Earth: Final Conflict

Earth: Final Conflict

Earth: Final Conflict launch poster
Format Science fiction
Created by Gene Roddenberry
Directed by David Winning
Starring See Cast and characters
Country of origin Canada
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 110 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 41 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel

first-run syndication (1997–2002) CTV (1997–1999)

The New Net (1999–2002)
Original run October 6, 1997 – May 20, 2002

Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death. It ran for five seasons between October 6, 1997, and May 20, 2002.

The original title for the show was Battleground: Earth, but the producers changed it because it sounded too much like L. Ron Hubbard's novel, Battlefield Earth. The executive producer was Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. She also appeared in some early episodes as the character Dr Julianne Belman. Barrett was in possession of notes Roddenberry kept of story and series ideas; after his death, these notes provided the basis for this series.

Contents

Setting

Early in the 21st century, a race of aliens, the Taelons, arrive on Earth. In exchange for being allowed to take refuge on our planet, the Taelons offer the people of Earth access to their advanced technology. As a result, disease, war and pollution are nearly eliminated. Despite all these advances, there are some people who think the Taelons are not as benevolent as they seem. A resistance movement is organized.

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 are of 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.

Series

The show was premiered on October 6, 1997 and ran for five seasons. The finale was broadcast on May 20, 2002.

The show is famous for the unusually high turnover rate among the regular cast, partially due to contractual disagreements between the cast and the producers. Almost all of the show's major characters were killed or otherwise removed within a season or two of being introduced. In fact, the only character to appear as a regular during all five seasons was FBI Agent Ronald Sandoval (Von Flores), the show's main antagonist.

The fifth season of the show was a radical departure from the storyline of the previous seasons, with the Taelons being replaced by a new and more openly hostile alien race, a group of energy vampires called the Atavus.

Cast and characters

Characters per season
Character Actor Season I Season II Season III Season IV Season V
William Boone Kevin Kilner Yes No No No Partial
Liam Kincaid Robert Leeshock No Yes Yes Yes Partial
Lili Marquette Lisa Howard Yes Yes Partial Partial No
Renee Palmer Jayne Heitmeyer No No Yes Yes Yes
Ronald Sandoval Von Flores Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Marcus "Augur" Deveraux Richard Chevolleau Yes Yes Yes Partial No
Juliet Street Melinda Deines No No No Yes Yes
Da'an Leni Parker Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Zo'or Anita La Selva Partial Yes Yes Yes Partial
Jonathan Doors David Hemblen Yes Yes Yes Partial No
Juda Guylaine St-Onge No No No No Yes
Howlyn Alan Van Sprang No No No No Yes
Ra'Jel Helen Taylor No No No No Yes

Alien species

The show features a number of alien races. The first to be introduced is the Taelons, who act as the series' main antagonists during the first four seasons

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Synopsis

Season 1

"Three years ago they came, forever altering the future of humanity.
William Boone's life has been destroyed. A man caught between two worlds. Assigned protector to the Companions; undercover agent for the Liberation. An alien implanted cyber-virus expands his mind. Controlling a bio-engineered weapon of unprecedented power. William Boone searches for the truth."

– Season 1 introduction; the italic part comes with episode 13

The story begins three years after the Taelons arrived on Earth. The Taelons have used their advanced technology to help humanity achieve a better quality of life. However, the North American Taelon Companion, Da'an, is targeted by an assassin while making a speech. Jonathan Doors, a businessman with close ties to the Taelons, is killed while Da'an is unharmed. Da'an is impressed by Police Commander Boone's work in protecting him from the assassination attempt, and offers him a spot as a Taelon Protector, a personal bodyguard and envoy for a particular Taelon.

Boone politely refuses because he wants to start a family with his wife. Also, deep down, he doesn't trust the Taelons fully. Subsequently, Boone's wife is mysteriously murdered and Boone finds out that Jonathan Doors faked his own death so that he could focus on an underground resistance movement that he founded in secret. Doors believes the Taelons have sinister intentions, and wants to find out their true motives. He also believes that the Taelons had something to do with the murder of Boone's wife. Because of this, Boone agrees to work as a double agent for the resistance in order to find answers. He accepts Da'an's offer to become a Protector, and receives a Cyber-Viral Implant (CVI) that gives him enhanced mental abilities – including perfect recall. While most CVIs alter the minds of their hosts so that they become singularly loyal to the Taelons above all others, including friends, family, and the human race as a whole, the Resistance sees to it that Boone receives a modified CVI that leaves his loyalties the way they were. Agent Boone receives a bioengineered weapon, called a Skrill, that attaches to his arm. Boone is joined by fellow double agent and ex-Marine Lili Marquette. She is an accomplished pilot of the Taelon shuttlecraft (that can travel in interdimensional space). On the Taelon side, Boone works with another protector, Agent Ronald Sandoval. Sandoval is apparently fully loyal to the Taelons, thanks to his CVI.

Boone soon finds out that Sandoval had Boone's wife killed so that he would join the Taelons. Sandoval explains that his own wife held him back and that he was forced to put her in a mental institution to get her out of the way. He did not want Boone to have the same problem, so he had his wife killed. Boone (who would be forced to agree if his CVI were not modified) pretends to understand and continues his duties for the Resistance.

A strange satellite is found in an Amish community. Lili and Boone investigate. In later episodes, the satellite ends up in the Resistance base. It has the ability to make replicants and later kills a Resistance scientist. The probe later winds up in the hands of the Taelons.

Boone introduces Lili to Marcus Deveraux, a technical genius and computer hacker better known by the nickname "Augur," who Boone often hires when he needs technical skills. Later Lili and Boone become acquainted with Jonathan Doors' state-of-the-art base for the Resistance. They learn that Augur was actually a member of the Resistance all along.

Boone continues to search for the true motives of the Taelons and actually becomes good friends with Da'an. A less sympathetic Taelon named Zo'or is introduced. Boone finds out that a Taelon named Ma'el visited Earth centuries ago and predicted that humanity would one day be equal to the Taelons. Sandoval meets an Irish Protector, Siobhan Beckett, who seems to fancy him.

Sandoval's CVI malfunctions and frees him of Taelon control. He saves his wife from the mental institution but comes close to death. The Resistance captures the couple, and Boone convinces Doors to return Sandoval to the Taelons. Sandoval's wife is given safe passage, while Sandoval receives a new CVI and is made to believe that Boone killed his wife.

The fiancé of the resistance scientist killed by the previously mentioned probe becomes determined to find a way to get his love back. The Resistance breaks into a Taelon installation in which the probe is located. The scientist gets his fiancée back at the cost of his own life. The probe is supposedly destroyed.

An enemy of the Taelons named Ha'gel lands on Earth. The Taelons have apparently wronged his race (the Kimera) somehow. Ha'gel has the power to temporarily assume other forms, leaving his victims temporarily incapacitated. Ha'gel steals Sandoval's form and impregnates Siobhan Beckett. Boone tries to confront the alien but Ha'gel is frightened. Boone is badly wounded and Ha'gel is killed. Boone is in critical condition, as Beckett goes into labour while in the custody of the Resistance. Zo'or seemingly vaporizes Boone's body.

Season 2

"They are the Companions...aliens come to Earth on a mission of peace.
Their true mission...the secrets they hide...forever alter humanity.
Caught in the struggle between these Taelon Companions and the Human Resistance is Liam Kincaid...a man who is more than human. The mysteries of his past hold the key to Earth's future and the fate of mankind...on Earth Final Conflict."

– Season 2 introduction

Beckett gives birth as the Resistance is saddened by the news that Boone has died. The protector's baby is a Kimeran/human hybrid and grows at a rapid rate. He takes the name "Liam Kincaid" and immediately takes action as an adult. Beckett's memory is wiped and she is sent back to the Taelons. The recovered fiancée is really a replicant of the mysterious probe, which is from another alien race known as the Jaridians. The probe replicant kills the leader of the Taelon Synod. Liam saves Da'an and is recruited to become his new protector. Liam joins the Resistance but doesn't get along with Doors. Lili is forced to work under Sandoval but continues her double agent duties. Zo'or becomes the new Taelon leader, with Sandoval becoming his personal protector.

Da'an realizes who and what Liam is, and the two become good friends. Da'an and Zo'or battle over each other's ideologies. Zo'or believes humans should serve the Taelons, while Da'an thinks humanity should be their equal. The Taelons prepare Earth for war with the Jaridians, who believe humans have sided with the Taelons.

The Resistance finds out that the CVI's motivational imperative wears off after a time, leaving the protectors restored to their own wills. Liam senses that his mother, Protector Siobhan Beckett's, CVI has malfunctioned and attempts to locate her. Beckett has to deal internally with all the wrongs she has committed while in an altered mental state. Also concerned, Zo'or sends Sandoval to locate Beckett, but Liam locates her first. He joins his dying mother and shares with her energetically/telepathically revealing his true origin. She realizes who he is as she passes away.

Doors decides to take the Resistance above ground and runs for President. The Resistance members are pardoned in a deal Doors is able to make. Former Resistance members come to Lili and Augur concerned over humanity's protection. The Resistance is reformed under Liam's leadership. Da'an, who knows, doesn't betray Liam, yet thinks reforming the Resistance is a bad idea.

Zo'or sets the Resistance and Doors up when he has an assassination attempt made on President Thompson. Thompson survives and declares martial law. The Resistance members are targeted and many are brought to the Taelon Mothership. Liam and Augur try to rescue Doors but are pinned down. Lili tries to destroy the mothership in a last ditch effort to save Earth.

Season 3

"They have come to Earth with the promise of peace...an alien race called the Taelons.
But there are those who resist these alien Companions.
For the Taelons' true mission...the secrets they hide...will forever alter our world.
The fate of humanity now relies on those who dare challenge the future of Earth."

– Season 3 introduction, retained for Season 4

Lili's plan backfires and she is believed dead, and exposed as a traitor to the Taelons. Liam and Augur are rescued by a Volunteer. Doors, on the other hand, is captured. Doors is able to cut a deal with Zo'or to give himself freedom while ensuring that his company can secretly resist the Taelons. The volunteer is really one of his people, Renee Palmer, and the new CEO of Doors International. Martial law is repealed and many of the Resistance members are returned. Lili turns out to be alive, and has been held captive by Sandoval. He alters her DNA and sends her off into deep space. Liam and Augur continue to lead the resistance.

Doors would work separately from the Resistance, but Renee would work with Liam on occasion. Over time they would become close partners. Da'an and Liam's relationship becomes strained. Zo'or continues his ambitious plans while Sandoval seems to have his own agenda. Lili is tricked into giving the Jaridians ID (interdimensional) travel before she realizes she is on Jaridia. Jonathan Doors dies saving his son. Lili returns to Earth pregnant with the child of a Jaridian named Vorjack. Liam and Renee help her through a difficult delivery.

Season 4

"They have come to Earth with the promise of peace...an alien race called the Taelons.
But there are those who resist these alien Companions.
For the Taelons' true mission...the secrets they hide...will forever alter our world.
The fate of humanity now relies on those who dare challenge the future of Earth."

– Season 4 introduction, retained from Season 3

Da'an helps to make sure that the Human/Jaridian hybrid lives. The Jaridians are dying, and Vorjack had hoped that the child would hold the key to their salvation, but this does not happen as expected. Lili and Vorjack escape with their child with Liam's blessing.

Augur runs into trouble with the law and is forced into hiding. He offers his friend Juliet Street the opportunity to take over his role in the Resistance, and she accepts. She proves savvy and intelligent.

The Resistance goes above ground once again when Renee and Liam team up with an international group dedicated to defending human interests against the Taelons.

Toward the end of the season, it is discovered that the Taelons are a dying race as well; their core energy is almost spent. More and more Taelons are entering stasis, and Zo'or becomes increasingly desperate to save his species.

Liam and Renee discover a regeneration chamber hidden deep in a volcano, set in place long ago by Ma'el. Liam realizes that all species are interconnected and he must play a role in saving the Taelons. He brings them out of stasis. To conserve energy, they combine their essence in just six Taelons who go down to the regeneration chamber, just as the Jaridian fleet led by Vorjack arrives on the scene. Zo'or, greedy to ensure his own survival, touches an energy pool in the chamber and is absorbed into it. Liam convinces the Jaridians to attempt a "joining" with the Taelons, which, it is believed, will return them to an earlier evolutionary form that is better suited to survival. As the volcano erupts, the joining procedure begins with Liam's help, but it is unclear who or what will survive.

Season 5

"In the 21st century, an alien species known as the Taelons came to Earth, with the promise of peace.
"They lied.
"Their true agenda was to dominate us.
"After years of struggle, the Taelons have perished, leaving more aggressive beings in their wake: the Atavus.
"My name is Renee Palmer. My mission is to stop this new species from dominating our planet.
"This is Earth's Final Conflict."

– Season 5 introduction, narrated in voice-over by Jayne Heitmeyer

Liam, the Taelons, and the Jaridians have disappeared in the volcano. With the Taelons and Jaridians gone, Renee and Street must prevent a new threat, the Atavus (who have been buried in stasis for the past several million years) from awakening all over the world and feeding on humans. Things become more difficult for them when the government turns its back on Renee and does not believe what she says about the Atavus. Between tracking down and destroying Atavus chambers, fighting off the Atavus who have already awoken, and trying to convince the world the Atavus exist, Renee is kept quite busy this season.

Sandoval makes a deal to join sides with the Atavus leader Howlyn. Together, they are able to keep their presence hidden for much of the season. Their plan is to create an army of Atavus-Human hybrids by means of a joining process.

The last season sees brief returns of the Season 1 hero, William Boone, as well as the return of the previously androgynous Zo'or, resurrected as a female Atavus.

Renee's final conflict comes in the series finale when she rejoins with Liam and races against Sandoval and Atavus to find the Atavus mothership filled with elite Atavus soldiers trapped in stasis.

Broadcasting

The series was first shown on CTV in 1997 and ran for two seasons until the network decided to cancel it due to low ratings. The show was, however, resurrected by Chum Limited and was moved to their New Net network for the remainder of its run. The series was broadcast in syndication in the United States.

The series has been re-shown daily on Bravo in the United Kingdom, Showcase in Canada Jimmy in Italy and Bangladesh Television in Bangladesh.

DVD releases

Region 1

ADV Films released the third, fourth and fifth seasons on DVD in 2003 as these were the only seasons for which they had the distribution rights. On May 5, 2009, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released season 1 on DVD for the very first time.[1]

Alliance Home Entertainment has released all five seasons on DVD in Canada only.[2][3][4][5][6]

Regions 2 and 4

Universal Pictures UK released the first season on DVD in the UK on April 3, 2006.[7] Via Vision Entertainment has released all five seasons on DVD in Australia.[8]

DVD Name
Release dates
Region 1
Region 1 (CAN)
Region 2
Region 4
The Complete 1st Season May 5, 2009 June 29, 2010 April 3, 2006 December 6, 2006
The Complete 2nd Season N/A July 27, 2010 N/A April 1, 2009
The Complete 3rd Season August 5, 2003 August 31, 2010 N/A July 1, 2009
The Complete 4th Season September 16, 2003 September 28, 2010 N/A March 10, 2010
The Complete 5th Season October 28, 2003 October 26, 2010 N/A September 1, 2010

See also

References

External links