Syfy has announced that Tricia Helfer will star in the channel’s new original, six hour event series ‘Ascension!’

You may recognize Helfer from Syfy’s brilliant re-imagining of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ as the Cylon “Number 6.” An amazing role and she blew me away. Uncommonly beautiful, she had a frightening unpredictability that fascinated me every time she appeared onscreen.

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Helfer’s role on this bold new sci-fi event series is “Viondra Denniger,” a dangerous and guileful Captain’s wife. Viondra regards herself as a not-so-secret power broker aboard the Ascension.Viondra is afforded a position of power and privilege, which she leverages as the Ship’s Chief Steward.

The premise of ‘Ascension‘ is an exciting one, and has already piqued my curiosity. Syfy has promised to make a triumphant return to space opera and the breakdown of ‘Ascension’ certainly sounds like it!

As the story goes,  the U.S. government launched a covert space mission back in 1963. They sent hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship ‘Ascension’ to populate a new world. A mysterious murder of a young woman nearly 50 years into the exodus, (50 years being very near the point of no return on this trip) causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Philip Levens (Smallville’, ‘Knight Riderwill serve as executive producer and showrunner alongside Jason Blum (‘The River’, film franchises ‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘The Purge’), Mark Stern (‘The Outer Limits’ reboot, ‘Twilight Zone’ reboot), Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble (‘Endgame’) and Brett Burlock (‘Flashpoint’, ‘The Listener’).

Ascension is set to launch in November, 2014, and air through December.

Source: EW