#watched DARK MATTER S1E1
Six humans and an android wake up from stasis in a spaceship, with the humans having no memories of who they are and what they do, and the android trying to kill them. The android was stopped, and the humans gave each other numeric designations (and in order of them waking up, ie: "One" being the first to awaken, "Two" being the second so on so forth) in lieu of names because, well, they have no memory of themselves.
Each human instinctively knows what to do and use their skills- including piloting/operating/fixing the ship, and using weapons and blades like it was second nature to them. A little foray into an inhabited planet divides them in how to treat said inhabitants in trouble against a large evil corporation - to "help", or to "leave".
What they decide to do, is nothing compared to what they found out about themselves, at the end of Episode 1 - which was the determining factor for myself to stay on to find out what happens next in new sci-fi television series, DARK MATTER.
Anything more I say here would essentially spoil the only surprise worth spoiling in this first episode :p
OFFICIAL STORYLINE: "The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are or how they got on board. The only clue to their identities is a cargo bay full of weaponry and a destination: a remote mining colony that is about to become a war zone. With no idea whose side they are on, they face a deadly decision. Will these amnesiacs turn their backs on history, or will their pasts catch up with them?" (IMDb)
I have a particular penchant for sci-fi-space operas, with Joss Whedon's FIREFLY and the 2004's BSG / BATTLESTAR GALACTICA firmly etched in my mind of dramatic stories I enjoyed tremendously … somehow the character "Two" / "Portia Lin" (played by Melissa O'Neill) reminded me somewhat of "River Tam" (in FIREFLY, played by Summer Glau) when I first laid eyes on her, who after waking up from slumber and decisively taking over the leader role amongst the crew with no one doubting her.
The first thing That impressed me in concepts like these are the set designs. The suspension of belief/disbelief of a spaceship in space, is decently addressed here, with nigh-moody atoms created for the ship's interiors, utilizing more shadows and black, punctuated with neon and spotted lights, make for a impressed me :)
Kudos to Production Designer Ian Brock ("Lost Girl", 'Orphan Black") for making the impact subtle and effective, IMHO. "Practical Sets" makes a whole lot of difference, as compared to purely green-screen work, IMO.
More shots of the sets can be seen via screengrabs since uploaded HERE on Facebook (Some *SPOILERS* revealed here!)
Of all the characters introduced in the first episode, "Portia Lin" stood out and shone intensely, while others seems somewhat placid and uninteresting-ish, if not cliched - especially the role of "Three" - the designated "hothead" and self-serving person(laity) of the group, very much like JAYNE in FIREFLY, but with none of the softness (display yet). And the android-on-board trope is straight out of ALIENS(S) movies and Ridley Scott's 2012 PROMETHEUS - more emotionless machine than say, "DATA" of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which to me is always fun :)
But I recognize this might be early days to "judge" them, and hopefully given time each cast would have the opportunity to expand their characters.
And I absolutely adore the concept of "a collection of ragtag characters" in space, with things seen as copacetic and clam on the surface ... hopefully in time we shall see more "drama" and conflicts -nothing more interesting than "conflicts" with the confines of a spaceship in the middle of space LOL
Dark Matter is a Canadian science fiction series created by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie (Source / writers + Producers of "Stargate SG-1"), and is based on the comic book of the same name, published through Dark Horse comics, circa 2012 (Source), which apparently according to Wiki, the concept of which was originally intended for a television series, but debut as a comic book story first, featuring art by Garry Brown.
PUBLICATION HISTORY: "Mallozzi credits The Shield, The Dirty Dozen, and the Thunderbolts as his inspiration for the concept. The series was originally designed for television, but was later altered into a comic series for Dark Horse Comics. Syfy and Space, along with the original creators Mallozzi and Mullie, later adapted the graphic novels to the television series that premiered on June 12, 2015. The four-issue Rebirth series was published from January to April in 2012, and a collected edition was released in October 2012." (Wiki - where the description of the plot basiclly spoils the surprise in Ep.1 :p)
Season One will consist of 13 episodes, of which can be viewed "officially" online via www.syfy.com/darkmatter, and you can check out the show's Facebook page for updates and promos. And if you want to find out more behind-the-0scenes, check out Creator Joseph Mallozzi's blog for tons of pics and trivia!
Here's hoping my decision to follow the series does not change with further viewing :)
P/S: None of the Firefly mentions in my above post are meant to be degretory in any way, and is for me personally, something I enjoy and look forward to be seeing more in, in the episodes to come :)
Cheers,
Andy
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