Hi Louise,

he he he - we already overlap, right here. Now all Deb needs to do is set up a few trestle tables and hand out a couple of beer (or wine, preferably red, preferably Bordeaux, preferably St. Em... - err - any Bordeaux will do!)...

 

I wonder how much of Straker's single-mindedness and at times seemingly over-zelous risk taking with Alien and SHADO Personnel lives, was a result of the on-going pain suffered by the loss of his wife and death of son, both he may view as self-inflicted? How essential to the series was it that Straker was a driven man, he was prepared to step aside believing Henderson would be the one to head SHADO, we see a closer relationship with Alec an almost equal, Ed seems to drop his guard at times and reveals frailties, he never would to Paul Foster, yet we feel a sense that Ed wishes he had the less burdened and more flamboyant adventurous demenour of Paul, and we feel almost a resentment, as Straker is quick to flex his muscle with Paul who never seems totally in the same club as Alec, though deep down we sense the care he has for this man's life.

Certainly Straker runs a tight ship, he has too, but all personnel are of course at the top of their game, experts in their fields, the best of the best, all along I sense the underlying theme of Straker versus the World, as well as Straker & Co versus the UFO onslaught, trust is an obsolete term for this Commander who must scruitinize one and all.

Straker is a complex character that is his appeal and to try to analyse the psyche of this man or to somehow place him in a category is foolheardy, that's the rub, the man is all things to all people, or maybe just an enigma.