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| "E: FC" Homage w/. "OZ" |
Ultimately, it is discovered that the Taelon aliens are not purely evil, nor are they actually trying to "conquer" the world (except Zo'or, the main antagonist in seasons 2-4). They can no longer reproduce: Da'an was the last Taelon to have a child (Zo'or was the last child to be born but Zo'or is barren) and are on the verge of extinction. Their initial goal is to see if they can use humanity to extend their lives. However, they do have a hidden agenda: to bioengineer the human race to help fight their mortal enemy, the Jaridians (who come from Taelon origin). In doing so, they have no problem violating human civil liberties to reach their goals. The Jaridians believe that the Taelons' inability to reproduce is psychological. - PreviouslyTV Message Board
Transferred posts from other sites to share w/ friends! Posts from others will be framed w/ "***"
Transferred posts from other sites to share w/ friends! Posts from others will be framed w/ "***"
***Was this show cancelled, or did it finish its run? - It finished its run with a definite ending that closed everything out. Although I hung in there from Day-1, I felt that each season offered less than the previous. - Incredible, that the villain, Sandervol was the only character consistent throughout the series.***
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere, maybe Wiki that the drastic change in cast occurred because of money; as usual! Some thought themselves more important I guess and they had to be eliminated! Sandy was the only one outside the aliens that obviously never complained and lasted all 5 seasons! I still have the tapes; them and plenty of Doctor Who and Blake's 7!
***It was established in the series that Zo'or was the last Taelon born. And a later episode it was Zo'or was the only member of their race to never have a child. To me that does not sound right. There would have to be other Taelons born infertile as well.
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My understanding is that all Taelons had simply become infertile b/c there was no longer enough Core Energy to allow them to give birth. I think Zo'or was just born at a point where Taelons had become infertile due to their diminishing Core Energy. Thus Zo'or could never have children, but all Taelons had become infertile, just his rotten luck that the others were able to procreate before the mass infertility took effect.***
Even though Da'an says the Taelons are unable to procreate, a Jaridian Liam talked to thought it was just in their minds!
***Essentially correct: according to a Jaridian, the problem is that they Taelons have lost the interest in the process of procreation as it is "beneath" them. Since it can't be done in some sort of pristine (maybe immaculate) condition, they have little desire to do so.
However, a bit later on (in the 4th season), it is shown that the mother ship herself has dozens of embryos that she is keeping from developing due to the Taelons violating their primary mission goal of integrating with the humans and allying with them as equals. Thus, it seems that the Taelons (as well as the Jaridians) are unaware of the ship's involvement in the cessation of their procreation.***
***A Different View on E:FC
ReplyDelete1. William Boone VS. Liam Kincaid- He was human, passionate, always willing to learn more, protective of his friends. but eventually, he wasn't a fighter, and as the 1st season progressed, he became more of Taelon fan. I grieved his passing at the end of the 1st season, but Boone's problem was that he didn't want to fight, not even on his principles, not until something really horrible happened, say- the death of his wife, Kate. and even then, the series showed him very reluctant to continue fighting for the good cause, and as evident in the 2 eps of the 5th season he appeared in, he didn't really care what would happen, even when his sister died after becoming an hybrid. That's why he died, i guess.
Liam, on the other hand, was not only a fighter, but a true human soul. Being a hybrid himself (part Human, part Kimera), made his character more complex (that remained with him until the end). IMO, it made him ask the more important questions, like: who we are, what are we capable of, what's are strong point or weak point, and what we achieve if really believe. Not only that, Liam was bridge between the Taelons and Humans, more so than Boone. That, coupled with his complexity and his quest to understand himself and others, made him a character to remember, very deep and believable (Robert Leeshock did a great job as Liam Kincaid).
Furthermore, i don't think Liam was perfect. Far from it is the truth, as he made a lot of mistakes on the way and made some wrong choices. But his strong point was his ability to understand his mistakes and trying to correct them, to become more than himself.
2. Story-arcs/Continuity- I've read a lot of comments by users stating that E:FC suffered from plot-holes, lack of continuity and it was episodic. But, careful examination of the subject suggest otherwise. watching the show from start to finish reveals that the show not only was continuous, but every episode was a puzzle piece that shed some light on the characters, the way they lived, the Taelon agenda and much more. (Take in consideration that the series was about learning and realizing what it means to be human, with all the ups and downs).
If you watch the series start to finish you will notice how many plot-lines have been continuous, and could be even considered as Story-arcs: Da'an and Zo'or's relationship and battles, Liam and Da'an, the Taelon's true agenda, Human free-will, the bio-surrogates, the Taleon/Jaridian conflict- its history and consequences, the Atavus and a lot more. They just didn't explain and put it all in your face, rather they made is like a puzzle- every episode is a another piece that shed some light on the whole picture. eventually, everything falls together, if you just think about it. (cont,)***
***3. Season 5- I agree, the 5th season was a bit weird and hard to swallow, but it still retained a lot of the dark feel, the intelligence, the mythology and wonderful stories. It was weird without Da'an and Liam, but the writers did a great job, given the problems they had, in keeping the story interesting and the feel. It was even logical- the Taelons and Jaridians were one species once, the Atavus, and that the only way for them so survive (and keep in mind that the episode "Avatar" (S01E04) even forshadowes those events with the creature dubbed the Sleeper, which resembles the Atavus). The 5th season even continued some of the plot-lines from previous seasons while embarking on new ones, and Renee eventually learned herself the real meaning of being human, just as Liam did.
ReplyDeleteGranted, it was a bit foolish of the writers not to let Sandoval learn the truth about Liam, but I don't think that would've made much difference, as Sandoval, by that point, was so filled with hatred and become so cold, I believe he would've killed even his own son and if it meant he would get his way. He himself said before he died that he would've done everything the same all over again (a very Sandoval thing to say). And why Renee didn't tell Liam that his father's dead? well, I can't really answer that, only to say that maybe, given that she knew how it would hurt Liam, she decided it was best to postponed that bad news until later. The way the series ended was great.
In conclusion- Earth: Final Conflict was a series about trying to reach higher, to become more than we are, to realize our place and our connection to the universe, to nature, and what it really means to be a human being and human. In that department, the series did great. The stories, the special effect, the actors, producers, writers- they all did a wonderful job, and the series should be remembered for that. And I do think that the late Gene Roddenberry, despite the problems that show suffered from, would be proud of that.***
I was happy enough with the end! Was taping every episode to VHS tape since season 2! At least there was an end! I remember "Soap" from 30 years ago that ended on a cliff-hanger with no resolutions!
***What was Majel Barrett's character? - She played Dr. Julianne Belman, a medical doctor who worked with the Resistance against the Taelons and who understood the alien technology like the cyber-virus.***
ReplyDeleteOf course! She was married to Gene Roddenberry so Majel is all over the series practically running the show! lol! Her voice was used from the beginning of Star Trek as the computer and other devices!
***Why haven't they put this on the SYFY Channel?***
It'll come back one of these days on Oxygen, Scyfy, or YouToo! Someone's gotta pay for it! A letter campaign can only go so far! Lucky I have them all on VHS tape!
***was Boone always planned to last 1 season only in "E: FC?" ...or was the actor kicked out/quit or something?***
ReplyDeleteI didn't get on board The Mothership until half way thru the 1st season and had to catch up! I have read in a couple different places that the reason only 2 of the original actors survived was because they didn't complain about MONEY! It seemed if production had some unhappy campers, they jetisoned them like waste materinals in space! I can imagine him being the star asking for more than he deserved! Sandoval (Flores) and Zo'or (Anita) the ones I'm talking about as the survivors!
***I have seen posts in the past with people saying that the Taelons were actually good beings. But is it not clear that the creators of the show obviously intended the Taelons to be seen as the evil aliens?
Don't get me wrong, I see how the Taelons seem to help humanity in a way, but it always ends up being a subtle way of abusing humanity to further the Taelons megalomaniacal goals.
In a way, I tend to compare the Taelons to the people in power today. They want us to think they are helping us while they further their own goals. But there is a difference. Sometimes the people in power do seem to help us at least indirectly. While I don't think the creators of EFC intended to for there to be any examples of Taelons actually helping humanity except for some incidental technology transfers which may have advanced certain human sciences.
So what I'm saying is that I think the Taelons are clearly meant to be seen as evil beings that the resistance is fighting against. It is fascinating how Liam in particular can work with the Taelons while working against them even though he must hate their guts.
What does everyone think of my interpretation of this?***
***Oct. 1st 2001 and NO mention of 9/11 - The first episode of the 5th season and first episode after the events of 9/11 and while all Television programs returning to air posted some relevance to those horrific events, not one mention before or after this episode. So disrespectful.***
ReplyDeleteOh please! Give all of us a freakin' break! This is a tv show about future interactions with an alien species! How a terrorist attack should be featured in it is beyond me! Seek serious help ok?
***Whats your malfunction? You're a fan of a show which had no real script. They probably found some scribble from Gene and tried to give it wings which was a disaster. If you watch season 1 and the final season you'd think you were watching two different shows all together. They thought it would draw the "Roddenberry" fan base just by branding his name on the damn thing and that's where his connection ends. Amateurs would have had a better chance of making a good series then those who put this tripe together. What a waste of potential.***
They did draw "some" of the Rodenberry fans obviously; helped by his widow appearing as a doctor of course! I realize it fell off, but it was still entertaining enough to tape every episode; sorry! It made little sense some of the stuff going on, but behind the scenes, it was obvious money was an issue with only one person in all 5 seasons and Anita doing 4! There were so many other sci-fi soaps I skipped, that I had to at least do this one! Never cared for Andromeda, Voyager, DS9, Babylon 5, or any of the others they syndicated out there! Voyager wasn't too bad; caught the last season with a great finale; "Endgame!"
***What happened to the Taelons/Jaridians? - ...The impression I got was that the Atavus were a race that ate a particular plant on there world that was more energy than physical and can't grow anywhere else. If they wanted to travel off world they had to drain other life forms. The king of the Atavus was over thrown and he and his followers were exiled ending up on Earth. The "peaceful" ones drained the Helix race to power there evolution into what they thought would be immortal energy bodies that would no longer need to feed. However there physical bodies survived the process and gained the ability to live w/ out feeding.
ReplyDeleteThe evolved Taelons focused on the intellect while the Jaridians w/ there dramatically shortened life spans, b/c the part of there mind that controlled the energy within them went w/ the Taelons, took advantage of there ability to procreate to eventually become a threat. The Taelons greatest scientist, the Jael guy, realizing that the evolution process was a failure and that the Taelons would eventually run out of energy, found Earth and the in stasis Ativus. He came up w/ a plan to combine the 2 races again into a brand new race, a more perfect race. His plan which played out over thousands of years failed and some of the Ativus, who were probably used in the combining process were accidentally awakened. Th Jael guy must have anticipated this possibility and set it up so that if this happened, he would be reborn in control of a recharged Taelons body to try and fix things.
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Your theory completely leaves out the Kimera. The process of the Kimera joining w/ the Atavus ages ago is what created the 2 separate races of the Taleons and the Jaridians in the 1st place. That was why Liam, descended from Kimera (half Kimera, not sure how he would be defined exactly, but the closest thing to a Kimera they had) was necessary in the attempt to rejoin the remaining Taelons and Jaridians in the final episode of season 4. I thought it was always implied the Kimera's involvement was voluntary.
If I had to guess, I think the process actually worked, the rejoining of the Taelons and the Jaridians in the final ep of Season 4 with Liam's help, but had the side affect of re-awakening those Atavus that didn't interact w/ the Kimera (Howlyn's crew, the ones in stasis). The ones never split into two races. The rejoined Taelons/Jaridians simply became beings of pure energy and thought and simply went to another plane of existence. Yes Sandoval said the process failed, but 1) he's not the most reliable of sources, and 2) how the heck would he know anyway?***
Thanks for the info; truly contributes to my blog here! Take care!
***Space Vampires = Doomed series: It was a cheap plot device. The acting was WAY over the top melodramatic***
What is it, "Lifeforce: The Series?"
***I'd have watched "Lifeforce: The Series" w/ great interest, esp. if it was an HBO show. When Howland and the Atavus Crew appeared, the show went downhill in a hurry. The Atavus were nothing but space vampires, sucking lifeforce through their press-on nails.***