“Identified” is episode one of the first and only season of UFO.
It starts at night in 1971 and a man is with two women in the woods. The man, Peter, is filming a UFO that has laned. One woman says they should go; Peter tells her to take Jean back to the car, he has to get this. Then Jean is shot and killed. Peter and the other woman, Linda, run. Peter is shot, but not killed. Linda is cornered by something that makes her scream.
A plane lands in the UK with two USAF officers onboard. One has a case with ‘E. Straker’ printed on it cuffed to his wrist. They are met by a Rolls Royce and two motorcycle outriders; the man inside says they are going to Chequers to see the Prime Minister. He’s sure this is just a formality, as they’ve been following things in Paris, Moscow and Bonn. Straker opens his briefcase and hands over a file. The most interesting thing is said to be an enlarged single frame from a cinefilm. It’s not a fake; it was found in the camera undeveloped. The outriders are glancing at the sky, and one contacts the car. Then they start taking fire from above from a UFO. The car crashes, with Straker thrown clear before it bursts into flames. The burning still is of a UFO identical to the one that fired at them.
In 1980, Straker arrives at Harlington-Straker Film Studios in the UK, not in uniform. He speaks to his secretary, who then leaves the office. A man enters the outer office and the secretary calls Straker and tells him Mr Freeman is here to see him. Freeman enters Straker’s, now empty, office, opens a box of cigarettes on the desk and recites part of Romeo and Juliet. Which confirms his voiceprint. Freeman presses a button and the entire room descends.
It arrives in an underground complex for SHADO, the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization, and Freeman finds Straker. Straker tells Freeman that Westbrook Electronics was destroyed. They have had ten years of setbacks, accidents, miscalculations, errors in judgement and other mishaps. This is an other mishap. There’s no proof it was a UFO. Freeman is concerned that the eutronic tracking equipment was destroyed. Straker reassures him it wasn’t in the building. It’s intact, operational and ready for shipment. Moonbase and the satellites have been operational for the past few months. A few UFO sightings but no interceptions. The eutronic design team are ready for pickup in LA to be flown to England. Straker wants Freeman to handle it.
Freeman takes off in an SST plane. Moonbase, where the woman all have purple wigs, calls SID, the Space Intruder Detector, in Earth orbit, a computerised satellite it seems. A UFO is seen approaching. When Freeman arrives in LA, he informs Straker. Straker calls Moonbase and tells Lt. Ellis that they might have action. Track the SST and go to yellow alert later. Ellis takes a break first and tells other personnel this could be real.
Straker then requests Skydiver be put into posture. Skydiver is a sub-plane combo, and the captain of Skydiver 1 is told they are going to yellow alert. The captain is Peter Carlin, the man who filmed the UFO at the beginning. Straker then speaks to one of his operators, who made a mistake broadcasting a refuelling schedule. Straker talks about security and how none of the 400 people in the building above know SHADO exists below them, and talks about the people who have disappeared over the years, one being Conlin’s sister, Linda.
The episode follows the delivery of the eutronic equipment and team, showing most of the SHADO equipment and resources shown in the opening credits, with the exception of the mobile units. And finally, SHADO captures an alien, apparently the first.