SyFy's Defiance Season 1 (1 Viewer)

[mattCR]

Good script writers, and apparently a major push behind this show, which has already launched with it's own MMORPG.
Set in a future after a global war with aliens, earth exists.. but is changed as many fleeing alien species find homes in this new, truce governed world.

 

[spshultz]

Got my reminder set up to record and watch it. PLEASE! let this show be good.

 

[DaveF]

TiVo season pass set. Preview on Face-Off got me even more psyched.

 

[mattCR]

Pilot was much better than I expected. It's not perfect, but the sets and design are pretty nice. I like the look of the aliens, which thankfully aren't CGI but pretty unique looks.

The concept is tried and true, but this could be interesting.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I watched a few chunks here and there. . .First two seasons of nBSG it ain't, but it's certainly better than the last two.

 

[ChristopherG]

Watched it and liked it. The show could certainly grow on me. I really like the premise of this being earth like we've never seen it before.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Wikepedia article giving the "back story"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defiance_(TV_series)

don't know how accurate this is but looks plausible, no spoilers that I could see.

 

[mattCR]

What's on WIkki basically comes from the game.

The series is set in the near future, where aliens known collectively as Votans have come to Earth seeking a new home after their star system was destroyed in a stellar collision. The Votans had thought Earth was uninhabited, but upon their arrival in 2013 discover that humans are living on the planet, who respond to them with hostility and suspicion.

A limited number of Votans are allowed to settle in a colony in Brazil, and eventually two other colonies, but millions of Votans remained in hypersleep aboard their ships in orbit as negotiations dragged on with Earth governments for full-scale settlement.

Tensions rose for ten years, but the Votan and human governments were on the verge of negotiating a peaceful settlement, when in 2023 the Votan ambassador to the United Nations was assassinated by a disgruntled human supremacist on live television outside of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. This sparked a disastrous global conflict between humans and the aliens known as the "Pale Wars".

The wars tore apart the planet for seven years, until their culmination in 2030 in the apocalyptic "Arkfall" event, when the Ark fleet in orbit mysteriously exploded. The aliens think a rogue human commander was responsible, while humans suspect it was an alien weapons experiment gone awry. Millions of Votans died in hypersleep. During the Arkfall, destroyed Arks rained down on Earth and accidentally released terraformer technology.

While the Votans had intended to use their terraforming technology in a carefully planned manner, the Arkfall haphazardly unleashed chaotic and radical changes to the biosphere and even the geology of Earth, making the planet dangerous to both humans and the aliens. The earth was scorched, chasms opened in the ground, new mountain ranges were raised, and the surface of the planet was covered with dust and debris.

Animal and plant species from the Votan star system were introduced to Earth, and both native and alien animal species were horribly mutated by the uncontrolled terraformer technology, creating bizarre and dangerous hybrids and new species.

Within a few months, the Pale Wars wound down as both sides had fought to the point of mutual exhaustion, and a ceasefire was declared. Few organized governments remained for either the humans or the aliens, and both sides factionalized as their members began looking out for themselves. In several areas, local human and Votan militias began to band together when they realized that they had to cooperate if they hoped to survive on this new, almost alien planet.

The debris from the destroyed Ark fleet now forms an artificial "Ark belt" in Earth orbit, which periodically rains down in small scale "Arkfalls", which present a hazard for survivors on the surface, but also provide valuable opportunities to salvage advanced technology aboard the Arks.

 

[ChristopherG]

That all seems compatible with what the pilot showed and really helps to fill the void of what couldn't be shown in a 2 hour premiere.

edited for clarity

 

[mattCR]

Yes, well, a lot of people have a lot of money invested in this; this is the most expensive TV offering in years; with studios putting up about $100M so far, and they aren't done. They've spent a ton of money on getting the script, the MMORPG, multiple applications together..

So this is one of those shows that Syfy is really 100% committed to. They were lucky that the first nights ratings were pretty good, but having a decent backstory gives this show some real potential. I have not tried (and not a lot of interest in) the MMORPG of it, but the core concept is quite good; and if they pull this off it's going to be one of those next-generation media projects that really signals a different way to do development.

But I really like the cast in general.

 

[DaveF]

Halfway through and I like it. (Paused for wife to watch Survivor$

 

[spshultz]

I gave it a watch and liked it more than I thought I would. Some of the CGI was kind of cheesy in spots but overall I could tell they pumped a lot of money into this show. And I'm really liking Grant Bowler as "Jeb". I knew I had seen him in another TV show so I had to go searching and he was Captain Gault in Lost.

I'm hoping that during the run of the show they will revisit the Votan first visit/landing as well as the "Pale Wars".

 

[DaveF]

Really enjoyed the pilot and look forward to more. I like the characters so far; the Indigene doctor is a hoot. The lead, Nolan, is interesting and likeable. The two competing families, the humans and Rath, have good opposing characteristics. It's doing a good job of revealing backstory through dialog. It's coming across naturally, in pieces, without going for Lost-ian. I am quite interested to learn more about how these 7 races comprise the Votan, why the invaded Earth, what sort or terra-forming was done over 33 years, and how Earth survived it. I'm struggling with the names of people and races; there's a lot going on. The action scenes were jarring and poorly integrated. The car chase was the chief offender, when the Mayors assistant was fleeing, it switched from live action to Burnout video game and back again. The big invasion looked like cut-scenes from a game. (Also, how is a race bred for warfare killed by unaimed small arms fire?)Fortunately, the makeup is superb. Face/Off did not do the show justice. I'd say cut back on the CG and spend on stages and props, and keep up the budget for makeup.

 

[Hanson]

Wow, I have to say, Defiance fell into the same pitfalls as any pilot does, but it's the best sci-fi pilot I've seen in years. Blows Terra Nova and Revolution out of the water. I agree with Dave -- the alien make-up is fantastic. The texture on the Doctor's skin is superb and unique.

Really looking forward to fleshing out the mythos of the series. The structure is there and it is rock solid. Best part -- the casting is great.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I guess I'll be the lone voice of dissent in the thread.

There have been so many apocalyptic / near apocalyptic SF shows that it felt like I had seen most of the plot elements in one venue or another before. Part Falling Skies, part Babylon 5 and maybe even part Alien Nation (going back to the late '80s) to list some of the shows that could be named as influences.

I realize that originality is a rare thing these days and while parts of the show work, other parts of Defiance remind me of better iterations. I guess we are supposed to unravel the nature of the world as the series plays out because I thought that Dave's wiki post (# 8 in this thread) was a much more coherent explanation of the world view of Defiance vs.anything I encountered in the pilot.

It feels like it has a lot of tropes from Westerns with the two feuding powerful families, the new sheriff with a past, and the cantankerous doctor. I'll probably stick around (especially since so much television is winding down for the season) but I hope they begin to flesh out the world building aspects of the series.

I'm glad most of you liked the pilot but it did not resonate with me.

- Walter.

 

[todd s]

Did anyone else get the whole Han Solo leaving before the Death Star Attack vibe when the guy was leaving before the Volga attack?

 

[David Weicker]

Did anyone else get the whole Han Solo leaving before the Death Star Attack vibe when the guy was leaving before the Volga attack?

I was thinking the same thing

 

[mattCR]

This show has some real potential. Lots of plates moving, but I really appreciate how well they are defining the differences between the aliens and the struggle to develop a code that doesn't backfire. I enjoy that the conflict isn't just 'humans vs aliens', it's also aliens who don't like other aliens, and even a real community of: when do we leave things behind.

I'm unsure of the plot with the ex mayor, but if it lays together well this can really grow. I think they've setup the rules of the universe pretty well, and so extensions of it seem pretty natural. This show may really benefit from the fact that it appears a whole lot of thought has went into the kind of world they inhabit.

I'm locked in for the season now.

 

[mattCR]

I really like how big they are making the world, and slowly cluing us in to the abilities and geography of the land/people. The show isn't perfect, but I really do like that the characters themselves are sorting out their realities.

This show definitely has the largest budget of any SyFy channel show I've seen in years.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I am sorely tempted to actually try and continue watching this. Hooray for On Demand!