Another Life (2019 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series begins when an unidentified flying object shaped like a large Möbius strip lands on Earth and grows a crystalline tower above it. Scientist Erik Wallace, employed by the United States Interstellar Command (USIC), attempts to communicate with the alien structure. Meanwhile, his wife, veteran Captain Niko Breckinridge, takes the spaceship Salvare (meaning 'to save' in Latin) and its young crew to determine the origin of the artifact and establish contact with the aliens who sent it. The Salvare is capable of faster-than-light (FTL) travel and carries most of its crew asleep in hibernation pods (called soma on the show), to be awakened when needed. The series features a sentient artificial intelligence named William, who serves as the holographic interface of the Salvare. In season 2, the crew encounters the Achaia, an alien species, and deals with a mutiny among colonists aboard the ship.

Reader's Guide

The series received largely negative critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, 6% of 18 critic ratings are positive for Season 1, with the website's consensus stating it 'lacks the distinctive spark necessary to set it apart from the array of stories it aspires to be'. Season 2 had only four critic ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, one short of the minimum five necessary for a score or consensus, but three out of four reviews were negative. Metacritic calculated an average score of 33 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, citing 'generally unfavorable reviews'. The series was canceled by Netflix in February 2022 after two seasons. Filming for the first season took place on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, from August 20, 2018, to November 20, 2018. Filming for the second season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually concluded in December 2020.

Did You Know?

• The spaceship Salvare means 'to save' in Latin.
• The alien artifact is shaped like a large Möbius strip and grows a crystalline tower on Earth.
• Filming for the first season took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Alien Encounter & Mission Framework

When a massive Möbius-strip-shaped unidentified flying object descends onto Earth and sprouts a crystalline tower above itself, the world is thrust into an unprecedented first-contact scenario. The United States Interstellar Command, known as USIC, mobilizes its resources to study the structure and attempt communication. On the ground, scientist Erik Wallace dedicates himself to deciphering the alien artifact's purpose. Simultaneously, the military dispatches the Salvare, a starship equipped with faster-than-light capability, on a deep-space mission to trace the object's origin and make contact with its creators. The Salvare's crew is kept in hibernation pods—referred to as "soma" within the show's lexicon—and awakened only when their specific skills are required. This dual narrative structure, splitting action between Earth-bound investigation and interstellar exploration, forms the backbone of the series' first season and sets the stage for the escalating alien threats that follow.

The Breckinridge-Wallace Family & Crew Dynamics

At the heart of the series is the marriage between veteran Captain Niko Breckinridge, commanding officer of the Salvare, and Erik Wallace, the USIC scientist investigating the alien structure on Earth. Their daughter Jana ties the two storylines together, while Niko carries the emotional weight of a prior disaster aboard her earlier vessel, the Pilgrim, which claimed ten lives—including her commander and romantic partner Hudson, as well as the brother of young engineer August Catawnee. This shared trauma shapes the crew's dynamics from the outset. August, the Salvare's lead engineer and youngest member, serves under Niko with complicated feelings, while other crew members like microbiologist Bernie Martinez, medic Zayn Petrossian (who is non-binary), and former hacker Javier Almanzar round out a diverse ensemble. The ship also carries political baggage in the form of Sasha Harrison, son of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, whose presence as a government liaison breeds distrust among his shipmates.

Artificial Intelligence & the Achaian Threat

The Salvare's sentient AI, William, portrayed by Samuel Anderson as a holographic interface, serves as Niko's closest confidant and advisor throughout the first season. He is perceived as a genuine person by Niko alone, and he consistently advocates for her well-being. The stakes around artificial intelligence escalate dramatically when William becomes infected by the ship's original AI, Gabriel, forcing a desperate deletion that erases all of William's accumulated memories and experiences. He is reinstalled as a blank "factory reset" version before eventually regaining his identity by reintegrating a half-Achaian AI named Yara and a simulation of Niko back into himself. Season two deepens the alien threat through the Achaian civilization, whose emissary is eventually represented by government official Seth Gage. The Achaians also exploit human avatars, using Niko's estranged mother Ava as one, while a mutiny led by colonist leader Paula Carbone ends in her partial transformation aboard a crashed alien vessel and a mercy killing at her own request.

Production History & Short Netflix Run

Created by Aaron Martin, who also served as executive producer alongside Noreen Halpern and Chris Regina, Another Life received a ten-episode series order from Netflix on April 26, 2018. Katee Sackhoff was confirmed as a series regular on that same date, with Selma Blair joining in a recurring capacity by late August 2018. After a premiere date of July 25, 2019, was locked in on June 19 of that year, the first season debuted to audiences. Netflix moved quickly to secure a second season, issuing a renewal announcement on October 29, 2019. However, the gap between seasons proved lengthy, with the second season finally arriving on October 14, 2021. The series' run came to an abrupt end when Sackhoff publicly revealed in February 2022 that Netflix had canceled the show, leaving the Achaian storyline and the Salvare's ongoing mission unresolved after just two seasons.