S01.E01: Episode One

[formerlyfreedom]

A spaceship crew awaken from stasis with no memory of their mission or their identities, but once they reach their destination, a mining colony, they begin to look for answers while working together to survive.

 

 

[TVSpectator]

A spaceship crew awaken from stasis with no memory of their mission or their identities, but once they reach their destination, a mining colony, they begin to look for answers while working together to survive.

 

Does anybody else think that description above could describe the crew of the Destiny from SGA?

 

Edit: because of a problem with the quotation box. 

Edited June 8, 2015 by TVSpectator

[GracieV]

Does anybody else think that description above could describe the crew of the Destiny from SGA?

 

Edit: because of a problem with the quotation box. 

Just a clarification,  Destiny was on Stargate Universe. SGA was Stargate Atlantis. :)

[mustbekarma]

I thought this episode was kind of boring until the reveal that they were the Big Bads. I don't know, if they were all murderers, would any of them really have a heart of gold and want to save the settlers? I mean, I get the brain wipe for memories. Apparently, it changed their basic personalities, too. I just find it more believable that nasty people who get amnesia would still be nasty people.

 

Interesting how there's no info on the kid. I'm willing to bet a shiny nickel the dream she had was really her dream. I'd only bet a tarnished nickel that she actually has all of her memories. I wouldn't put any money on her being responsible for the mind wipe in the first place. I like that idea, but not that much.

[wanderingstar]

I didn't love it. But I didn't hate it either. The ending intrigued me, so my plan is to watch the whole season. I do, however, reserve the right to jump ship if it gets stupid.

 

Loved seeing Roger Cross. I need some RC in my life until Continuum comes back!

[thuganomics85]

Gave it a go since it was airing after Defiance.  Not bad, I guess.  The amnesia plot making the characters just call each other numbers, makes it really easy to get their names right, at least!  Although, even then, I still refer to Six as "Roger Cross", because the man has been in so many Canadian-based shows, all his characters might as well be named Roger Cross at this point.

 

The reveal that they were criminals this entire time and that they are the ones who were suppose to kill the colony, was a neat twist.  I do want to know more about what they use to be, because I agree that having amnesia shouldn't mean their personalities would have changed.  But it already looks like One has a moral compass, and Two and Six don't seem like psychos, so I wonder how this group was formed, and what the context was for all of their crimes.

 

If someone would knock out Three, I'd appreciate it.  I know he's suppose to be obnoxious, but so far, he's obnoxious in a boring and annoying way.

 

I also noticed Five wasn't in the dossier, so between that and her "dreams", I do think she's going to be a big part in whatever the hell is going on.

 

As someone who honestly doesn't care for Lauren on Lost Girl, I actually think I enjoyed Zoie Palmer more in this episode, compared to her LG stint.  I think playing an android is right in her wheelhouse!

 

When it comes to SyFy shows, I just tell myself if I can sit through all two seasons of Helix, I can sit through anything.  Except Olympus.  I actually bailed before the fifth episode.  I think, at the very least, this show will be better then that!

Edited June 13, 2015 by thuganomics85

[venturestar]

This started off slow, but it was good enough that I will turn in for at least a few more episodes.

 

I wonder if we can really believe the files on the ship. The ship files say they're corporation thugs, but why have the shipment of guns and the pendant? The corporation knew where the planet was (the location is what makes it valuable) and they have guns of their own. There's no point to pretend to be the gun runners, why not just go and root out the population directly? Why meet with the planetary contact and set up the whole drop off?

 

 

I do want to know more about what they use to be, because I agree that having amnesia shouldn't mean their personalities would have changed.

I can see how it might have an effect. If, for instance, you think people are intrinsically selfish and never help anyone else without personal gain, you probably have memories that support that belief. Times when people refused to help or times when you helped someone and they never returned the favor. The same might hold true if you believe people going up against a big corporation are stupid, not brave, and deserve whatever's coming to them. You might have memories of people trying to defy people with more power and failing, making things worse, etc.

 

If someone was psychic (five....?) then maybe you could trace anti-social mindsets to the memories that support them and erase them.

 

 

[NorthstarATL]

I thought this episode was kind of boring until the reveal that they were the Big Bads. I don't know, if they were all murderers, would any of them really have a heart of gold and want to save the settlers? I mean, I get the brain wipe for memories. Apparently, it changed their basic personalities, too. I just find it more believable that nasty people who get amnesia would still be nasty people.

 

Interesting how there's no info on the kid. I'm willing to bet a shiny nickel the dream she had was really her dream. I'd only bet a tarnished nickel that she actually has all of her memories. I wouldn't put any money on her being responsible for the mind wipe in the first place. I like that idea, but not that much.

That's what will have me coming back, though. I'm assuming one or two of them were falsely charged and/or commited "murder" in self-defense. But others might just keep their bad impulses to themselves until they get their bearings. I can't recall if they were all accused of piracy, but more than one were, and it brought back fond memories of Blake's Seven.

[TVSpectator]

Just a clarification,  Destiny was on Stargate Universe. SGA was Stargate Atlantis. :)

 

Sorry, my bad (and you were right, SGU had Destiny and SGA was much better than SGU).

[wanderingstar]

If someone would knock out Three, I'd appreciate it.  I know he's suppose to be obnoxious, but so far, he's obnoxious in a boring and annoying way.

 

Thank you! I struggled to understand how One, Two, Four, Five and Six didn't throw him into space.

[Jazzy24]

I liked it and then being the criminals are interesting.

The big door intrigues me the most.

[shapeshifter]

I will watch another episode because this one left me with the fantasy of waking up to Roger Cross stroking the side of my head telling me everything will be alright.

And I did enjoy the first minute or so for nostalgic reasons. It seemed to splice together bits of BSG, SG1, Andromeda, and more.

ETA: David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay on various Stargates) is in 4 of the 13 episodes.

Why would a space ship have long swords and a long swordsman? The only think I could think of was that there was a dragon or King Kong behind the ginormous door.

...I'm assuming one or two of them were falsely charged and/or commited "murder" in self-defense...

Definitely. A good twist would be if the obnoxious one (who seems to be channeling a lot of O'Neill from SG1) turns out to not be evil--just your friendly neighborhood mercenary defending you from the bigger bad. But right now that doesn't look too likely.

The amnesia plot making the characters just call each other numbers, makes it really easy to get their names right, at least!...

But they did get names at the end. And here we go:

List of characters

(Actor...Number: Character Name: Charges or other info)

Marc Bendavid... One: Jace Corso: Murder, Assault, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Theft

Melissa O'Neil... Two: Portia Lin: Murder, Assault, Arson, Theft, Piracy

Anthony Lemke... Three: Marcus Boone: Murder, Assault, Kidnapping, Piracy

Alex Mallari Jr.... Four: Ryo Tetsudo: Murder, Assault, Piracy

Jodelle Ferland...Five (dreamed she cut out someone's eyes, but sounded like possible self defense to me)

Roger R. Cross... Six: Griffin Jones: Murder, Assault, Smuggling

Zoie Palmer... The Android

I realize Two/Portia was being an exposition fairy when she announced they were the bad guys, but that wasn't the leap I would've made, given the information. I would've assumed convicted criminals were sent on a suicide mission to help the miners, sort of like convicts being sent to colonize Australia.

And then there's Jace/One with "Rothgar's" pendant of "Freedom in the Face of Oppression" by which the planet people would know their saviors.

Edited June 13, 2015 by shapeshifter

[Chaos Theory]

I like Zoie Palmer so I am giving this show a bigger shot then I normally would us it looks like SYFY is making a night of it so I probably will to unless Killjoys fails to impress.

Pilots are rarely good and I was bored through most of the episode but the ending at least is interesting enough to give the show a real chance.

[ParadoxLost]

Jodelle Ferland...Five (dreamed she cut out someone's eyes, but sounded like possible self defense to me)

 

I got the impression that perhaps she dreamed about someone else's memory from the crew.  I don't think she's innocent though just from the cold blooded talk about efficient killing which seemed more like the reveal of held over knowledge of fighting that others demonstrated.

 

I need them to start going by other names because of the math.  They started calling out that three would go with five and two with four and stuff like that and I start doing math in my head. 

[mustbekarma]

I realize Two/Portia was being an exposition fairy when she announced they were the bad guys, but that wasn't the leap I would've made, given the information. I would've assumed convicted criminals were sent on a suicide mission to help the miners, sort of like convicts being sent to colonize Australia.

And then there's Jace/One with "Rothgar's" pendant of "Freedom in the Face of Oppression" by which the planet people would know their saviors.

I think she came to that conclusion because the name of the ship is the name of the bad guys the colonists said were sent to kill them. That plus their personal histories made her conclude that.

[Crim]

If someone would knock out Three, I'd appreciate it.  I know he's suppose to be obnoxious, but so far, he's obnoxious in a boring and annoying way.

Totally agree. Having a character be this grating in the pilot might not be the smartest move, imo. I know I hesitate to watch more of the show because he annoyed me to a point where I wasn't enjoying it anymore. Also, when he suggested himself as the appointed leader, that was beyond annoying since they aren't actually equals. It's obvious they have specialized skills which suggest their previous roles in the crew, and he is just a grunt with a gun. I did like how Two just took command from basically the first scene, and she got shit done, so nothing she said was contested. I hope the show focuses more on action and plot than on leadership struggles, because IMO the ship has already sailed in that regard.

 

I hope they explain why the Blademaster and the room filled with swords, but I think it's just them cramming Cool Asian Stuff in the show.

 

I got the impression that perhaps she dreamed about someone else's memory from the crew.

That was my impression too. Five only said it wasn't her, didn't say it belonged to a man, so maybe it was Two's. We were shown Two had a reaction to what she was hearing; maybe she doesn't remember it, but it still triggers something.

 

The Pendant seems more compelling evidence they were shipping the weapons to the colonists than the fact that the crew members were wanted for crimes; after all, they could have committed all those as rebels, "Freedom in the Face of Oppression" and all that. Maybe there will be a second twist at some point. Convenient that their records could be recovered with absolutely perfect timing. In fact, I wonder if the show isn't going somewhere with this - taken to spoiler and speculation thread.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Crim

[wanderingstar]

I will watch another episode because this one left me with the fantasy of waking up to Roger Cross stroking the side of my head telling me everything will be alright.

I know, right! 

[Puffaroo]

In contrast to many other posters here, I wasn't the least bit bored -- I'm rarely bored anyway -- and wish the revelation of who they *supposedly* are hadn't come so soon.  I'm hoping they aren't really bad guys.

 

I liked the show quite a bit, so enjoy it while you can, because my liking a show usually means it gets rapidly cancelled.  ;)

[venturestar]

Since two of the crew have kidnapping charges and five isn't listed as part of the crew, I wonder if she was the one who was kidnapped. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I, too, wondered why they believed the recovered files so easily.  Someone or something was able to erase all the ship's computers memories and all of their own memories yet they trust something that just happens to be the one big thing recovered from those computers?  Why?

[Terrafamilia]

Some random thoughts.

 

The premiere wasn't bad but could have been better. The spaceship itself bugged me. Too many random corridors and a boatload of wasted space. The Serenity was much more realistic in that regard, there the hold had the largest open area and everything else was more economically sized. How many people was this ship originally designed for? I was also wondering why the stasis pods were scattered all over the place rather than in one location. Though I suppose that could be a case of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

The ship is also too dark (like the Destiny from SGU). The sickbay at least should be a lot brighter. And the crew's mess. It doesn't need to be as white and shiny as the Liberator from Blake's Seven but I hope they eventually spruce things up. And the technology level seemed inconsistent. There's whoop-di-do nanotech magic for the android/gynoid and the ship has self-repairing capability but then there was Five fiddling with 20th century wires in the busted up console.

 

I know they seem to be telegraphing some UST between One and Two but I hope they don't go that way. Right now, and I know it's early, the dynamic would seem to work better with Two as presumptive captain and One as first officer (or morale officer). The only slashy possibility that intrigued my sordid imagination so far would be One and Four (opposites attract – a talkative guy who thinks he’s Jiminy Cricket and a pragmatic man of few words with hidden depths).

[ramble]

I'm in, at least for now. I enjoyed it. I don't know that I'll bother with names for awhile. I liked the ease of numbers. Two bothered me, even though she really didn't do anything I can point to as annoying. I think I'm just a little burned out on her, not the actress, just the character type. At the moment I'm interested in the later risers the most: Four, Five & Six. Two felt a bit like a try-hard Jayne Cobb & One seemed like a check mark in the generic pretty boy spot.

[Ariah]

About 4 years ago (in 2011), I had an idea for a story about a group of people who wake up in an unknown environment, with no knowledge of who they are. Gradually, the discover they're on a spaceship (someone gets sucked out into space) and that they carry a very dangerous cargo...

 

Well, I didn't go past the draft stage and now I never will, as it would be considered - oh, irony - plagiarism. But I can watch what others did with this idea.

 

...and frankly, I liked it. Didn't get bored and wasn't annoyed. I actually liked all the characters for better or worse.

 

One in my mind is Not!Paul Rudd. He seems like a very decent guy, which probably means he used to be the worst of the bunch. We still don't know what his skillset is - to me he's a wildcard, even though he seems to be an expy for the audience.

 

Two, or Not!Lexa Doig seems a little too competent for someone whose memory was wiped (in my story there was one person who kept his/her memory intact, but pretended to be amesiac). However, her reaction in the sneak peak for 1.02 suggests otherwise.

 

Three is like a less charming Jayne Cobb to me - cocky, likes big guns (does he call his guns names?), hot-headed. He seems to be the odd one out of the group or the one whose instincts were kept intact.

 

Four is the samurai-in-space type (as some of you've mentioned - swords in space? Rule of cool).

 

Five is the Kaylee type (even the jacket is similar), but also a River type (odd dreams). It would be nice if she was the real mastermind, the head of the Raza.

 

Six - the calm, stoic type. A character that's safe to be around (the gentle giant type?)

 

Android - never trust an android, most Alien movies and the Prometheus tought me that ;]

- - -

On the whole, the intro is promising. The idea that the Raza is so fearsome, it became a stuff of legends and nobody knows who or what they really are? Good starting point. I'm willing to give this series a chance and see how it unfolds.

[AngelKitty]

I liked it.  Definitely got a Stargate Universe vibe but that's OK. I'm just so happy to have a spaceship show.  I'm worried about that box, though.  It reminds me of those Hellsomething movies that I can't think of the name of because I'm old and stoned. I hope I'm wrong but I thought I read somewhere there were going to be supernatural elements involved.  Just please don't let there be witches.  I am so sick of witches.

[Uncle Benzene]

I definitely agree with the previously stated: Three/Marcus = Jayne Cobb (jerkface) and Five/? = River Tam (mystical/esoteric mental abilities)

 

And I'd even go a bit further and suggest that One/Jace = Simon Tam (idealist) and Two/Portia = Zoe Washburne (badass)

 

And perhaps even Six/Griffin = Derrial Book, just going by how he immediately seemed to instinctively care for Five after her bonk on the head. I could see him being the "Shepherd" or at least the voice of reason/compassion who gets along with everybody and therefore serves as a maintainer of unity/relative peace in the face of internal conflicts among the crew.

 

Given all those first impressions (for me, anyway) I'd expect myself to be rolling my eyes and muttering "pffft... so derivative" but I'm not. I enjoyed it a lot, and am in for the haul. It'll NEVER be Firefly, obviously, but that's okay. It doesn't have to be, nor should it try to be. If, on its own merits, it can be one tenth the show Firefly was, and bring back the occasional memory of that show's awesomeness every now and then, well that's plenty good enough to keep me on board.

[Just Here]

As venturestar mentioned, this got off to a slow start. I would have preferred a bigger crisis from the get-go (e.g., being directly under attack by the big bad corporation), rather than the measured "Let's meet everyone and tour our cool ship" that we got, at least until the Android showed up.  And, a bigger crisis would have helped with world-building, which seemed to be lacking, since all we really saw was the ship and the mining colony.

 

I'm a bit disappointed that they seem to be using all the typical space travel tropes, e.g. (1) faster-than-light travel, (2) subspace communications, (3) easy artificial gravity, (4) inertial dampeners; (5) incredibly room spaceship.  Going with some harder sci-fi tropes would have helped give the series a more original feel, and have helped with the world-building.

 

I hope they explain why the Blademaster and the room filled with swords, but I think it's just them cramming Cool Asian Stuff in the show.

 

In case you didn't watch Stargate: Atlantis, a martial arts training/sparring room was a regular set on that show.  So, I'm guessing that was the primary inspiration source for Mallozi and Mullie to include that room on the ship.

[GracieV]

Answers to some of the questions/issues people have can be found at Mallozzi's weblog (he does Q and A's about his shows). One such: 

 Q:  The Asian character has to be the one who can handle the swords.”

Answer: I’ve addressed this elsewhere but will repeat my response here.

I’ve been very up front about the inspirations for Dark Matter: comics, SF literature, film, television, and anime. The latter, Japanese cartoons for those not in the know, was a particularly big influence on the show’s development, specifically, a show called CowBoy Bebop that offered a wonderful mix of humor and scifi in it’s all too brief 26 episode run.

The sword-wielding character of FOUR is a tip of the hat to SF-themed anime, from classics like Gundam to more contemporary titles like Code Geass. Fans of the genre will no doubt recognize many familiar elements.

In creating the character, and his storyline, I consulted with many of my friends in Japan (I visit every year, am a student of Japanese culture and history, and speak Japanese – albeit like a four year old boy) and girlfriend (who also happens to be Japanese) who were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a North American scifi series with recognizable anime trappings.

So, all this to say, the creation of this character actually came from a place of respect.

But why, you may ask, does he have a sword in space?  Illogical?  Maybe.  And then again, maybe that question will be answered in time as well…

 

[xaxat]

I was intrigued. The very pretty cast certainly didn't hurt.

[Terrafamilia]

I was thinking some more about possible shipping. The following will almost certainly bear no relation whatsoever to how things actually play out.

 

Two and Three - Were married to one another pre-amnesia and happily so! If made aware of this they would be aghast but after slowly settling into well-worn routines they go from WTF to oh, what the hell.

 

One and Four - Would have to be a slow build up and relatively low-key. Four doesn't seem the kind for lots of PDA's. They need to get to know one another and build trust. If you're not keen on a romance, becoming best buds would be fine.

 

This leaves Five and Six - Don't know how old the character is supposed to be but Jodelle Ferland is 20. In their past lives Six worked for Five's family which is why he could fall into the big brother/protector role. Whether it would ever go beyond that, who knows?

[formerlyfreedom]

One in my mind is Not!Paul Rudd.

 

This is exactly what I named him when he showed up. Funny!

[MissLucas]

 

ETA: David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay on various Stargates) is in 4 of the 13 episodes.

That'd be enough to keep me hooked if I wasn't already intrigued. I was spoiled for the ending but I still enjoyed it. Lots of stuff that looked derivative but that's not unusual for a pilot. The writing for Three should get toned down a bit - right now he's the worst offender in the 'walking character cliché' department. Closely followed by Five who has at least some additional mystery going on with her not being in the files.

I really miss a show with spaceships so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this one stays afloat.

[solea]

This pilot was slow and boring in places but that ending really perked me up.  The trope of the amesiac and what their "true" self may be has always captured my imagination.  A lot of possibilities in this story since neither the characters nor the audience know the truth of their situation or their supposed histories.  Would be funny if Number One, with his pretty boy good looks (I'm calling him Paul (as in Paul McCartney) in my head) turns out to be the most disturbingly ruthless killer/criminal and Annoying Guy is just a run-of-the-mill-dickhead-blowhard.

 

The statis pods bothered me.  They were upright.  If there was no need for artificial gravity during the journey they would still need to be strapped in somehow.  Once artificial gravity kicked in being upright, and not strapped in, would be an even bigger problem.  Or should have been.  (So many shows do this.  No one ever seems to go limp when unconscious.  They are always in optimal postion when they wake up.)

[shapeshifter]

Going with some harder sci-fi tropes would have helped give the series a more original feel, and have helped with the world-building...

In case you didn't watch Stargate: Atlantis, a martial arts training/sparring room was a regular set on that show. So, I'm guessing that was the primary inspiration source for Mallozi and Mullie to include that room on the ship.

Answers to some of the questions/issues people have can be found at Mallozzi's weblog (he does Q and A's about his shows). One such:

...Japanese cartoons [anime], was a particularly big influence on the show’s development, specifically, a show called CowBoy Bebop...

It would be very original if they went sort of meta and had it turn out that the memory loss due to power and data loss is a common occurrence with the result being that they sometimes have to figure things out based on old analog media. I spent the day packing for a move next weekend and found some old VHS tapes of my favorite SG1 episodes, so that's probably influencing my reaction to other posters' comments. Anyway, I think it would be cool to find out that the whole sword room and the guy's sword skills were designed and cultivated because of an old VHS tape of SG Atlantis and/or "Cowboy Bebop."

I was thinking some more about possible shipping...

I'm imagining One and Two were divorced. It would be interesting if they found this out at some stage of a romance. We already saw some humorous chemistry between them (a pause in the missionary position during their power struggle over the ship's bridge, and then when she came to get him and he had just awakened in revealing undies) but not anything serious. Edited June 15, 2015 by shapeshifter

[maczero]

I thought this episode was kind of boring until the reveal that they were the Big Bads. I don't know, if they were all murderers, would any of them really have a heart of gold and want to save the settlers? I mean, I get the brain wipe for memories. Apparently, it changed their basic personalities, too. I just find it more believable that nasty people who get amnesia would still be nasty people.

There's always the "nature vs. nurture" argument.  I've always felt that I would be an almost entirely different person if I had different parents and raised in a different environment.  I would imagine taking away a lifetime of negative experiences might cause someone to have a different outlook.  Besides 3 (jerky white guy) and 4 (silent Asian guy) didn't really seem to have hearts of gold so I could buy them as murderers/mercenaries. 

As someone who honestly doesn't care for Lauren on Lost Girl, I actually think I enjoyed Zoie Palmer more in this episode, compared to her LG stint.  I think playing an android is right in her wheelhouse!

Same here.  I may not be fan of Lauren's actress (moreso the character) but I thought she did a fine job as an emotionless android.  I also thought she handled herself well during the fight scenes.  Does the actress have a background in martial arts?

 

One in my mind is Not!Paul Rudd. He seems like a very decent guy, which probably means he used to be the worst of the bunch. We still don't know what his skillset is - to me he's a wildcard, even though he seems to be an expy for the audience.

 

Two, or Not!Lexa Doig seems a little too competent for someone whose memory was wiped (in my story there was one person who kept his/her memory intact, but pretended to be amesiac). However, her reaction in the sneak peak for 1.02 suggests otherwise.

 

Three is like a less charming Jayne Cobb to me - cocky, likes big guns (does he call his guns names?), hot-headed. He seems to be the odd one out of the group or the one whose instincts were kept intact.

 

Four is the samurai-in-space type (as some of you've mentioned - swords in space? Rule of cool).

 

Five is the Kaylee type (even the jacket is similar), but also a River type (odd dreams). It would be nice if she was the real mastermind, the head of the Raza.

 

Six - the calm, stoic type. A character that's safe to be around (the gentle giant type?)

 

Android - never trust an android, most Alien movies and the Prometheus tought me that ;]

Ha!  I love that others are seeing similar characters from other shows.

 

Two definitely has an Andromeda vibe (that was the name of the android as well as the ship, right?)

 

Totally agree that Three is a Jayne knock-off.  And Five is a cross between Kaylee and River.

[shapeshifter]

There's always the "nature vs. nurture" argument.  I've always felt that I would be an almost entirely different person if I had different parents and raised in a different environment.  I would imagine taking away a lifetime of negative experiences might cause someone to have a different outlook.  Besides 3 (jerky white guy) and 4 (silent Asian guy) didn't really seem to have hearts of gold so I could buy them as murderers/mercenaries...

Silent Asian guy seems like a good candidate for inannately good but trained as assassin. Two seemed more cold hearted to me. 

...And Five is a cross between Kaylee and River.

She seemed so much like River to me that it bugged--like she was a plagiarized character. I recognize the differences, of course, but it was sort of like getting the idea from a particular source and not citing it just because it's not a direct quotation.

[GracieV]

What's the etiquette for posting ratings here? In the media thread or with each episode? Episode 1 got not that great but perhaps OK ratings for Syfy??

1.279 million viewers for a 0.3 demo rating (18-45 live plus same day viewing) in the US. (It did better than Defiance which had 1.111 m viewers for a 0.2 rating)

[formerlyfreedom]

What's the etiquette for posting ratings here? In the media thread or with each episode? Episode 1 got not that great but perhaps OK ratings for Syfy??

1.279 million viewers for a 0.3 demo rating (18-45 live plus same day viewing) in the US. (It did better than Defiance which had 1.111 m viewers for a 0.2 rating)

 

@GracieV, go ahead and put those in the Media topic, that way the conversation can continue. Thanks!

[gaby4ever25]

Did everyone catch the profile for each character when they showed their names and crimes committed. I wanted to know their ages but they weren't listed. Two was listed as biracial and they didn't list her height. One was listed with brown eyes and black hair. I thought he had hazel eyes and brown hair. I know the actress playing Five is twenty and could defitely pass for younger but not fifteen. Seventeen is a good compromise. Still young enough but almost an adult.

I really want to know what One's specialty is. I got the sense he was someone in a leadership role, probably second in command, however he also seems the most caring so I wouldn't be surprised if he was a doctor. Of course he could end up being the most badass and the worst of the bunch.

[shapeshifter]

...I really want to know what One's specialty is. I got the sense he was someone in a leadership role, probably second in command, however he also seems the most caring so I wouldn't be surprised if he was a doctor. Of course he could end up being the most badass and the worst of the bunch.

He had the "we come in peace" amulet under the pillow of the bed where he was sleeping. Was that his room when he woke up, or did he just happen to get that one? And, even if it was his room, the amulet was under the pillow on the other side of the bed, implying visually that it was not his.

[Adira]

Well I liked the pilot.  Totally agree with everyone about Three - he was soooo annoying and too much of a cartoon character fitting a specific role to me.  Hopefully they'll tone him down or flesh him out a bit more.  I'm very intrigued by the door in their cargo bay.  And I liked the reveal that they were the bad guys.

 

Also, is it just me, or was that Android snarky??

[Locutus]

I thought it was David Hewlett on that garbled recovered data, but then we never actually see him. Was a little confused and wondered if some editing has been done.

[nitrofishblue]

I actually liked the show. Yes, the start was a tad slow but it slowly got better. I am a sucker for outer space shows. Don't know why but I like the topic. Have to see how Killjoy goes. Maybe a chance for three interesting shows on a Friday night; Defience, Dark Matter, Killjoy.

[peachmangosteen]

Since two of the crew have kidnapping charges and five isn't listed as part of the crew, I wonder if she was the one who was kidnapped. 

 

That was my first thought.

 

I liked it. I'll keep watching.

[Pippin]

I watched it and it kept my interest, which is a plus.  I didn't predict the twist at the end, which is great because usually I can tell how the story is going to go (like who is going to kick the bucket next, etc.)  Any show that can surprise me is OK in my books, so I will definitely be watching for a while.

 

I've been rewatching Stargate:Atlantis on the idiot box; I'm thrilled with the idea that David Hewlett will be on Dark Matter.  Rodney is my favourite obnoxious Canadian.  (I'm Canadian and it's nice to say a non-stereotypical character, like Rodney the pain-in-the-butt Canuck).

 

I would like to see other actors from Atlantis show up as wellL  Joe Flanigan (Col. Sheppard) and Connor Trinneer (Michael) for starters.  It's always fun to see familiar faces in different roles.

[Janimo]

AngelKitty, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of "Hellraiser" when Four was messing with the box. I was practically yelling "Don't open it!!" at my tv screen. lol Did the "big door" that Three couldn't open resemble the box? I just deleted ep so I can't go back and check.

Overall, I liked the pilot and will check out at least a couple of more episodes.

[Snarkette]

Wooden dialog. Wooden acting. Pointless plot. Out-of-nowhere-hook. I feel obliged to see another ep, but ugh. I kept waiting for the cut scene to end and to get back to actually playing the game before realizing this was supposed to be TV drama.

[arjumand]

Wooden dialog. Wooden acting. Pointless plot. Out-of-nowhere-hook. I feel obliged to see another ep, but ugh. I kept waiting for the cut scene to end and to get back to actually playing the game before realizing this was supposed to be TV drama.

 

The only thing I disagree with is "out of nowhere hook", because as soon as the miners mentioned that fixers were on the way to wipe them out, I pointed at our heroes and said: "And the killers are you! Suckers."

 

Three/Asshole guy is a major stumbling block - in your pilot, which is supposed to get everyone hooked, you put this guy who your audience will want to see die (painfully)? Seriously?

 

I want One/Jace to be, as other posters mentioned, the worst of them all, to make it ironic that he seems like the nicest. But subverting expectations is hardly Mallozzi's forte.

 

For example, as soon as the only Asian in the cast picked up the swords I audibly groaned. You just hadda go there, show. To add insult to injury, Mallozzi is burbling on about coming from a place of respect? Let me tell you about a place of respect, Mallozzi. Back in the original Star Trek, when Mr Sulu went all uninhibited with the rest of the crew and picked up a sword, Roddenberry made it a fencing foil on purpose. He made Mr Sulu spend all that episode fencing on purpose (I don't know why he made Mr Sulu spend the whole episode shirtless, but my body thanks him). When asked why it wasn't a katana, he answered "'cos that would have been racist". That's right, the Star Trek reboot (2009), and Dark Matter (2015) are more racist than something which premiered in 1966.

 

Oh, and One wakes up in long sleeves, cos he's a guy. Two wakes up in a tank top, because- oh what's the use. Later on, she wears a belly shirt, because reasons.

 

I will watch episode two, with reservations. But it needs to get better, fast.

[tennisgurl]

I finally caught the pilot, and I enjoyed it a lot, kind of surprisingly. There were a lot of cliches, but I thought most of them worked. You can see how this is the child of a lot of different sci fi TV series of the past (there is some Firefly, especially with the River/Kayley mash up teenager), but it worked for me. I liked the characters, thought it had some good atmosphere, and the twist made me actually excited to see the next episode. That`s all I ask from a pilot.

 

Ok, I liked all the characters, but god DANG does three need to shut up. If all the other crew members just decided to toss him back into stasis, I think I would be alright with that.

 

As far as the characters previous lives, I think 2 was the captain, and 1 was her first officer. They both seem to have natural leadership skills, and narrative law states that the first two people we meet will probably be the most important.  

[Mars477]

 

For example, as soon as the only Asian in the cast picked up the swords I audibly groaned.

Two looks to me to be half-Asian (and her actress is apparently half-Chinese).

 

Of course, she knows kung fu, so...

[Asha124]

I'm calling it now: One/Nice Guy/Pretty Boy/Jace is going to be the psycho one. I get really shady vibes off of him and he looks a lot smarter than the rest of the crew. (I am probably wrong but it would be fun if I wasn't)