All this has happened before.

Yes, like "Battlestar Galactica" before it, "V" is rising from its television grave. The re-imagined series makes a splash almost as big as its alien spacecraft when it returns Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ABC/Ch. 4.

The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming!

And, like "Battlestar Galactica" before it, the new "V" looks like a big improvement on the rather cheesy original.

"V" begins like a lot of sci-fi/alien shows before it. (Not just 1983 "V" miniseries. Or the 1984 miniseries. Or the 1984-85 series.) It's just another day on Earth when a fleet of giant alien spacecraft arrives and parks itself over the planet's major cities.

"Dude, this is 'Independence Day,' " one geek says.

"Which was a rip-off of any number of alien-invasion predecessors," his friend replies.

Which is an excellent way to deal with "V's" similarities to the 1996 blockbuster. Which, of course, looked a lot like the original "V."

The Visitors, as they call themselves, profess peace and friendship. And they do nice things like heal the sick.

But you know, of course, that there are darker purposes behind their friendly faces. And lizards underneath their fake human exteriors.

That was a big surprise in the original show; it comes up quickly this time around.

On the surface, the new "V" looks like the old one — just with better special effects. But this is a re-imagining, not a remake, and there are some significant differences as well.

The original "V" was an allegory for fascism and the Holocaust; the new version is "V" for the 21st century.

"We wanted to make sure as we moved forward that we honored and respected the characters and the themes that (the original) show envisioned and tried not to step on those," said executive producer/writer Scott Peters, "and introduced brand-new characters and brand-new themes that would make sense in a post-9/11 world."

Which makes for a richer, more complicated story. Let's just say that things aren't as simple as aliens suddenly appearing in giant ships.

"The original series, to me, felt very much like a military show almost," said executive producer Jeffrey Bell. "It was a resistance and gun fights, and there was a very clear and present enemy. … And post-9/11, that's not who our enemy is anymore."

"V" is no longer the black hats vs. the white hats.