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In the fall of 1995, Fox television network introduced a future-based war drama that immediately became a staple in the
science fiction treasury. There has been nothing like it since, in terms of scale, delivery, style, and imagination. From the
first four notes of the theme, you get a sense of stirring heroic adventure that can be both uplifting and deeply affecting,
played out skillfully in military cinematic tradition. A convincing production packed with action, comradeship, and compassion,
Space: Above and Beyond never drags. It thrusts you directly into the story, introducing you to the irresistible complexities
of the characters and the times in which they live. It is a journey through the hearts and minds of young Marines and their
commanders as they face desperation and sacrifice, as they bond in fellowship that often means the difference between death
and survival, and as they mature individually, confronting their own personal conflicts.
The year is 2063. Humankind has become a space-faring civilization, moving beyond its cradle, the Solar System, into the
stars, never encountering other intelligent life, believing itself to be alone.
The A.I. War is over but at a high cost. During the war, the loss of human life was so great that industry and government came
together to engineer soldiers -- a fighting force of artificially gestated humans to join in battle alongside "natural borns" and defeat the
enemy. With the A.I. enemy now vanquished and the need for In-Vitros brought into question, a social conscience rises, leading to
a humanitarian movement for incorporating In-Vitros into society and granting them the benefits that all citizens enjoy. But
not everyone agrees; far too many discriminate against them, some even seek to kill them.
Still, the nations of Earth are coming together in peace bound by new global government, moving their commerce and ventures
throughout the Solar System and beyond. The armed services function as scouts and sentries, patrolling the spaceways.
Aerotech, Inc., a powerful private corporation working with the U.S. government, has trained explorer pioneers and developed colonies
on two distant planets – Tellus and Vesta.
Meanwhile, five young people have come to life-changing moments; four choose to join the Marine Corps, while the fifth is
forced by the judicial system. They train together, not exactly comfortable with one another, certainly not understanding one another. One
longs to take up his post on a space-based patrol. Another longs to serve her country as her parents had. Another seeks
stability and direction. Yet another seeks to escape his mediocre life. And one just wants his sentence to be over.
Then the unthinkable happens: the two colonies are attacked. Alien forces are on their way to the Solar System. Life has
changed in a heartbeat. Suddenly thrust into combat, the five recruits ship out to their assigned battleship where they
meet their commanding officers and face the first horrors of war.
All the characters register powerfully, but the true strength of Space: Above and Beyond is the squadron itself, the Wildcards.
Burdened and scarred by events past and present, they form a cohesive unit that understands the cost of failure, that perseveres
and presses on, knowing that all life on Earth depends on them and others like them. Episode after episode, each character
strengthens the squadron even more. Dispatched to their assignments, they forge ahead despite great losses
because they must, all to an emotionally engaging end.
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