1995’s Space: Above and Beyond delivered a gritty military series with sci fi elements and has since developed a notable following even though it was cut short after one season.
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”–who launch an attack causing a war to break 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
Cast: Lanei Chapman, Kristen Cloke, Joel de la Fuente, James Morrison, Rodney Rowland, Morgan Weisser
Crew: Glen Morgan (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer), James Wong (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer)
Legacy:
While this show only lasted one season, it delivered a good mix of military sci fi with human-interest stories that has since developed a notable cult following.
A Closer Look:
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.
The Story Continues:
A novelization of the pilot episode was published in 1995 and that was followed by several other novels that delivered new stories. All of those are out of print, but you can track them down from third-party sellers. Topps Comics put out a three-issue series that adapted the pilot, and that was followed by a two-issue series that offered a new adventure for the Wildcards. Those have yet to be collected into an omnibus edition, though.
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 another 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 Facts:
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.
The series had a budget between $1.5 and $2 million per episode which made it one of the most expensive shows on television at that time. When the ratings slacked off, FOX execs decided they could not justify bring back such a costly show for a second season.
Space: Above and Beyond was inspired by the TV series Combat! which ran from 1962 to 1967 and focused on a squad of U.S. soldiers fighting the Germans in World War II.
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.
