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Over the weekend I discovered a new, and very unique, web-series known as "Pioneer One" thanks to Twitter. This is a series you are probably going to hear a lot more about from me.  Why? Well for one thing the premise is amazing and has me extremely intrigued and excited and wanting for more, wondering what's next. Secondly the distribution method is as unique and exciting as the premise of the show itself, and a model I've been hoping would come along for a some time now. 

When I watched the pilot episode last night I did so without any prior knowledge about the plot or premise of the show. As I was watching bits and pieces were revealed and I found myself getting the chills with excitement, elation and anticipation of what was unfolding. So...NO SPOILERS read on. I will say however that if someone could reach inside my head and then sit down and design a premise and story specifically to appeal to me and bring me in hook line and sinker they probably wouldn't do a good as job as this show. I'm also very happy to see the story seems to be taking a "hard scifi" direction and that is something I've always wanted to see more of in scifi. I hope things stay that way moving forward and we avoid warp drive and little green men, they have their place sure but scifi that emphasizes the SCI over FI would be refreshing indeed. I realize I've been purposely vague but to hopefully build some excitement here's a brief synopsis of the first beat...

The show opens similar to scifi films like "Contact" and "Independence Day" it's quickly established that we're in an academic environment with some grad students well, being grad students, and a professor looking over some recent scans of the sky. His response of "what the hell?" Elicits the interest of the grad students. It appears the scan has captured an unknown object in a beyond earth orbit due to cross paths with Earth. A debate ensues about what the object might be. A probe? Nothing registered with that orbit. DOD? Maybe. One of the grad students then makes a compelling argument that the shape of the object is strikingly similar to that of a Russian Soyuz capsule. Only problem no Soyuz would be orbiting out that far. In any case they all agree it isn't likely to hit earth directly anyways but fly harmlessly by...

Alright so maybe you're not convinced by my unbridled childhood like excitement for "Pioneer One" or aren't a scifi fan but even if that's the case there's another reason why you'll want to pay attention to the future of this series. I've always been an avid TV fan and I've invested in several shows with a great deal of passion and fandom only to have them end up on the network chopping block after a season or eventually actually canceled. It's a storied list that includes such shows as "Chuck", "Futurama", and perhaps the most storied of them all "Firefly."  I've often felt like maybe I just like shows no one else wants to watch. Or maybe mainstream media just doesn't have the stomach for really cool scifi. Either way what if there was a better way? What if a great web series with production quality equal or approaching to that of mainstream TV shows, not unrealistic in 2010, could be produced and distributed online funded by the passionate fans who support it?

In fact "Pioneer One" is attempting to make this pipe dream a reality. The pilot episode was produced on a $6000 budget funded by a campaign for donations by fans (and an ad or two from the looks of it). The show is then being distributed on BitTorrent via the VODO network. Obviously this approach is not without its risks but I've always believed the potential advantages are many. For one there's no network exec loosing patience and deciding the mainstream audience isn't into hard scifi. Creators are in control of their story and vision and if the fans want them to keep telling it all those fans have to do is donate. Will it work? I'm not sure but based on what I saw in the pilot I sure hope so. If nothing else it is the first attempt and hopefully it will meet with success paving the way for future viability of the model.  Here's hoping!

More Information:

"Pioneer One" Website

"Pioneer One" Trailer

"Pioner One" Pilot Episode Download

I've tweeted about it a few times but awhile back I stumbled upon the SciFi/Fantasy web series known as "Riese."  The show is released directly every few weeks as a series of webisodes on YouTube.  I only just learned tonight that "Chapter 1" was originally produced as a TV pilot but that isn't surprising because everything about the production of Riese raises the bar for all web series, it is easily the level of something like a Dr. Horrible or The Guild.

I've actually been waiting for quite a while for something like Riese to come along. Ever since podcasts and web series have become more common place I feel like they've been lacking the drama, production, and story telling of more traditional scripted TV.  The advantage to the web route though of course is that the content creator keeps total control of the project. In otherwords wouldn't it be great if we could get something as good as Firefly or Dollhouse and not have to worry about being canceled by a network! As best I can tell Riese is that dream come to life.  There aren't a lot of web series out there with the level of production and quality of Riese, The Guild is probably its closest contemporary. So far Riese is delivering in a big way and I hope its a sign that the snowball is starting to build and we see more scripted web series.

If you consider yourself a fan of science fiction you need to be watching this series it's just that simple. For me I see in the show part Lord of the Rings and there is the heavy steampunk influence in terms of the technology.  The overall aesthetic is something that really drew me in it is a unique mix that blends the lines between scifi and pure fantasy like Lord of the Rings. I think it's fair to say that the world of Riese is not like any I've seen before. When watching in 720p on YouTube that world very visually compelling.  I also find the way the show is shot compelling as well you always get the sense that there are shadowy elements constantly at work, which is a central theme of the show. It also plays into the way the story unfolds which is also very elusive as well Riese gives you just exactly the right amount to keep you wanting more.

What I've gathered of the story is that we are following, for the most part, the journey of a heroine known as Riese who's traveling companion is a wolf.  The realm is governed, fairly ruthlessly, by an Empress known as Amara from the former seat of a benevolent kingdom known as Eleysia.  Some kind of coup took place which lead to Amara proclaiming herself Empress and a shadowy group known as The Sect who helped her rise to power now helps her keep that power. Riese is viewed as an enemy by Amara and she has sent her henchmen of The Sect to attempt to track down Riese. While little has been revealed thus far you always get the sense that greater and darker forces and purposes are at work simmering just below the surface.

Chapter 2 premiered just recently at the end of January and I watched the episode this evening.  If you weren't already convinced that Riese is one to take seriously and watch closely I was sitting there watching and in walks a new character for this chapter..."Holy Crap its Gaeta!!"  Yup that's right Alessandro Juliani, also known as Lt. Felix Gaeta from Battlestar Galactica and geek fandom favorite, has joined the cast!

I hope I've convinced you to at least give Riese a chance. If you like science fiction and fantasy at all Riese has compelling story telling, mythology, and a rich visually unique world.  Check it out I think you'll be glad you did.

New Episodes premiere on YouTube (and are available in 720p) the next one on February 15th and you can catch up with Chapter 1 as well.

(!!! SPOILER WARNING !!! - This post will probably be spoilertastic so if you haven't seen the last say 5 episodes of BSG Season 4 then stop reading now. You've been warned.)

Well I finally sat down this morning and finished watching the Battlestar Galactica series finale. Yes you read that right I only just today watched the finale despite the fact that it aired several weeks ago now and up to this point with few exceptions I had at least seen every new episode within the week that it aired. There can be no doubt my "geek cred" is irrevocably tarnished for not having seen the finale as it aired and I won't deny that it might have been fun to be at a party watching it with people, save the fact that I don't really know anyone else who watches the show...well at least in real life.

As time went on the desire to watch became even less. While I had managed to remain relatively spoiler free I did pick up impressions from people here and there that they were less than blown away. Even without those impressions though, my own feelings as time went on were that there was no possible way the finale could live up to what the series had become. They just set the bar way to high for themselves.

In the end, sadly, I was ultimately right and somewhat disappointed. The Galactica swan song battle was pretty cool but it kind of seemed like a rehash of when the Pegasus went out. You have Galactica ramming the colony, Adama once again asking for volunteers, giving some rousing speeches, etc. I will say that the whole setup of the colony was pretty cool though.

I do have to give them some credit for tying together a lot of things that have been languishing since season 1 or 2 in terms of unanswered questions plot threads, etc. I feel like the flash backs to Caprica City were completely uncalled for and utterly out of place and I would have been fine with them not being there at all. Perhaps the two most interesting things to come out of them I thought was the explanation of Baltar's accent and seeing Starbuck and Zak together in her apartment what we'd only seen before on post-apocoylpse Caprica. It was also kind of cool to see Caprica City in all it's glory I won't deny that but I don't think they added all that much. Also what the heck was this cooshy job that Adama clearly turned down to stay on Galactica? But really why are we just having these flashbacks now about things that happened YEARS ago in the timeline of the show. I guess they were just trying to show how close things were to playing out much differently. What if Adama had taken the job and was never on Galactica?

So the battle ensues Galin finds out the truth about what happened to Cali which was interesting, all you know what breaks loose several times and as Galactica prepares to jump to safety from the battle it is Starbuck with control of the FTL drive, who else would it be really? It was interesting to see what a true coward Cavil really was when he offed himself. It's pretty obvious what's happening even without them hand holding the viewer through it all with the flashbacks, etc. They jump, the camera pans back to reveal a completely destroyed, almost, Galactica with some really cool effects here in terms of just the entire frame of the ship has buckled and seems like it will rip apart at any moment although in the end she olds together as Adama predicts. It's worth noting that I did throughly enjoy all the battle and various effects sequences they really did some cool stuff with the colony, etc. Also how cool was it to see the old school style Centurions? I liked that. So now the camera pans out and we see what is very clearly our Earth this time with the continent of Africa plainly visible through the clouds.

Frankly if the show had ended with that shot of Earth off the front of Galactica's bow that would have been okay with me. Unfortunately it doesn't and it comes off the rails very quickly. I was left with the impression that the whole series is some kind of environmental statement? I don't know I just don't buy this whole we'll all spread out and be farmers now thing and what just because Lee decides that's how it is going to be? I mean okay I get that they are kind of psyched to be on terra firma after years of being cooped up in ships but I don't know really? I'm not sure what I would have done well actually I would have ended at the shot of Earth and let the viewer decide instead of trying to make some weird environmental or whatever statement about humanity. And how did that whole clean slate thing work out in the end? Not all that well really.

Of course you could fly Galactica through the number of holes left in the plot. For example Hera? What's up with her we've been hearing she is the savior of all humanity for the last four years but in the end she's just there to be a news report? How exactly does she save humanity? Maybe I'm just dense but it seems like the humans could all breed perfectly fine without her...or is it just the idea that the Cylons need to breed too...maybe.

Next, there is the matter of Galactica being able to jump away at the end of the battle. The sad thing here is that this doesn't even keep continuity with what they established just a few episodes before. When boomer takes off with the raptor using FTL she tears part of Galactica out with her, why then doesn't this happen when Galactica FTLs while still embedded in the colony?

Perhaps the biggest unanswered question is that of the tribal creatures we see on Earth through Adama's binoculars. They looked fairly cavemen-esque but are they supposed to be our ancestors? I find it interesting that there are no qualms what so ever about interfering with the development of whatever this race is or perhaps the Colonial humans showing up there ultimately wipe them out anyways. Won't these creatures notice Raptors flying around and people building cabins and settlements all over the place? Presumably the first generation of Colonial humans will die out eventually but will have offspring and presumably these offspring would be much more advanced than any life on Earth at that time. If that were the case wouldn't there be some archeological evidence of this besides just Hera?

Here's what I think the producers wanted us to see from the story as it was told in the episode, the colonials settled on Earth at the very beginnings of our species development. They spread out to all parts of the Earth and this accounts for the various cultural similarities such as similar events occurring in all of Earth's cultures, etc. In our world some have speculated that an outside event must explain certain events or technologies appearing all over the globe in cultures that would have no way of communicating with each other, except for Colonials traversing the globe in Raptors with radio communications, etc. Eventually humans and cylons and maybe even the indigenous people start to mate and all the lines get mixed and Hera is the rosetta stone, allegedly. Then just for good SciFi measure we end with the whole "eventually AI/Robots/Skynet will take over and wreak havoc on their human masters."

But why would it take humans 150,000 years to build cities, technology, etc? I mean does the first generation really just start over with a clean the slate and never teach their children of anything beyond hunting with spears and farming? They never talk of Caprica or anything before? I guess that is a leap of faith or whatever that I just can't quite seem to buy.

"All of this has happened before, and it will happen again." So say we all!