While many fans of Science Fiction have been worried about the station’s direction with the rise of reality themed shows and the cancellation of ‘Being Human‘ and ‘Warehouse 13‘, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for fans of the genre. Syfy has just ordered a 6-hour event mini-series titled ‘Ascension’ and I have to admit the description has me excited!
What we’re going to be getting is an alternate history story about hundreds of men, women, and children sent on a century-long trip into space to colonize another world. While that sounds interesting enough, during this trip a young woman is murdered. In addition, something about the murder is so revealing that it causes the entire crew to not only question the mission but also question if they should carry on or return to Earth while they still can.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.
The show has been written by Philip Levens who is best known for his great work on ‘Smallville’ and probably less known for his work on the extremely short lived rebooted ‘Knight Rider’ show.
Syfy’s President Dave Howe weighed in on what he feels will make the show special as well as their commitment to the genre.
“Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television. We have a rich history in this arena, from Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’ to the highly acclaimed mini that launched the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, to reimagined takes on classic tales such as ‘Alice’ and ‘Tin Man.’ In keeping with that grand tradition, we are delighted to bring this thrilling, provocative and intelligent event to our fans later this year.”
With the show being released in November of 2014 and run through December casting has to be happening soon so hopefully we’ll be hearing more about the main characters involved shortly. One interesting point, though, is while he mainly mentioned mini-series that they have run before, he also included ‘Battlestar Galactica‘ in the mix. Could this be a pitch to see the series play out on a longer running series?
What do you think about the plot for ‘Ascension’? Are you looking forward to the show or do you need more details?
