Of all the places to be lost, space is pretty high up on the list of undesirable locations. Becoming adrift in the near-infinite nothingness of the universe is a provocative concept, so much so that one of the most iconic sci-fi TV series ever just went ahead and named itself after it.
Becoming lost in space isn’t the only thing to fear among the stars, however. For instance: what if you know where you’re going but lack the adequate life-sustaining resources to get there? That is the question at the center of Syfy’s next original series, The Ark.
Premiering Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy, The Ark brings a simple, yet horrifying situation to the table. Per the official Syfy synopsis: “The Ark takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.“
That’s right: something catastrophic destroys much of Ark One, leaving the ultimate survival of its remaining inhabitants (not to mention the human race at large) in question. Just how catastrophic is the something that Ark One encounters? We’re glad you asked! We have some exclusive video evidence of that carnage to present in the form of the The Ark‘s first trailer. Watch below …
So yeah, uh … catastrophic. Like most great science fiction setups, however, it would appear that the destruction is just the beginning for The Ark. While the tremendous loss of life following the collapse of spacecraft infrastructure is concerning, the real troubles begin in the aftermath of chaos. In just this trailer alone, the occupants of Ark One endure the loss of its leadership, a lack of oxygen, water supply dwindling to four days, and life support systems failing all over the place. That’s not even to mention the ominous line “we’re the further out anyone’s ever been, who could attack us?”
Even though it’s set 100 years in the future (which, to be frank, is a bit too close to our present for comfort) The Ark is really presenting the oldest kind of story: that of survival. Ever since human beings first crawled out of our caves and onto boats, being “out there” with insufficient supplies has been a powerful fear. Sci-fi shows like Lost in Space, Battlestar Galactica, and now The Ark merely update that fear to its logical extreme of being really, really “out there.”
The Ark was created by Dean Devlin (writer/producer of Independence Day and Stargate). Devlin and Jonathan Glassner (creator of Stargate SG-1) serve as co-showrunners and will executive produce alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English and Steve Lee will produce. The cast consists of: Christie Burke (The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Pt. 2), Richard Fleeshman (Coronation Street), Reece Ritchie (The Outpost), Stacey Read, and Ryan Adams.
The Ark premieres Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy. New episodes will air weekly at the same time and be available to stream the day after on Peacock.
