Kevin Murphy: On Defiance

"He (Robert Heinlein) was the big believer in scruffy, individualistic, patriotic iconoclasts who were all ornery libertarians, and were suspicious of organized religion, government, the military and the higher-ups in control.

They were loyal to their men and their neighbors; they believed in taking care of the people in their neighborhood.

That's something very much in the spirit of Defiance."

 

-Kevin Murphy, On Defiance, Sci-Fi Now #95, p.59-

 

It's official folks. Defiance (2013-2015) is cancelled after just three seasons by SyFy. Mathematically, on episodes alone, Stargate Universe was given more time. That's hard to believe but true.

There was some closure in the final season and seeing the disparate cast of characters come together in a spirit of cooperation to fight a common enemy was at least inspired.




Shtako! I'm certainly not stunned, but I am disappointed. I'm not expecting another channel to rescue the series like some white knight. I'm not going to get on a pedestal and decry I will never invest time in a SyFy series again. I will.

I'm looking forward with great anticipation to The Expanse (premiere 2015) starring Thomas Jane and the return of Dark Matter (2015-present). It's as if the science fiction gods giveth and taketh away. Such is the life of a Sci-Fi Fanatic. Those are the rhythms and laws of the science fiction television universe that we simply must accept.




It was this colorful science fiction community populated with fascinating characters brought together in a semi-civilized melting pot that I adored most about Defiance. Episode to episode it was interesting to watch the writers and actors bring this intriguing, unique sci-fi world to life. It's a sad day to see you go.

As Murphy noted to The Hollywood Reporter, with pride, as he should, "together we built a world. Because of that, there is no room for anything other than joy in my heart."



One small favor to Bear McCreary, please, for the love of God, release the music from Season Three. Don't forget the fans of your music and the music of Defiance. There were some tremendous compositions recorded for that season. I'm still waiting for the score from Stargate Universe by Joel Goldsmith. Please don't make me wait too long for Defiance Season Three.

And to Defiance and all involved--- thank you for the science fiction memories and a quality series. You will be missed.

Defiance And Dark Matter: And Now We Wait

SyFy Friday, a now relative staple and highlight of the SyFy channel, concluded its summer run with two of its headlining original series.

Both the season finale of Defiance (2013-present) and Dark Matter (2015-present) come to a close. And now the ever-pressing and much anticipated question of renewals arrives that haunts many a television fanatic.

If I was a betting man---and I'm not really, nor a very good one---based on the channel's recent track record and renewed interest and general commitment to putting the sci-fi back in SyFy, I believe both Dark Matter and Defiance will likely return. These are two impressively built, richly detailed, handsome series which clearly have more stories to tell.



Most exciting is how visually unique and different both Defiance and Dark Matter are from one another. They are also striking and refreshingly different on the basis of their science fiction story concepts. Taken together, SyFy Friday is essentially a winning combination at the moment with room to grow.

The Season Three finale of Defiance brings back an allusion to Johnny Cash and Jackson in the final minutes. It's also a pleasure to see Defiance moving from strength to strength not only in its wildly bizarre reality but in layering those stories with more original pop songs as noted in a post on the music of Defiance here. The Season Three finale closes beautifully with some of the most original, wondrous and vivid imagery of outer space ever committed to science fiction television to date. It's going to look amazing on Blu-Ray. The closing track is a stunning beauty offering a rendition of David Bowie's Everyone Says Hi from Heathen (2002), an album which ironically includes a song called I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. You'll understand the allusion to Grant Bowler and the Omec spaceship if you watched the Defiance Season Three finale, Upon The March We Fittest Die.



Meanwhile, elsewhere and later that evening, we relish the dark delights of Dark Matter. While this is yet another interesting sci-fi project, the series space-based setting reminds me of Stargate Universe (2009-2011) minus the flawless production design. It also makes me realize how spoiled we were by the beauty and elegance of SGU.

Nevertheless, Dark Matter stands on its own as another fine entry into sci-fi genre television with even a touch of a nod to Glen Morgan and James Wong's ephemeral Space: Above And Beyond (1995-1996). Like that latter series, Dark Matter is grittier and much less precious in its production values. Though they may not be up to the SGU standard they are still mighty damn good. SGU was technically perfect in its cinematography and effects work. Dark Matter simply just isn't THAT good. It has its moments but is a much nastier, leaner, meaner beast. Though not SGU in its visual acuity and sophistication it is nevertheless quite exceptional and of clear vision in its mission for SyFy and far superior to a show like Caprica (2010) and more in step with the kind of qualities that defined the reimagined Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) as a successful, epic space saga. But I've been truly spoiled by SGU of late. While I adore Defiance for defiantly and successfully delivering a science fiction story like no other in recent memory, Dark Matter has great potential. These are two series with winning production values and quality writing.



But why the comparisons between Dark Matter and SGU? That seems a little unfair. And you wouldn't be wrong to think that. But, the truth is the two aforementioned space yarns share the Stargate DNA if you will. The lure to both series by fans of the Stargate franchise would be only natural.

Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) ran for ten seasons, the brain child of writers/producers Brad Wright (Seasons 1-10), Jonathan Glassner (Seasons 1-3) and Robert C. Cooper (Seasons 5-10; though he was a writer for all ten seasons). Producers/writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie (Seasons 8-10) teamed up for the equally intelligent and strong final years of that first franchise that added Farscape (1999-2003) alum Claudia Black and Ben Browder to the mix.

Cooper and Wright created Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009) and ran concurrently at the time with Moore's Battlestar Galactica, again two noteworthy series with unique science fiction visions for their respective mythologies and worlds. Both Wright and Cooper teamed with Mullie and Mallozzi as well as Carl Binder and Martin Gero for production chores on Stargate Atlantis for its five season run.



When SGU was born as yet another brain child of Cooper and Wright, Mullie and Mallozzi were on board for the Destiny's run and penned eleven remarkable episodes of that series. Gero, Binder and others also contributed. Sadly, SGU ended prematurely after just two seasons.

So what would be next for these creative, fertile minds?

For Mullie and Mallozzi the two struck out on their own beginning with a comic book called Dark Matter (2012). Though intended for TV all along Mullie and Mallozzi penned a four issue limited series for Dark Horse Comics to lay a foundation as a selling point.

Dark Matter was ultimately picked up by SyFy for a thirteen episode Season One order, but this time Mullie and Mallozzi were the creators of their very own series instead of Cooper and Wright. Again, in some ways Mallozzi and Mullie echoed the pioneering sci-fi spirit Morgan and Wong pursued with Space: Above And Beyond following many years of writing, production and show runner work on The X-Files (1993-2002). When Space: Above And Beyond dissolved the two returned to Chris Carter's intelligent and familiar world with Millennium (996-1999).



Though Dark Matter shares many of the same faces and creative people behind the genius of the Stargate franchise this thing is very much a wholly original series. Dark Matter is something of a win-win for both fans of new science fiction and fans of the Stargate franchise. Dark Matter, while not as seemingly painstakingly detailed in execution as the seemingly flawless SGU (emphasized by the mesmerizing score of Joel Goldsmith), is still akin to something like a handsome, but dangerous little brother. Dark Matter is underscored more appropriately by the more driving style of composer Benjamin Pinkerton.

Obvious writing chores for Dark Matter fall to Mallozzi and Mullie, but there are others. Gero and Cooper both deliver scripts. And not only does Dark Matter star Jodelle Ferland who featured in an episode of Stargate SG-1 (Flesh And Blood) and then later in an adorably devilish role for Stargate Atlantis (Harmony), but even Amanda Tapping steps in behind the camera on directing chores along with Stargate mainstay Martin Wood who had a significant directorial role on both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Not sure where he was for SGU. Andy Mikita brings his massive Stargate resume (all three versions of the franchise) to the Dark Matter finale.




Meanwhile on Dark Matter there are genre-related appearances by David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis), Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and even Torri Higginson (Stargate Atlantis) who was viciously sidelined to Replicator heaven on SGA.

While all very interesting, admittedly, for me (I'm a geek that way), known faces from previous franchises, while perhaps great geek stuff (and I would never vote against it), tends to take me out of the moment. It almost works as a distraction against a series establishing its own original atmosphere and mood. I'm living in that world I don't need to be reminded of the other franchises. While I would never want to begrudge a job to Wil Wheaton, I should think other options could be better for Dark Matter.

The appearance of Stargate veterans on SGU, while a delight and nice mind you, rarely added that much for me. I was happily lost in space with this new crew. Richard Dean Anderson---I love you like a brother---but not necessary. It's always the original casting and unfamiliar faces that serve the work best in science fiction stories. Unknowns tend to make the material more credible. It's like Alan Parker's Midnight Express (1978) and its casting of Brad Davis. Without a star you can believe the story unraveling before your eyes is authentic and real. The moment a face as familiar as Tom Cruise arrives, or in sci-fi TV like Wheaton or Hewlett, it can be jarring and genuinely remove me from the moment. At least, regardless of science fiction street cred or respect to those that have come before, a villain other than Wheaton may have been welcomed. Think the late Leonard Nimoy on Fringe (2008-2013). Still, these are minor and generally insignificant tribbles, rather quibbles.

But the cast for Dark Matter is as uniformly good and appropriately appealing for that story as the cast is for Defiance. The production qualities on both series are generally exceptional at credibly bringing to life the vision and worlds of both Mullie and Mallozzi and Kevin Murphy and Rockne S. O'Bannon respectively.



And Dark Matter's ship, the Raza, is no Destiny, but it is generally impressive with interesting jump technology and tech in general.

And now Friday nights are clear. With Dark Matter Season One over and Defiance Season Three concluded we sit, we wait and we wonder what will be.

It's easy to see where science fiction fans might like one show over the other too. They are very different, but both should be embraced for their differences and supported to endorse SyFy for its efforts in bringing quality science fiction back to the TV table. These are both special shows generated for original science fiction programming. I'm on board to support them both. Hopefully you are and hopefully SyFy will be too.

My money is on renewals. I'm kind of a glass is half full guy like that. At least, I pray that glass isn't empty when I reach into the fridge and prepare to read those forthcoming announcements. Fingers crossed that my glass-is-half-full optimism supersedes my betting credentials. At least I hope to get it right this time.



Update 8/30/2015: On 8/29 Showrunner Kevin Murphy noted uncertainty for the future of Defiance and a Season Four renewal. This isn't a good sign. Though I remain optimistic, I should think there is more optimism for Dark Matter's chances. Still, it would be a shame to see Defiance cut down at just three seasons. That would place two of the very best series, Defiance and Hannibal (2013-2015), in good but unfortunate company this year.

Meanwhile, Joseph Mallozzi is still awaiting word on Dark Matter, but has assured all interested parties that he has a very vivid five year plan for the series.

Update 9/2/2015: Good news for Dark Matter fans. On Sep 1 Dark Matter was renewed for Season Two by SyFy. Killjoys was renewed for Season Two. No word on Defiance and not exactly good news on that front. We can take solace in the fact there has been no official cancellation at this point. We wait some more.

Update 9/6/2015: Still waiting. Hoping the smart men and women are at the table hammering out a way forward. I'm preparing for the worst. Defiance (2013-present) became a great solution to the sci-fi void opened by the loss of SGU (2009-2011) for many. I expect The Expanse (2015) would very much fill that void for me in 2015 if Defiance is not given the go ahead. I am extremely enthusiastic about the Thomas Jane-helmed series. I've always been a fan of the star from The Mist (2007) and Hung (2009-2011). But, if Defiance is given a green light, can you imagine a SyFy world that included Defiance, Dark Matter and The Expanse among others. It's almost too much to take. Somebody wake me.

Update 9/21/2015: Still waiting. Not encouraged. Still hopeful. Yet I marvel at the dreck on television that is renewed.

Update 10/14/2015: SyFy cancels Dominion on this date. Is that good news or bad news for Defiance? One might think it more promising for Defiance, but again, we wait. Crickets. T-t-t-today junior!

Update 10/16/2015: Defiance is cancelled by SyFy. Schtako! It's a shame to see this wonderfully colorful universe of characters come to a close. I'm sorry to see the series go.

The Boy Wonder: On Alien Sex In Science Fiction

"Dad! Stop watching the alien porn and let's go."

-The Boy Wonder (catching himself after a pause and in need of a ride)-

Ever so succinctly put by a non-fan innocently and ignorantly walking into a room filled with science fiction wonder and, okay, alien... something or other happening. The Boy Wonder, after a brief, oh so mesmerized pause (to view the on screen TV action of Defiance, Season Two, Episode 7, If You Could See Her Through My Eyes), hilariously ripped both me and my latest favorite science fiction offering, Defiance, to request a ride to a friend's house and doing so in one fell swoop, as the kids say, "wrecked" me. Anyway, the boy does have a point.



As I watched character Datak Tarr mount a fellow female Castithan doggy-style, he made this rather humorously caustic, succinct point and left me floored with laughter. I do love when the young cut through all of the politically correct garbage to get straight to the point. Adults have great difficulty with such a concept, often skirting the truth or the obvious, after a time.




Yes, there is a good amount of alien seduction and fluid-swapping on Defiance. It's certainly a throwback to the overtly sexual themes of Farscape if not entirely over the top. But Defiance is wide open to other more cerebral possibilities. Each episode is solid and often builds tension to either tease a story or reach a pivotal sometimes even explosive climax.

That's really quite enough I know.

 

Defiance S1 Ep2: Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go

"Are we ever going to make it to Antarctica?"
-Irisa to Nolan-

Shtako! I can't recall the last time I relished exclaiming a fictional alien swear word. Frak! never did it for me on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). It all felt just a little too forced and contrived. Farscape's (1999-2003) Frelling was a bit better. Still, there is something about Shtako that really works as a nice stand-in for shit. There's nothing like the exclamation of good old-fashioned alien profanity and Shtako is a winner. I like it.




Thus when it is used in the completely original, robustly constructed world build of Defiance I somehow never tire of hearing it. It feels built-in rather naturally as much as the Klingon language was real to Star Trek. But Frak always rubbed me the wrong way and I have no frakkin' idea why.

But just as language was important to the world of Farscape, Rockne S. O'Bannon and the creators of Defiance have woven some rich, colorful linguistics into a series that is chock full of detailed mythology and alien touches. It's as much a wonder to behold aurally as it is visually.



I really had no intention of writing about Defiance beyond the Pilot here, but I don't think I've quite enjoyed an alien science fiction series this much since Farscape. I'm also experiencing the kind of giddy fun exploring this series that tickled me with such exhilaration witnessing the summer blockbuster Pacific Rim (2013). If you visit Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic you can appreciate my elation with that comparison. I am genuinely loving the hellbug out of the series. It seemed at least one more plug was in order for the underrated series with Defiance, Season 1, Episode 2, Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go.



While Defiance may not be perfect, there's an awful lot to love about the series. I love the sincere thought that went into developing its Bible-sized mythos, a believable world in which to fully immerse our imaginations. The series was not taken lightly in the least. It is an intelligent science fiction of epic-sized proportions in which to get lost filled with intimate character play. I love the mythology involving old St. Louis, falling, crashing arks, razor rain and imagining how the Earth became so overrun by alien life forms and terra forming.



I love Lawkeeper Joshua Nolan's law vehicle. It's the latest bit of craft cool in a long line of vehicular cool dating back as far as Mad Max and beyond. I love the Lawkeeper's bad ass sidearm. I love the rich, colorful languages of the Irathients and Castithans that would leave Klingons envious. I even love reading subtitles. I love the alien tech. I love the costume and production design. I love that characters are painted in stunning white and remind me of the alien beauty of Zhaan in Farscape. Stahma Tarr plays like the not-so-nice sister of Zhaan. I love the expert casting of characters like Grant Bowler who actually appeared unrecognizable in red paint for an episode of Farscape (S1, Ep8, That Old Black Magic). See the Before And After entry here. Conversely, I love how Stahma Tarr actress Jamie Murray was once unrecognizable without paint as a villain opposite Julie Benz in Dexter (2007). The associative connections are a blast.



And while getting lost in this massive universe, Defiance is still indeed a grounded series that mirrors are own real world problems and the intimacy of those very human relationships with which we can identify.

With its vast racial make-up Defiance is filled with assimilation conflict. Illegal or not, these aliens brought a good many problems with them to this world. I love that the series echoes the positives and the negatives of a messy Earth reality that is at once united and divided.



There are indeed echoes of Farscape in this fashion. Where American astronaut John Crichton was once our representative into outer space. Where once Crichton was a barometer of American strength and a sounding board to alien cultures, Defiance brings those issues home and back down to Earth. Defiance now portrays the impact of alien culture on America. How we choose to deal with the vast array of differences is very much a reality on the series and in our lives. Defiance has plenty of potential in its alien-infused, new, Earth bound existence with the St. Louis Gateway Arch standing as a pillar and symbol of our past migrations.



Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go explores one of those many issues that was brought with the aliens to Defiance. How exactly do we contend with the complex consideration of religious freedom? Where does it cross the line and violate the overarching values of Defiance? This is no longer America as we knew it after all. The tagline is New Earth. New Rules. Sadly we have people breaking the rules every day and making efforts to make new ones some to the detriment of others. Yes. This is a new Earth with new rules and the grand experiment continues. Rules were indeed made to be broken. Who breaks them and who does it affect is the balance within any ethnically-charged and heterogeneous society. Defiance genuinely explores this difficult balance and does so without overtly preaching the issues or presenting easy answers. There are none.



The second episode directly tackles the issue of how far a community will go or is willing to go to allow for freedom of religious expression. When does a belief of a given group within a society infringe upon the rights, health or well-being of others. Would outstanding groups allow for a belief set resulting in death? Will a community intervene when a perceived cultural more goes too far. Would said culture be permitted to wage a culture or religious war to protect a given belief no matter how outlandish to a majority population? If it sounds awful familiar all we need to do is take a look around this big blue planet.

Visuals and cinematography continue to astonish with an allure and sparkle to the eye.



Defiance very early on deftly weaves in new information regarding its large ensemble cast representing a host of alien cultures as much as disparate human agendas. Motives and intentions are revealed as this new world strives to avoid a societal breakdown. Fraying apart at the seams would dissolve civility and inevitably lead to chaos.

There are a number of stellar sequences including Joshuan Nolan's expedition into old St. Louis. This is matched by a terrific Assault On Precinct 13-like homage to the classic western as a number of characters hold up at a jail cell prepared to take on the intimidating Datak Tarr and his posse. Great westerns were always served well by a sterling jail sequence.



But I'm not oblivious to the fact Defiance has its narrative flaws or minor issues relating to flow. Perhaps the writers and show runners are to blame for any deficiencies in that area, but their ambitions and efforts certainly more than compensate for those minor quibbles. Each episode of each of the first two seasons is solid. It's rare to see such a feat succeed. The creators/writers take the frontier mythos into new territory. Rockne O'Bannon's Farscape was essentially a frontier, exploration story among other things by American astronaut Crichton and Defiance establishes a similar framework to explore today's problems. Defiance takes that narrative into new territory but still analyzes the many themes that made Farscape such a wildly unconventional and appealing science fiction success.



Defiance, like Farscape, reassesses the American pathos as affected by an alien universe. Racial discord, converging cultures and alien expansion not unlike the colonial expansion of yesterday. Not unlike the classic, genre-busting Farscape, Defiance tackles identity, gender relations, inter-species relations, female empowerment, sex, romance, language and communication and just good old-fashioned space opera. But instead of an American transplant in space a la John Crichton we have waves of alien transplants relocated here on Earth specifically through the prism of American identity via St. Louis.

The deeper I enter the world of Defiance the more I seem to care about this place and these people within it. Will we one day learn what brought the aliens here? What happened to the Votan homeworld? Each new episode brings new questions, unlocks new mysteries whilst locking the science fiction fan within its intelligent grasp.

As I said in my coverage of the series Pilot, how could science fiction fans not desire to be challenged and entertained by a show with its head and its heart in the right place?

Defiance is a refreshing sci-fi joy to watch.

Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go: B+