Science fiction story writers have long held a fascination with the idea of an alien race taking over the world. There are some people who have the notion that this has already happened, and one must simply turn to either Hollywood or certain parts of Texas to see signs of it. Back in 1983, there was a pair of back to back mini-series that aired on NBC. “V” and “V: The Final Battle”, set forth the notion that we were to be taken over by a race of lizard-like aliens that could cleverly disguise themselves as humans. Being that it was 1983, television special effects were still in their infancy, so at times the mini-series seemed a bit campy, but the storyline was anything but. The creator of the series, Kenneth Johnson devised a plot that was quite complex for the time.

The plot itself was akin to a Twilight Zone episode, with the ‘Visitors’ coming to Earth with promises of enriching our lives and curing disease. But their plans were anything but benevolent, as we were to become nothing more than slaves or food.

But the story on the surface was not what made “V” such a great mini-series, it was the underlying lesson in history that we were being taught. What we were watching was science fiction’s version of Nazi Germany. The “Visitors” were able to fool the human race into believing in them at first by attempting to look like us. But then they went as far as to indoctrinate humans into their ‘security force’ and put up propaganda-like banners and posters to promote their ‘cause.’ Humans that were skeptical were threatened or simply made to disappear. At times it was quite chilling to watch.

The two mini-series were so incredibly popular that the network then sought to turn it into a weekly series. Unfortunately, Johnson had already left the project and it was turned over to Daniel Blatt and Robert Singer, who had supervised “V: The Final Battle.” The series aired on Friday nights in 1984, but only lasted one season as the ratings never quite reached the level of the original mini-series. However, the popularity of the series continued to grow over the years. There was a series of paperback novels and comic books, and there was even talk of doing a third mini-series to tie up the story, but it never came to be. The good news is that there have been some rumors lately that Johnson is once again working on the project and there is a real chance we might still see that third installment.

Warner Brothers Home Video had already released the mini-series on DVD, and has now released the entire first season run of “V: The Series.” The 3-disc set includes all 19 episodes packaged in a great looking silver keepcase, emblazoned with the familiar ‘V’ logo. When you open the case, there are also episode titles and descriptions to fill you in on what you’re watching.

I’ll have to admit that the series overall was a bit weak compared to the original mini-series, but it was great to see that most of the original cast continued to carry on their roles. Genre favorite Marc Singer stayed on board as Mike Donovan, the leader of the rebels out to fend off the invasion. Faye Grant, who turned heads as the gorgeous Dr. Parish also starred in the series. Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that you could also find Robert Englund lurking around the series. Well, I guess lurking isn’t really the right word here as this was filmed prior to his career making turn as Freddy Kruger. Here he was more of a comic relief as Willie, the Visitor-turned-good-guy.

The only disappointment I had with the DVD set was the lack of extra features. There were so many good actors involved with the series that it would have been great to hear some commentaries, or at least some interviews, but no such luck.

In spite of the series’ weaknesses, which included using stock film footage (sometimes over and over) it wasn’t at all a bad follow-up to the original. There were still some stand-out episodes and it was cool to see the casts together again. If you were at all a fan of the series, I recommend checking it out. If you aren’t familiar with it at all, be sure to watch the original mini-series first, otherwise it won’t make a lick of sense to you.

Episodes:
Liberation Day
Dreadnought
Breakout
The Deception
The Sanction
Visitor’s Choice
The Overlord
The Dissident
Reflections in Terror
The Conversion
The Hero
The Betrayal
The Rescue
The Champion
The Wildcats
The Littlest Dragon
War of Illusions
Secret Underground
The Return

Starring: Jane Badler, June Chadwick, Robert Englund, Faye Grant, Michael Ironside, Marc Singer, Lane Smith, Blair Tefkin, Michael Wright, Jeff Yagher
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Frame, Dolby Digital English Mono
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 7/27/2004
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give V: The Complete Series a B-.