Editing Cloudbase

{{Short description|Fictional airborne headquarters of Spectrum}}
{{Distinguish|Cloud base}}
{{Infobox fictional vehicle
| name        = Cloudbase
| series      = [[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons]]
| image       = CS-Cloudbase 1.jpg
| alt         = An airborne structure resembling a seagoing aircraft carrier, hovering at high altitude above clouds
| first       = "[[The Mysterons]]"<br>(29 September 1967)
| affiliation = Spectrum Organisation
| fighters    = 
| aux_vehicle = 
*Angel Interceptors
*Spectrum Passenger Jets, helicopters, Magnacopters
*Gyroscopic escape pods<ref name = "DrakeBassett35-36">Drake & Bassett, pp.&nbsp;35&ndash;36.</ref>
| propulsion  = 
*Hover combines
*Anti-gravity compensators
*Jet cloud conversion engines for flight<ref name = "Bentley"/><ref name="Denham"/>
| power       = 
*Nuclear reactor
*Solar energy panels<ref name = "Bentley"/><ref name="Denham"/>
| length      = {{Convert|630|ft}}<ref name="Bentley"/><ref name="Bleathman"/>
| width       = {{Convert|330|ft}}<ref name="Bentley"/><ref name="Bleathman"/>
| height      = {{Convert|130|ft}}<ref name="Bleathman"/>
| mass        = 87,000 tons<ref name="Bleathman"/> or<br>{{Convert|4.52|e6lb|lt ST t|link=out}}<ref name="Denham">{{Cite book|title=Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Spectrum Agents' Manual|first1=Sam|last1=Denham|year=2017|publisher=[[Haynes Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-78521-143-0|pages=16–17}}</ref>
| population_volume = 593 personnel<ref name="Bentley">{{Cite book|last1=Bentley|first1=Chris|title=The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet|year=2001|publisher=[[Carlton Books]]|isbn=978-1-84222-405-2|page=52}}</ref><ref name="Bleathman">{{Cite book|title=Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation Cross-Sections|first1=Graham|last1=Bleathman|author1-link=Graham Bleathman|year=2000|publisher=[[Carlton Books]]|isbn=9781842224113|page=33}}</ref>
}}
'''Spectrum Cloudbase''', often shortened to '''Cloudbase''',<ref name="Bentley"/> is the fictional airborne headquarters of the international security organisation Spectrum in [[Gerry Anderson]]'s science fiction television series ''[[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons]]'' (1967–1968).<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gw-JNA41rA|title=Cloudbase (Captain Scarlet): Century 21 Tech Talk (3.6)|date=November 6, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> In the [[New Captain Scarlet|2005 animated remake]], Cloudbase is re-imagined as '''Skybase'''.

In both series, the base's design is that of an [[airborne aircraft carrier]], stationed in either Earth's high [[troposphere]] (in the original series) or low [[stratosphere]] (in the remake).

==Origin and design==
While developing the series in 1966, Gerry Anderson recalled that during the [[Battle of Britain]], the [[RAF]] had found it difficult to counter the [[Luftwaffe]] due to the delays caused by having to launch fighters from the ground:<ref name="Teletronic1">{{Cite web|last=Marcus |first=Laurence |title=Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master – Part 3 |url=http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerryanderson3.htm |work=teletronic.co.uk |date=October 2005 |accessdate=1 October 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221150836/http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerryanderson3.htm |archivedate=21 February 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> "[I]t took [the [[Spitfire]] squadron] about 20 minutes to climb high enough to intercept the bombers that were already at 16,000 feet."<ref name="ArcherHearn">{{Cite book | last1 = Archer | first1 = Simon |author1-link=Simon Archer (author)| last2 = Hearn | first2 = Marcus | title=What Made ''Thunderbirds'' Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson | year = 2002 | publisher = [[BBC Books]] | isbn = 978-0-563-53481-5 | page = 148}}</ref> For this reason, Anderson decided to make the fictional Spectrum's headquarters a floating aircraft carrier:<ref name="Teletronic1"/> "This could launch aircraft that would then climb to 100,000 feet and intercept extraterrestrial invaders within minutes."<ref name="ArcherHearn"/>

Anderson also noted that ''Captain Scarlet'' was made during the [[Cold War]], "when world leaders held conferences on aircraft carriers, and bomber pilots were constantly in the air waiting for attack orders. So I was thinking along the lines of a wartime setting, and had the idea for Cloudbase, a giant flying aircraft carrier, and the Angels, fighter pilots ready for take-off at any time.<ref name="Jenkins">{{Cite magazine|magazine=Total DVD|date=October 2001|issue=30|editor1-first=Chris|editor1-last=Jenkins|title=Scarlet Is the New Black|first1=Chris|last1=Jenkins|pages=16–18|publisher=WV Publications|location=London, UK|issn=1464-889X|oclc=877789732}}</ref> The script for [[The Mysterons|the first episode]] stated that the base is kept airborne by "powerful jet engines that are pointing downwards and are obviously powered by [[atomic energy]]".<ref>Bentley 2017, pp.&nbsp;79&ndash;81.</ref>

The Cloudbase filming model was designed by special effects director [[Derek Meddings]] and measured over {{Convert|6|ft|spell=in}} in length. According to Meddings, it was the easiest ''Captain Scarlet'' vehicle to build. The base's wide-angle [[establishing shot]], repeatedly re-used as stock footage, was filmed against a sky backdrop consisting of a background painting, cotton wool clouds and [[dry ice]] effects.<ref>Meddings & Denham, pp.&nbsp;88&ndash;89.</ref> Too heavy to be hung on wires, the model was held in place on the end of a horizontal metal pole.<ref>Meddings & Denham, p.&nbsp;90.</ref> Larger-scale sections of the flight deck were built for scenes showing aircraft taking off and landing.

The puppet-size control room set incorporated green [[Perspex]] arches and a {{Convert|15|ft||adj=mid|-long}} electrically-driven moving walkway from which [[Lieutenant Green]] is shown to operate the base's main computer.<ref>Bentley 2017, pp.&nbsp;44&ndash;45.</ref> Anderson said that the decision to have [[Colonel White]] sit at a [[Round table (furniture)|round desk]], so that during briefings all the attendees are equidistant from him, was influenced by contemporary speculation about the seating arrangements for [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] meetings, which were typically held at long conference tables and reportedly led to arguments over which members should be seated closest to the head of government.<ref>{{Cite AV media|first=Gerry|last=Anderson|author1-link=Gerry Anderson|date=2001|title="[[Attack on Cloudbase]]" Audio Commentary|medium=DVD|publisher=[[Carlton Communications|Carlton]]}}</ref>

==Depiction==
[[File:Dr Who Museum Bromyard (5381349305).jpg|thumb|Replica Cloudbase control room at The Time Machine Museum in [[Bromyard]], UK, with [[Colonel White]] in the centre]]
An [[airborne aircraft carrier]], incorporating a [[flight deck]] and powered by jet engines, Cloudbase hovers at a fixed altitude of {{Convert|40,000|ft|mi km}}. Though usually [[geostationary]], it is equipped with horizontal jet thrusters that enable it to be moved to any point above the Earth's surface. It was constructed in Earth orbit and has a crew of approximately 600.<ref name="Drake & Bassett, 31">Drake & Bassett, p.&nbsp;31.</ref> The base is pressurised; pilots entering or exiting aircraft on the flight deck do so via airtight shafts and docking ports.

Cloudbase's main defence is its squadron of three Angel Interceptor fighter aircraft, flown by five female pilots.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1MVihmjGAc|title=Angel Interceptor: Century 21 Tech Talk|date=October 23, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> One fighter is crewed around the clock, with the others on continuous standby. Auxiliary aircraft include Spectrum Passenger Jets and Magnacopters, which are launched from a different area of the flight deck.<ref>Drake & Bassett, pp.&nbsp;35&ndash;39.</ref>

Areas aboard Cloudbase include:

*the Control Room, which contains [[Colonel White]]'s revolving round desk, a viewing screen (which displays the [[spectral colour]]s when inactive) and [[Lieutenant Green]]'s mainframe computer, which manages the base's systems
*the Amber Room, the standby lounge for the Angel pilots
*a sick bay, staffed by chief medical officer Dr Fawn
*the Spectrum Information Centre, a data bank powered by "seventh-generation" supercomputers<ref name="Drake & Bassett, 36"/>
*an observation room, containing atmospheric and space-monitoring equipment<ref name="Drake & Bassett, 36">Drake & Bassett, p.&nbsp;36.</ref>
*the Room of Sleep, a dormitory with hypnotic aids and [[gimbal]]-mounted beds to minimise the amount of time needed for personnel to rest<ref name="Drake & Bassett, 35">Drake & Bassett, p.&nbsp;35.</ref>
*a conference room, generator room, radar room and crew lounge

==Reception==
Commentator Ian Fryer praises the interior sets designed by [[Keith Wilson (production designer)|Keith Wilson]], noting their use of coloured Perspex and describing them as "both stylish and highly detailed".<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The Story Behind International Rescue |last1=Fryer |first1=Ian |year=2016 |publisher=Fonthill Media |isbn=978-1-781555-04-0}}</ref> Cloudbase has also been viewed as part of a supposed religious allegory in the series.<ref name="Jenkins"/><ref name="Taylor and Trim">{{Cite book|last1=Taylor|first1=Anthony|last2=Trim|first2=Mike|author2-link=Mike Trim|title=The Future Was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim|year=2006|publisher=[[Hermes Press]]|isbn=978-1-932563-82-5|page=29}}</ref> Commentators have suggested that the base can be interpreted as [[Heaven]], with Colonel White serving as a God analogue and the resurrected [[Captain Scarlet (character)|Captain Scarlet]] representing the [[Son of God]]; the [[Devil]] is symbolised by either [[Captain Black]] or the [[Mysteron]]s.<ref name="Jenkins"/><ref name="Taylor and Trim"/><ref name="La Rivière">{{Cite book|last1=La Rivière|first1=Stephen|author1-link=Stephen La Rivière|title=Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future|year=2009|publisher=[[Hermes Press]]|isbn=978-1-932563-23-8|pages=160–161}}</ref><ref name="Grant">{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Cy|authorlink=Cy Grant|title=Lieutenant Green and De Anderson CODE – Spectrums, Subconscious Connections & Synchronicities|url=http://nestene1.users.btopenworld.com/cygrant/green.htmlyear=2007|accessdate=16 January 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123195856/http://nestene1.users.btopenworld.com/cygrant/green.html|archivedate=23 January 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Turner">{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/we-love-captain-scarlet-2415955|title=We Love ... ''Captain Scarlet''|date=31 March 2013|first1=Robin|last1=Turner|work=[[Wales Online]]|accessdate=11 February 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231235104/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/we-love-captain-scarlet-2415955|archivedate=31 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Robin Turner of [[Wales Online]] and Chris Jenkins of ''Total DVD'' magazine compare White to God seated in his "heavenly Cloudbase" (defended by a fighter squadron that happens to be codenamed "the Angels").<ref name="Jenkins"/><ref name="Turner"/> Anderson denied that any of this symbolism was intentional.<ref name="Jenkins"/>

Sources have discussed the base's feasibility as a hovering aircraft carrier. Using the material specifications of a [[Nimitz-class aircraft carrier|''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier]], an article published by the [[University of Leicester]] calculated that if Cloudbase were a uniformly dense cuboid, it would weigh more than 30 billion [[newtons]] ({{Convert|30|e9N|e6tf|disp=out|abbr=unit|lk=out}}) when hovering, needing thruster power equivalent to more than half a million [[Eurofighter Typhoon]]s and energy equivalent to the output of more than 600,000 nuclear power stations in order to maintain its altitude. The article concluded that the phenomenal weight, noise and heat created by such power requirements made Cloudbase a real-world impossibility.<ref>{{Cite journal|first1=J.|last1=Bettles|first2=I.|last2=Clarke|first3=M.|last3=Perry|first4=N.|last4=Pilkington|journal=Journal of Physics Special Topics|title=Keeping Your Head In The Clouds|publisher=[[University of Leicester]]|date=2 October 2011}}</ref>

According to Jim Smith, an aviation consultant, Cloudbase would not be practical as a carrier if it were stationary, because the Angel Interceptors make "controlled crash" landings on ramps at speeds that would not be survivable unless the base were also moving. He wrote: "Operating from a static Cloudbase simply makes no sense, because you won’t be able to land back on board. A conventional carrier landing from an approach speed of [more than] {{Convert|200|kn|mph kph}} is not going to work. The alternative of [[Pitch (aviation)|pitching up]] to 30 degrees to land on a ramp at 100 knots will not work either. If Cloudbase were moving at 100 knots or so during the landing sequence, then a conventional carrier landing using [[arrestor wire]]s would be possible, and would be a more flexible and less dangerous solution than the inclined ramp."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://hushkit.net/2021/05/20/would-the-joe-90-angel-interceptor-have-worked-in-real-life-we-ask-an-expert/|title=Would the ''Captain Scarlet'' Angel Interceptor Have Worked in Real Life? We Ask an Expert|magazine=Hush-Kit|date=20 May 2021|access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

The ''Valiant'', an airborne aircraft carrier featured in the [[Whoniverse|''Doctor Who'' universe]], has been compared to Cloudbase.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/8984/doctor-who-series-4-episode-5-review-the-poison-sky|title=''Doctor Who'' Series 4, Episode 5 Review: 'The Poison Sky'|author=Anderson, Martin|date=3 May 2008|website=[[Den of Geek]]|accessdate=6 February 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609232848/http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/8984/doctor-who-series-4-episode-5-review-the-poison-sky|archivedate=9 June 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-the-sound-of-drums-last-of-the-time-lord-1798180358|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116125206/https://tv.avclub.com/doctor-who-the-sound-of-drums-last-of-the-time-lord-1798180358|archive-date=16 November 2019|first1=Alasdair|last1=Wilkins|title=TV Reviews: ''Doctor Who'': 'The Sound of Drums'/'Last Of the Time Lords'|date=20 April 2014|access-date=31 December 2019|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Doctor Who: A History of the Universe in 100 Objects|page=158|year=2012|first1=James|last1=Goss|author1-link=James Goss (producer)|first2=Steve|last2=Tribe|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|isbn=9781849904810}}</ref> The similarity is directly recognised in [[Doctor Who series 8|series 8]], when the [[Twelfth Doctor]] refers to the ''Valiant'' as "Cloudbase". Comparisons have also been drawn with the [[Marvel Universe]]'s [[Helicarrier]], the mobile airstrip in the 2004 film ''[[Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow]]'', and the eponymous floating academy of the 2005 film ''[[Sky High (2005 film)|Sky High]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/11/03/the-best-of-sfx%E2%80%99s-attack-of-the-clones/6/|title=The Best of SFX's Attack of the Clones|work=[[sfx.co.uk]]|accessdate=6 February 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204214102/http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/11/03/the-best-of-sfx%E2%80%99s-attack-of-the-clones/6/|archivedate=4 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite newspaper|newspaper=[[Evening Times]]|location=Glasgow, UK|date=13 October 2005|first=Andy|last=Dougan|title=Perfect Partners}}</ref> According to [[James Chapman (media historian)|James Chapman]], Cloudbase's design evokes the style of ''[[Eagle (British comics)|Eagle]]'' comic's [[Dan Dare]] strips.<ref>{{Cite journal|first=James|last=Chapman|author-link=James Chapman (media historian)|title=Onward Christian Spacemen: Dan Dare – Pilot of the Future as British Cultural History|journal=[[Visual Culture in Britain]]|volume=9|number=1|pages=55–79|date=1 June 2008|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|issn=14714787|eissn=19418361}}</ref>

In 1993, toy company [[Vivid Imaginations]] released a Cloudbase playset.<ref>Bentley 2017, pp.&nbsp;196&ndash;197.</ref> In 2001, ''[[The Independent]]'' listed it as one of the 50 best Christmas toys.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The 50 Best Toys for Christmas|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|first=Isabel|last=Lloyd|date=1 December 2001|pages=4-11}}</ref> The [[Toy Retailers Association]] also ranked it among the top 50 toys of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/gerry-anderson/38738/remembering-90s-thunderbirds-captain-scarlet-toys|title=Remembering '90s ''Thunderbirds'' and ''Captain Scarlet'' Toys|date=2 February 2016|first1=Andrew|last1=Blair|work=[[Den of Geek]]|accessdate=31 December 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217233707/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/gerry-anderson/38738/remembering-90s-thunderbirds-captain-scarlet-toys|archivedate=17 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.toyretailersassociation.co.uk/top-50-2001|title=Top 50 For 2001|work=toyretailersassociation.co.uk|publisher=[[Toy Retailers Association]]|accessdate=31 December 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917201305/http://www.toyretailersassociation.co.uk/top-50-2001|archivedate=17 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A secret project in the expansion pack for the 1999 video game ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]'' is titled "Cloudbase Academy".

==Skybase==
In the animated remake ''[[New Captain Scarlet]]'' (2005), Cloudbase is re-imagined as Skybase. Stationed at {{Convert|60,000|ft|mi km}}, the base includes robotic [[deckhand]]s on its flight deck to assist with the take-off and landing of aircraft, as well as new recreational facilities such as [[Squash (sport)|squash]] courts. It is protected by a fleet of Falcon Interceptors, the updated Angel aircraft.

In a 2004 interview, Anderson said that the changes from the original were for commercial reasons, "so that merchandising opportunities aren't confused and all the revenue goes to another company." He likened the role of the deckhands to "a [[Formula One]] [[pit stop]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=Televisual|first1=Adrian|last1=Pennington|pages=26-28|date=June 2004|title=Look{{snd}}No Strings|issn=0264-9845|publisher=[[Centaur Communications]]}}</ref> The CGI model was created using [[LightWave 3D]] software under the supervision of [[Ron Thornton (visual effects designer) |Ron Thornton]], co-founder of [[Foundation Imaging]].<ref name="Teletronic2">{{Cite web|last=Marcus|first=Laurence|title=Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master – Part 5|url=http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerry_anderson_5.htm|work=teletronic.co.uk|year=2005|accessdate=6 February 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203073439/http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerry_anderson_5.htm|archivedate=3 February 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Comprising three million [[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygons]] (described by Thornton as "way over the top"), it was three times the size of the [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'' NX-01]] model that Foundation had created for ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'', and was too large to be [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendered]] in a single step.<ref name="Teletronic2"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book|last1=Bentley|first1=Chris|editor1-last=Hearn|editor1-first=Marcus|title=Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Vault|year=2017|publisher=Signum Books|location=Cambridge, UK|isbn=978-0-995519-12-1|pages=44-45; 79-81; 196-197}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Drake|first1=Chris|last2=Bassett|first2=Graeme|title=Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons|year=1993|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree]]|isbn=978-1-85283-403-6|pages=31, 34–9}}
* {{Cite book | last1 = Meddings | first1 = Derek | authorlink1 = Derek Meddings |first2=Sam|last2=Denham| title = 21st Century Visions | year = 1993 | publisher = [[Paper Tiger Books]]| isbn = 978-1-85028-243-3|pages=88–90}}

{{Captain Scarlet}}

[[Category:Captain Scarlet (franchise) vehicles]]
[[Category:Fictional airships]]
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1967]]