The Tomorrow People

[vin_petrol]

There's about 150k of images behind this cut tag, where I've created an image I've wanted to be part of for a very long time. All I can say is this explains a lot about "how my head works", and the sort of things I think are beautiful and interesting.

Back in the 1970s there was a TV series called The Tomorrow People. You probably have to be over 30 to remember this - it was about Homo Superior, the next generation of humans, with advanced psi-powers. They could communicate with each other telepathically, and teleport around the universe (they called it 'jaunting', a term borrowed from Tiger! Tiger! by Alfred Bester). It had a very memorable opening credits sequence, with images flashing quickly towards you. In my memories, one of these images was of four people (clearly Tomorrow People) silhouetted in front of a galaxy. To me, this image has stuck in my mind for nigh on 30 years. Just the unbelievable coolness of being able to stand somewhere where a galaxy is behind you.

Recently, gothgrr and I took some pictures on Otley Cheven, and an idea formed in my mind...

I found some episodes of The Tomorrow People on the Internet. Turns out my memory was slightly wrong. The original image was actually of the four of them in front of a volcanic crater:



The galaxy was actually the very next frame in the opening credits:



But my memory is better than the original anyway, so I won't let reality interfere with that. So, after a bit of hacking around with various frame grabbing tools and Corel PHOTO-PAINT I came up with an image which (personally) I've wanted to be part of for massive number of years.



I really want to go back in time and give a copy of this to the little Vin I once was - he would shit his pants!

cyberspice, gothgrr and mistressmalaise are my fellow Tomorrow People in this picture.

The galaxy image is from http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0685.html, and the credit line is "T.A.Rector and B.A.Wolpa/NOAO/AURA/NSF".

Comments

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

I like those. Especially the way you've got the silhouette of reflected light right.

[vin_petrol]

Especially the way you've got the silhouette of reflected light right.

More by luck than judgement! I owe it all to the Corel PHOTO-PAINT "Magic Wand Mask Tool", which was very useful in all that I did.

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

LOve it. I lurved Tomorrow People. Funnily enough I've been thinking a lot these last few days about 70s nostalgia TV. i only don't buy the DVDs cos i suspect it would just be crapa dn it would upset me - like most Blakes 7 I've gone back and watched - dull long badly edited shots of gravel pits and silver foil costumes. Hope I'm wrong :-)

[vin_petrol]

I always find 70s SF TV provokes two reactions in me:

1) Aaaaargh! What crap "special" effects.
2) Good script though... if only they'd had some more money.

I actually appreciate the writing a lot more in Blakes 7 now than I did back then. All the nuances of the Blake/Avon relationship went right over my head in the 70s. And don't even mention all the Servalan stuff I completely missed - I think my dad got it though :-)

I've not actually watched the episodes I've *cough* acquired yet. I'll let you know what they're like when I do. I could possibly burn them to CD for you if you like?

[cyberspice.livejournal.com]

I loved the Tomorrow People and really wanted to be able to jaunt. I've not seen the programme in years. I did catch the whole of Blake's 7 when it was rerun on UK Gold and like you far more appreciate the story and writing now than I would have done at the time.

The link between the two programmes is that Dudley Simpson wrote the theme for both (he also wrote Dr Who music and produced one version of the theme).

And the final bit of trivia is that J Michael Straskinsky paid homage to Alfred Bester, and indirectly Tomorrows World, by naming the head of the Psi Corps in his Babylon 5 Alfred Bester. The part was played by Walter Koenig.

"You know the real reason you don't like me, Commander? It's the jealousy of evolution. Normals like you are obsolete. The future belongs to telepaths .. and I intend to make sure that future happens. One way or another."

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

B7 still has a lot to like in it - mostly the chemistry between Servalan and that tubby, snide, egotistical computer geek Avon. It made me feel good about being a tubby, snide, egotistical computer geek ;)

Alfred Bester is God.

[blue-condition.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the Tomorrow People...

(1) it was ITV and ITV was "common"
(2) it was "ver kids" vs the grown ups.
(3) oh Lord it clunked as far as stories and acting and special effects were concerned!

(4) Jedikiah was the crappest robot villain ever.

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

Nice image.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

You've a better memory than I then - all I remember is them jaunting and not much else. Was it a belt buckle that they grabbed hold of to jaunt?

On the subject of old TV though I found a great site about Vision On... damn, the URL is at work... I'll get it in an hour or so. Download the music for the gallery!

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

http://www.its-prof-again.co.uk/vision_on.htm

[vin_petrol]

http://www.its-prof-again.co.uk/vision_on.htm

Great stuff! That's the first time I've watched a Digger animation in *mumble* years! :-)

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

I didn't even remember him until I saw the picture, and then I recognised him instantly. =:-)

[ex-wendles389.livejournal.com]

Fantastic :)

[sarcaustik.livejournal.com]

For those of us still desperately clinging to our fading youth, there was a remake of The Tomorrow People in the nineties with someone out of Neighbours in it. I never watched it but I remember it being on.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

Erk! Was it as dire as the Quatermass mini-series?

[sarcaustik.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I never watched that either.

[cyberspice.livejournal.com]

The one with the hippy eating space ship staring John Mills.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

Indeed, though really you'd think that the taste of patchouli oil would put it off.

[vin_petrol]

Was it as dire as the Quatermass mini-series?

Why did you think that was dire? I thought it was gloomy and depressing, but I couldn't really fault the script or the acting. Some of the production values were a bit on the cheap side, but then that's something that's *always* affected British television.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078674/

It had Toyah in it! But anyway, I can't recall why it was dire (it was 25 years ago!), I just remember thinking that it was so.

Now I'm annoyed because I'm sure I read a recent novel that was along very similar lines and I can't think what it was.

[vin_petrol]

I can't recall why it was dire (it was 25 years ago!)

Good point. I recall I was expecting something totally different from what I got with this. I wanted to see rockets and stuff, not a grim tale about social decay and a hippy eating alien life form. I was kinda disappointed at the time. I've seen it a couple of times since on satellite channels and I now think it's pretty good.

[sara-lou.livejournal.com]

There's about 150k of images behind this cut tag
Where?

[sara-lou.livejournal.com]

Websensed. Am using work connection. They sounded really pretty as well!

[vin_petrol]

Websensed. Am using work connection.

Oooh, nasty! Blocking personal web sites at Lycos is a bit OTT.

They sounded really pretty as well!

I could email them to you. The one worth seeing as about 100k. Do you have a home connection? Otherwise I'll stick them in my demon web space as well (I can't remember the login details at the moment) and send you the URLs for those, although mebbe your work is blocking demon too!

[sara-lou.livejournal.com]

I think Demon might also be blacklisted; the category "web-hosting" is restricted. But give it a try! I don't have a home connection at the current time, and I'm over dialup so 100k might be a bit slow but I'd love to see it. Juniper_springs@Yahoo.com. Thank God I'm getting my ADSL back on the 1st July...

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at that galaxy image.... and it's starting to trigger some sort of memory... I don't suppose you have the music anywhere, do you? It's on the tip of my eardrum...

[vin_petrol]

Try this:

http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/Themes/Tomorrow%20People.mp3

[cyberspice.livejournal.com]

Of course TV-Cream is always the ultimate source of TV trivia, theme tunes and the like.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

YES!!! Thanks! =:-)

[wiseoldbob.livejournal.com]

That is absolutely excellent, I shall try one myself! The tomorrow Peoplke was set in the future, which is rooughly where we are now. Things have turned out just a tad more crap, really than the show predicted. . .

[minusbat.livejournal.com]

Di I win geek points by the fact that I
recognised the galaxy by name before I could
identify tthe silhouettes when the page came up ?

[minusbat.livejournal.com]

Umm, the eagle nebula in M-something-or-other? (one of the low ones, M-umpteeen ;-) )

[ellenscult]

Fantastic picture! I just read the latest Peter Hamilton - and that image is very reminiscent of parts of it... ;)