Six young travelers are the only hope for the human race

     In the series premiere of Mission Genesis (entitled  "Awakening") a young woman (deBoer) awakens in a strange place. She doesn't know what her name is or who she is. She soon finds Reb (Woolvett) and remembers that her name is Yuna, but neither of them know where they are. However, they do know they are in trouble: They are under attack by something or someone.
    As the two rush to find some sort of help, they discover they are on a starship and they are being attacked by another craft. When the ship's computer goes off line they also find out they are the crew, and it's up to them to figure out how to fight back. Sitting down at the computer consoles, they somehow know what to do, and enough memory returns to allow them to temporarily escape the attacking ship.
    After that, four other crew members awaken, but all are suffering from memory loss. With the computer off line and the attacking ship hot on their trail, they all must quickly figure out what they need to do to survive and worry about why they are on the ship later. But who will lead them and will they figure it out in time?
    In the second episode ("Lullaby"), Zak (Craig Kirkwood) gets the ship's computer, Gen, back on line, only to have Gen's holographic computer image (Julie Khaner) insist that the crew return to cryogenic sleep so they can complete their mission. She's very intent and will make sure they do it one way or another. With Gen still damaged from the attack, the crew must figure out a way to repair her, learn what their mission is, and discover who they really are.
     Promising but short.
    Mission Genesis is The Sci-Fi Channel's first original dramatic series. Executive Producers Wilf Copeland and Alex Nassar have stirred up a solid first effort with a fair premise, decent computer-generated special effects and a talented cast.
     The premise deals with subjects including space travel, cloning, the possible destruction of the human race and a holographic computer image: Nothing new to the savvy SF audience. However, Mission Genesis plays out nicely and the first two episodes were well written and directed. Judging by these episodes and descriptions of future shows, there are hints that the storyline will become more complicated and involving as the series progresses. Only time will tell.
     At this point the show's biggest strength lies with the promising cast.  DeBoer's Yuna, as the ship's navigator, and Woolvett's Reb, as the crew's leader, are especially strong. The rest of the cast hasn't had much air time yet, but the series should have plenty of time to develop their characters.
    Seldom has the half-hour format worked well for a dramatic series, and that's the biggest drawback to Mission Genesis. Just when the action starts the episode is over and it's a week before the next. The format also hinders any kind of involved story line from developing over the short span of one episode. To the series' credit, it appears to be somewhat episodic in nature, which should help draw in a loyal science fiction audience.
    Mission Genesis is promising even in its half-hour format. With an hour per show it could be a strong contender. -- Kathie