I have always believed that the UFO/X-COM/XCOM tactical strategy series launched by the Gollop brothers of Mythos Games in 1994 is an original product. But recently I came across the British television series UFO (1970-71), created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and it seems that the Gallop brothers borrowed almost everything from it.

See for yourself. The secret organization SHADO, which is supposed to protect the Earth from alien invasion, has its own operational base; fighter interceptors hunting for UFOs; field operatives investigating UFO crash sites and fighting aliens; SHADO examines the bodies of captured aliens and their technology. In other words, it does everything that the Extraterrestrial Combat organization, the X-COM from the game, does.

In case anyone didn’t know, the first game in the series, X-COM: UFO Defense (1994), was called… UFO: Enemy Unknown. This is definitely not a coincidence.

UFO, like many other Gerry Anderson series, has become a cult favorite, so it’s no surprise that the Holloway brothers were influenced by it and borrowed some elements of the show. Just look at this footage and the opening credits of UFO.

By the way, a kind soul posted all 26 episodes of the show on Youtube. Do not pay attention to the fact that some of the episodes are titled Space: 1999 (this is another cult series by Jerry Anderson), but in fact they are also UFO series.