Why Was Space: Above and Beyond Cancelled and Should It Be Rebooted?

1995’s Space: Above and Beyond delivered a gritty wartime tale while also introducing some interesting sci fi concepts and delivering well-developed characters, but it was sadly cut short by FOX.

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 lingers on.

Aired: FOX, 1995-96, 1 Season Totaling 23 Episodes

Starring: Lanei Chapman, Kristen Cloke, Joel de la Fuente, James Morrison, Rodney Rowland

Created By: Glen Morgan, James Wong

Why Was It Cancelled?

This show joined the FOX schedule at a time when that network was trying to compete with the Big Three broadcasters (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and also when spaced-based shows were performing quite well in syndication with the Star Trek spin-offs and Babylon 5. It immediately attracted a devoted fanbase after it debuted but unfortunately it did not draw a broad enough audience to count as a ratings success. Not helping matters was the fact that it was scheduled in the Sunday 7 PM EST timeslot which was typically used for family-friendly fare on ABC and NBC and it also competed against ratings powerhouse 60 Minutes on CBS. Since the show was very expensive to produce (around $5 million per episode according to IMDb), FOX ended up cancelling it after only one season. The network was still trying to establish itself, and The X-Files was a couple of years away from moving from cult status to Top 20 hit. Apparently execs decided that sticking with such an expensive series as Space: Above and Beyond that was not delivering on the ratings side was not the right strategy at that time.

The final episode ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, but since the producers had enough notice of the cancellation, they tried to wrap up the story as best they could. The original plan was for the show to follow a five-year arc, but sadly only one year was completed. Fans lobbied for the show, but they were unable to convince FOX to keep it going for a second year (foreshadowing what we would later see with Firefly).

Should It Be Rebooted?

Space: Above and Beyond has since become a cult favorite and several novelizations followed the cancellation, but those did not succeed in completing the full story that the creators had planned. It is going on thirty years since the show first premiered, so a revival would be unlikely at this point. But it also would be a shame to start over and erase what happened in the first season of the show.  Perhaps it could return as a reboot/revival picking up years later and continuing from the original story.  The armistice suggested at the end of the first season or another event could have paused the war for a while, but hostilities resume and the battle between Earth and the Chigs is 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, though a complete reboot is not out of the question. Whether there would be much interest on the part of the entertainment industry in returning to this property is uncertain, but perhaps a push by the fans could push it back on the radar.

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.

Did you watch Space: Above and Beyond and would you support fan efforts to bring the show back? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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