As I watched the mid-season finale of
Fox's The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I was shocked to
see a most familiar sight. Integrated into the episode's plot were the
infamous 2007 California 'drone' pictures.
In the show, Sarah Connor (Leana Heady) attends a UFO convention as part of
her quest to stop the supercomputer Skynet from destroying mankind. After
speaking with a ufologist about the photographs, she speculates that the
drones may be made of Terminator alloy. One of them even makes an appearance
at the episode's conclusion, indicating that the craft will play a larger
role in the second half of the season.
Clearly, someone on the writing staff of SCC is in the know when it
comes to esoterica. The paranormal is certainly nothing new to television,
but it was an interesting to see such a recent UFO story--pictures and
all--featured so prominently. And what of the rumors that the drones were
part of a viral advertisement campaign? This couldn't have been the plan all
along...could it?
As you'll remember, the drone photos made a big splash in the world of
Ufology in mid 2007. Because of their high-resolution clarity, most
concluded that they were either among the best photographs of a UFO ever, or
hoaxes that were simply too good to be true. Later, with the pending release
of Microsoft Games Studio's Halo 3, some suggested that the photos
were part of an elaborate "alternate reality game" advertising campaign.
I commented on this possibility briefly in my
Viral Ufology and
Viral Ufology Revisited columns. The short of it was that the California
drone photographs were most likely not connected with Halo 3. When
the game was released and the Iris ARG was revealed, neither Microsoft nor
the agency behind the advertisements made any mention of the photographs. I
would like to think that, considering the controversy the images created,
the agency would be decent enough to admit that they were fakes.
I wont go any further into the argument over the validity of the images
other than to say that the debate continues. Therefore, my feelings about
the story being adopted by The Sarah Connor Chronicles are mixed.
On the one hand, it was an exciting surprise to see two of my interests
crossed in a prime time setting. I think it's safe to say that a link exists
between science fiction fans and UFO enthusiasts, thus fusing them was a
solid attempt at fan service on the part of the show's producers. On the
other hand, I feel that this may have also added slop to an already muddied
UFO investigation. Not only will the photos be linked (accurately or not) to
Halo 3, but they will also be forever associated with a television
show. And not merely as a reference or background story, but as a major plot
element.
Is this a case of Ufology hitting the mainstream? Or is it a sign of how far
the field has been degraded in the pursuit of entertainment? I'm going to
hold off my final judgment until I see where the writers take this plot when
the show returns in February, but I will be interested to see if any new
developments in the California drone investigation appear between now and
then. With a professional art and special effects department now working on
creating video clips of these drones for a TV series, skeptics will have a
ready-made explanation for any further photographic evidence.
Though here's a thought...If the photos are indeed hoaxes, perhaps this will
drive the hoaxer out of hiding. With his work being used on a semi-popular
television series, he might feel the desire to stand up and take credit for
it.
