Grand Star
A post-apocalyptic ice age railway society.
Grand Star is a science fiction television series that premiered on France 2 on January 2, 2008, co-produced by Canada, France, and Belgium. It draws loose inspiration from the novel series *La Compagnie des glaces* by French author Georges-Jean Arnaud. Filming took place in Wallers-Arenberg, France, and the show originally broadcast on Canada’s Space channel and France’s France 2. That same year, a multiplayer strategy game set in the series’ universe was released, where players compete using trains to collect money and gain control over energy sources.
The story unfolds a century after a global catastrophe plunged Earth into darkness and an ice age. In this frozen world, communities live in stations linked by railways, governed by railway companies that claim the sun went supernova and died. The narrative centers on the station Grand Star and its inhabitants, alongside the Renewers—people who still believe in the sun—and the “people of the cold,” who survive outside. The plot follows Cal Ragg, who is convinced he can restore the sun, and his friends Suki and Kurt Masters.
The cast includes James Gerard as Cal Ragg, Tammy Hui as Suki, Tyler Johnston as Kurt Masters, Kyle Labine as Lieutenant Damien, David Daouda as Special Pointman, Joe Sheridan as CEO Palidor, Peter Hudson as Liam Ragg, Susan Gilmore as Tara Masters, Sophie Ann Rooney as Margot, John Flanders as Governor Cleary, Marie Blanchet as Nara, Jean-Pierre Stewart as Dr. Hamsun, and Jérémie Petrus as Jonah.
- Year
- 2008
Lore & Background
The series is set in a post-apocalyptic world 100 years after a cataclysmic event plunges Earth into darkness and an ice age. The world consists of stations connected by a network of railway lines, and the inhabitants are governed by railway companies who tell them that the sun had turned supernova and became extinguished. The show centers on a community of people who lived on a station called Grand Star, as well as other people who still believe in the sun called Renewers, and people of the cold who can survive in the icy world outside.
Reader's Guide
The story revolves around Cal Ragg, who believes he can bring the sun back, and his friends Suki and Kurt Masters. The cast includes Tyler Johnston as Cal Ragg, Tammy Hui as Suki, and Kyle Labine as Kurt Masters, among others. The series comprises 26 episodes with titles such as 'L'immense lumière', 'L'origine de Cal', and 'La lumière chaude'. A multiplayer strategy game based on the TV series universe was launched in 2007, in which players compete by using their trains to gather money for energy source control.
Did You Know?
- The series is a co-production between Canada, France, and Belgium.
- It was filmed in Wallers-Arenberg, France.
- A multiplayer strategy game based on the series was launched in 2008.
- The series is loosely based on the novel series La Compagnie des glaces by Georges-Jean Arnaud.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Grand Star?
Grand Star is a science-fiction television series that debuted on January 2, 2008, depicting a post-apocalyptic ice-age world in which surviving human communities have reorganized their entire society around railway networks. It was co-produced by Canada, France, and Belgium.
What is the basic premise of the show?
The narrative is set roughly a century after a global catastrophe plunged Earth into a prolonged ice age, forcing what remains of civilization to depend on trains for transport, trade, and survival. Rail infrastructure and the control of energy sources become the central pillars of power in this frozen world.
Where was Grand Star filmed and where did it air?
Principal photography took place in the town of Wallers-Arenberg in northern France. The finished series was broadcast on France 2 in France and on the Space channel in Canada.
Was a video game based on Grand Star ever made?
Yes. In 2008, a multiplayer strategy game set in the series' universe was released, in which players pilot trains across a hostile landscape to collect currency and fight for dominance over key energy sources.
Did Grand Star draw from any existing literature?
The show takes loose thematic inspiration from Georges-Jean Arnaud's French novel series *La Compagnie des glaces*, adapting its general post-glacial, rail-centered worldview into a television format without following the source material's plot directly.
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