A young spaceship crew with
an identity crisis hits hyperspace on the new series Mission Genesis.
The term sleeping in takes on new meaning in Mission Genesis
(Mondays, the Sci-Fi Channel), which premiered with six people being roused
from a cryogenic snooze of 528 years. Not only were the passengers
on the Deepwater Black dripping gel, but they couldn't remember
their names or how to operate the darn spaceship.
Their skills returned quickly, as did their names - oddball ones like Yuna
and Reb, Bren and Gret. The first two (Nicole deBoer, Gordon Micheal
Woolvett) act as pilot ans captain but look suspiciously like the cyberstars
of Hackers.
Bren (Jason Cadieux) is Mr. Military; his attitude takes a chapter from
the Top Gun macho manual. As for communications specialist
Gret (All My Children alum Kelli Taylor), she's just snippy.
What's so cool about this new series? For starters, the futuristic
uniforms are less one-design-fits-all Star Trek jumpsuits and more
a variety of snowboarding gear - layered! zippered! Velcro'd!
The hairstyles range from the fasion-forward cluster of ponytails on medic
Lise (Sara Sahr) to the dyed buzz cut of computer whiz Zak (Craig Kirkwood).
Topping it all off: deep-space drama. Shock No. 1 occurs when the
crew members learn they're clones - and thus a snap to replace. Shock
No. 2: Their mission is to transport a gene bank to Earth and repopulate
the planet, which has been decimated by a virus. Shock No. 3: The
virus is closer than they think.
-April P. Bernard
