| Space: Above And Beyond |
Website Links For Space Above |
Information AboutSpace: Above And Beyond |
''Space: Above and Beyond'' (sometimes also '''''Space 2063''''', and also abbreviated as '''''S:AAB''''') is a short-lived 1990s American Science Fiction Television Show on the FOX Network , created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong . Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Award s and one Saturn Award . The show, set in the years 2063–2064, focuses on a group of United States Marines , members of the ''United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry, 58th Squadron'', or the "''Wildcards''". They are based on the space Carrier USS '' Saratoga '', and act as infantry and also pilot the ''SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet'' (''Hammerhead'') Fighter Spaceplane . With a budget of approximately 1.5–2 million USD per episode, it was the most expensive science fiction television show at the time of its production. The show depicted a more rigid Command Structure and organization of Forces than contemporary science-fiction shows like '' Babylon 5 '' and '' Star Trek ''. The show remains something of a Cult Series . This is partially related to the fact that the series received significantly better ratings during its second run on the Sci Fi Channel , as compared to the mediocre ratings in its initial run on the FOX Network. Criticism has been voiced by the producers, citing the lack of Marketing , frequent slot changes, and constant pre-emption for sporting events as responsible for its poor ratings while running on the Fox Network. PLOT According to the novel '' The Forever War '' by Joe Haldeman , in addition to other fictional works such as 1948 World War II Biographic novel '' The Naked And The Dead '' by Norman Mailer , the 1895 American Civil War short story '' The Red Badge Of Courage '' by Stephen Crane , and the '' Iliad ''. Another possible influence, although denied by the producers, is the 1959 novel '' Starship Troopers '' by Robert A. Heinlein , as they share a significant number of Motifs (excluding the politically controversial nature of Heinlein's work). Possible influence also came from the 1962 World War II television series '' Combat! '' and the 1987 Vietnam War series '' Tour Of Duty ''. At the same time, the show also shares Conspiracy elements with other television shows co-produced by the same team, such as '' The X-Files '' and '' Millennium ''. In the years leading up to 2063, Humanity has begun to Colonize other planets. Suddenly, a previously unknown and mysterious Alien Species , the '' Chigs '', attack and completely destroy the first outer space Earth Colony and then destroy a second colony ship. The bulk of the Earth military forces sent to confront the Chigs are destroyed or outflanked. In desperation, unproven and under-trained outfits like the 58th "Wildcards" are thrown against the Chigs . The Wildcards are the central focus of the series, which follows them as they grow from untried cadets (receiving their initial training by none other than '' Full Metal Jacket '' and '' Mail Call '''s R. Lee Ermey ) into veteran pilots and Marines. Although the unified Earth forces come under the control of a reformed United Nations , the UN has no Armed Force s of its own and therefore Navies such as the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy operate Interstellar starships. ''' Mars service patch]] The ''Space: Above and Beyond'' Milieu includes an Underclass race of Genetically Engineered and artificially Gestated humans who are born at the Physical Age of 18, and are collectively known as '' InVitro s'' or sometimes, Derogatorily , "tanks" or "nipple-necks". The InVitros have replaced the previous Underclass group used by humanity, which are the '' Artificial Intelligences '' (AI), also known as '' Silicates ''. These are human-looking Android s, also referred to as "walking Personal Computers ", who have Rebelled , formed their own Societies and wage a Guerrilla War against human society. Although they were originally designed only to serve and not to question orders, an unsatisfied engineer who worked on the project implanted a Computer Virus , which introduced the idea of taking a chance to the Silicates (the ''"Take a Chance" Virus''). It was said in the show that by taking a chance, they were then allowed to choose, thus allowing them to realize their state and fight against it. They are identifiable by their eyes, which have Crosshair s instead of Irises . The Silicates are also suspected of having some involvement with the Chigs. Story arcs With the growing popularity of Story Arc s in Science Fiction On Television in the 1990s, and also evidently inherited from other series created by the same producer team, ''Space: Above and Beyond'' features several prominent story arcs connecting episodes, beside the main setting, the Chig War, which technically can also be regarded as a story arc in itself. In an approximated descending order of significance, these are: ; The Chig War (2063—) : The Chig War, taking place six years after the AI War ( 2047 – 2057 ), represents a major setback for human Space Exploration . In the first half of the season, and up to approximately episode 1.16, the Chig War progressed rather grimly for humanity (e.g. episodes 1.09, 1.15), but with superior Military Strategies like Covert Operation s or Disinformation (episodes 1.13, 1.21), the humans are able to gain an upper hand and are able to launch major Offensive s (episodes 1.22, 1.23), although neither the War nor the story arc concludes at the end. See Also: Chigs ; Nathan West and Kylen Celina : The Nathan West and Kylen Celina story arc is a Theme present in many episodes following Kylen, who had been taken hostage by the Chigs (episode 1.03). Instead of her, the device appearing in most of the episodes is an Audio Recording photographic tag, with the recording of Kylen saying: "''I believe in you.''" (episodes 1.01 ff.) When Kylen was rescued and was onboard the Saratoga briefly before returning to Earth, she replaced the recording with : "''I believe in all of you.''" (episode 1.24) : The relationship between Nathan West and Kylen Celina is the most prominent story arc except for the overall setting of the Chig War, and is also placed against and interwoven with the Chig War story arc, adding the motif of Hope and Faith to the Chig War story arc. As the hope for a rescue of Kylen Celina appears to be a key symbol of hope and Motivation for the "Wildcards" (e.g. episodes 1.06, 1.12, 1.24), this story arc also appears to be the driving force of the overall series. ; The InVitros : As artificially Gestated humans, the InVitros do not share Equal Social Rights with those Viviparously born, or so called "naturally born". They are derisively termed "tanks" by regular humans, which seems to be a Double Entendre , describing not only their method of birth but also their physical toughness, which is always greater than "naturals", and the disposable nature of them, the first to come in battle, the "tanks" that open the way for the infantry. InVitros also seem to refer to themselves as "tanks" amongst themselves. Before its Abolition , they were subject to Indentured Servitude (episode 1.05), and there is still considerable Racial Segregation and resentment by normal humans (e.g. episodes 1.01, 1.07), and Government al Abuse for morally dubious purposes (episode 1.13). Two main characters, Cooper Hawkes and T. C. McQueen, have to face all the ramifications of such a society from their perspective as InVitros. See Also: InVitro ; The Silicates : The Silicates , or AI rebels, stole military spacecraft at the end of the AI War and went into space (episode 1.04). During the Chig War, Silicates collaborate with the Chigs, acting as Mercenaries (episodes 1.04, 1.16, 1.19) and operating Mining and Prison facilities for the Chigs (episode 1.10). There is a sub-story arc, Paul Wang and Elroy EL, in which Paul Wang must deal with the fact that under Torture , he falsely confessed to having committed War Crime s (episodes 1.10, 1.16, 1.19). : The Silicates story arc has been compared by some with the topic of the 1978 science fiction series '' Battlestar Galactica '', and especially the 2003 '' Battlestar Galactica '' re-imagining. ; Nathan West and Neil West : The relationship between Nathan West and his younger brother Neil is a short story arc in the episodes 1.02, 1.17, and 1.18. It is used to explore the emotions associated with the amount of human loss and sacrifices to a much greater degree than any episode before 1.17. ; Aero-Tech and the UN : The dark Aero-Tech and the UN story arc injects an element of conspiracy and high-level Cover-up . Aero-Tech, founded in 2015 (episode 1.24), appears to be a Monopolistic Aerospace and Defense supplier. It is connected with the UN by Aero-Tech's clearly evident Political Power , both with the UN (with a former Aero-Tech director becoming the United Nations Secretary-General in episode 1.07) and with the armed forces, as evidenced by its control over advanced technologies (episodes 1.03, 1.10, 1.16). It is also suspected that Aero-Tech was aware of the Chigs before the rest of humanity, and deliberately endangered the ''Vesta'' and ''Tellus'' colonists (episodes 1.07, 1.24). Aero-Tech further gathers, uses or withholds key strategic information in pursuit of its own corporate agenda (e.g. episodes 1.03, 1.09, 1.10, 1.16). : The Aero-Tech and the UN story arc explores topics such as power, Intrigue, politics, and perhaps to some degree also Scientific Ethics and Responsibility . It clearly exhibits the influence of two other television series the producers co-produced — ''The X-Files'' and ''Millennium'' (in fact, the Aero-Tech corporation was mentioned in the ''Millennium'' series, being in fact a front company for ODESSA — this would link the ''X-Files'' also with ''SAAB'', as ''Millennium'' took place in the ''X-Files'' universe. : Some viewers claim that the story arc does not appear to be a natural part of the overall plot, and that it is poorly developed and left unresolved by the cancellation of the series. Other topics explored Beside the story arcs described above, there are 5 "disconnected" episodes not used to carry on any of the story arcs beside the overall Chig War story arc. These are episodes 1.06, 1.08, 1.11, 1.14, and 1.20. Some of the episodes have a less prominent motif, while others explored topics outside any of the main story arcs. Yet other topics also have been explored in episodes related to a story arc. Examples of these additional topics are: Fear and Revenge (episode 1.04), loss and sacrifice (episodes 1.06, 1.11), Subconscious fears (episode 1.08), Parapsychological abilities and responsibility (episode 1.14), Drug Addiction s (episode 1.20), desperation and hope (episodes 1.13, 1.22). Beside the story arcs, several episodes also explore other private relationships of the characters in war time (e.g. episodes 1.05, 1.15, 1.18). Ending The final episode 1.24 ends in an open-ended fashion, where T. C. McQueen is badly Injured and most of the major cast is apparently Killed or Missing , with only Cooper Hawkes and Nathan West remaining. Yet with Earth in a much stronger strategic position, there is the motif of hope, despite the losses and sacrifices. Although sometimes perceived as a Cliffhanger , it was the ending the producers chose when it was evident that the show was about to be canceled. Even with this ending, the producers still planned a possible continuation in a second season, with T. C. McQueen returning to Earth to treat his injuries sustained in episode 1.24, possibly given an AI Prosthetic Leg , and the "Wildcards" receiving a new female Commanding Officer .http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/MorganWong.html, http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/JamesMorrison.html CRITICISM A notable criticism from the actor Joel de la Fuente has been quoted in an article by P. G. Min & R. Kim P. G. Min, R. Kim, "Formation of ethnic and racial identities: narratives by young Asian-American professionals", ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'' 23:4, 735–760 (2000). (under the Pseudonym "Michael", on p. 744), in which he describes his perception of a possibly Stereotypical nature of his character Lt. Paul Wang, for which (referring to the Silicates story arc) he felt "discomfort" for a role that he describes as "a cowardly soldier who betrayed his comrades": However, Paul Wang gives his life willingly in the last episode, staying behind to hold off Chig forces while Nathan West and Cooper Hawkes lead the POWs , including West's long-lost-love, to safety. CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VISUAL EFFECTS 's Atmosphere ]] ''Space: Above and Beyond'' featured a very dark and ''Babylon 5''. With the trend of science fiction on television in the 1990s, and the increasing affordability of LightWave 3D '', was leading at its time, although from today's perspective some of the models used — (such as the USS Saratoga and the alien carriers) — lack detailed Textures and Bump Map s, which gave them a strongly Polygon al appearance. CHARACTERS 58th Squadron aka Wildcards
Recurring Guest Characters
Notable One-time Characters
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTS
In Norway the series was given the name "Skvadron 58" (Squadron 58). In Sweden its name was "Slaget om Tellus" (The Battle for Tellus). In Germany , France , Switzerland and Finland it was called "Space 2063". In Croatia it aired under the title ''Svemirski marinci '' (Space Marines). In Spain, the name was cut to just "Space". DVD RELEASE In 2005, ''Space: Above and Beyond'' was released on DVD in the United States and Canada by 20th Century Fox . The DVD set is in DVD-10 discs and has Closed Captioning . The set contains the television advertisements used to promote the series, but no other "bonus" materials. Strangely, the DVD title screens feature a slightly distorted image of the Babylon 5 space station — an image which does not appear in any of the episodes and which is not related to the series in any way. This image is limited to certain printings of the set. EPISODES SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|