This television movie offers a realistic look at near-space travel while also delivering a decent science fiction story, but sadly, it received no support from its network.
What Is It?
Virtuality was a two hour TV movie written and produced by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar: Galactica) which aired in the Summer of 2009 on FOX and was originally intended as a pilot for a series. It follows the crew of a deep-space mission headed to the Epsilon Eridani star system on a journey that will take ten years. Their day to day activities on the ship are recorded and transmitted back to Earth where viewers watch them on television, reality series-style (this helps with the funding of the mission). In addition, each crew member has a virtual reality module that they can use as an escape from the rigors of deep space travel (which is very long and dull). However, a glitch in the programming has led to several bad experiences in the virtual world, and the crew considers switching off the system for the duration of the mission. This glitch seems to extend beyond that, though, and ultimately leads to the death of one of the crew members which points toward a potentially subversive plot unfolding on the ship.
Aired: June 26, 2009
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kerry Bishé, Joy Bryant, Jose Pablo Cantillo, James D’Arcy, Clea DuVall
Created By: Ronald D. Moore, Michael Taylor
Legacy:
While at first glance Virtuality seems to give us an odd mish-mash of elements—hard science fiction meets reality television meets the Star Trek holodecks meets murder mystery meets a conspiracy story arc—it ends up delivering a superior sci fi tale that had potential if it had gone on to an ongoing series, but sadly, Fox did not give it a chance.
A Closer Look:
This TV movie arrived in the Summer of 2009 and delivered an odd yet compelling bit of hard sci fi. It is a space-based tale, but it is filmed very much like a reality series, with the jerky, hand-held camera flitting about trying to catch the quibbles among each of the crew members along with separate “confessional” pieces directed at the camera. But it never descends into the petty bickering and melodrama expected of a reality show and instead brings a hint of authenticity to the way that the characters on the show interact with one another.
Adding the virtual reality system to the mix of course draws immediate comparisons to the holodecks of the Star Trek franchise (right down to its tendency to malfunction). However, Virtuality takes a very different approach with this gimmick. Each person wears a virtual reality visor that lets them see and experience this cyber-world, though it is not physically “real” like Trek’s holodecks. And to what extent this virtual reality engages all five senses is not made completely clear in the pilot. The participants seem to fully experience the situations in their mind, including sexual encounters, but we don’t know just how real it feels to them. Still, having such a system on a long, daunting voyage does make a lot of sense.
Add to this a scientifically accurate approach toward space travel (including no sound in space!) along with an excellent cast (headed up by a pre-Game of Thrones Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and you have a production that delivers an interesting and challenging science fiction concept. It is definitely worth checking out as a sci fi gem that never received the support it deserved from its network.
Cancelled Before It Began?
Yes. Unfortunately, even though this concept may have sounded good in a pitch season (“reality show in space”), the FOX network execs were almost certainly left befuddled after watching the rather dense pilot. They decided to bury it on the Summer schedule, where it barely found an audience, and that ended its chance to carry on as a series.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Possibly. There was a very good idea here and it was pulled off quite well (though the pilot could be slow and confusing at times), and it had plenty of potential as a series. But at this point you would have to go with a completely different cast and Ronald D. Moore is pretty busy these days. But if he was involved, this might be brought back as a decent series that could work well on one of the streaming services.
Interesting Facts:
According to Wikipedia, Virtuality has several references/homages to 2001: A Space Odyssey including the faulty computer, the similarity of the Phaeton to the Discovery and the captain’s first name Frank (from Frank Poole). His last name, Pike, is almost certainly a reference to Captain Christopher Pike from Star Trek as well.
The same Summer that Virtuality aired on Fox, a series called Defying Gravity premiered on ABC which shared many similarities. It took a realistic approach to space travel, and it also incorporated the reality TV angle. Sadly, it was not given much of a chance by its network either, and it was cancelled after airing only eight of thirteen episodes produced. You can read more about the series at this link.
Where Can You Watch It?
The film has been released on DVD and it is available at a very economical price. It has not received the Blu-ray treatment in Region 1 and it is not currently available for streaming or purchase by VOD.
