Nobody may be more excited about ABC's premiere of the "V" reboot Tuesday night than Lincoln's David Pinkerman.

The science fiction drama debuts at 7 p.m. on channels 7, 8, 107 and 108.

Pinkerman was in sixth grade when the original hit the airwaves, first as an NBC miniseries in May 1983, and later as another miniseries (May 1984) and a TV series (October 1984 to July 1985).

Since then, it's safe to say he's become one of the country's, if not the world's, biggest collectors of "V" memorabilia.

Last week, he filled four large tables at his church with his collection, which includes comic books, trading cards, autographed photos, walkie-talkies, shooting scripts, posters, a lunchbox, paperback novels and more.

He even has a lifesize plastic alien lizard baby, made from the same mold used for one in the second miniseries.

"The TV series really struck a chord with me," Pinkerman said. "It was more than the science fiction and action for me. I also enjoyed the story about human will and resistance."

Written and directed by Kenneth Johnson, the original miniseries was an allegory of the Nazi takeover of Germany.

The aliens came from a distant planet, offering to help a more-than-ready world solve its problems with its advanced technology, asking only for some needed minerals in exchange.

Eventually, their true purpose and identity were revealed by a band of resistance fighters. The lizard-like aliens were here to take over the planet, with humans as their food source.

The original series starred Marc Singer, complete with the 1980s feathered haircut, as a TV newsman who becomes the leader of the resistance. Jane Badler played Diana, the manipulative alien leader.

ABC is hoping to find success the way SyFy did with the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot.

The new "V" series, from executive producer Scott Peters, who wrote the pilot, uses the same premise as the original, but he has changed the characters.

The reboot stars "Lost" alumna Elizabeth Mitchell as a FBI counterterrorist agent and Joel Gretsch ("The 4400") as a priest who question the Visitors' arrival. Morena Baccarin ("Firefly") plays the enchanting alien leader.

Pinkerman, 36, runs clinical trials at MDS Pharma Services. His two children get a kick out of dad's collection, as does his wife, Susan.

"Sometimes we kid him about his 'science fiction,'" she said. "This really gives him something to focus on."

Like most kids his age, Pinkerman liked "Star Wars" - he just liked "V" more. That's why he feels his collection is unique to him.

As a youngster, he acquired the novels and comic books. Among the most-cherished is a comic book his grandfather gave him just a month before he died.

The collection went by the wayside as he grew older. But he got back into it in the late 1990s when eBay hit the scene, opening a whole new world to him. Some of his memorabilia has come from Argentina and Spain.

The jewels of his collection are several pages of original DC Comics comic book art from the original comic book series and some props from the show, including a laser pistol, Visitor technician cap and instrumentation from a Visitor skyfighter.

In 2000, he attended a "V" convention in Los Angeles, where he met original cast members. He also participated in a trivia contest against five other fans. He won, of course.

The new series gives Pinkerman the chance to expand his collection. He already has a 35 mm trailer, a button and pamphlet that's seen in the pilot.

"I'm very excited," he said. "Over the past 25 years, there's been talk several times about a revamp. Finally, it's happened."

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.