Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet - Comparison With The Original Series

Comparison With The Original Series

• Skybase is, essentially, an improved version of the original Cloudbase, carrying a wide variety of vehicles and weapons on board, and housing Spectrum officers. A notable addition is that, on the flight deck, the Angels use a robot (Nicknamed 'F.R.E.D.'), that is controlled through telepresence by a Landing signal officer, who operates inside the base for safety purposes. The officer gives the traditional hand signals to the pilots, such as the order to launch.
• In the new series, Lieutenant Green and Captain Ochre are women. Although the Angel squadron continues to be all-female, the episode "Trap for a Rhino" features a male pilot in training.
• The communications desk is now holographic in nature.
• Doctor Fawn has been totally redesigned and designated Doctor Gold.
• Barry Gray's original Captain Scarlet theme music has been replaced with a new composition (this includes the drumbeat scene transition).
• The Spectrum logo has been redesigned.
• The Mysteron city is now completely green and is built up of lights, spikes or other shapes and gas as opposed to the original multi colored, circular shaped city.
• The green Mysteron 'rings' remain, as does the booming, distorted 'Voice of the Mysterons' in many scenes (it is revealed the voice emanates from actual Mysteron operatives who have used as a conduit). In addition, Mysteron agents eyes - particularly Captain Black's - are often seen to flash a similar bright green momentarily at suitably dramatic moments.
• Modern CGI technology allows the actual recreation of people and objects to be shown on screen.
• Major scene changes are still accompanied by a musical sting, but as noted above the composition is different.
• The new series has more complex romantic subplots, with both Captain Scarlet in the present and Captain Black in the past dating Destiny Angel, and the hints of a potential relationship between Captain Blue and Lieutenant Green, as well as flirtations between several other characters. Examples include Captain Ochre and an off-Skybase motorcycle gang member called Colt, and Captain Magenta's all round womanizer image. The original series had hinted at a one-time relationship between Scarlet and Destiny Angel, and an on-going approach between Blue and Symphony Angel.
• The series also establishes new aspects of the Mysterons, revealing that most retain some remnants of the original personalities and feelings of the people killed (in the original series this is depicted as unique to Scarlet). One episode, "The Achilles Messenger", reveals that a faction of Mysteron society does not want the war with the humans and a rebellion exists though the series was cancelled before this plot element was fully explored.
• Many voice characterizations have changed. Scarlet no longer sounds like Cary Grant but speaks with an American New England accent. Destiny's accent is now British rather than French. Doctor Gold speaks Standard English with an Austrian accent (as opposed to Doctor Fawn's Australian accent). There are also Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Southern American, Indian, Russian, and other accents (and occasional subtitled foreign-language dialogue) heard among supporting characters in addition to English. An interesting note is that although both series used different voice actors, in both series the actor who voiced Colonel White also provided the voice of the Mysterons. One oddity has Captain Black speaking with a British accent both while free and while under Mysteron control, yet the series establishes that the character is from Brooklyn.
• Given the fact that the characters are animated, they do not have the physical limitations of the original puppets. The characters are obviously able to be shown walking and in similar activities with considerable ease. Some of these activities are running, fencing and performing martial arts.
• The original series was noted for its dark tone and level of violence. This has been retained in the new series, with some violent moments being depicted more graphically than it was possible to do with puppets in the 1960s, and the tone is more serious with some mild language.
• Unlike the original series, the updated series ends with an episode that resolves its premise.