V: The Original Miniseries

V: The Original Miniseries (1983) is the NBC miniseries that started the franchise of TV series that follow the invasion of aliens known as "The Visitors", who are led by by John (Richard Herd) and his deputy Diana (Jane Badler). The Visitors arrive in a fleet of 50 huge saucers, appearing to be human and peaceful, and wishing to use chemical and mineral resources of Earth to help their troubled world, in exchange for sharing their advanced technology with Earth. Earth's governments agree, and John and Diana's influence quickly grows. Things start taking a strange turn when scientists who want to examine the Visitors begin to disappear or exhibit unusual behaviors. TV journalist Michael Donovan finds the truth when he sneaks on one of the motherships, discovering that the Visitors are actually carnivorous reptiles, but when he tries to air the footage on television, The Visitors have taken over the media and interrupt the broadcast. Donovan is now a fugitive, the media is controlled by the strange new residents of Earth, and the scientists who try to discover the truth are silenced. Though most people are seduced by the Visitors, a resistance movement emerges, determined to expose and drive out the Visitors. When Donovan sneaks on a mothership once more, he learns that the Visitors are on Earth for much more nefarious purpose, and the stakes are raised. The adventure continues with the sequel, V: The Final Battle, the TV series in 1984, and the newest 2009 series, but it all began with the two part miniseries V: The Original Miniseries. MORE