Can't think of causes, except maybe for George Lucas - Auto-erotic Asphyxiation involving a Jar Jar Bink's life size doll whilst holding a report on how much Disney have made from Star Wars.
"an elite task force that protects Earth from alien invasion"
Well that fucking failed, didn't it :-{) . The great thing about Thunderbirds is that it was the direct inspiration for Team America World Police. Plus it was just great anyway. When I was a little kid I ate it up.
It's the Bond wossname isn't it? Whatever you see first you kinda latch onto sentimetally, even if it's subtle. I saw Terrahawks as a kid and now I still prefer that. Roger Moore was the first Bond I saw and I still prefer his films to the others.
The first Bonds I saw were Connery but OTW I think Moore's were the best (and both Brosnan and Craig were excellent). I might not have even seen Terrahawks.