Science fiction shows have always been a bit like endangered species. Networks try to kill them off all the time. And when they succeed, we all lose.
Other Shows That Have Faced The Axe
The original Star Trek faced an early demise and the fans rallied… extending the show by a season and eventually spinning off an animated series, a number of movies, The Next Generation and more. Farscape was cancelled after changes in management at the SciFi Channel (now SyFy), but fan outcry at least gave us closure of some kind with a follow up mini-series. We all know what happened to Firefly. A great show that was canceled before it’s time. While a follow up movie gave us a least a taste of what could have been, the promise of the series was never fully explored.
It’s happening again
Dark Matter, a brilliant science fiction television show, has been cancelled by SyFy. If you aren’t familiar with this show, you should definitely binge watch it… NOW… on Netflix. Following the crew of the Raza, a band of rogues who awaken from suspended animation with a distinct lack of memories, this series explored all kinds of great science fiction themes. While initial impressions might lead one to think it was another version of Firefly (and may have been somewhat inspired by it), it has explored so much more. Sure, while Three is very Jayne Cobb-like at times and Five could be Kaylee Frye’s soul sister, the cast has built identities for themselves. From an android that goes from bad-ass to hilarious to emotionally touching, to the very human and flawed crew, this show is no clone.
No clone, but there are alternate reality doppelgangers. Self aware androids. Time travel. Space battles. And pure science fiction goodness.
I’ve met a number of the talented cast members, and a greater ensemble of talent you would be hard pressed to find. From speaking with them, they have shown that they care about the characters they play just as much, if not more so, than the fans of the show.
Take Action!
So what can we do about it? Campaigns have sprung up all over the internet to save this show. You can sign the petition at change.org. They are also doing a tweet storm campaign Friday, September 15th at 9PM EDT (6PM PDT) – follow @DarkMatterFTL for the secret hashtag. This follows an AMA (Ask Me Anything) at 7 pm EDT, 4 pm PDT, on Reddit. Just register here and show up at the appointed time with your questions: https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkMatter/ MORE DETAILS HERE: https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/september-14-2017-we-can-do-this/
And if you haven’t watched the show yet, start watching. Watch it on Netflix and tell your friends to do the same. If huge numbers of views flood into Netflix, maybe they’ll consider picking it up.
It’s time to come together as science fiction fans… as geeks… as lovers of good stories… and say “We will not let Dark Matter go quietly into the night! It’s not going to vanish without a fight! It’s going to live on! It’s going to survive! Today we celebrate… Dark Matter Day!” (Apologies to Bill Pullman for that, but I hope you’re inspired anyway.)
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Check out these interviews with members of the cast: Roger Cross, Jodelle Ferland, Anthony Lemke, Marc Bendavid and Mike Dopud.
