Hi,

I'm sorry - but I like him, really do. 

First thing - Michael Billington most certainly is eye-candy, especially when in that silver, tight Moonbase suit or the shirt off or half open (all them nice long hairs, cute growing pattern too, and impressive pecs  ). I definitely shan't hold that against him. His acting wasn't half as bad as some make out, especially when you think about the fact that this represented his first major part. His acting off Bishop definitely was better than Ventham's.

Second thing - I disagree with the take that he was bucking for CoC, out to usurp Straker. Indeed, except for the episode "Kill Straker", he was thoroughly, wholeheartedly loyal to Straker and more in a sort of master-adept relationship than anything else. Where Alec was Bones to Straker's Kirk, Foster was Adso (of Melk) to Straker's William (of Baskervilles) as in The Name of the Rose. That are very different dynamics, so yes, I think Foster has to be there, so Straker has someone to teach and protect.

Third thing - there are a plethora of absolutely delightful scenes involving Foster and Straker, e.g. the one in front of Henderson during Conflict, without Foster we never would have seen that phantastic small quirky smile from Straker, when he is satisfied that Foster does the yelling he can't afford to do himself. Nor would we have watched his absolutely dominant nod to sit down again. We get more such stuff in Exposed, in Court Martial, in Mindbender and Kill Straker. Absolutely great stuff, each moment worth a story unto itself and that's as it should be.

Foster is, in my book, indispensible, he achieves what he is there for, I find him brash, quite cocky, but also sympathetic, loyal to the bone, utterly convinced of SHADO and like Straker he really irks me into showing him a bit who's the boss. Absolutely, completely delightful.

Hi Louise,

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That's easy to explain. Bishop was an ectomorph (bodytype-wise), which means roughly this:









Given that he very clearly did not work out, he most likely would have looked - shirtless - like John Hurt in the first picture (from the movie Alien), plus a little straggly hair here and there. That's what this side here is called a "chicken breast" and I can understand any actor rather being caught dead than showing that off.

Very funny aside - Rob Pattinson has that built (even though by now he desperately pumps iron - won't do him much good!), so for his shirtless scenes he gets the abs and pecs painted on 

Paul Foster:

Here’s my take on Paul. Foster was created to add appeal to the younger female viewers and balance out some of the eye candy. My wife prefers the dark haired hairy chest type (I’m surprised she married me) so based on her likes I can understand how he may have appeal to some members of that subset of viewers.

I saw Paul early on as a hot-headed upstart with ambitions of one day commanding SHADO. He was brash and often disobeyed orders or standing procedures. (Conflict, Psychobombs) But he was also fiercely loyal to Commander Straker and those he considered friends.

In “Conflict” Paul shows his disregard for orders by flying a return to earth mission under a shutdown order (Washington Square) in an attempt to prove the loss of his friend was something other than pilot error. The disregard for orders was balanced by his loyalty to his friend (Maddox). His brashness also show when he snaps at the General when he and Straker go to see him upon his return to earth. I agree with Guina here, Straker wanted to but was held in check by discipline. Paul’s loyalty to the Commander is shown later when Henderson orders him to take over and he refuses, instead supporting the Commander. That was one of his most shining moments in the series.

I saw Paul as a ladies’ man, although he did have a serious girlfriend in “Survival” Tina Duval. I think the writers were trying to paint him as a “James Bond” type to appeal to the ladies. The attempt to pair him with Virginia Lake was abysmal. Ginny was way out of his league and a few years older, it just didn’t work. (I had to fix that mess in my story “Silver Star”.)

Paul has gotten a raw deal in FanFiction and is often shown in poor light. In my stories I see him starting off as brash and cocky but growing over time. In the end of “Silver Star” we find out that Paul had a troubled childhood which affected his ability to form and keep meaningful relationships. The story ends with Ginny and Paul breaking off their brief relationship and Paul seeking counseling. I put that as a turning point for him in both my storylines.

Paul made one very poor decision in “Psychobombs” when he brought Linda Simmons to the studio knowing that she posed a threat to both the Commander and the base. Straker had obviously decided on the same course of action (much to Ginny’s chagrin) and allowed him to slide for it. In my story “A Matter of Principle” I show Ginny getting on Paul about that decision and Ed, in a calculated oversight, allows it. This is another story where Paul gets to grow as he realizes the gravity of the mistake.

In my storylines, Paul grows and matures into an effective member of the SHADO command team, and in the Hewett series, he rises to executive officer, (Alec has died of cancer) when Ginny marries and transfers back to New York. In the “Soul Mates” saga story “Expecting”, Paul really shines when he is forced to take command, when an explosion traps Ed and Ginny in their quarters at HQ. When Ed recruited him in SHADO he saw potential in the man and that trait rises to the surface in this story. I marry him off in both my story lines to Jane Carson from the episode “The Dalotek Affair” and in the first story of the Hewett series he tells Ed that his wife is expecting their first child.

I have seen personal growth in Paul in other writer’s stories as well. In Denise’s “Devilsgate Saga” Paul abandons his post on Moonbase to come to Earth and Commander Davenport slaps him down hard having him cool his heels in the brig for desertion. Later when the two men meet, we find some of what drives Foster come to the surface. Jake Davenport showing wisdom beyond his years recognizes the potential in Foster and gives him a chance to redeem himself. We also see that Paul was fiercely loyal to Ed a trait Denise brought out very well in the story.

In Louise’s story “AfterMath” a decision made by Paul causes a worldwide apocalyptic disaster and Paul learns the hard way that he needs to think before he acts. Over the course of the story Paul grows into the team leader that Ed knew he had the potential to be, and he gives his life to save the Commander.

As a writer I do find him fun to pick on early in the series but I also enjoy growing his character as I did in “Expecting” a truly fun story to write. And Paul got to be the hero.

Hi Matt,

can't help but argue a bit with you here... sorry 

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In Exposed he sees for the second (or is it even the third?) time a UFO. After he has been derided by his former superiors and mates when he tried to get them to accept UFOs prior to this occasion, I can easily follow his logic and motivation when he now disobeys order for the sole purpose of getting proof that there are UFOs!

I mean, jeez, there's a guy who's been demoted and had to make sideways career moves because he saw aliens with no one ever believing him, this here is one of the strongest motives of the whole series!

As to Psychobombs, it was not his decision. He was manipulated/brainwashed by the aliens to bring her there. He even says it out loud "Ed, I don't know why I brought her here, it just happened...".

So I contend that in both cases you misunderstand/misinterpret the basic motives, psychology and premises. I can see how that might happen, but I sincerely doubt that it was meant as you see it.

As to Conflict (where he disobeys orders and lands the shuttle), I see him doing that out of brashness, but also because he has a vague idea of why happened what happened (else he would not have been able to safely land!!!) and he also knows that neither Straker nor Freeman would be able to check that out. Again he sort of "spares" the senior officers the bad rep.

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Err - uhm - uh... no.

 

James Bond is a guys' man (and a gays' man as well), he appeals to males and not females. Same with Clint and Sylvester characters, you go into one of their earlier movies and you'll see a practically all-male audience. I remember I was the only female in Heartbreak Ridge, in Rambo II and in Harry Callahan V. The Bond movies lean heavily towards mainly male audiences as well.

Foster has created and still creates the major interest in males (het and gay), pretty much on one line with that it's mainly males who are interested in all the machinery/vehicles of UFO. Sure, he has a certain female following (curiously those are *very* interested in slash!), but that's really mainly because he's cute to look at.

I think he was put there as a lighter, brasher character who they could give more action to. Sewell wasn't up to that, too old looking, Bishop wasn't the overly athletic actor either, and as per his role unable to do a lot of action scenes, so they were lacking a character and an actor who could and did and would be attractive also for males.

 

@Lightcudder:

Alec was clearly the second in line, with Foster still out on the trainee road.

Yep, in Dalotek he comes over quite nicely. As to the way he comes on to women, jeez, there's some stuff in ST which makes me cringe as well. That were the times I'd say 

But why grudgingly for Alec? what proof is there that he didn't want command? Wasn't ready for it?
All based on one episode.. Responsibility Seat?
And iot seems that  everyones perception of Paul as a brash upstart is based on Kill Straker..

As for Alec 'disappearing' after the first episodes.. he could well have been running some huge SHado operation on the other side of the world. We never ever found out just how big or international SHADO really was. Or he was simply doing the other (night) shift to  Straker in preparation for taking over command!

Now there's a thought!

Sorry Matt. PAul may have been a pratt, and a pretty major pratt at times, but there was no way he would have brought that girl down to HQ without being under some influence.
he never told Tina Duvall what he did as a job and he was in a serious relationship with her. PAul, for all his inexperience was a   military person ( test pilot) so he would have never broken security knowingly.

And the pshycobombs had already proved their psychic abilities.

Hi Louise,

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I took that conversation in TRS mainly as friendly banter.

Alec had a different decision-making style, but he repeatedly showed he was able to make his own decisions or lead SHADO when necessary.

For me he was the unwavering second in command, definitely in line as the next commander. He was always in on Straker's own decision-making processes, often giving these decisions different turns by what he said or argued.


Hi Matt,

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But she did, she walked out of the room on her own, Foster never opened it for her!

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Of course he would have fallen for alien psyche manipulations, he did so as well.