Space Above and Beyond – when a promising premise got Chig-whipped (article).

Larks, the ambitious Space: Above and Beyond series from the mid-90s. It had all the ingredients for a sci-fi epic – an interstellar war, genetically engineered super soldiers, evil AI robots, and even some ancient alien connections thrown in for good measure. But alas, like many a promising TV show, it crashed and burned after just one season.

Let’s start with the good stuff. The premise was delightfully bonkers – humans colonizing space via naturally occurring wormholes, only to be attacked by the mysterious “Chigs” (which sounds more like a nasty skin condition than a fearsome alien race). Our protagonists, the Wildcards, were Earth’s response, a mix of fresh-faced cadets and grizzled vets, zipping around in their SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet fighters, which fans affectionately dubbed “Hammerheads.” Amidst the space dogfights and ground skirmishes, Space: Above and Beyond also dabbled in the moral quagmires of war, with storylines touching on everything from artificial intelligence rights to the ethics of genetically engineered soldiers, known less flatteringly as “In Vitroes” or “tanks.” We got to follow the plucky crew of the USS Saratoga, the “Wildcards” squadron of fresh-faced fighter pilots being thrown into the deep end. There were some solid performances, especially from Kristen Cloke as the tough-as-nails Captain Shane Vansen and James Morrison as the grizzled Lt. Col. T.C. McQueen.

But then the wheels started falling off this intergalactic bus. The world-building was all over the place – one minute we’re told the Chigs can’t breathe our atmosphere, the next one is impersonating a human. The writers couldn’t decide if the AI “Silicates” were deadly killer robots orisopodic drama queens. And then there was Coolio himself making a cameo as a sleazy space pimp! I’m all for keeping an open mind, but that was a creative decision even the Chigs would find hard to comprehend.

For all its thematic ambition and earnest storytelling, the show was a bit like a novice pilot in a Hammerhead: a tad wobbly and prone to occasional crashes. Critics weren’t sure what to make of it, and audiences—well, they just weren’t tuning in. Was it the stiff competition from other 90s television titans? The sometimes clunky dialogue that felt like it needed a good polish with a moon rock? Or perhaps the public just wasn’t ready for a show that painted space as an arena not just for adventure, but for the harsh truths of combat and colonization.

When the curtain fell on Space: Above and Beyond after its first season, it left a few lingering mysteries and what-ifs, much like an abandoned alien artifact floating in space. It was nominated for a couple of Emmys and a Saturn Award, hinting that maybe, just maybe, it had struck a chord with some viewers, even if it couldn’t quite capture the galaxy.

In the end, Space: Above and Beyond was a victim of trying to pack in way too many ideas and mysteries into too little time. By the final few episodes, plot lines were flailing, characters were dying left and right in an apparent bid to #subvertexpectations, and the big “Chigs and humans are related??” reveal fell flatter than one of their unthreatening methane farts. It’s a shame, as with a bit more focus and a couple more seasons to breathe, this could have been a classic. As it is, it remains a noble failure – an entertaining mess that highlights the pitfalls of getting overambitious with the worldbuilding. Maybe they should have stuck to just fighting algae…