, and far more than the most other recollections.

 

The reason for such clarity is a technique I deliberately used. It is akin to taking a detailed, mental snapshot. For I was acutely aware how impossible that moment would have seemed to my 11-year-old self; not only seeing a hero from Star Wars and a heroine from Space:1999, but simultaneously in the same hotel dining room for breakfast.

When extraordinary special moments come along in life, use this technique.  Recognise those moments for what they are - gifts in life - and intimately preserve the sights, sounds and feelings by consciously taking in as much as you can to create a snapshot memory.

Not a classic, but Star Wars finale is fun

Busy movie: JJ Abrams managed to fashion a
mostly believable conclusion to the Star Wars saga

The Skywalker saga is over. The 42-year cinematic odyssey that had some soaringly high points and a few equally low moments, has ended in an acceptable fashion with Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.

But it will leave some fans of the original films lamenting what might have been had this sequel trilogy been thoughtfully planned out.

In places, The Rise of Skywalker has sparks of emotional connection that were lacking in the previous film in the trilogy. Interestingly, director JJ Abrams has made this film mostly leap over the divisive The Last Jedi, and act as a sequel to his episode 7, The Force Awakens.
For the most part you can watch this without having even seen The Last Jedi, which will be a bonus for many people.

What else did we learn from this film? Well, it seems tossing the lightsabre is now a thing, and possibly a future Olympic sport.

The humour is more in line with the classic Star Wars films, although in some places is misplaced. For instance, a jolting moment comes when Poe and Rey engage in a conversational joust that is annoyingly out of place and petty. It comes after the Millennium Falcon returns to base and, given the gravity of the story at that point, would they really be arguing about who got the spaceship or droid damaged the most?

At its core, The Rise of Skywalker is a return to the simplistic, formulaic Saturday morning science fiction shorts of the 1930s, think Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, that lent much to the genesis of the original Star Wars trilogy. And there is a charm in that.

If you go into the theatre with lowered expectations, you'll likely to be pleasantly surprised. That's hardly a ringing endorsement, but after the train wreck of The Last Jedi it says much.

Following the story-telling void of its predecessor, Abrams somehow manages to concoct a believable, if at times contrived, story arc within the film's 2 hours and 25 minutes' running time. It's cluttered and moves at such breakneck speed it is impossible to take in everything, or savour moments that deserve more.

This lack of finesse highlights the folly of Disney's handling of such a premier intellectual property. The studio allowed the concluding trilogy to be made without first having a mapped out, overarching storyline for the three movies. As such, there are plot points in The Rise of Skywalker that would have been bettered served in the previous film, rather than shoehorned into this finale.

However, back to the good things about The Rise of Skywalker. The actors appear more natural, comfortable and real, although for the newer generation there is still very little buy-in that would make audiences overly concerned about their stories or fates.
The character of Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, shows a touch more believability and emotion. Adam Driver, as Kylo, is the strongest main character, as he has been for the trilogy.

The late Carrie Fisher returns as Leia. Her part is adequately done considering the constrains of having to rely solely on footage and outtakes from previous movies. We are left to imagine how much more satisfying it would have been had she still been with us.

Mark Hamill's portrayal of Luke, while marginal in the film, does provide the most emotionally satisfying moments. His character is one of the film industry's greatest heroes, and he receives the redemption and explanation needed in the wake of The Last Jedi.
There is still a sense of mystery about his lost years from Return of the Jedi to The Last Jedi - and in the hands of a skilled writer and director a spin-off "latter days" Skywalker movie could fill the gaps and ultimately add important background context to this final trilogy. Disney, feel free to call.

In conclusion, 3.5 out of 5 for the movie, but full marks to Abrams for the ending scene.

VIDEO: The final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker.

New Star Wars - a train wreck or last hurrah?

What lies ahead? a scene from the trailer for
the final Star Wars story in the Skywalker saga

A second trailer has been released for what will be the final movie of the Star Wars saga that began 42 years ago.  So will the film be a last crunching pile-up moment of the train wreck delivered by 2017's The Last Jedi, or will it be an uplifting hurrah?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is episode nine and the conclusion of the Skywalker story, which started in 1977 with the original Star Wars (later renamed Episode 4: A New Hope). That first movie set in motion one of the 20th century's major cultural and cinematic phenomenon.

Sadly, two years ago the franchise suffered the shockingly divisive episode eight, The Last Jedi. In December we shall see what can be salvaged from the wreckage, and whether what should be a cinematic climax like no other will manage to at least be a fitting finale.

The Star Wars story has spiraled downward dramatically in the past few years. Depending on your point of view that nosedive may have started with the opening segment of the current sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens, in 2015, or been nailed by the calamitous storytelling and legacy mishandling of The Last Jedi.

How bad are things for Star Wars? Consider this: there is a real chance The Rise of Skywalker will not reach $1 billion at the box office, a mere four years after episode seven, The Force Awakens, became the third film in history to take more than $2 billion. For popularity to wane that suddenly and dramatically takes a lot of doing. Disney must be fretting.

For context, The Last Jedi did not attract multiple repeat viewings the way most of its predecessors did, and topped out with a worldwide box office total of $1.3 billion, while Star Wars spin-off Solo, released five months later, was a relative flop taking only $393 million.

A final hurrah: rebel spaceships, many recognisable from their
appaerance in the original Star Wars movie in 1977

It's true that financial success alone is no indicator of artistic merit and integrity, there are plenty of outstanding creative works that have made pitiful financial returns. But the Star Wars franchise was a seemingly indestructible cash-cow when, earlier this decade, Disney splashed $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm and the rights to create these new films.

The first half of the new trailer shows clips from each of the previous eight movies in the saga. Interestingly they are shown in order of their original release date rather than chronologically by the events they portray. What stands out is the clean, clear, and bright crispness of the original trilogy - a harking back to a more innocent escapist era and a magnificent story arc that stretched across those three movies.

We then see clips from the hit-and-miss prequel trilogy, before we pass into today's convoluted and muddled sequel trilogy, and finally a few short snippets of the upcoming movie. Very little is revealed, although there is another lightsabre duel between Rey and Adam Driver - sorry Kylo.

That slip, where I could remember the actor's name but not the name of the chief villain he portrays, is instructive of the major problem this trilogy has - and that is a crippling lack of character "buy in". This new movie might as well start with a blank slate, because The Last Jedi failed to develop any of the characters in meaningful ways and followed a preposterous storyline. It also managed to end with no compelling reason for audiences to return to see what happens next.

With no character or story arc to bind things together, this new trilogy is broken. The Rise of Skywalker for all intents and purposes is a standalone movie. And while it is too early to write off the new film, it is hard not to feel a sense of forboding.

Director and writer JJ Abrams has to find a resolution to a 42-year saga in a single film that was left high and dry by its immediate predecessor. There is some hope, because Abrams has shown flashes of skill, from Super 8 to his fairly steady handling of The Force Awakens. But what is required now is a tall order.

Only a genuine redemption of Luke Skywalker, one of cinema's most cherished heroes, is likely to save the day in the wake of this greatest legacy character's treatment in The Last Jedi. In this trailer and the first released earlier in the year, we get to hear his voice. This time we also hear the voice of Emperor Palpatine and the sinister breathing of Darth Vader, both of whom were thought destroyed in 1983's Return of the Jedi.

So to return to the question, what lies ahead? Will it be a final pile-up train wreck moment, or will it be an uplifting hurrah for Star Wars? Let's hope for the latter. Over to you JJ.

• The new trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

A curiously subdued Star Wars trailer

What lies ahead? an intriguing glimpse of Death Star wreckage in the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker

The first trailer for Star Wars 9, now revealed as The Rise of Skywalker, has a restrained feel. It is as though the director, JJ Abrams, is reluctant to show or giveaway anything about the plot ahead of its December release.

In a counterintuitive way that could be for the best, given the strongly divided reaction the previous installment of the saga generated (I gave Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi a reluctant 50% score). A bolder strategy would be a total pre-release blackout, letting the film take audiences by surprise and succeeding or failing through "old school" word-of-mouth recommendations.

However, such a slow burn approach, given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the production, is unlikely to fly with Disney executives.

Abrams has a tough task to pull the sequel trilogy back from the brink after the storytelling dumpster fire that was The Last Jedi. He appeared to diplomatically acknowledge this last week at the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago, telling an interviewer: "We've taken to heart everything that has come before, and while it's obviously been significantly challenging, it's been a greater opportunity than a challenge."

Mystery with menace: Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver,
is the most interesting new character in the sequel trilogy

There is no compelling narrative to carry the story on from The Last Jedi, and it features a cast of new characters that - two films into the trilogy - have yet to establish anywhere near the commanding presence achieved by the protagonists of the original films. As for the bad guys, they have been left to look ridiculously ineffective, save for the one beacon of possibility - Kylo Ren.

It may be that Abrams has found a way to retrofit a story into the void left by The Last Jedi - or to somehow create a bridge from his own Episode VII: A Force Awakens to this concluding part of the Skywalker saga. As I have previously noted, the core problem with this trilogy stems from the ad-hoc way it has taken shape, in a "pass the parcel" fashion with the story handed over from one writer/director to another, leaving each to mould their own tale "on the hoof" rather than revolving around a pre-planned story arc.

George Lucas, who created the Star Wars universe, was shunted out of the way when Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. He had drafted his own vision of how the sequel trilogy might play out, but this was discarded by the decision-makers who took charge of the current trilogy.

Interestingly, in light of the polarising effect The Last Jedi has had on the franchise's fan base, Lucas was consulted before work began on The Rise of Skywalker; as was revealed by Abrams during last week's interview.

As for the new trailer, the most interesting moment is the scene showing what appears to be wreckage of a Death Star - and my guess it it is the second Death Star, which was destroyed in 1983's Return of The Jedi. There is a belief among some that lead protagonist Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, will swim to the wreckage and uncover a crucial part of the story. The trailer features the menacing laughter of Emporer Palpatine, hitherto believed vanquished at the hands of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and adds a tantalising possibility to where this final segment of the Skywalker saga might go.

One thing is for sure, for many fans only an appearance by Luke Skywalker will erase the bitter taste of The Last Jedi. Abrams' skillful insertion of Skywalker at the conclusion of The Force Awakens, created one of the series' greatest emotional jolts. Can he do it again?

The jury is out on whether the sequel trilogy can be salvaged. The Rise of Skywalker trailer gives no indication as to what the answer will be.

Video: The Rise of Skywalker official trailer:

When directors and producers should listen

Mark Hamill and Martin Landau spoke out when their iconic characters were
made to act incongruously to the manner they had previously established

Two leading actors in science-fiction franchises, separately and decades apart, expressed instinctive and eerily similar warnings about how their iconic characters were being altered in ways incongruent to their established identities, and that were likely to upset multitudes of loyal fans.

Their misgivings and concerns were flagged up before and during filming to those with influential production roles, but were mostly dismissed. However, they turned out to be prophetically accurate.

In interviews that took place 18 years apart, Martin Landau and Mark Hamill voiced almost identical thoughts on the process they saw unfolding for the well-loved characters they helped create.

Oscar winner Landau spoke about this when interviewed for a French documentary in 1999, as he reflected on his time as Commander John Koenig, the male lead of Space:1999 - a TV series filmed and broadcast during the mid-1970s. Meanwhile Hamill, in a number of interviews last year during the build up to the release of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, aired concerns about the direction of his character Luke Skywalker.

Landau had deep misgivings about changes in the the second series of Space:1999 that were mostly introduced and forced through by new producer and script editor Fred Frieberger. He spoke of “battles” with Freiberger about the changes, which included characters behaving incongruously to the manner they had established in the first series. There was also unexplained changes of personnel, outfits, and main sets.

Speaking of the second series, Landau said: “I’m not a big fan. I thought he (Frieberger) hurt the show. I thought he hurt Star Trek; the year he did it it went downhill. He certainly didn’t help us. I fought with him all the time. You see, I think an episode should enhance the character and serve the character. Many times in the second year my character had to serve the script and do things that he shouldn’t do. I knew Commander Koenig. I understood him. And in the second year he did things he should never have done to accommodate a story point in the script - I used to fight over that, I would say ‘this is wrong.’”

It was not only his character who was made to act inconsistently to their established identity. Landau said Freiberger “would bring up a script and I would say ‘this is terrible. Helena wouldn’t do this, Koenig wouldn’t do this, Alan wouldn’t do this. These characters would not do this. The only reason they are doing this is to serve this script, and it’s wrong.’ Sometimes I would win these battles, and sometimes I’d lose them. Sometimes there was a re-write, sometimes there wasn’t. I wasn’t happy the second year; I thought we were turning the show into a cartoon - into a Mister Magoo.”

Landau had misgivings about changes to characters and story lines in the
second series of Space:1999. He had "battles" with producer Frieberger

When broadcast, series two was widely-regarded by critics and many fans as a dumbed-down “monster of the week” follow-up to the often thought-provoking episodes of the first year. Many people continue to view the second year as a pale shadow of the first. There was no third series. Years later, when Freiberger made a rare appearance at a Space:1999 fan convention to explain why he made so many changes, he faced robust criticism from the most dedicated supporters of the show.

Landau’s words about “knowing and understanding” Commander Koenig and taking issue with the character being made to do things he would not have done based on his established identity, were mirrored by Hamill when he spoke about his misgivings regarding the character direction for Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi.

In an interview on Nightline ABC in April 2017, Hamill said when he read the script he told writer and director Rian Johnson: “I fundamentally disagree with everything you’ve decided about my character.” He continued: “It was as shocking to me to read what Rian had written as I’m sure it will be for the audience.”

Later in the year he returned to the topic. “I said to Rian, ‘Jedi don’t give up. Even if he (Luke) had a problem he’d maybe take a year to re-group, but if he made a mistake he’d try to right that wrong.’ So right there we had a fundamental difference. But, it’s not my story anymore, it’s someone else’s story and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective,” said Hamill.

Expanding on his concerns during the same interview, he said: “That’s the crux of my problem - Luke would never say that. I almost had to think of Luke as another character, maybe he’s Jake Skywalker, he’s not my Luke Skywalker. But I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well. But listen, I still haven’t accepted it completely. But it’s only a movie, I hope people like it, I hope people don’t get upset.”

As the marketing machine went into overdrive for the film’s release, Hamill said he regretted voicing some of his doubts in public. “Creative differences are a common element of any project but usually remain private,” he said, adding that he ultimately appreciated the decisions that had been made.

However, The Last Jedi caused damaging polarization among fans - more so than has been experienced by any blockbuster movie franchise - to the extent that many who had followed the Star Wars saga for 40 years turned away from the series and vowed to avoid future installments. A variety of reasons were given, but head-and-shoulders above all was dismay at how Luke Skywalker, one of the greatest movie heroes of all time, had been portrayed in a way far removed from what had been established in previous films.

On social media and film review sites across the internet the backlash was substantial. I have read and listened to hundreds of options lambasting in particular the framing of Luke. We are now nine months on from the film’s release and the reaction shows no signs of abating. To pick one mild example, posted as a comment on a YouTube video in the past 48 hours, a fan wrote: “I still cannot believe Rian Johnson's script made it to the screen. Surely someone at Disney or Lucasfilm (other than Mark Hamill) pointed out how upset Star Wars fans were going to get."

While innovation in storytelling is always to be welcomed, there are certain boundaries where red warnings flash - as Landau and Hamill flagged up during the production of their respective franchises. For the directors and producers who ignored or overrode the warnings and concerns of their foremost stars, the subsequent fan fallout has been haunting.
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Video: Martin Landau talks about concerns for his Space:1999 character.


Video: Mark Hamill speaks about changes to the character of Luke Skywalker.

The Last Jedi misses old Star Wars beat

Splitting opinion: The Last Jedi

Along with many supportive comments, there have been some pretty harsh things posted online by moviegoers distressed about the latest Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. Perhaps like no other episode in the 40-year old franchise, Episode VIII has split fans' opinions. Why is it so divisive - and is it justified?

It is almost a full week since I watched the film, and still I'm conflicted about its merits. On one level it was a good, standard movie - a little over-long, but entertaining. But at a deeper level it did not feel like a Star Wars film. There was an emptiness in the storytelling. It lacked the soul and heart that defined the original trilogy and, to a lesser extent, the prequels.

Having allowed my thoughts to settle during the past week, I rate The Last Jedi as a 2.5 out of 5. It is an adequate film, but somewhat lacking. My views on the positives and negatives of the film are below.

SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this post discusses aspects of The Last Jedi, including plot and characters. If you intend to watch the film and don't want to know what is in it, read no further.

The positives:

1. The cinematography on the whole is well done and gives the movie a quality aesthetic; many of the sets and location shots are a joy to view and well framed. 
2. Likewise, the space battles are more interesting than in some of the previous installments. The battle engagements are shorter, more focused, and the special effects are beyond fault.
3. The interaction between Luke and Rey is fascinating and insightful, up to a point - because there was plenty of scope for more to have been achieved here - in particular in relation to Luke's torment and why he had taken the path he did. Mark Hamill's acting is magnificent and one of the film's highlights.
4. And then there is Kylo Ren's uneven relationship with the dark side of the Force, so dynamically portrayed by Adam Driver that he overshadows Rey as the most interesting protagonist on the screen. 
5. The developing story between Kylo and Rey is now clearly the signature theme for the trilogy, and it made for the most compelling on-screen interactions.
6. The throne room showdown was memorable (albeit, with the proviso below regarding Snoke).
7. Leia's no-nonsense final flourish that puts Poe in his place, twice.
8. A blisteringly brilliant standoff as Luke faces Kylo and The First Order's ground attack AT-ATs.

The negatives:

1. There's no real hero. Rey is surely meant to be the heroine of the piece, but she is unengaging and that is worrying two films into a trilogy. Her background and deeper motivations remain opaque. It is hard to really care for a character that you know so little about. The classic hero's journey is absent from Rey's character. All the interesting development stages have been left out. Also, she lacks emotional empathy, other than the edgy interplay with Kylo. It might be that this is all by design. We have one film left to find out.
2. As mentioned in the positive list Carrie Fisher's performance of Leia was fine, but there was potential for more. For example, when the communications operator reported that the call of help had been received at the outer rim but no one was responding, had it been shown, the sadness on Leia's face could have been a showstopper, particularly when immediately followed by Luke stepping out from the shadows. As for Leia's flying through space scene, the less said, the better. I'm fine with the concept - but what we got looked ridiculous.
3. The new charactors have not developed in any compelling ways. Finn looked the most promising, but his side adventure with Rose was underwhelming and a drag to the main narrative. Poe has yet to fulfill the potential he showed in The Force Awakens.
4. Chewbacca was a bit player. The meeting with Luke could have given something; that moment when Luke realised Han was no longer around. But the moment was squashed.
5. Luke's finale was uneven. There was the brilliance of his emergence from the smoke during the AT-AT standoff, but his ultimate departure missed a beat. Considering the film's nondescript ending, it was a shame it did not climax at, or around, that moment. If only the movie had flipped to the Millennium Falcon departing with the rebels and then back to Luke on the rock, the sunset, the empty cloak. End.
6. The bad guys. Are there any? General Hux is a shallow, ineffectual baddie who from the get-go is the fall-guy/punchbag for Snoke and Kylo. As for Snoke, so much potential thrown away with his highly anti-climatic demise. Who was he, where did he come from? Perhaps there's a bubblegum card that can help.
7. The film creaked under the sheer weight of its palette of characters. I had a hard job feeling connected or invested in the fate of most of them. The scripting left out the humanising elements.
8. Plot holes. So many, including a slow-motion space chase waiting for ships to run out of gas when it would appear simple enough to have a few star-cruisers head them off. And the casino subplot was weak and added little value to the main narrative.

Reflecting back two years to The Force Awakens, that was a fun and action-packed romp. Yes, it did retread past movies in the series, but it could be forgiven this as it was the scene setter for the new trilogy. The Last Jedi should have been the consolidating episode, but it failed to establish an emotional tether with the main protagonists.
The handling of Luke's character is questionable, and Mark Hamill has said so in blunt terms in interviews during the past two years. While I acknowledge the realigning of his character arc is a valid development (though not the only one), it cries out for some exposition. The Last Jedi missed that opportunity. I hope the next and final installment rounds things out.

Finally, I question the decision to not have the trilogy planned in some semi-structured way. I have read that director Rian Johnson scrapped an outdated draft of what Episode VIII might look like, and wrote his own version picking up from where JJ Abrams left the storyline and characters at the end of The Force Awakens. This "pass the parcel" approach to story sculpting must have some bearing on the disjointed feel of The Last Jedi.
And the film was longer than it needed to be. A sharper focus and editing would have made a big difference.

As I watched the quiet departure of the audience from the cinema at one of the early sold-out showings, to me it was a sign that this movie lacked the knockout stuff that many have come to expect from the Star Wars universe. As I mentioned earlier, I left the cinema not feeling that I'd witnessed a Star Wars film. It wasn't the same. There were too many diversions, too little depth, and too many unsatisfying gaps. It may be that Episode IX will deliver the answers that will cast The Last Jedi in a more favourable light. All now hangs on that 2019 release. Back to you Mr Abrams.

To end with here is a video of Mark Hamill expressing his views on The Last Jedi version of Luke:



And here is a trailer, and a very good one, for The Last Jedi....

The Carrie Fisher tribute video

This wonderful tribute to Carrie Fisher was shown at the Star Wars Celebration event in Florida on Thursday. The clips and words do a great job highlighting the warmth, humour and humility of Fisher, and bringing home what a remarkable talent she was.

Watching this video reinforced many of the thoughts I shared in the blog post Star Wars: farewell to Carrie and Kenny. I was also struck by the sense of time passing - seeing the 19-year-old Fisher auditioning for the role and starring as Princess Leia in the original film, then reprising the character 40 years later.

The young Carrie Fisher in the mid-1970s with a row of arcade space games

The video tribute includes a clip of the casually dressed Fisher standing in front of a bank of clunky-looking arcade space games. She could be any teenager or young woman of the mid-70s enjoying a moment at an arcade, even though by then she was the iconic heroine of the original Star Wars. I well-remember the era of such arcades, having visited many. For me this is a poignant clip. There is a slightly surreal edge to seeing the young Fisher away from the imagery of Star Wars, relaxing in an arcade like so many young people of the time.

She will be greatly missed. We will see her again in the upcoming Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, when it is released in December. She completed the filming of that movie before she died.

The magic Fisher brought to so many people's lives shines on.

Star Wars: farewell to Carrie and Kenny

Carrie Fisher's autograph, sent from Elstree Studios in 1979

Opening the garden gate on my way to work on Tuesday, my attention was drawn to something unusual. Two small party balloons were caught at the top of a power pole opposite. Fluttering in the thinnest of breeze, they were tethered by ribbon tails snagged on the wires.

As the two escaped balloons danced I inspected them from below and noticed they were decorated with Star Wars characters. When I returned home that evening the balloons had gone, and I was reflecting on the news that Carrie Fisher had died a few hours earlier.

During the past few days I've thought about Carrie, and also about Kenny Baker who passed away in August. They were the first movie stars to write their autograph for me when I was 12 years old, and many decades later were two of the three actors from Star Wars I was fortunate to encounter in person.

It was a long time ago - to be precise, 38 years ago - when I sent a letter to Elstree Studios, just outside London, and marked it for the attention of the film crew working on The Empire Strikes Back.  Enclosed within was my HMS Victory souvenir autograph book with its small coloured pages, a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a note requesting whoever dealt with the letter if they would be kind enough to ask any Star Wars actor if they would write an autograph. 

I waited in hope for the book to come back. One day it did. There was no note, just the book. Inside, two pages bore signatures, one was a boldly scrawled 'Kenny Baker, R2-D2 - Star Wars', the other was best wishes from Carrie Fisher.

Carrie's writing appeared understated, almost apologetic in its unflorished smallness, not even taking up half a page in the three-inch wide book. The hallmarks of her signature were there, the hooked 'c' and the quirky look of the double 'r', but it lacked the more flamboyant style she would adopt in later years. Beneath her name she sweetly added 'Princess Leia' in parenthesis, in case it might not be a given which character she played.

That unassuming approach was understandable. She was barely into her twenties, and lasting worldwide recognition was not assured for the Star Wars actors, despite the 1977 film smashing box office records. There was no guarantee the sequel then being filmed would live up to the success of its predecessor.

I was delighted with the autographs from two heroes of my favourite film. R2-D2, as operated by Kenny, was one of the movie's most iconic creations. While Carrie as Princess Leia was a strong, spirited heroine who led by example and fearlessly expressed herself when confronting arch-villans. But she also exhibited empathy and a deeply caring side, strikingly crystallised in Star Wars as Luke Skywalker reflected on the loss of Ben Kenobi - Leia was there comforting and reassuring. Faced with uncertainties or emotional jolts, she was the person you most wanted to have by your side.

Carrie became much more than the princess from Star Wars. In life, she displayed those same qualities of warmth, compassion and honesty, together with an admirable fearlessness and a sense of humour never dimmed even as she faced personal struggles, much of which is detailed in her autobiographical book Wishful Drinking.

Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfus in Bermuda, 2007

Many decades after receiving their autographs, I encountered Carrie and Kenny in person.

Carrie was first. She was on the jury panel of the Bermuda International Film Festival in 2007. In a contemporaneous account for Microdot News, a light-hearted newsletter I sent to friends and family at that time, I wrote:

Star Wars heroine Princess Leia, or more precisely actress Carrie Fisher, came to Bermuda for the film festival. She and Richard Dreyfus (Jaws, Close Encounters etc) were the star judges of the festival.

As a life-long fan of the original Star Wars trilogy this presented an opportunity I didn’t expect – to see a Star Wars legend. There was one small problem; I was scheduled to listen to a bunch of business-types froth at the mouth talking about internal audits at the same time that Fisher and Dreyfus were giving a free lunchtime chat 100 yards away. What to do? What to do? I know……Use the Force.

By bending the space-time continuum (I explained to my editor), I’d be able to duck into the film stars' lunchtime chit-chat for a few minutes before going to the 'not-to-be-missed' internal audit extravaganza over the road. It worked and I got to listen to a little of the talk, with Ms Fisher, now 50, bemoaning the fact that she doesn’t make a penny from all the Princess Leia action figures sold. I saw the two stars at the film festival wrap party and was amazed how small they both were (about 5ft 2in average) as they walked in front of me. Midway through the night as the party waned I left, only to bump into Dreyfus coming back down the corridor from his hotel room to the party having decided to give it another go.

Kenny Baker as R2-D2

Three years ago, while attending a film stars and astronauts event in London, Heather and I met Kenny and Dave Prowse (Darth Vader). We spoke with Kenny and his wife Valerie Gale a few times, and Kenny showed happy recognition whenever Bermuda was mentioned. I asked him if he had been approached to reprise his role in the-then upcoming Star Wars reboot The Force Awakens. He said he did not know about that, although as it transpired he was called up in a consultative capacity regarding R2-D2. It was his last film role.

During the past few days I have been contemplating Carrie's autograph from 38 years ago. To me it is less a piece of movie-related memorabilia, and more a representation of a moment in time. It symbolises kindness from a young actress leaving her teenage years behind, to a boy on the verge of becoming a teenager - a simple token of universal humanity shared between strangers along life's journey.

Farewell Carrie and Kenny, and thank you for the joy and happiness you gave to so many.

Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker, as Princess Leia and R2-D2 in the first Star Wars film

Rogue One - a grimly great Star Wars tale

If you are looking for a 'soft and cuddly' Star Wars movie, then Rogue One is not the one you're looking for.

Expect hard edges and the grim realities of life under the Imperial boot in this tale about a group of unvarnished misfits willing to sacrifice everything to strike at the Galactic overlords.

With Rogue One, director Gareth Edwards takes the Star Wars story deep into the dim and dark territory that paid dividends for The Empire Strikes Back and made it the standout episode of the original trilogy.

Rogue One’s realism and its portrayal of the grey areas that exist between the light and dark of good and evil, give it a grown-up feel. There are enough nods in the direction of the main series to firmly anchor it within the Star Wars universe, but its self-contained story arc is not subservient to the Skywalker/Jedi/Force narrative of the main saga.

Felicity Jones, who plays the lead role, has tagged it as Star Wars 3.5, referring to the episodic nature of the film franchise, in which the original Star Wars is now known as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

Chronologically, the events depicted in the film occur in the run-up to the original 1977 blockbuster, with Rogue One ending 10 minutes before the opening scene of A New Hope.

However, don't be put off if you are unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga, because a new viewer should be able to enjoy and follow this film without prior knowledge of either what came before or after, although they will miss out on a lot of symbolism and foreshadowing.

This is a standalone from the main series and is the first such departure. A further two standalones are planned, along with two more episodes in the main series.

Rogue One is a welcome return to gritty realism. It is self-contained with no obvious follow-on (aside from 1977's A New Hope). The characters are introduced, have their adventure and the tale concludes. Rogue One is decidedly dark and far from Disney-fied.

Bleak realism dominates. We see the struggle of the rebel alliance, and the wayward, raggle-taggle elements that are involved. Many of the locations are strikingly dimmer than we have come to expect in the Star Wars realm, including the opening scenes on a tundra-like world (filmed in Iceland). Darkly lit scenes add to a feeling of oppression, as does the nondescript clothing of the Rogue One team, which is a mass of blacks and grey. However, this compounds the already frustrating task of differentiating one character from another, as many lack distinguishing attributes and blend in as much of a muchness.

Jones stands out in her role as Jyn Erso, a plucky misfit. Sadly, her backstory is never divulged to the extent that it should have been, and consequently Erso lacks a truly engaging presence. This is not the fault of Jones, whose character portrayal lifts Erso above the band of rebellious cohorts.

There are other exceptions; droid K-2SO (played by Alan Tudyk) is a Star Wars classic, and the Jedi-like follower Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) stands out, but the stronger sense of individuality and identity so masterfully achieved in the original trilogy is missing from Rogue One. Forest Whitaker is wasted in his small role. His character, Saw Gerrera, had scope to be a far more fascinating addition to the story.

As seems obligatory in movies today, the story rushes headlong towards the next development at the expense of allowing time for characters to grow and express themselves, or to reveal inner conflicts satisfactorily.

The grand battle in the final quarter of the movie will have its fans, but Star Wars cheapens itself by plumping for hefty war film stylistics. The original trilogy was all the better for relying on character development and interaction and less on half-an-hour runarounds with all guns blazing.

The fleeting return of three strong characters from the original movie (two through the wonders of digital technology), nicely ties Rogue One to the epic storyline to follow, and Edwards skillfully guides the film’s finale to the point where the 1977 classic lifts off.

Rogue One is a grown-up Star Wars adventure that entertains and delights. It succeeds in demonstrating the reality of a rebellion against evil overlords - the squalor and unglamorous realities of half-victories and sacrifices. A little more character focus, a little less wham-bam, and this could well have been a classic. As it is, Rogue One is a solid entry in the top four best Star Wars films.

My UFO encounter (1978)

This artist's illustration is a good approximation of the
delta-configuration of lights seen in the Leicestershire
sky on the evening of October 23rd 1978

Many people have a UFO story somewhere in the lives. Mine dates back to 1978, and it remains one of the most widely-reported and still unexplained sightings over the skies of the English Midlands.

Although the event is now almost four decades in the past, this recollection is based on a journal piece I wrote during the 1990s.

In October 1978 I'd just started high school and lived in a village called Measham, on the fringe of the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire. Our house had a good-sized back garden and our neighbours, a couple called Jayne and Stuart, had two large dogs that were normally quite well behaved. One was a German Shepherd called Elsa, the other was called Jason.

The evening of October 23 was unusually warm, which meant a lot of people were outdoors. I was in the rear garden when a bright light caught my eye. It was in the night sky to the southeast, roughly where the town of Hinckley lay about 15 miles distant. At almost the same moment Stuart, who was sitting out in his garden, asked what was the unusually bright light in the sky.

Being relatively familiar with the night sky, and the appearance of Venus and Mars at dawn and dusk, I mentioned that it was probably Venus as it was quite bright, and said I'd fetch an old telescope - a slightly dented old mariner's eyepiece that was bulky and made of brass, but was still serviceable.

Looking through the telescope the object did not appear like Venus. Initially it had me thinking that maybe it was a hot air balloon lit from beneath by bright lights. Stuart tried the telescope and was no surer than I. By now his wife Jayne was in the garden and also remarked on the bright light.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be stationary over the Hinckley area. We continued to observe the light as it stayed stationary for what was at least 10 minutes, but could have been twice as long. Then it began to move again, towards our village. It followed a roughly diagonal path from southeast to northwest. As it moved closer the light increased in brightness and it began to appear as more than a single point of light.

With the benefit of the telescope I quickly made out at least three separate lights. But as it got closer there was no need to use the telescope, even with the naked eye it was clear the lights were aligned in a delta configuration; one at the front and two slightly off centre behind.

The object made no sound and moved smoothly and relatively slowly.

What added to the feeling that something wasn't right about these lights in the sky was the reaction of Jayne and Stuart's dogs, they were in the garden and started to bark loudly for no reason and became generally agitated, something which the couple found odd.

As the object got closer the brightness of the lights seemed to dim, but the delta formation remained. Even with the telescope trained on it, it was impossible to make out any structure beyond the three lights. The object glided almost directly overhead in total silence and continued on its way northwesterly in the direction of Castle Donington.

For the remainder of the evening I felt a strange uneasiness. The following morning on the school bus from Measham to Ibstock, many of the schoolkids were talking about seeing the strange lights in the sky.

That evening there was an article in the Leicester Mercury newspaper about a flood of calls to the police and other organisations from people in the Hinckley, Measham, and Ashby-de-la-Zouch area who wanted to know what the lights were.

The following day, in a second report, the same newspaper said that the number of callers had increased to more than 100 as more people reported seeing the same unusual lights in the sky. There was no explanation from the authorities, and traffic control at the East Midlands Airport, near Castle Donington, said they had no flights recorded at the time the lights were sighted.

To the best of my knowledge this widely reported UFO has never been explained. It occurred in 1978, the year the movies Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind arrived in UK cinemas, bringing a heightened awareness of space and the unknown; but even that trivia does not explain why so many people, across a wide geographical region, reported seeing the same delta-shaped, silent formation of lights. Nor does it explain why our neighbours' dogs became so agitated as the object came closer.

The Leicestershire UFO Research Society, in its contemporaneous report and subsequent follow-up interviews in the years immediately following the sighting, said: "we ... conclude our report by agreeing with the majority of the witnesses by stating that the October 23rd 1978 aerial object was indeed something out of the ordinary, and that it (or indeed they), cannot definitely be identified without, we believe, perhaps greater access to military flight records etc".

For further reading, the LUFO report: A true UFO? - The case of the silent Vulcan

Four stars out of five for new Star Wars

The poster for the new Star Wars film

With the new Star Wars film only days into its general release, I shall steer clear of revealing anything of the plot in this post. What I will say is, yes go and see it.

I give it four stars out of five. It's fun, it's a great adventure story, and it has fantastic effects. New stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are captivating, and the film is steeped in the essence of the original three films in the saga. The emotional jolt at the end is brilliant and timed to perfection.

I'd loved to have given the film five stars, and perhaps when the next two (and final?) episodes are in place The Force Awakens will be elevated as a result. But for the moment it must stand on its own, albeit with its many nods back to the preceding films in the series.

Director JJ Abrams has done a fine job bringing the Star Wars franchise into the 21st century, but he has played it somewhat safe with The Force Awakens. As spectacular and enjoyable as the film is, there is a little too much reliance on the "tried and tested" recipe of the past, and not enough pushing beyond the established boundaries of the Star Wars universe. Having grown up with a high regard for the original trilogy, I was hoping for a larger dose of uniqueness in this new adventure.

Abrams has constructed a remarkable film that stands up well next to the original three Star Wars movies. But I'm left wondering if perhaps a brake was applied to more ambitious ideas on account of this being a Disney film and also a huge "first spin of the dice" gamble for the studio after it paid George Lucas $4 billion to secure the franchise.

I went to a charity, late-night showing of the film the day before it went on general release. As I rode my moped towards town ahead of the 11pm screening, I was remembering the night in 1978 when I saw the original Star Wars. I was 11 years old. The nearest cinema was in a town five miles away, and at the time we did not have a family car. However, a friendly teacher and his wife, who had a car, took me and my older brother to see the film.

In an age when it was still a novelty to see a colour television, I was blown away by the film. It was a tour de force with special effects not seen before on a big screen. The story, structured on the hero's journey, drew me in completely. The loss of Ben Kenobi was an emotional moment that stayed with me for a long time. During the car ride home I gazed out of the window at the starry night and imagined that somewhere out there this great adventure might indeed have taken place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Now, just over 37 years later, it was another starry night and I was heading to a cinema to see the continuation of the saga from where it had left off after 1983's The Return of the Jedi. In a way that’s what makes Star Wars quite unique for many people, the fact that it has been a constant in their life from a very young age.

I watched The Force Awakens, and when I left the cinema I contemplated the night sky and remembered how the younger me had done the same in 1978. Walking away from the cinema, I had a similar feeling of fulfilment and wonder. Seeing so many of the original Star Wars characters in this new film was more than a sentimental kick. They, like me, had outwardly aged in the intervening three decades; we had journeyed through our lives to reach this point, which felt like a reuniting of old friends.

In the wake of The Force Awakens, the Star Wars saga appears to be back on track after the less than fulfilling prequels of the late 1990s and early 2000s. My hope is there will be a greater amount of risk-taking in the next film, regarding new plot lines, villains, and those emotional jolts that stay with the audience long after they have departed the theatre.

Well done to Abrams for The Force Awakens. May the Force be with the next director, Rian Johnson, who now picks up the saga where it has been so tantalisingly placed by Abrams.

Hey director, leave those films alone

They're great movies. Classics of their era. So why did the directors who made these masterpieces decide to tweak and alter them 20 or 30 years later?

If the changes had made the movies better I'd understand, but in the case of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy and the gritty, 1979 cut of 'The Warriors', the subsequent re-imaging has resulted in far inferior viewing experiences.

I have great admiration for both George Lucas ('Star Wars'), pictured below, and Walter Hill ('The Warriors'), two exceptional talents. But I'm mystified by their motivation for tinkering with some of their best work to make director's cuts that are best consigned to the nearest trash can in favour of the originals.

Many others have commented on these director's cut, take a look around on the internet and YouTube to see what has been said. In the case of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy the changes are mostly computer generated animations splashed across the screen that alter the tone of the movies and, quite frankly, clutter up the clarity of the stories. With Hill's director's cut of 'The Warriors' the inclusion of cartoon-cutsy transitions between scenes completely jars with the compelling realism and darkness of the 1979 version.

Sure, there is a place for revisiting creative works and improving upon them. My favourite poet William Butler Yeats did so with great success, and the evolution of the song 'Saints and Angels' by the music group The Waterboys, from its mid-1980s original to its early 2000s incarnation, with notably developed lyrics, are testament to how artistic works can rise to a new level when reworked by their original creators.

Returning to movies I would add Ridley Scott's director's cut of 'Blade Runner' to the list of artistic works enhanced by a slight re-imaging.

The big danger comes when the re-working is done on a creative work that has already proven to be massively popular in its original format. Anyone who tinkers with such is doing so at great peril.

Of course, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Except in the case of 'Star Wars' and 'The Warriors' you can't. If Lucas and Hill are saying, 'Hey, this is what I intended the movie to be originally' and leave the viewer with the option of watching the original or their re-worked alternative, then fine. Alas, that is not the case. It is practically impossible to lay your hands on unaltered versions of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, likewise copies of the 1979 original of 'The Warriors' are no longer produced, having been superseded by the director's cut. Both directors have taken a deliberate and strong line, arguing that their director's cuts are the definitive versions and the originals should be removed permanently from public consumption.

The first 'Star Wars' movie, released in 1977, is unquestionably one of the biggest landmark cinematic releases of the 20th century. Yet today the public are unable to purchase or view this iconic film in its original, un-tweaked glory.

Similarly, if you want to see 'The Warriors' as it appeared in 1979 you'll have to scour second-hand shops or online sales sites to get one of the pre-director's cut releases. It's becoming scarcer, but it's worth the effort.

So what can be done? Ultimately, it boils down to a simple request. To slightly misquote the lyrics of a Pink Floyd song, 'Hey director, leave those films alone'.

A weekend with astronauts

The world's two most senior surviving moonwalkers, Buzz Aldrin and Alan Bean, the second and fourth men respectively to walk on the surface of the moon, were the big names from the Apollo lunar landings who came to London for the Autographica event in March.

Four crew members from various space shuttle missions were among other guests at the event a mile from Heathrow airport. It made for an interesting gathering in which stories about the Nasa space programme were recollected by those who had actually taken part in the missions.

At the Saturday evening formal dinner Aldrin was seated at the adjacent table. He got up to give a short talk on the future of space exploration, the start of his talk is featured in the video above.

Aldrin went on to speak about his vision for the colonisation of Mars, and he likened it to the pilgrim fathers aboard the Mayflower sailing ship in 1620 who left England and reached what is present day Plymouth, in Massachusetts, to establish the second English settlement in North America. Just as they had not waited to get a ship back to England, so the eventual first colonisers of Mars will not seek a return journey to Earth, Aldrin predicted.

Looking back over almost 50 years since the lunar landing programme it is important to remember that such great achievements were made with technology that would be labelled archaic in today's world, and how astronauts in that earlier era completed missions that would, in all likelihood have been aborted nowadays.

We were reminded of this during the course of the weekend as stories were told. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless, who also speaks in the above video, was working at mission control during the Apollo programme and was one of the key contacts for Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their landmark first landing on the moon.

At Saturday evening's dinner McCandless recounted the launch of the follow-up Apollo XII mission, which included among the crew fellow guest Alan Bean. As the Saturn V rocket soared upwards through the Earth's atmosphere it was hit by either lightning or a self-induced electrical discharge. "They lost all power to the command module," said McCandless. "The computer in the Saturn V redundant for the very first time, so they switched over to the back-up computer and they kept on flying. It was Alan Bean who painstakingly restored power to the command module, brought the fuel cells back online and shortly thereafter they made it successfully into orbit, aligned the platform, got a go to proceed to the moon and had a very successful mission.

"And I think that in today's environment we have probably become so risk adverse that had we had a similar incident with the shuttle we would have insisted on immediately terminating the mission and coming home. It's a real tribute to Alan and Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon that they were able to salvage the mission even after a near catastrophe like this."

On the earlier Apollo XI mission that ultimately put Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon's surface there were a few touch-and-go moments. As Armstrong piloted the lunar module towards the moon's surface and its designated landing site it became increasingly clear that the chosen site was strewn with more rocks and boulders than had been anticipated.

Armstrong skillfully avoided the unfavourable terrain and headed for a smoother area in the Sea of Tranquility, however an alarm was activated inside the landing module indicating a critically low level of propellent to fly the craft. The two astronauts held their nerve and despite having an apparently depleted propellent tank continued to the favoured landing spot. The Eagle landed and Armstrong and Aldrin made their historic moonwalks on July 20, 1969.

It was later discovered the module had slightly more landing propellent than the indicator had registered, an estimated 30 to 45 seconds' worth. The 'sloshing' of the propellent inside the tank had resulted in the premature activation of the alarm. It was a fault that would be remedied after the follow-up Apollo XII mission a few months later.

At 84, Aldrin is remarkably active and sprightly. His popularity at the event was evident as he signed autographs and posed for pictures, never appearing overwhelmed or tired. He used a selection of felt-tipped pens to sign autographs, something that was instructive of another incident on that maiden moon landing.

After returning to the lunar module having walked on the moon's surface, Aldrin and Armstrong faced a potential hazard that placed a question mark over whether they would be able to lift off to rejoin Columbia, the lunar orbiter being piloted by Michael Collins, and head back to Earth. Aldrin noticed a broken circuit switch on the floor of the module. It was the switch that was needed to activate the ascent engine to lift off from the moon. Mission control was informed of the problem. After a short sleep, and with no solution forthcoming from mission control, Aldrin took a felt-tipped pen from a pocket on his spacesuit and placed it into the opening where the broken switch should have been. The pen fitted and worked as a makeshift circuit-breaker allowing the module to lift off.

Of all the lectures given by the guests during the weekend Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, was the best attended. Indeed, the organisers noted it was a bigger lecture audience than they had seen at any of the previous 19 Autographica events. Bean described how he had gone on to forge a career as an artist, painting space mission scenes and striving for accuracy, which brought him to a story about his painting of Neil Armstrong on the moon.

The painting was among those exhibited at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, in 2009 to mark the 40th anniversary of the moon landings. In attendance were many Apollo mission veterans, including Armstrong. One of the guests studied Bean's painting and spotted Armstrong was portrayed wearing a wristwatch. The guest wasn't convinced that Armstrong had worn his watch on the moon's surface and said so to Bean, who was caught off guard by the observation and wondered if he had got the detail wrong. Bean suggested the guest go and find Armstrong, who was elsewhere in the museum, and ask him if he had been wearing a watch.

It should be pointed out here that there are very few photographs of Armstrong on the moon because he was the one issued with the camera during the mission. As a result most of the iconic moon landing photos show colleague Aldrin on the surface. There is one full-body picture of Armstrong on the moon, however, he has his back to the camera and it is not clear if he is wearing his watch or not.

The inquiring guest tracked down Armstrong and asked him about Bean's painting and whether or not he had worn a wristwatch on the moon's surface. Armstrong said, "Has Alan painted me wearing one?" The reply was "Yes," to which Armstrong responded, "Well, that's how it was." It was a good answer, but it wasn't how it had been on the moon. In reality Armstrong had taken off his watch and left it inside the lunar module as a back-up because the onboard mission timer was not working. Many months later, having researched the facts himself, Bean painted out the watch from the portrait.

At the Saturday evening dinner five-times astronaut and space shuttle commander Robert 'Hoot' Gibson was at the same table as Heather and I. He happily talked about his experiences and answered questions. I asked what it was like to experience the fiery descent back through the atmosphere on the return to Earth. He described the glowing flames that filled the view outside the windows, and how the crew prepared for the increasing heat inside the shuttle by reducing the interior temperature considerably in the two hours immediately prior to re-entry.

Hurtling back to Earth at Mach 25 (that's 25 times the speed of sound) also meant a great deal of braking and slowing was required to execute a safe, unpowered landing. 'Hoot' explained how, as the shuttle decelerated from supersonic speeds to subsonic (going below Mach 1, or 760 miles per hour), the sonic shock wave trailing the craft caught up and, starting from the rear of the shuttle, moved through the fuselage and up to the front where the flight deck cabin would momentarily shake and vibrate.

'Hoot' is a talented photographer and took some stunning pictures of fellow shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless during his historic, first untethered space walk in 1984. 'Hoot' and his wife Rhea Seddon, another shuttle astronaut, were both at the Autographica event and gave joint lectures about their space missions, which included a selection of family photos taken by 'Hoot' of their youngest child standing in the desert at the Edwards Air Force Base, California, watching as a space shuttle, with his mother a crew member onboard, came in to land.

All in all it was a far more interesting and enjoyable weekend than I had anticipated, from the excitement of seeing Buzz Aldrin for the first time as he stood on a light bridge in the hotel's atrium at a low-key pre-event drinks reception, where he spoke to a number of attendees, to the moment a few days later when an excited dad was speaking to his son overseas via a video link on a tablet device and asked Aldrin, who was walking past, if he would greet his son. Aldrin obliged with a salute into the tablet's webcam.

Shaking hands with Aldrin was a personal highlight, as was dinner in the company of 'Hoot' Gibson. But there were plenty of memorable offbeat moments, such as astronaut Bruce McCandless light-heartedly noting during the dinner event that if NASA had had someone with as much glamour as 'Space 1999' actress Barbara Bain as a real life astronaut (Ms Bain was one of the weekend guests) there probably would not have been any space programme funding cutbacks.

Ms Bain was one of a number of stars from film and TV among the event guests. As Buzz Aldrin spoke at the dinner, listening from tables a little further back in the room were 'Star Wars' actors Dave Prowse (Darth Vader) and Kenny Baker (R2D2).

Of the movie and TV guests I hope to write more. For now I end with a salute to the astronauts who attended the London gathering; Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Robert 'Hoot' Gibson, Bruce McCandless, Rhea Seddon and Greg H Johnson.

Movie 'Oblivion' sets out a great premise

Today I went to the cinema to watch 'Oblivion'. The science fiction movie stars Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman, among others, and has been generating some interesting reviews for a Sci-fi feature.

It was a day off from work, so I had the luxury of settling in to watch an afternoon matinee. There was just me and about four other people in the 162-seat cinema. That wasn't a problem as I actually prefer to have a quiet space to soak up a movie and really get involved in what is on the screen, rather than be distracted by chattering or noise.

'Oblivion' is a well-made science fiction, beautifully filmed with breathtaking scenes and high production standards. The acting of the main characters, of which there were four, was also of a high standard. But best of all was the quirky story and its twists and turns. The premise set up during the first hour was thought-provoking and engrossing. For that first hour alone I give this film the thumbs up. The second part of the movie varied in enjoyment level due to the pacing going a little astray and the story descending into somewhat predictable territory. However, there was enough interest to carry 'Oblivion' through to the finale.

The movie drew inspiration from other Sci-fi classics, with elements of 'The Planet of the Apes', 'Star Wars', 'Blade Runner', 'Wall-E' and even 'Buck Rogers' (the 70s remake) evident. On the plus side, the fact that it was an all-new story as opposed to a long-running franchise, such as 'Star Trek' or one of the many super hero films being made these days, separates 'Oblivion' from the rest of the pack. The slow set-up of the premise and the revealing of the initial plot twists in the film's first half was skillfully done.

There is a point in the movie where 'Oblivion' could have capitalised on its intriguing foundations and headed into even deeper territory of the mind and the human condition, and that is what I would have loved to have seen. In the end it takes a more traditional route to a climax that felt somewhat hurried.

'Oblivion' is not a bad movie. It has plenty of haunting imagery and thought-provoking ideas to satisfy, and it may well be the best Sci-fi outing of this year.

But it is the latest in a string of big budget movies that I feel could have been true classics if they had either pulled back when they hit a natural high point, or continued pushing their more quirky story-telling path. 'Super 8' and 'Django Unchained' are two striking examples that built up superb first halves only to wrap up in predictable "Hollywood expects" fashion.

'Oblivion' trails off in a similar way, although not badly enough to undo its stunning first hour of story-telling. The focus on a handful of key characters, and the human story that links them, is given major screen time - refreshingly, as often a film of this genre can overshadow such character-play with special effects. If the invention of the film's opening half had continued as strongly to the end, then 'Oblivion' would have been a true classic.

For me, seeing this film teaches the importance of having a structured roadmap for a story that carries its intrigue and surprises all the way to the end, rather than end up rushing something and ending up with a rather predictable finale.

As it is, 'Oblivion' is a great Sci-fi outing, visually gripping, well acted and with a novel premise. Worth seeing? Yes, especially on a big screen.