UFO (1970–1971)

Michael Billington: Col. Paul Foster, Col. Foster, Paul Foster

Photos 

Quotes 

• Col. Paul Foster : You know, death's never worried me before but right now I'm scared.

  Ed Straker : You're getting older.

  Col. Paul Foster : How do you mean?

  Ed Straker : The older you get, the more precious life becomes. You become aware of what life is.

• Col. Paul Foster : What about our evidence? They've got to take notice of that.

  Ed Straker : Evidence. What's it going to look like when Henderson claims that we manufactured it, just to get a space clearance program?

  Col. Paul Foster : But we are *right*!

  Ed Straker : Sometimes, Colonel, that's not quite enough.

• Col. Paul Foster : We can't just sit around!

  Ed Straker : I've solved quite a few problems by just "sitting around", as you call it, Colonel. You should try it yourself sometime.

• Col. Paul Foster : But don't you see what it means? They planned a cold blooded murder. They had it all worked out. But unfortunately for them an alien came through that door instead of her husband.

  Alec Freeman : It all fits. Morally, they're guilty.

  Ed Straker : Oh. Well, the amnesia drug was administered a few minutes ago. They won't be able to remember a thing.

  Col. Paul Foster : Well, we can't just let them go free.

  Ed Straker : I suppose you think I should hand them over to the public prosecutor. We'd sure have a great case. Now what would he go for? The attempted murder of the husband or the killing of an alien? We can't produce that body. There's no concrete evidence against them and the two accused would both have genuine total amnesia.

  Col. Paul Foster : So there's nothing we can do about it?

  Ed Straker : We're not in the moralising business, colonel.

  Col. Paul Foster : Well, what about the husband? They wanted to kill him once. They're bound to try again.

  Ed Straker : Hmn. Well, in the line of duty we stumbled on to a triangle. SHADO's involvement made it a square. All we're doing is erasing the past twelve hours. So it's back to the triangle.

• Col. Paul Foster : [at SHADO Moonbase]  I know a great Italian restaurant not 200 miles from here.

  Jane Carson : [at Dalotek Moonbase]  Do they have fettucine?

  Col. Paul Foster : Wonderful fettucine...

  Jane Carson : And a fat Italian Mama who does all the cooking?

  Col. Paul Foster : You've been there! I'll reserve a table for two.

  Jane Carson : And we'll sit and look at the stars.

  Col. Paul Foster : And our only problem will be...

  Jane Carson : How the devil do we eat fettucine thru a quarter-inch space visor?

• Dr. Doug Jackson : [playing catch with a lighter]  Did you see it stop?

  Col. Paul Foster : Stop?

  Dr. Doug Jackson : Look, I throw it up, then it falls back into my hand. But for a split second just at the top of trajectory, it stops. Did you see it?

  [Foster shrugs] 

  Dr. Doug Jackson : But it did stop!

  Col. Paul Foster : If you say so.

  Dr. Doug Jackson : No, Foster, it didn't. It's moving forward at five hundred knots like everything else in this plane. And yet again, this whole aircraft is moving in rotation with the earth. Confusing, but fact. But then facts can be confusing in an aircraft at night at two hundred and fifty thousand feet.

• Col. Paul Foster : I don't buy it...

  Ed Straker : I'm not trying to *sell* you anything, boy!

• Dr. Doug Jackson : Now I can see here you reported a sighting three years ago.

  Col. Paul Foster : Yes.

  Dr. Doug Jackson : And another two and a half years before that.

  Col. Paul Foster : That's right.

  Dr. Doug Jackson : Then we shouldn't be meeting again for another couple of years.

  [supercilious laughter] 

• Foster : I've heard of method actors, but you take the coconut!