The Season Premiere of Dark Matter Says “Welcome to Your New Home”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Teravainen of Dark Matter recently and, you can read it here. Jeff plays Lieutenant Anders on the series. At the end of season 1 of Dark Matter. the crew of the Raza had been betrayed by one of their own. Now, they’ve been separated or imprisoned. What will happen to them now?

The Crew

This is definitely a space opera that needs to be watched. The crew each has their own backstory but to understand how they landed in this prison depends on you watching the entire first season.

Although the crew awoke from stasis unable to remember who they were, by the end of season 1, everyone but the young girl called Five knew their true identity. They live in a time period that is controlled by different warring corporations and just like we’re experiencing now, human life is last on the list of priorities when it comes to profit.

One

Derrick Moss (Marc Bendavid) we learned, had taken the identity and face via plastic surgery of a criminal named Jace Corso in order to gain passage on the Raza. Derrick, who is the heir to the Corelactic Industries, was tracking the killer of his wife which turned out to be # Three/ Marcus Boone. When Derrick is contacted by the acting CEO of his company and asks for proof that Boone was in fact the killer, the one and only witness to the crime is mysteriously killed. We are left wondering if Derrick’s term as the head of the company is in jeopardy of a takeover.

Two

Portia Lin’s real name is Rebecca and she is more than human. Portia (Melissa O’Neil), who assumed the role of captain of the Raza is really an advanced biosynthetic human that was created by a mad scientist named Alexander Rook played by Will Wheaton.

Rook works for Dwarf Star Technologies. Portia’s artificial parts and self-healing abilities make her one hell of a kick-ass heroine. While in prison, she makes friends with another female warrior. If authorities were ever to find out what she is, they will destroy her.

Three

Marcus Boone (Anthony Lemke) is definitely a pirate, but he may also be a rebel with a cause. Although he was hired by the Ferrous Corporation, he had a change of heart after falling in love with a terminally ill woman. He may have murdered Derrick’s wife, but I don’t think it was planned or premeditated. Like most of the crew, I think he’s been set up by the corporations.

Four

Ryo Tetsudo is a crown prince, but he’s on the run because he has been blamed for killing his father. This space opera even has a wicked stepmother. Alex Mallari Jr. plays his character as a ninja with brains.

When Ryo is threatened by a few nasty prisoners, he proves how efficient he is at martial arts, but the warden’s right hand man warns him that the prison uses sonic blasts to control the prisoners and that’s why the guards are all wearing protective earpieces.

Five

Emily Kolburn (Jodelle Ferland) is able to absorb the memories of others, but she’s unable to determine which memories are hers. This teenybopper is an orphan and, as far as she knows, was captured by Marcus after she snuck onto the Raza to steal medical supplies. Now, our little Five is in danger of being transported away from her friends.

Six

Griffin Jones (Roger Cross ) is the biggest puzzle on the show. Who is he really? Is he an undercover cop for the Galactic Authority like Lieutenant Anders suggested or is he being deceived. I’m going on a limb here and trusting that Griffin Jones is one of the good guys.

The Android

I love Zoie Palmer from her part in the series Lost Girl and, I was excited to see how she pulled off her part as the android.

Zoie Palmer plays her android with a sense of humor and she’s not about to betray her friends. Think Data from the Star Trek franchise with one little difference…the Raza’s android has major attitude!

Conclusion

Dark Matter is a great science fiction series that has a good cast and a quirky plot that unfolds ever so slowly to reveal the mystery and past events leading our merry crew of the Raza to a prison on an alien moon. The crew all have criminal records except for # Five and # One, but we know that they’re not as evil as the Corporations want us to believe. We meet a new ally when Nyx (Melanie Liburd) tells Portia that there may be a way to escape from the prison. We also wonder if # Six was given all the facts on who he really is.

The surprise ending has Jace Corso sneaking into the prison to pump a few well-aimed bullets into Derrick Moss. Was it because Derrick was asking too many questions about who really killed his wife? Did Griffin Jones get the whole truth from Lieutenant Anders about his being an uncover cop? You’ll need to watch the show to find out.