Anyone who spends anytime looking into the UFO phenomena has probably seen the words "Project Blue Beam" - often misspelled - show up when any aerial anomalies are being discussed online.

"Blue Beam" has become such a catch-all that it's now applied to any sighting, no matter how trivial. It's also been stretched to explain phenomena that have nothing to do with UFOs at all. You often see it conflated with HAARP, a very real program that's also been stretched to explain anything that might otherwise require actual thought to deal with.

We saw any number of claims that the balloon show on October 13 was itself the work of this mythical Blue Beam, even though the event itself has little to do with the claims of the original "Project Blue Beam" essay, which was published online by the radical Fundamentalist and Quebec separatist Serge Monast. "Blue Beam" has been dated to 1994, but I don't remember hearing anything about it until at least 1996, when Monast died of an apparent heart attack. But 1994 is very, very important to the chain of events we're going to look at in this piece.

UFOs and the National Security State author Richard Dolan got so sick of hearing about the mythical Project Blue Beam that he wrote a scathing essay entitled "Project Blue Beam Countdown? Don't Bet on It" in the run-up to an alleged Blue Beam event on October 13. In it, Dolan outlined the claims made in Monast's original essay:

First, a series of artificially created earthquakes at "certain precise locations on the planet," which will uncover archaeological evidence that will "be used to discredit all fundamental religious doctrines."

Second, we will be subjected to "a gigantic space show." This will involve "three-dimensional optical holograms and sounds, laser projection of multiple holographic images to different parts of the world, each receiving a different image according to predominating regional national religious faith. This new ‘god's’ voice will be speaking in all languages.” These staged events will show the "new Christ" or Messiah, and will be a false Second Coming.

Third will be the "Telepathic Electronic Two-Way." This involves "telepathic and electronically augmented two-way communication where ELF, VLF and LF waves will reach each person from within his or her own mind." These communications will fake a communication from god.

Fourth, according to Monast, would be "the universal supernatural manifestation with electronic means." He said it would take on three specific "orientations." One would simulate an alien invasion, which would then provoke nations with nuclear weapons to strike back.

Dolan quoted extensively from Monast's writings so that reasonable individuals could get a measure of the man and the extremist religious views that dictated his view of world events:

I included this long passage just so that you could get a whiff of the mind of this man. Very intense, no understanding of science. At no point in any of Monast's writings is anything like evidence offered for any of this. To say nothing of the fantastic capabilities he attributes to NASA or the United Nations.

The logistics of the various sky shows also seems daunting, to say the least. First there is the false alien invasion scenario -- presumably this could be done with a fleet of black triangles, although could they blanket the world? Doubtful. But then, regarding the religious fakery, are "they" really going to blanket the world with holographic images of, what -- God? Jesus? Krishna? Allah? All the while sending a message into our brains via extra low frequencies in all languages of the world? All in a way that convinces us to abandon our previously held faiths?

What Dolan may not have realized it is that Monast - rather, the mischeivous spooks who fed him the whole Blue Beam scenario in the first place - was/were borrowing plots points left, right and center from another source.

We'll get to that in a moment, but first Dolan took the time to dismiss most of the current Blue Beam theorizing as regurgitated bullshit:

None of these sites offer anything resembling evidence to support the alleged existence of Blue Beam. I am not asking for proof, only evidence. And I see nothing.

Well, there is evidence of Blue Beam, only it comes from a source one would never confuse with Jane's Defence Weekly or Covert Action Quarterly. For some deep background on all of this alleged devilry, let's travel back to 1994.

RECYCLED STAR TREK SCRIPTS

Not long before Serge Monast stunned the conspiracy circuit with his "Project Blue Beam," a book was released on Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. It recounted information that hardcore Trekkers were well familiar with; Roddenberry's proposed Star Trek feature film script from the mid-70s:

"In May 1975, Gene Roddenberry accepted an offer from Paramount to develop Star Trek into a feature film, and moved back into his old office on the Paramount lot. His proposed story told of a flying saucer, hovering above Earth, that was programmed to send down people who looked like prophets, including Jesus Christ.

Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek by Joel Engel, p.165, Hyperion, 1994

Shortly thereafter, Monast writes of a very similar situation- a satellite that will project images of holy figures:

With computer animation and sounds appearing to emanate from the very depths of space, astonished ardent followers of the various creeds will witness their own returned messiahs in convincing lifelike reality.

Then the projections of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, etc., will merge into one after correct explanations of the mysteries and revelations will have been disclosed.

So, already we see two of Monast's Blue Beam claims - an alien "invasion" and a false reappearance of the Earth's major historical prophets - taken straight out of the Star Trek script.

How are these images of these gods to be received? In both cases, telepathically.

Monast again, 1994: The advancement of techniques propel us toward the third step in the Blue Beam Project that goes along with the telepathic and electronically augmented two-way communication where ELF, VLF and LF waves will reach each person from within his or her own mind, convincing each of them that their own god is speaking to them from the very depths of their own soul.

The projected images are only part of Blue Beam; there's also the "massive UFO invasion." Note: Monast's "UFO over every major city" scenario is stolen from the original V (1983), which in turn was borrowed from Roddenberry's original 70s script for Earth: Final Conflict.:

Monast, 1994: "The first is the 'space show.' Where does the space show come from? The space show, the holographic images will be used in a simulation of the ending during which all nations will be shown scenes that will be the fulfillment of that which they desire to verify the prophecies and adversary events.

"One is to make mankind believe that an alien (off-world) invasion is about to occur at every major city on earth in order to provoke each major nation to use its nuclear weapons in order to strike back."

Roddenberry, 1976: "At the same time a huge object, one thousand times larger than a starship, is moving toward Earth, knocking off the U.S.S. Potemkin and hurtling a cluster of asteroids toward Earth. Kirk, now a grounded admiral, assembles his old crew (all of whom have risen higher in rank), and they take the newly refitted Enterprise on a mission of interception with the alien claiming to be God."

The whole point of all of this is to convince the world that these computers on these orbital platforms are the work of God, but it's all a grand deception. In both cases:

Monast, 1994: The result of these deliberately staged events will be to show the world the new 'christ,' the new messiah, Matraia (Maitreya), for the immediate implementation of the new world religion. Enough truth will be foisted upon an unsuspecting world to hook them into the lie. "Even the most learned will be deceived."

Roddenberry, 1976: "The Object turns out to be more than just a vessel--it is a computer form so advanced it is a living entity itself. However, we discover that this God they've worshipped is actually the Deceiver, the computer-programmed remains of a race who were "cast out" from their dimension and into this one."

Roddenberry quotes taken from The Making of Star Trek-The Motion Picture, by Susan Sackett and Gene Roddenberry, Pocket/Wallaby, 1980

So again, Monast's Blue Beam is essentially the same as Roddenberry's "God Thing." Both are computer programs on orbital platforms creating electronic visions and apparitions, tailor-made to the beliefs of certain populations. The difference is that Monast chalks it all up to NASA while Roddenberry was describing a malfunctioning alien craft:

Monast, 1994: "Computers will coordinate the satellites and software already in place will run the sky show. Holographic images are based on nearly identical signals combining to produce an image or hologram with deep perspective which is equally applicable to acoustic ELF, VLF and LF waves and optical phenomena."

Roddenberry: "Somewhere out there," [Gene] starts off, his eyes widening as he continues, "there's this massive ... entity, this abstract, unknown life force that seems mechanical in nature, although it actually possesses its own highly advanced consciousness. It's a force thousands of times greater than anything intergalactic civilization has ever witnessed. It could be God, it could be Satan, and it's heading toward earth. It demands worship and assistance, and it's also in a highly volatile state of disrepair."

Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner with Chris Kreski, HarperCollins, 1994 (note publication date)

Themes from Roddenberry's unused script were recycled throughout the franchise's history, including the ST: TNG episode "Justice" and the now-notorious Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Then there was the Next Generation episode, "Devil's Due," which was one of the highest rated episode's in the series history.

And though it's not generally linked to the aborted feature film, we see similar aliens imitating deities in Star Trek V:

Sybok and many of his followers believe they have found heaven, and Sybok takes a shuttle down to the planet's surface with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. There they encounter a mystical being who introduces himself as God, and asks them to bring their starship closer to him so that he can "join" with it.

Though Sybok is convinced, Kirk immediately smells a rat: "Excuse me, what does God need with a starship?" The being is enraged at Kirk's refusal to cooperate, attacking him and Spock, who supports his captain. Disillusioned by the fake God and angry at himself for putting everyone in danger, Sybok sacrifices himself to buy the others time to escape.

• So in conclusion, all of the major claims made by Monast concerning "Project Blue Beam" have direct and well-documented antecedents in Star Trek, dating back to 1976.

• Much of the information on Roddenberry's aborted Star Trek movie script was released in several different books in 1994- the same year that "Project Blue Beam" was allegedly published.

That's much too much of a synchronicity for my liking.


WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SPOOKS

Being familiar with how the intelligence agencies use the conspiracy media to disseminate false information, I'd say that "Project Blue Beam" could well have been a disinfo project fed to Monast and possibly others as part as an overall campaign. I doubt most of it is actually his research (apart from the religious editorializing) and there's enough verifiable (yet only tangentially connected) information tossed in to give it an air of credibility. Religious hysterics like Monast obviously never need real evidence to buy into a juicy theory, so the original authors didn't need bother making any up.

There's your "blue beam."

Even so, there are a few in-jokes that seem like Monast's ghost writers were having a laugh: Star Trek and a "tractor beam" (a term first heard on ST) are mentioned, as a well as an article titled "The New Mental Battlefield: Beam Me Up, Spock." This is exactly the kind of nod-and-wink that leads me to believe that "Blue Beam" could well have been cobbled together by a bunch of spooks - who just happened to be Trekkers - and then fed to Monast for distribution.

Dolan knows this world better than anybody and what he says is dead on- "Project Blue Beam" isn't supported by a shred of evidence, never mind proof. It doesn't make a drop of sense. We've debunked all of the crapola about "Lord Maitreya" and the "New Age One World Religion" (which Monast opens his essay with), and we're seeing Monast's own religious beliefs being championed and bankrolled by Communist China, no less. Needless to say none of that lends any weight to "Blue Beam's" already shaky credibility. Will any of this dissuade most of the Blue Beam aficianados out there in Cyberspace?

I have absolutely no doubt that it will not.

UPDATE: Richard Dolan checks in:

Outstanding article and analysis. I used to watch Star Trek the Next Generation back in the day, but had completely forgotten those episodes. All of us are greatly indebted to you for shedding light on this topic.

I think we can all agree that 'false flag' operations can and do occur. But no theory is allowed to be impervious to evidence, otherwise we are led to sensationalism and fear-mongering.

The possibility that Monast was fed these ideas by the intel community is surely something to consider. But I still think it's just as likely that Monast himself cooked this up out of his fevered imagination. I'm just not sure.

But the main connection to the Star Trek mythos.... I think there is no question that you nailed this one.

Great job!

UPDATE: Lesley Gunter syncs up with the Sun with a simultaneous column on "Blue Beam":

Anyhow, I do think there is a conspiracy, but it is the reverse. It is the comment about Bluebird that put that idea in my head. If there is a conspiracy, it is that people are purposely spreading the lie of Blue Beam so that if some big UFO event does ever happen (not likely an invasion), they can have people believe it was Blue Beam and not real UFOs.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Lesley!

UPDATE: The state of the art for hologram technology circa 2010? A 17-inch screen. The skies will have to wait.