A flying saucer is a
“type of flying
craft with a disc or saucer-shaped body,” possibly of alien
origin. In terms of science fiction
literature, film, and television, the flying saucer (or alternatively, the
“UFO”) is the long-standing vehicle of choice for invading aliens.
In fact, if aliens ever do visit Earth and make
contact with humanity, I suspect many genre fans may feel deeply disappointed
if they don’t arrive in flying saucers.
I’m not certain why it’s the case, but alien
villains in sci-fi productions tend to travel in saucers rather than in
needle-shaped rockets or jet-shaped fighters, perhaps because we tend to view
the saucer as a kind of “universal” shape or form, and therefore it more easily
fits our species-centric conception of something alien. A saucer has no end and no beginning, no
engine pipe, no smoke stack, no wings and no aerodynamic feature that is easily
recognizable as being of Earth technology
Meanwhile, The Invaders (1967-1968), Gerry
Anderson’s UFO (1970) and V: The Series (1985) all posited malicious alien invasions – both public and hidden
– via alien flying saucers. I’m
especially fond of the UFO craft, with the spinning fins on
the outside of its form, and the memorable sound effect the craft produced. The flying saucers in V – the giant mother-ships – are especially impressive, and certainly
forecasted the invading saucers of Independence Day (1996). Even the ultimate alien villains -- Doctor Who's Daleks -- have been seen to travel the dark void in saucer-shaped crafts.
Sometimes in cult television, a flying saucer has
also been at the center of a hoax, as in episodes of Batman
(“The Joker’s Flying Saucer), The Secrets of Isis (“The Lights of
Mystery Mountain”) and even The Brady Bunch’s memorable “Out of this
World.”
It also seems that flying saucer-styled crafts
are favorites of those unlucky souls who lose their way in space, such as the gorgeous Jupiter 2 of Lost in Space (1965 – 1968) and the titular craft of Sid and Marty Krofft's The
Lost Saucer (1975).
Kenneth Arnold, a aviator, on 6/1947, reported seeing 9 UFO's and told the media that they were shaped like saucers or a pie plate. I guess flying saucers sounds a lot more intriguing than flying pie plates.
ReplyDeleteArnold did NOT describe the UFOs he witnessed as "shaped like saucers or pie plates". He described them as looking like crescents or "boomerang-shaped" -- leading to some speculation that he may have seen captured German or experimental Air Force German-derived flying wings. He described their motion through the air as like saucers skipping across water. It was the press that garbled it into "flying saucers".
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