Marsfall: The Final Frontier
To say the first season of Marsfall does everything Star Trek: Into Darkness gets wrong is perhaps overly simplistic, but not entirely inaccurate. Both the movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the infamous character Khan from Star Trek canon and Marsfall take space opera to their dark extremes. Whereas Into Darkness goes warp speed into territory with an edge, it’s ultimately a retelling of Wrath of Khan. Marsfall does not go gentle into that good night, to use an Interstellar reference. It boldly goes where not many shows have gone before. Many under the category of space opera emphasize humor and campiness over serious issues and gradually introduce to the world. Usually in some far future society than a near future one.
Marsfall not only deals with real human issues but does it in a way that doesn’t detract from the larger than life themes and questions science fiction often asks. At its heart, Marsfall’s ensemble cast nature is what makes it so much like space opera, but it’s the emphasis on edginess rather than dark and gritty like in the Star Trek reboot films. The difference is subtle, but Marsfall manages to dance across that line between bleakness and campiness in an elegant waltz. It’s doing something different, grounding its world and characters in a believable reality.
Twist and Shout
The revelations are both tense and provocative, as well as providing commentary on the science fiction genre itself. Marsfall’s examination into artificial intelligence is something people have done, but not to this effect. Because of this take, the most interesting character is ANDI: an AI who, thanks to his dynamics processing, has emotions or at the very least understands them on a personal level. That line between a post-apocalyptic world where AI have overcome their programming and wiped out most of humanity and an artifical intelliegence that is sympathetic toward its creators is routinely brought up throughout the first season. There are some many twists and social commentary on the nature of AI that it’s impossible not to talk about them without spoilers.
Overall Marsfall works and is an entertaining ride with some minor bumps along the way that make it hard to binge. At least in the opening few chapters. Once the trial scene hits, it’s smooth drifting untill the finale.
4.5/5 Stars
Next Time
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