Space: Above and Beyond Reviews

Set in the mid 21st century, Space: Above and Beyond follows the a team of rookie pilots, the 58th "Wildcards", who are called to duty when most of Earth's military forces are destroyed by an alien species, the "Chigs".

Known for its gritty and often depressing look at the frontlines of war, this cult classic only lasted one season.

While realistic sci-fi is now dime a dozen, Space: Above and Beyond was an anathema for sci-fi tv in the mid-90s. The dark storylines together with some bad scripts and Fox's poor handling of the show made it difficult for the show to find its audience.

When it first aired, Nathan West's quest to find his girlfriend, Kylen Celina was my main motivation for watching the show. But on viewing it again more recently I found the overall arc to be cliched and West to be a sniveling, complaining individual.

Far more interesting is the character study of invitro, Hawkes and his relationship with the rest of the team, especially fellow invitro, Lt. Col T.C. McQueen (played by James Morrison). McQueen remains to be my favorite character on the show.

While a lot of the effects haven't aged gracefully, Space: Above and Beyond's underlying theme of loyalty and courage during times of conflict is still powerful enough to overcome its shortcomings.