Shedding light on Dark Matter

The cast of Dark Matter

The cast of Dark Matter

Published Jul 30, 2015

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Fans of Stargate SG1 will be elated to learn that there’s a new sci-fi show to fill the void. And Dark Matter brings a new dimension to the offerings currently on the small screen: The Messengers, Wayward Pines and Resurrection.

What makes this show vastly intriguing – abesides the fact that Orange is the New Black’s Ruby Rose makes a cameo as Wendy – is that writer and producer Joseph Mallozzi is the executive producer on this show. And his resume proves that he has the Midas touch when it comes to the subject matter.

Dark Matter, based on the comic series by Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, centres on a six-person crew who awake from a period of inactivity only to find they have no recollection of who they are or how they came to be aboard a spaceship.

Naturally, this creates an ambience of unease, which translates into tempers flaring. This doesn’t help matters when they face threats from bounty hunters, ruthless corporations and former foes (whom they can’t remember, of course).

While being forced to rely on each other, they also find there is a traitor in their midst and the plot thickens.

Also, there’s quite a clash of personalities on board. One (Marc Bendavid) is the voice of reason. He always tries to do the right thing, despite the odds stacked against him or the discord it brings. Two (Mellisa O’Neill) is the group’s de facto leader. While she is a skilled fighter and headstrong, her coolness masks her compassionate side. The real badass is Three (Anthony Lemke). He is more self-serving than anything else. Four (Alex Mallari jr) is a master with the blade. A man of few words, he is a loyal friend and relentless in defeating the enemy.

Then there is Five (Jodelle Ferland), who is proficient at anything mechanical while also seemingly possessing telepathic powers. She often speaks before thinking. Six (Roger Cross) keeps a low-key profile. However, he is a man of integrity and tolerates no bulls**t. Although he has a heart of gold, he is not to be trifled with and is philosophical by nature. Lastly, The Android (Zoie Palmer), a robot-cum-butler, proves to be an indispensable member of the team. While yearning to be more like her human counterparts, she proves invaluable in running the ship’s systems.

In an interview with Geeks Of Doom, Mallozzi shared: “I first started developing Dark Matter way back while I was working on Stargate: Atlantis. I was having a great time working on SGA but, I was playing in someone else’s sandbox, writing for an incredible world and characters that Brad Wright and Robert C Cooper had created. It was rewarding but I wanted to create something of my own. Something that would be different and yet still contain many of the elements that I found so appealing about Stargate: compelling characters, a sense of adventure, and an underlying humour. After developing the series, Paul and I handed it off to fellow executive producer (and the president of Prodigy Pictures) Jay Firestone – who did all the legwork, working tirelessly to put together the deals that made the show a reality.”

So what separates this series from Stargate?

“It takes place in a distant future. Also, Dark Matter will be far more serialised, it will be a little darker. But it will retain a sense of humour, something I’ve always felt goes a long way toward facilitating a connection between viewers and our characters.”

Dark Matter airs on Universal Channel (DStv channel 117) from tonight at 8pm.

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