I turn 33 years old this day. Jesus (according to many) died at that age, as did Alexander the Great. Not that I’m comparing myself to these gentlemen nor making a prediction, just bringing up historical facts to your attention.

Those who know me are aware that I’m something of a nostalgic. Tommipommi had dug up some opening themes from various tv-series from the 70’s which has been an inspiration for this entry. These are all tv-series that have made an impression on me in my childhood, via continued exposure or other means.

Matka maailman ympäri was a Spanish/Japanese co-production and although it was later neutered with a Finnish dubbing, it has left it’s mark in my brains in Spanish. I think I even preferred the ending titles with it’s clock-theme.

Arsène Lupin is the prototypical rogue-character to me thanks to this French series. I don’t remember much about the series itself, except I recorded the theme of it on tape (a popular past-time) and thus it followed me for a good part of my childhood. Again, I prefer the ending titles.

Galactica was the best thing ever! It defined how a spacecraft should look like for a long time. Everything sci-fi was compared to it, including Star Wars. For some reason at some point I was forbidden to watch it, which for me has stayed as an example of a cruel and unusual punishment. In pre-school we were denied a certain type of toys because “you would construct Galactica ships with them”. I don’t know why I’m not more bitter a person today.

Salaperäinen Saari was a show I have only a few memories of. It did introduce me to Jules Verne though and coupled with the programme mentioned just above lead to our pre-school teacher going to a tv-show called “Sydämeni pohjasta” (Transl. From the Bottom of My Heart) to express her worries about the effect of tv on kids. I landed my first tv-appearance on the intro of that particular episode.

Olipa Kerran Avaruus was another sci-fi (animated) series that defined in turn what things should look like. I now own the series on DVD (which actually left me wanting in the nostalgia department), but it remains as a golden childhood memory. This one I was allowed to watch.

Robin Hood was a series that provoked endless plays of, well… Robin Hood. All the other attempts at portraying the myth have been somewhat disappointments, maybe apart from the Errol Flynn one. I think this series planted a seed that found a perfect soil in Lord of the Rings.

One more! Chocky was about a boy who meets an alien that manifests itself as a spinning pyramid. I honestly think I could watch it today and not cringe over the cheesiness of it. The last episode was fried gold.

…Tripods!

Looking back that list, I guess I have to admit that I was brought up on sci-fi. Of course this isn’t exhaustive list. There are some memories that I’d like to find the source for.

Does anyone remember a *ahem* sci-fi -series from somewhere Eastern Europe, perhaps Hungary, from the 80’s. It dealt with time travel and it might have been about timetravellers being stranded on our time and trying to get back? I remember one slice of dialog from it, an older man is explaining to a boy how circle and roundness is found everywhere in the world, when you throw a rock in to water, the ripples are circle in shape, the bust of a woman when she’s lying down… Does that ring any bells to anyone?