UFO - 4 Part Documentary Series
Found this on the Showtime streaming service. Released in 2021, this is a four part series about UFO's or Unidentified Flying Objects. Before I even get started I should state that I've been a really big UFO nerd since, well, forever! When I came across this four part documentary, I had to watch this.
I've watched a lot of UFO documentaries and I have to say that I'd put this one right up there at the top. It talks about a lot of recent sightings (the last 20 or 30 years) with a lot of credible witnesses. Many of the witnesses and investigators are military people and government folks.
The documentary starts with the release of the New York Times article on government programs involving UFO investigations. This is a four part series.
The first episode talks about the New York Times article and the politicians involved in researching this phenomena. Some of the politicians involved are names like Marco Rubio and Harry Reid. They also talk with many respected investigative journalists talking about their research into the phenomena. It also talks a little about the Phoenix lights and Arizona governor Fife Symington talks about his experience when the phenomena occurred. Several Phoenix residents talk about what they seen as well.
The second episode starts with investigative journalist George Knapp. Mr. Knapp has been a long time investigator of the UFO phenomena. More interviews with Senator Harry Reid. They also talk to several Navy men who had a close encounter on a naval ship. They also introduce players like Robert Bigelow from Bigelow Aerospace, and talk a little about the paranormal happenings of the infamous Skinwalker Ranch.
The third episode talks a lot about investigative journalists and the people involved in researching this stuff. They talk to members of MUFON and other groups investigating sightings and experiences. It dives deeper into Bigelow Aerospace's involvement with these investigations and other key players.
By the fourth episode they start to talk about the alien abduction phenomena. They also touch on possible government psyops, disinformation campaigns, and what people involved in these investigation may have to gain or lose.
My Thoughts.
This is a topic I've followed closely since childhood. I've always been fascinated by the thought of life on other planets. Even from an early age I thought it extremely foolish that in this huge vast universe that we've barely explored, we think we are alone. Seems ludicrous when you look out at the stars at night.
I read a lot of books on this subject throughout the 80s. Did tons of internet research throughout the 90s. I lost interest in the 2000's because the entire industry seemed to get taken over by the Ancient Aliens crowd. Somehow, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and his ilk became the voice of the UFO community for the last 20 years. IMHO the whole thing reaked of disinformation! The shows were a huge success but you couldn't find much outside of the circle of the usual Ancient Aliens suspects.
I mention this not because I dislike Giorgio and his rag tag team of Ancient Alien investigators, but for the last 20 years they dominated the topic. You could find very little on the topic that wasn't centered around this group of investigators or Bill Birnes and his group. I did like some of the work Bill Birnes was covering though. Still, it seems the last 20 years of UFO research rehashed stuff from Roswell and the 1940s to 1980s and didn't really cover much outside of the Phoenix lights for anything modern. I think the Phoenix lights case was so big, with so many witnesses, it couldn't be ignored. Outside of the Phoenix case though, there wasn't a lot of talk about modern cases.
With all this said, I think this may have been one of the best documentaries I've seen in recent times. They covered the topic professionally, thoroughly, and from all angles. The documentary covers the stigma involved in coming forward. Questions whether we've been conditioned to ridicule the topic. The seriousness that we're now investigating the topic with. I also liked that it touches on what people may or may not have gained from the UFO industry. It touches on the business aspect of UFO research and the money involved in these investigations. For instance, it was reported that Bigelow Aerospace received $22 Million from the government for their research. These aren't small numbers.
For the most part, I feel the topic was presented fairly. It looked at the phenomena from all angles not just the believer or skeptic perspective. I also liked how it touched on the money factor and how UFO investigation is like a business to some people. There are even places like Roswell New Mexico where the economy almost depends on peoples belief in aliens and UFO's. They have a lot of reasons to keep the mythos of aliens and UFO's alive.
For years I've said Robert Bigelow's involvement in the industry is not just fueled by his interest in the topic. I have the utmost respect for this billionaire, however, I've suspected for a long time that he stands to profit greatly from the reverse engineering of this technology. If I owned an aerospace company, I'd certainly have an interest in this. I suspect that's a huge part of his motivation with studying this topic.
Anyway, this was one of the best documentaries I've seen on this topic for some time. I'll say this, even if 90% of this stuff can be explained away, that 10% that remains is paradigm shifting. By the time the series ended, you can't help but question what is really happening.
The Truth Is Out There....
If you're into this topic, I think this is a documentary worthy of your time.
On a final note. Have you ever seen a UFO? I had two very interesting encounters that I'll share with you all tomorrow!
Image credits: Showtime webpage screenshot. I Want To Believe image google images.
This is post #8 in the #HiveBloPoMo