Sarah Jane's Alien Files: Difference between revisions

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[[file:sja alien files title.jpg|thumb|right|Opening title card.]]
[[file:sja alien files title.jpg|thumb|right|Opening title card.]]
'''''Sarah Jane's Alien Files''''' (also known as '''''SJA Alien Files''''', formerly '''''The Alien Files'''''<ref>The programme's title is listed as "Sarah Jane's Alien Files" in BBC websites, programme guides, and the iPlayer.  As displayed in the logo on-screen, however, the title reads "SJA Alien Files."  The former title is in more general use.  The programme is an expanded version of what was originally a feature on the official ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' website called "The Alien Files."</ref>) is a series spun off from ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]].''  It started during the programme's [[Series 3 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|third series]] as a series of webisodes on the programme's website, similar to the ''[[Monster Files]]''. During [[Series 4 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Series 4]], it became a half-hour spin-off show featuring more thorough detail of past ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' aliens and clips from the episodes in which they appeared.
'''''Sarah Jane's Alien Files''''' (also known as '''''SJA Alien Files''''', formerly '''''The Alien Files'''''<ref>The programme's title is listed as "Sarah Jane's Alien Files" in BBC websites, programme guides, and the iPlayer.  As displayed in the logo on-screen, however, the title reads "SJA Alien Files."  The former title is in more general use.  The programme is an expanded version of what was originally a feature on the official ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' website called "The Alien Files."</ref>) was a series spun off from ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]].''  It started during the programme's [[Series 3 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|third series]] as a series of webisodes on the programme's website, similar to the ''[[Monster Files]]''. During [[Series 4 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' Series 4]], it became a half-hour spin-off show featuring more thorough detail of past ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' aliens and recaps of the episodes in which they appeared.


==Online version==
==Online version==
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==Television version==
==Television version==
Alongside [[Series 4 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Series 4 of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'']], ''The Alien Files'' was expanded to a weekly television series to complement the ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' series proper and recap its previous series.  Now known as ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files,'' the series was presented by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] as "the ultimate guide of everything you could possibly need to know when facing hostile aliens."<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/09_september/30/sja.shtml]</ref>  The series is broadcast on [[CBBC]] Monday evenings, immediately following part one of that week's two-part ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story.
Alongside [[Series 4 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)|Series 4 of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'']], ''The Alien Files'' was expanded to a weekly television programme to complement the ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' and recap its previous series.  Now known as ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files,'' the six-episode series was presented by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] as "the ultimate guide of everything you could possibly need to know when facing hostile aliens."<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/09_september/30/sja.shtml]</ref>  The series was broadcast on [[CBBC]] Monday evenings, immediately following part one of that week's two-part ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story.


The series portrayed the [[Alien Files]] as a database started by [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[Mr Smith]], collecting what she and her companions have learned about the aliens they've dealt with, in order to serve as a permanent record of their knowledge for future generations.  Each episode featured Sarah Jane or one of her gang in the attic of [[13 Bannerman Road]], recounting their past adventures and the aliens involved to Mr Smith.  Mr Smith uploads the resulting data about the aliens into the Alien Files.  Their narration was illustrated by clips from the relevant episodes of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures.''  While the original ''Alien Files'' webisodes each focused on events from a single ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' story, the television episodes of ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files'' featured material from and references to multiple stories in which the aliens being discussed appeared.
The series portrayed the [[Alien Files]] as a database started by [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and [[Mr Smith]], collecting what she and her companions have learned about the aliens they've dealt with, in order to serve as a permanent record of their knowledge for future generations.  Each episode featured Sarah Jane or one of her gang in the attic of [[13 Bannerman Road]], recounting their past adventures and the aliens involved to Mr Smith.  Mr Smith uploads the resulting data about the aliens into the Alien Files.  Their narration was illustrated by clips from the relevant episodes of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures.''  While the original ''Alien Files'' webisodes each focused on events from a single ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' story, the television episodes of ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files'' featured material from and references to multiple stories in which the aliens being discussed appeared.


The series was not continued after Series 4 of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures.''
The programme was not continued after Series 4 of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures.''


===Episodes===
===Episodes===
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==Canonicity==
==Canonicity==
Unlike other tie-in content originating from the ''Sarah Jane Adventues'' website, the canonicity of ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files'' is clear. The only adventures recounted are from [[The Sarah Jane Adventures|the main series]], and no information contradicts it. The TV edition also features new material taking place within and referring to ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' continuity, and establishes the [[Alien Files]] as an in-universe database created and maintained by the characters.
Unlike other tie-in content originating from the ''Sarah Jane Adventues'' website, the canonicity of ''Sarah Jane's Alien Files'' is clear. The only adventures recounted were from [[The Sarah Jane Adventures|the main series]], and no information contradicted it. The TV edition also featured new material taking place within and referring to ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' continuity, and established the [[Alien Files]] as an in-universe database created and maintained by the characters.


==Timeline==
==Timeline==

Revision as of 13:42, 12 October 2011

This article refers to the webisode and television series. For the in-universe Alien Files, see Alien Files.
RealWorld.png
Opening title card.

Sarah Jane's Alien Files (also known as SJA Alien Files, formerly The Alien Files[1]) was a series spun off from The Sarah Jane Adventures. It started during the programme's third series as a series of webisodes on the programme's website, similar to the Monster Files. During The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4, it became a half-hour spin-off show featuring more thorough detail of past Sarah Jane Adventures aliens and recaps of the episodes in which they appeared.

Online version

The original version of the series was The Alien Files, a series of five webcasts presented by Mr Smith with Clyde Langer and Rani Chandra. The webisodes, each under three minutes in length, featured Rani, Clyde, or both accessing Mr Smith's video vaults to review aliens they had encountered previously.

The webisodes were streamed via the official The Sarah Jane Adventures website. As with other video content on BBC websites, the webisodes were "geofenced" due to licensing and are technically not viewable outside of the UK.

Webisodes

Television version

Alongside Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures, The Alien Files was expanded to a weekly television programme to complement the Sarah Jane Adventures and recap its previous series. Now known as Sarah Jane's Alien Files, the six-episode series was presented by the BBC as "the ultimate guide of everything you could possibly need to know when facing hostile aliens."[2] The series was broadcast on CBBC Monday evenings, immediately following part one of that week's two-part The Sarah Jane Adventures story.

The series portrayed the Alien Files as a database started by Sarah Jane Smith and Mr Smith, collecting what she and her companions have learned about the aliens they've dealt with, in order to serve as a permanent record of their knowledge for future generations. Each episode featured Sarah Jane or one of her gang in the attic of 13 Bannerman Road, recounting their past adventures and the aliens involved to Mr Smith. Mr Smith uploads the resulting data about the aliens into the Alien Files. Their narration was illustrated by clips from the relevant episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures. While the original Alien Files webisodes each focused on events from a single Sarah Jane Adventures story, the television episodes of Sarah Jane's Alien Files featured material from and references to multiple stories in which the aliens being discussed appeared.

The programme was not continued after Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Episodes

Canonicity

Unlike other tie-in content originating from the Sarah Jane Adventues website, the canonicity of Sarah Jane's Alien Files is clear. The only adventures recounted were from the main series, and no information contradicted it. The TV edition also featured new material taking place within and referring to Sarah Jane Adventures continuity, and established the Alien Files as an in-universe database created and maintained by the characters.

Timeline

The exact time-placement of Sarah Jane's Alien Files episodes in continuity is unclear. Due to being broadcast between parts of two-part The Sarah Jane Adventures stories, they cannot be placed alongside that series in strict airing order. Based upon references made to events in Series 4 preceding their airing, Sarah Jane's Alien Files episodes can generally be assumed to take place sometime near airing order, either before or after the Sarah Jane Adventures story in progress.

Footnotes

  1. The programme's title is listed as "Sarah Jane's Alien Files" in BBC websites, programme guides, and the iPlayer. As displayed in the logo on-screen, however, the title reads "SJA Alien Files." The former title is in more general use. The programme is an expanded version of what was originally a feature on the official The Sarah Jane Adventures website called "The Alien Files."
  2. [1]