Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: Forgotten magic and hidden treasures from the worlds of sci fi TV
What Is It? In the near future, humans start to colonize the galaxy by traveling through stable wormholes. But one colony encounters a hostile extraterrestrial race–referred to as “Chigs”–and after it is attacked a war breaks out between Earth and these aliens. The Chigs have the upper hand at first, but groups like the 58th Squadron of the Space Aviator Cavalry, aka the “Wildcards”, mount stiff resistance as the war continues on.
Aired: FOX, 1995-96, One Season Totaling 23 Episodes
Starring: Lanei Chapman, Kristen Cloke, Joel de la Fuente, James Morrison, Rodney Rowland, Morgan Weisser
Created By: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Why It Stands Out: This show delivered a gritty tale of the struggles of wartime while also introducing some interesting sci fi concepts and delivering well-developed characters.
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Probably. It only lasted one season, but it delivered a good mix of military sci fi with human-interest stories that has since developed a notable cult following.
The Skinny: By the mid-90s, The X-Files had turned into somewhat of a buzzworthy show for FOX, and the network decided to try adding more sci fi to its schedule. Among the shows given the greenlight was Space: Above and Beyond which came from X-Files writers/producers Glen Morgan and James Wong. They drew upon past wartime TV entries such as Combat! for inspiration, but set their show in the future with aliens as the enemy. It focused on the members of the 58th Squadron of the Space Aviator Cavalry, aka the “Wildcards”, as they find themselves caught in what seems like a losing war. And it delivered character-driven stories that made the episodes more than just good humans vs. evil aliens.
Space: Above and Beyond also built an interesting backstory for its world that expanded on the sci fi nature of the series. A war had already taken place on Earth between the android Silicates and humans, and genetically engineered “In Vitros” were grown in tanks in order to bolster the ranks of the military. Most of the Silicates would end up leaving the Earth and helping the Chigs when they found it to their advantage. Whereas the In Vitros, aka “Tanks”, were looked upon as second-class citizens who found it hard to co-exist with normal humans. These were side-stories to the main arc that helped to flesh out the world and characters and also set up potential future storylines for the show.
The series was populated by mostly fresh faces, and all did a good job of portraying the new recruits who are quickly thrown in over their head into a grim war against a powerful enemy. The writing could be sloppy at times with some stilted acting and directing and occasional copy and paste dialog not helping things out. The special effects will also look somewhat cheesy to the modern audience. Plus, the show played like a Marine recruiting video from time to time. But overall, Space: Above and Beyond overcame its weaknesses and delivered an engaging tale of struggle with characters that the audience could care about. And this one certainly had the potential to carry itself for multiple seasons if given the chance.
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. FOX did the show no favors by scheduling it on Sundays at 7 PM EST. That is typically considered more of a family-friendly timeslot, and the war-torn stories of Space: Above and Beyond did not fit well in that hour. In addition, it was up against CBS juggernaut 60 Minutes which ended the season in the Nielsen Top 10. Space did okay in the ratings to start out, but not well enough to justify its budget (it was one of the most expensive shows on television at that time). FOX decided to pull the plug at season end on somewhat of a cliffhanger, leaving the tale of the Wildcards unfinished.
Should It Be Rebooted? Perhaps. It would be a shame to start over and erase what happened in the first season of the show, though. A revival picking up years later might be the better way to continue the story. Perhaps the armistice suggested at the end of the first season or other event paused the war for a while, but hostilities resumed years later and the battle between Earth and the Chigs was on again. That way some of the original actors could reprise their roles as aged veterans, and a new set of faces could pick up the baton for the 58th Squadron. That would be the best way to respect the original series and also carry on the story.
Interesting Fact: Full-scale models of the “Hammerhead” fighter ships were created in Australia at RAAF Base Williamtown, and they were stored on a freighter before sending them to the production location. According to Glen Morgan, Russian crewmen from a nearby freighter were seen taking pictures of the spaceships, thinking they were some sort of advanced military craft.
Where Can You Watch It? The entire series was released on DVD (though not Blu-ray), but it has since gone out of print. And you need to be careful if you are buying from third parties because some are selling the Region 2 DVD but not marking it clearly. Sadly, the series is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but you can find episodes on YouTube.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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I loved this show and was very disappointed when it was cancelled so soon. Dark Skies was another one that was running around the same time that was also good and also cancelled too soon.