The K-Files - California Drones Fly Again

As I watched the mid-season finale of Fox's The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I was shocked to see a most familiar sight. Integrated into the episode's plot were the infamous 2007 California 'drone' pictures.

In the show, Sarah Connor (Leana Heady) attends a UFO convention as part of her quest to stop the supercomputer Skynet from destroying mankind. After speaking with a ufologist about the photographs, she speculates that the drones may be made of Terminator alloy. One of them even makes an appearance at the episode's conclusion, indicating that the craft will play a larger role in the second half of the season.

Clearly, someone on the writing staff of SCC is in the know when it comes to esoterica. The paranormal is certainly nothing new to television, but it was an interesting to see such a recent UFO story--pictures and all--featured so prominently. And what of the rumors that the drones were part of a viral advertisement campaign? This couldn't have been the plan all along...could it?

As you'll remember, the drone photos made a big splash in the world of Ufology in mid 2007. Because of their high-resolution clarity, most concluded that they were either among the best photographs of a UFO ever, or hoaxes that were simply too good to be true. Later, with the pending release of Microsoft Games Studio's Halo 3, some suggested that the photos were part of an elaborate "alternate reality game" advertising campaign.

I commented on this possibility briefly in my Viral Ufology and Viral Ufology Revisited columns. The short of it was that the California drone photographs were most likely not connected with Halo 3. When the game was released and the Iris ARG was revealed, neither Microsoft nor the agency behind the advertisements made any mention of the photographs. I would like to think that, considering the controversy the images created, the agency would be decent enough to admit that they were fakes.

I wont go any further into the argument over the validity of the images other than to say that the debate continues. Therefore, my feelings about the story being adopted by The Sarah Connor Chronicles are mixed.

On the one hand, it was an exciting surprise to see two of my interests crossed in a prime time setting. I think it's safe to say that a link exists between science fiction fans and UFO enthusiasts, thus fusing them was a solid attempt at fan service on the part of the show's producers. On the other hand, I feel that this may have also added slop to an already muddied UFO investigation. Not only will the photos be linked (accurately or not) to Halo 3, but they will also be forever associated with a television show. And not merely as a reference or background story, but as a major plot element.

Is this a case of Ufology hitting the mainstream? Or is it a sign of how far the field has been degraded in the pursuit of entertainment? I'm going to hold off my final judgment until I see where the writers take this plot when the show returns in February, but I will be interested to see if any new developments in the California drone investigation appear between now and then. With a professional art and special effects department now working on creating video clips of these drones for a TV series, skeptics will have a ready-made explanation for any further photographic evidence.

Though here's a thought...If the photos are indeed hoaxes, perhaps this will drive the hoaxer out of hiding. With his work being used on a semi-popular television series, he might feel the desire to stand up and take credit for it.