Space: Above and Beyond - What is it?

[Darrell Lawrence]

With impressive special effects and an exciting, inspirational story, this short-lived but popular science fiction show scored four Emmy nominations, but was cancelled after the first season due to studio politics.

Cast:

Morgan Weisser ... Lt. Nathan West
Kristen Cloke ... Capt. Shane Vansen
Rodney Rowland ... Lt. Cooper Hawkes
Lanei Chapman ... Lt. Vanessa Damphousse
Joel de la Fuente ... Lt. Paul Wang
James Morrison ... Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius "T.C." McQueen

It's the year 2063. After 150 years of deep space exploration, people on Earth feel certain they are alone in the universe. Everything changes when news comes that two outposts light-years away from Earth have been attacked by an alien civilization. Now the new young recruits of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Calvary are headed for the front lines in the toughest battle the world has ever had to face. Thrust into an intergalactic war, these untested fighter pilots suddenly find themselves waging a life-and-death struggle to protect Earth and to save mankind from total annihilation.

Episodes:

1-01 24 Sep 95 Pilot (1)
1-02 24 Sep 95 Pilot (2)
1-03 01 Oct 95 The Farthest Man from Home
1-04 08 Oct 95 The Dark Side of the Sun
1-05 15 Oct 95 Mutiny
1-06 22 Oct 95 Ray Butts
1-07 05 Nov 95 Eyes
1-08 12 Nov 95 The Enemy
1-09 19 Nov 95 Hostile Visit (1)
1-10 26 Nov 95 Choice or Chance (2)
1-11 03 Dec 95 Stay with the Dead
1-12 17 Dec 95 The River of Stars
1-13 07 Jan 96 Who Monitors the Birds?
1-14 14 Jan 96 Level of Necessity
1-15 04 Feb 96 Never No More
1-16 11 Feb 96 The Angriest Angel
1-17 18 Feb 96 Toy Soldiers
1-18 03 Mar 96 Dear Earth
1-19 24 Mar 96 Pearly
1-20 12 Apr 96 R & R
1-21 19 Apr 96 Stardust
1-22 20 Apr 96 Sugar Dirt
1-23 26 May 96 And If They Lay Us Down to Rest... (1)
1-24 02 Jun 96 ...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best (2)

[Slagar]

Boy, a promising show airing on the Fox network canceled before it's time? Where have I heard that recently?

[harada357]

Great show. Now there a lot of 3D models based on SAAB out there. Does anyone know if someone made a MESH model of the CHIG Alien in aromor? It would be a cool 3D charactor?

Harada357

[Darrell Lawrence]

Dunno about that, but these meshes you speak of are available right here at 3DG in LW format :)

[evil_genius_180]

Scifi meshes used to have some chig, I think one was a soldier in armor. Maybe after they get the meshes section back up the person that uploaded it will upload again. :evil:

[Northwatch]

I wondered what happened at SciFi Meshes. Do you think it would be long before that section is up?

[evil_genius_180]

Unfortunately Aceman ran that site and several others on his own server that bit the bullet. So, now he's all over the place dealing with getting his sites back up on a system that won't have the same problem and dealing with real life too. ;)

[Darrell Lawrence]

...ummm Just when did it go down? Again? I was there getting the Max meshes back when I made the LW conversions. So it went down again in the last month/few weeks????

[evil_genius_180]

Aceman's single hard drive he was using to run that site, militarymeshes and host several others died a few weeks ago, about a week or so after you did those conversions. He just got a new system with 2 250 GB hard drives the primary backing up to the secondary every 3 hours. Unfortunately he tried to recover the old data but was unable to so you have to register there again. If you want the full skinny, it's on the temporary front page for the site.

[Darrell Lawrence]

So it went down about the same time my own PC went down.

Weird.

...and no wonder I didn't know :lol:

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, I thought that was weird too. Fortunately your site isn't operated on your PC or I'd have gone friggin' nuts (short trip) not having a scifi forum to hang out in. :muffit:

[Ferreira]

big fan of the show, it was outrageous the form they ended the show, it was and it still is the best sci-fi show ever(well, side by side with the new battlestar galactica)!

[deprondave]

The Show was a little dark for me, but well executed.

[wrenchman]

Why is it that shows like this and firefly get canceled. I liked this show a lot, but then that is probably why it got canceled, Most of the shows I like get canceled.

[gmd3d]

welcome wrenchman . it is a shame that SAAB was cancelled. bound to have been a money issue or viewer numbers. I liked it also but as the post above says . it was a little dark at times .. lighting and such,

the characters where just coming together for me at the last few episodes

[tgep]

Now here's another Nugget that fell victim to the Fox policy axe. Iremember this one well. I've seen a few Hammerhead meshes here and there but I lost those links when my 'puter bit the big silicon wafer.

" The River of Stars " was the story I liked best. ....... and I was never overly fond of pancakes either. :lol:

You can get a mesh for the ISS-APC over at the main Orbiter add on hangar. It was done by Jon Marcure.

http://http://orbithangar.com/advsearch.php?text=ISSAPC&search=everything&category=0&subcat=0&OrbVer=default (http://orbithangar.com/advsearch.php?text=ISSAPC&search=everything&category=0&subcat=0&OrbVer=default)

[gmd3d]

Now here's another Nugget that fell victim to the Fox policy axe. Iremember this one well. I've seen a few Hammerhead meshes here and there but I lost those links when my 'puter bit the big silicon wafer.

" The River of Stars " was the story I liked best. ....... and I was never overly fond of pancakes either. :lol:

You can get a mesh for the ISS-APC over at the main Orbiter add on hangar. It was done by Jon Marcure.

http://http://orbithangar.com/advsearch.php?text=ISSAPC&search=everything&category=0&subcat=0&OrbVer=default (http://orbithangar.com/advsearch.php?text=ISSAPC&search=everything&category=0&subcat=0&OrbVer=default)

We have a good selection of SAAB here , Hammerhead included :D

http://www.3dgladiators.net/dloads/categories.php?cat_id=9&page=1

[skullangel]

It was a good show caught it in its original run...

Its like modern problems with future technolgies, bridging our Present with the future... Interestingly enough its pretty much like SG-1 but the execution and the audience wasnt there yet... If they made it during stargate it wold in my humble opinon would have gone the distance... Albeit maybe with better studio backing... They could reimagine it galatica style... Which I think could yeild interestin results!

[Darrell Lawrence]

They could reimagine it galatica style...

Why ruin it?

[RedEyes]

I thought it was more like the newer BSG than SG1 in the first place. Had a gritty dark side, but filmed without the hand cam technique. Enjoyed it a lot, it's next to firefly to me as the one season shows I wished had gotten another shot.

[tgep]

I thought it was more like the newer BSG than SG1 in the first place. Had a gritty dark side, but filmed without the hand cam technique. Enjoyed it a lot, it's next to firefly to me as the one season shows I wished had gotten another shot.

Well, with hollywood having no real talent for creating anything new that's actually worthwhile, there's at least a 50/50 shot of the show getting remade. :bounce:

[evil_genius_180]

Well, with hollywood having no real talent for creating anything new that's actually worthwhile, there's at least a 50/50 shot of the show getting remade. :bounce:

The problem is that there are probably new things submitted in Hollywood all the time but the studio execs do a risk/reward assessment and feel it's not worth it, so they go with "safe" things that are similar to what has been done before or remakes. It's pretty sad.

[tgep]

Can you imagine how good the show would be if they got ahold of some good writers ( NOT the hacks from SGU :mad: ) , used todays CGI FX, and recast thye show with actors who are actually Marine Corp veterans ?

:smiley: They could litteraly blow away all competition. :rotfl:

[evil_genius_180]

I don't know if a bunch of jarheads would make a good cast or not. However, a Marine Corps. Drill Sergeant might be in order. After you sign some actors, hand them over to the Drill Sgt. for a boot camp-ish training schedule, let them get a feel for what it's really like to be in service. If anybody complains, send them packing and sign somebody else. Also, you'd have to have at least one former jarhead attached to the writers, not necessarily as writer but as a technical expert who could make sure they got the military stuff right. You have to worry about details like that if you really want a show or movie to work.

I was in the US Army and I hate it when they get military stuff wrong in shows and movies. I watched 3 or 4 episodes of The Unit before I realized their writers sucked and that clearly nobody who had been in the Army was involved in that show. After that, I stopped watching.

Though, I don't remember S:aAB and I don't remember how good the military aspects were. (besides, that was long before I joined the Army)

[Darrell Lawrence]

The military aspects were pretty good in S:AaB, and the show was in the future. The military won't be the same as it is now, just like now the military is different than say... WWII.

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, you've gotta account for the Sci-Fi aspects. As long as they don't do anything too blatantly bad like major chain of command violations or anything. (which won't fly in any era) There will be a lot of policy and method changes between now and then. A lot of the stuff that mostly annoys me in Sci-Fi military stuff is things like bad tactics. There's no call for stuff like that when all you need is to do a little research.

One thing I love about Firefly is that it's definitely non-military. It's just normal(ish) people living their lives in space. There aren't a whole lot of space shows like that.

[Jedman67]

One thing I love about Firefly is that it's definitely non-military. It's just normal(ish) people living their lives in space. There aren't a whole lot of space shows like that.

there was starfighter 2300. kinda like a lame, canadian knockoff of firefly

[evil_genius_180]

there was starfighter 2300. kinda like a lame, canadian knockoff of firefly

You mean Starhunter? (the second season was called Starhunter 2300) I've watched a couple episodes on Hulu, it's not too bad. It's no Firefly but it's entertaining.

I know there have been non-military space shows, there just aren't a lot. Lost in Space wasn't exactly military either.

[Darrell Lawrence]

Earth2 wasn't military either.

[Jedman67]

starhunter, yeah. i couldnt get through the second episode, it was too weird

[evil_genius_180]

Earth 2 was mostly on a planet, wasn't it? I was referring to ships flying through space, exploring or whatever. I never watched it but that's the impression I got from the limited info I found on the show. I wish Hulu would get more of these older shows, especially the ones that did a season or less, so that I could watch them and see how they are. It would be awesome if they had Space: Above and Beyond but they don't.

Yeah, Starhunter is just OK, though I'll probably watch at least a few more before I decide if I like it or not. So far, the characters don't seem as dynamic as they do on other shows like Firefly. But that might change. In fact, I'll probably watch another episode later. That's the beauty of Hulu, I can watch when I want. :D

[Darrell Lawrence]

Earth2 was planet-bound, yes, but not much different than the "planet of the week" scifi shows.

And it had aliens.. well... natives to the planet, but alien to us.

[tgep]

I don't know if a bunch of jarheads would make a good cast or not. However, a Marine Corps. Drill Sergeant might be in order. After you sign some actors, hand them over to the Drill Sgt. for a boot camp-ish training schedule, let them get a feel for what it's really like to be in service. If anybody complains, send them packing and sign somebody else. Also, you'd have to have at least one former jarhead attached to the writers, not necessarily as writer but as a technical expert who could make sure they got the military stuff right. You have to worry about details like that if you really want a show or movie to work.

I was in the US Army and I hate it when they get military stuff wrong in shows and movies. I watched 3 or 4 episodes of The Unit before I realized their writers sucked and that clearly nobody who had been in the Army was involved in that show. After that, I stopped watching.

Though, I don't remember S:aAB and I don't remember how good the military aspects were. (besides, that was long before I joined the Army)

That's not a bad idea either, except the Marine Corp doesn't have Drill Sargents. We have Drill Instructors.

[tgep]

The military aspects were pretty good in S:AaB, and the show was in the future. The military won't be the same as it is now, just like now the military is different than say... WWII.

Things change ... but you build on the lessons learned from the past. Side note. The Marine Corp Class A uniform is almost the same as it was in WW-II. The technology would be diffrent sure ... but to make the audience familiar with a lot of aspects, a lot would be based on current tactics and procedures.

[evil_genius_180]

We have Drill Instructors.

Yeah, sorry, big difference. :tongue:

I'm lucky if I remember the proper terms for Army stuff, let alone stuff from a branch of service of which I've never been a member (which is why you won't see me out there writing military novels. ;))

[tgep]

LOL, no worries.

[Auditor]

I loved Space Above and Beyond. Was so good. Well for a sci fi starved audience. I think it could have been great. Loved the Hammerhead design. Cancelled way too soon. Was so glad when it came out on DVD.

I liked Earth 2 thought it got cancelled to soon also. The little girl was good she was played by Madison Wright Morris. She had a heart disease in real life and had a heart transplant. She died when she was 21 from a heart attack. Very sad.

[evil_genius_180]

I got Space: Above and Beyond disc 1 from Netflix yesterday and I really like it. I watched all of the episodes on the disc last night and now I'm looking forward to disc 2. :)

I watched some of the episodes back in 1995, but I remembered very little about it. I mostly remembered Hawkes being different somehow, (though, I didn't remember his name) having something on the back of his neck and being sent into the military by a judge. That's basically all I remembered. It's too bad the series didn't do well in 1995, because it has a big cult following now. In fact, it has an 8.0/10 user rating on IMDb. I would say I wish they'd bring it back, but they'd probably mess it up if they did.

[Auditor]

I was very disappointed when SAAB was cancelled. Was one of my favorites.

How far along in the series are you now?

I think if given the chance it would have been great it was really staring to get its wings. I think the CG would have gotten better. The hammerheads looked great the space carrier USS Saratoga was not the best CG model. But for its time and for a weekly show it looked pretty good.

[evil_genius_180]

I've watched two of the five discs now. The last episode I watched was the two-parter where the 58th uses the Chig ship to infiltrate their space and winds up being captured and having to escape. I'm on the single disc plan from Netflix, so I can only get one after I send one back. Plus, I had to take a break and get Rise of the Planet of the Apes last week (it was finally released on Netflix.)

I'm really enjoying Space: Above and Beyond. It's got a really nice edgy, gritty feel to it. The CGI is really great for the time, better than Babylon 5 was in its first season. The Saratoga was OK, what really needed some work were the Chig ships, but we'll never know what might have been as it was cancelled. S:AAB was nominated for tow Primetime Emmys for its music and visual effects.

[Theophilis]

I really like the show. I believe the overall feel they were going for was WW2 Pacific theater in space. In some areas it got the military feel down pat, in others it was pants on head retarded. Who sends highly trained, highly valuable pilots down as footsloggers?

[Auditor]

Yeah I always found that part bizarre. But gives them more to do I suppose. I bounced around similar ideas, but it's tough to understand how it would be believable. I do love the show one. As I've said it's one of my favorites.

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, typically, pilots wouldn't be used as infantry. My guess would be that they didn't want to have the characters doing the same thing every week. Giving them more responsibilities than just being stick jockeys kept the show from falling into a routine where they just go out in their ships every episode and fight/shoot stuff.

[Theophilis]

Don't get me wrong, I love the show. It started out rough, but it grew into it's own very quickly. I really would have liked to see what they could have done with this show had it kept going.

[evil_genius_180]

Yeah, unfortunately, it's one of those shows that went before its time.

[Tenement]

Space 1999 isn't military either. (Scientific outpost.)

[kevlary]

I wish they would bring a sequal back , i thought the series was great, and they pulled the plug on it dam shame.

It reminded me of battlestar galactica in some way, i thought the ship looked realy cool too, the chig ships looked a bit bastic looking, perhaps they could of made them look a bit more interesting.

i would love to watch the pilot series again, if i can find a resource to download it, bring back some fond memories!!