| Prey | |
|---|---|
| Format | Science fiction |
| Created by | William Schmidt |
| Starring | Debra Messing Adam Storke Larry Drake Frankie Faison Vincent Ventresca James Morrison Roger Howarth |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | American Broadcasting Company |
| Original run | January 15, 1998 – July 9, 1998 |
Prey was a science-fiction television series that aired for one season (13 episodes) in 1998 on ABC. The series starred Debra Messing, Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Frankie Faison, James Morrison, and Vincent Ventresca.
Contents |
The series follows Dr Sloan Parker (Debra Messing), an anthropologist studying genetic variation in humans. Sloan's mentor, Dr Ann Coulter, is a geneticist who believes that the violent behavior of certain criminals may have a genetic basis. She has collected genetic samples from a variety of convicted murderers and other violent criminals, and is currently preparing to serve as an expert witness in the trial of an accused serial killer. After the killer escapes and murders Dr Coulter, Sloan discovers her body, along with a collection of data demonstrating that violent criminals- especially serial killers- often share distinct genetic similarities that set them apart from normal human beings, rendering them as different (genetically) from humans as humans are from chimpanzees.
Sloan shares Dr. Coulter's discovery with fellow scientists, law-enforcement personnel, and a few others, and soon comes to realize that the new species is on the verge of supplanting humankind in the same way that Homo Sapiens supplanted the Neanderthals at the end of the last Ice Age, even theorizing that their emergence might be connected to global warming.
Meanwhile, as the escaped killer cuts a murderous swath through California, Sloan makes the acquaintance of Tom Daniels (Adam Storke), a federal agent determined to capture him. Tom is eventually revealed to be a member of the new species himself, and describes them as "hunting" human beings the same way humans hunt deer and other animals, hence the show's title.
Upon learning that the new species can breed with humanity, but due to their dominant genetic traits the children of such a pairing are always the new species, they are given the name Homo dominant.
Dominants are smarter and more aggressive than humans, and are convinced that, as a superior form of life, they are entitled to subjugate their human cousins by whatever means necessary. They often express an antipathy toward human beings that borders on racism. Their aggression is portrayed as an instinctive genetic characteristic, present even in young children.
Dominants also possess various psychic traits, including the ability to cloud the minds of others, sense other members of their species telepathically, and to sense emotions empathically.
The Dominants are able to exist comfortably in much warmer climates than humans, barely perspiring even in desert conditions. They have smaller craniums than humans, and their brains display greater synaptic interconnectivity. The mummified remains of a young Dominant girl revealed that the females of their species possess four uteruses.
Sloan speculates at one point that there may be as many as 200,000 members of the new species. Their point of origin is revealed to be a deserted village in Oaxaca, Mexico, a location the Dominants regard as sacred. It is also the location of a mysterious monolith with arcane writings on its surface.
There are groups of humans who are aware of the Dominants and collaborate with them. Similarly, there are groups of Dominants who wish to co-exist peacefully with humans.
Technologically, the Dominants use genetic engineering in an attempt to "convert" humans into members of their own species. They also make use of cloning and nanotechnology.
| № | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Hungry for Survival" | (Unaired pilot) |
| 1 | "Existence" | January 15, 1998 |
| 2 | "Discovery" | January 22, 1998 |
| 3 | "Pursuit" | January 29, 1998 |
| 4 | "Origins" | February 5, 1998 |
| 5 | "Revelations" | February 19, 1998 |
| 6 | "Infiltration" | March 5, 1998 |
| 7 | "Transformations" | March 12, 1998 |
| 8 | "Veil" | March 19, 1998 |
| 9 | "Collaboration" | June 11, 1998 |
| 10 | "Sleeper" | June 18, 1998 |
| 11 | "Vengeance" | June 25, 1998 |
| 12 | "Progeny" | July 2, 1998 |
| 13 | "Deliverance (Part 1)" | July 9, 1998 |