The possibility of the earth coming to an end is near. Well, this is no longer just another “fiction” we see in series and movies. The rapid tectonic plate shifts that caused the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria, killing thousands, or the fact that the glaciers are melting at the poles, or in our very own country, Delhi, seeing the coldest winters, are all signs that the world is slowly approaching its doomsday. But being the most intelligent species on the planet, scientists worldwide are in constant search for alternatives. One of the most dominant research areas is finding another planet where the human race can survive. Not to mention, a lot of series and movies have been centered around this theme. The latest to join this clan is “The Ark,” created by Dean Devlin (famously known for directing “Geostorm ” and writing “Independence Day”) for SYFY and Peacock. Two episodes have been released so far, and they will take your breath away (almost literally).
Spoilers Ahead
‘The Ark’ Season 1 Episode 1: Recap
Probably a century later, when the earth’s prospects had severely dropped, a group of humans from different sectors were collected and put on a vessel, ARK 1, that aimed to reach an unnamed planet for the survival of humankind. Each of these people have excelled in their fields; the group consists of doctors, teachers, scientists, architects, advanced biosphere researchers, and whatnot. All these patients were in cryogenic sleep for five years and ninety-two days and were supposed to stay in that stage for more than a year. As planned earlier, they were to wake up two weeks before they landed on Proxima B, the unnamed planet. However, things go south, and the people on the board find themselves in dismay. The series is predominantly about the hurdles on the journey.
System Breach And The Consequences
About four hundred people who boarded the ship “Ark 1” are in danger as there is an uncalled system error waking them from their cryogenic sleep. The unknown reason that damaged the ship woke up all the people. Unfortunately, only a few could save themselves. Those who were saved faced the worst fears of zero gravity and an oxygen shortage. One among them could detect that there had been an obstruction in the wheels causing the trouble. She successfully overwrites the command, and both oxygen and gravity are restored. However, unfortunately, the leaders and the mentors, which consisted of top-notch engineers, scientists, teachers, architects, and doctors, were all lost. The surviving group finds out there is a shortage of water and additional food. What they have will last them only a few weeks. This information definitely makes the situation chaotic, and to add to the peril, they find out that the “incident” has taken away the leader’s cryo pod. Fear and trauma begin to engulf them, making them restless and intolerant toward each other. There remained only three lieutenants as the highest-ranking officers: two men and a woman. Lt. Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke), Lt. James Brice (Richard Fleeshman), and Lt. Spencer Lane (Reece Ritchie) are to take care of the 150 people out of 400 who have survived the “incident.”
Smuggled Soil To The Rescue
As the shortage of food was a rising concern, Angus Medford (Ryan Adams) of the horticultural department brought Lt. Sharon to show her the unauthorized soil that he had smuggled into the space vessel. Hope reaches the people at the most uncalled hour, a chance to grow food surfaces. Well, just soil cannot produce food; they need sunlight and water as well. LED lights were used to channel power from the ship. Lt. Sharon faces an open challenge from Lt. Spencer for her unilateral decision to use energy and water from the ship for food production. Later, a group of six representatives sits down to vote on whether the production should go ahead or not. However, votes favored production. So, one problem found its solution.
‘The Ark’ Episode 1: Ending – Another Breach And The Truth Unfolds
Towards the end of the first episode, we see another software malfunction resulting in a severe shortage of the ship’s oxygen supply. The people on board could not identify what the problem was. People on the board were horrified, and the oxygen helmets, too, were not charged with enough oxygen. Chaos seemed to follow the ship at every possible step. Jasper Dades, who was in charge of the ship’s software, was almost hunted down in the emergency to fix the problem. A serious confession changes the scene; the one who says he is Jasper Dades is a fraud. He was Malcolm Perry, who was a transportation scrub. The emergency was taken care of by Alicia Navin, the brilliant mind who was stuck in waste management earlier. The fraudster, Malcolm Perry, was arrested and locked in a cell. Lt. Sharon went to talk to him, and he confessed that other members of the ship had falsified their identities. The moment Sharon shares it with the rest of the leaders and the man in question is to be brought for questioning, they find him with a deadly slit throat.
“The Ark” shows how things can go utterly wrong and how difficult it is to manage them when you are in space and have limited resources. The entire episode will have chills running down your spine. You will be left in pain, considering the existence of these stranded people. At the same time, millions of questions will haunt you. The series is a must-watch and an entertaining take on sci-fi.