Deepwater Black
Deepwater Black is a 1995 novel, first in the Deepwater trilogy, by the New Zealand science fiction writer Ken Catran, where a cast of young characters are supposedly stranded in space while a virus ravages Earth. The book series itself is quite different from the television series later developed. The approach of the novels focused on the characters as younger children, around 13-14 rather than the television approach where the characters were much older.
Plot
The main plot involved a virus that breaks out and leaves the humans residing on Earth doomed. However, in a desperate attempt before the end, all humanity's resources are dedicated to a crash program to produce a deep space ark, capable of seeding humanity on a new world. The ship is crewed by six clones; teenage versions of people who achieved great works during the ark project and equipped with the memories of their donors. Prior to its arrival, however, the crew is awoken prematurely to face a threat to the ship, before their memories are complete. They must come to terms with the workings of the ship, the dangers faced by their ship, the realization that they are clones, and their ultimate destiny to save their race.
TV series
The trilogy was adapted as the Sci Fi Channel's first original scripted television series in 1997 under the name Mission Genesis. In the United Kingdom and in Canada, where the show was co-produced by the YTV Network, the series retained the original title, Deepwater Black. Only one season of 13 episodes was made, and involved a relatively small cast and heavy use of CGI. Soon after production ended, lead actress Nicole de Boer joined the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and lead actor Gordon Michael Woolvett joined the cast of Andromeda.
The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cast
- Gordon Michael Woolvett - Reb (captain and engineer)
- Nicole de Boer - Yuna (pilot and navigator)
- Jason Cadieux - Bren (defense and weapons expert)
- Julie Khaner - Gen (onboard computer)
- Craig Kirkwood - Zak (computer and cybernetics technician)
- Sara Sahr - Lise (doctor)
- Kelli Taylor - Gret (geneticist and communications expert)
Episodes
The show only had 13 episodes before it was canceled. They were:
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Awakening" | George Mendeluk | Bill Taub | July 21, 1997 |
| 2. | "Lullaby" | Don McCutcheon | Jeff Copeland Barry Pearson | July 28, 1997 |
| 3. | "Legacy" | Don McCutcheon | Jeff Copeland | August 4, 1997 |
| 4. | "Reflections" | George Mendeluk | Jeff Copeland Barry Pearson | August 11, 1997 |
| 5. | "Plague" | Don McCutcheon | Doug Molitor | August 18, 1997 |
| 6. | "Cycles" | Don McCutcheon | Jeremy Hole | August 25, 1997 |
| 7. | "Refugee" | George Mendeluk | Jeff Copeland Barry Pearson | September 8, 1997 |
| 8. | "Hunt" | Don McCutcheon | Raymond Storey | September 15, 1997 |
| 9. | "Fugue" | George Mendeluk | Dennis Foon | November 10, 1997 |
| 10. | "Siege" | George Mendeluk | Doug Molitor | November 24, 1997 |
| 11. | "Prime" | George Mendeluk | Dennis Foon | December 1, 1997 |
| 12. | "Infestation" | Don McCutcheon | Barry Pearson | December 15, 1997 |
| 13. | "Aurora" | George Mendeluk | Dennis Foon | December 22, 1997 |
External links
- Deepwater Black at IMDb
- Deepwater Black at TV.com
- Plot Guide for Deepwater Black (note: currently no actual plot synopsis are on the site.)