Why are all the Angels women?

[Marion]

You'd have to ask Gerry Anderson and the production team for the answers to those questions. It might be that they could only afford 5, or didn't have enough puppeteers... who knows? More likely it is because they had 5 colour captains - Scarlet, Blue, Grey, Ochre and Magenta - and that balanced out nicely.
Spectrum - and especially Cloudbase - always was understaffed!
In fan fiction you're free to do as you like - to a certain extent.
I have in various stories used a 'standby Angel squad' - not normally based on Cloudbase (Matt Crowther has done the same with a squad of 'Guardian Angels') - or male lieutenants to cover staffing gaps created by a plot.
As for the actual canon TV show - it is anyone's guess...

Later:
I thought I would add another snippet from the same unfinished fiction - which gives a possible solution as to why there are only 5 Angels when 6 would make timetabling SO much easier...

White continued, "In addition, there are six potential colour captains under consideration, and – until today - six defence squadron pilots: Destiny, Harmony, Melody, Modesty, Rhapsody and Symphony. “
“What happened today?” Stephens asked.
“We discovered that Modesty has managed to get herself pregnant.”
Despite himself, Conrad gave a snort of laughter. “How careless of her,” he said, meeting White’s exasperated glance with a shrug.
“Modesty is a lady?” Stephens asked, looking bewildered.
“Not much of a one, it seems,” Conrad muttered.

[Intensity Angel]

That is sure different. For me I created a Spectrum London Angel Squad, which consists of five Angels including a Senior Angel and two cadets, however I've only used the Senior Angel so far as a character in fan fiction. I was thinking about creating a guy team of Angels, but it is names I'm having difficulty with.

That leads on to my thought, what would a future Spectrum team be called, just the Angels or be called something else in order to preserve the Angel name for the five girls we know.

[Marion]

That's something that has been discussed before at:
http://spectrum-headquarters.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=96
At least, the start of the thread... I think it goes off at a tangent later...

In a story you can chose any name you like. As far as I can remember a 'support squad' of Angel pilots has been called:
Cherubs
Guardians
Angelettes
and - not quite in the same vein: Seraphs.
There may have been more.
This is on the website:

This Other Eden - by Marion Woods

Rhapsody Angel was on duty in Angel One, with Harmony and Destiny on standby as Angel 2 and 3 respectively; but the Amber Room wasn’t the usual haven of tranquillity this particular morning. Besides Melody and Symphony, Captains Ochre and Magenta were also there, looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows into the hazy blue expanse, watching for the approach of the expected SPJ plane.
Destiny glanced up from her magazine and asked casually, “Don’t you two have work to do? Waiting will not make it happen the quicker, you know?”
Symphony grinned and said, “We should be offended, girls, the Captains obviously think we’re ugly old has-beens from the way they’re slavering over the arrival of the Angelettes…“
“Sure, they’re hoping they’ll have a chance to make a move on the new girls, before we have a chance to warn them,” Melody teased, with a wink at the two officers.
“Hey,” Ochre protested good-naturedly, “If it’s no big deal, why are you two here? You don’t usually spend your off-duty hours in the Amber Room, Symphony…Oh, unless Blue’s off the base of course.” He finished the sentence with a grin at his blonde fellow American.
“It is no less than good manners to welcome new arrivals,” Harmony replied, before Symphony could respond. “We have not yet had the pleasure of meeting the Second Angel squadron.”
“Nor have we,” Ochre reasoned. “Blue and Grey are the only lucky so-and-sos who’ve had that pleasure - and getting the low-down and dirty from either of them is damn near impossible. You’d think they were doing it on purpose. Besides, we’re the very personification of politeness, aren’t we, Pat? We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Symphony roared with laughter as Magenta agreed solemnly, “Sure thing, Rick.”
“Angelettes?” Destiny queried, one elegant eyebrow raised over her dark eyes. “This word I do not know.”
“Well, I don’t know what else we can call them,” Symphony explained. “Adam - I mean, Captain Blue - said that of the nine hierarchies of the heavenly host, Angels were the lowest order. So calling them Cherubim or Seraphim would mean technically they’d outrank us – and we can’t allow that…”
“Blue knows too much and is far too literal for his own good,” Magenta said briskly. “Whatever these girls are like, they’ll never outrank OUR angels.”
“Too damn right,” Ochre agreed, adding for good measure, “on both counts.”
To everyone’s surprise, Magenta began, in a very learned tone: “Besides, St Augustine was of the opinion that ‘angelus est nomen officii ‘ – angel is the name of the office -” he translated for his puzzled friends, “and not one of the individual ranks of the hierarchy, and if there’s enough information to convince St Augustine, it’s sure enough to convince me. For instance, consider the fact that the Cherubim guarded Eden after the fall; to prevent Adam and Eve sneaking back in again, I guess...”
“Yeah, right,” Ochre interrupted. He gave Symphony a surreptitious glance and added, “You know it occurs to me – St Augustine notwithstanding - that that particular story is a perfect example of Adam’s susceptibility to young women… Personally, I get worried every time I see him eating an apple these days…” he concluded with a smirk.
Magenta gave him an amused glance but continued inexorably with his own line of reasoning, “The Cherubim also protected the Ark of the Covenant, where tradition has it they may have taken the form of winged bulls or even hawk-headed men. They’re synonymous with cherubs, by the way, which makes the image of Paradise being guarded by an army of tubby little mop-heads with tiny wings rather a cute one… if you like that sort of thing,” he qualified his statement in the face of the astonished stares he was getting, but then started on a fresh tack, undaunted by the audible groans from his audience. “The Seraphim only appear in Isaiah’s vision, so there’s not much known detail about them; but all of them are ‘Angels’. However, the so-called ‘mystic seven’, who stand before God…” Melody gave a theatrical whimper of distress, but Magenta was relentless, “are also known as archangels… but they are still part of the ‘angel host’.”
“Is there a point to all this?” Ochre demanded.
“I figure, if you imagine the colonel is the all-seeing deity for Spectrum, then you girls are the archangels…” Magenta concluded triumphantly.
When he finished, he saw Ochre was still staring at him in bewilderment, but the Angels, who couldn’t help feeling flattered by the analogy, were smirking at each other. It became even more obvious that Ochre was feeling less charitable towards his friend’s erudite compliments when he asked, “What exactly are you on these days? Because you may need Fawn to change your medication…”
“Hey, Blue’s not the only one on this base with brains, or -” Magenta protested.
"- A good Catholic upbringing -” Destiny suggested with a smile.
“- Or internet access,” Magenta concluded, with a grin at his partner.
Ochre chuckled. “Well, I just hope the ‘Angelettes’ are half as cute as the Angels, otherwise life around here’s going to be pretty dull for the next few weeks.”
“Captain Blue said they were all charming young women,” Harmony volunteered reassuringly.
“Oh, did he indeed?” Symphony growled. “He never said that to me.”
“If he had, you’d have gutted him with one swipe,” Ochre reasoned, “and Blue’s too bright to invite that kind of trouble.”
There was a ripple of laughter and Symphony blushed slightly.
“What are their codenames again? I’m sure I’ll never remember them,” Magenta complained.
Harmony replied, “Cantata, Calypso, Fantasia, Pavane, Sarabande and Sonata.”
“I reckon the colonel was still in musical mode when he dished out the codenames,” Melody said with a broad smile.
“And there are six of them – so you might stand a chance with at least one of them, Rick,” Symphony teased.
Ochre gave a wry grimace and decided to get his own back for that dig. “You’re forgetting one thing, Symph – they’ve had our very own glamour-boy as their training instructor and you know how few women can resist the overwhelming allure of the Svenson sex-appeal. I bet they’re all smitten already. The rest of us poor mortals won’t stand a chance.”

[Intensity Angel]

Yeah, I remember those.

But in the end it's all what we wish to think, example, i've created a Spectrum London squad and a Senior Angel, someone else might create a cadet team or something.

[IKeepFishInMyEpaulettes]

I love that story!! Could you just put what you've got on the system-y thing?
I was thinking of incorporating some male-Angelness into my story, just to add more complexity, for the hell of it:D
Any more Angel names?

KeepingFish

[Intensity Angel]

There are loads, my name included. Oh welcome to the site too. Ah curses! The computer went and had a mad moment.

Why not call any male pilot teams, just the Angels, just change the uniform to make it masculine?

There are several male Angels, including Gabriel.

[Marion]

I love that story!! Could you just put what you've got on the system-y thing?

I'm not quite sure what this sentence is supposed to mean... but the link for the rest of the story is listed below.
http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com/fanfic/this_other_eden_title.htm

BTW - because not everyone on the forum has English as their first language, we have rules about the quality of posts.
http://spectrum-headquarters.com/v-web/ ... ic.php?t=6

Rule 2 applies in this case. The Mods will delete posts that contravene the rules.

[IKeepFishInMyEpaulettes]

Oooh, I didn't know it was online already I shall definitely check that out!

Hmmmmm, interesting. How would you re-design the Angles uniform? Maybe dye it black?

'Gabriel and Raphael' are the only Archangel names I remember

Any others, anyone?

KeepingFish

[Marion]

Wikipedia lists : Micheal, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Sariel, Raguel, Remiel, Zadkiel, Jophielm, Haniel, Chamuel, Selaphiel, Jegudiel, Barachiel, Jeremiel
Quite a mouthful, some of those!

[Intensity Angel]

I'm afriad to say I'm stuck on names, but I do have an idea on the uniforms.

They could white, with the gold belt but instead the gold belt in exactly on their waists and the jacket is shorter. They could have a different helmet design too.

[IKeepFishInMyEpaulettes]

Kina like the WWII non-com uniforms?
But in white and gold leather
Merci for the names, I agree some of them are a bit of a mouthful
How would you cange the helmets?

KeepingFish

[Marion]

If these male pilots are part of the Angel Flight or squadron - why would they have to have a different uniform? It would have to be tailored differently - women stick out in different places than men - but why would the actual design need to change? I am no military expert, but it seems to me that a uniform only changes if the regiment/brigade/service changes...

[Sage]

I was thinking that too, it's a fairly unisex design anyway, with a bit of tailoring. And to me it would make more sense for them to look the same, to signify they were part of the same unit.

Anyway, some suggest names to continue the theme of the existing angels' code names. Being masculine they're more virtous than angelic or musical, but still works ...

Capability, Chance, Clement, Earnest, Ever, Freedom, Justice, Merit, Noble, Pax, Phoenix, Piety, Sagacity, Sincere, True/Truth, Valiant

[IKeepFishInMyEpaulettes]

Thankyouthankyouthaankyou!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are all superbly helpful

[Intensity Angel]

If anyone has seen the old tv series Gladiators back in the 90's then you'll know what I'm talking about.

Names like Warrior, Trojan, Hunter would be good for male Angels.

The gladiators were there to stop contenders from scoring points, in the case of males angels, its just stopping enemy vehicles.