Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Star Trek has defined science fiction for decades, with countless studios trying to spin their own spin on the journey of the Starship Enterprise. In 1993, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the man who would go on to create Farscapepresented his own take on the iconic franchise that started it all, with the twist that, instead of deep space, it will take place underwater.
In its first season, SeaQuest DSV embraced its unique setting with episodes based on real ocean science and environmental issues, but the science-heavy episodes weren't good enough for NBC executives, who wanted a new, action-packed series, and the result is a show that started out full of promise but was destroyed behind the scenes by murky greed.
You will need a Big Boat
The concept of SeaQuest DSV It's simple: in the future, humanity is forced to move to underwater colonies to survive on a world with rapidly dwindling resources and the effects of climate change. SeaQuest is an experimental submarine under the supervision of the UEO (United Earth Oceans organization), tasked with scientific research and the defense of colonies from invaders and rival nations. For a sci-fi series, it's surprisingly grounded, and while the first season included an episode about a ghost ship and another involving an alien ship, the two are one from another, dealing with politics, environmental ethics, and survival miles underground.
SeaQuest DSV it also features some great stunt acting, with Roy Scheider, famous for playing Brody in Jawsstars as Captain Nathan Bridger, an ex-military officer who emerges from self-imposed exile following the death of his wife to take over. Bridger resigns to follow an anti-whaling activist, and when a dangerous industrial accident threatens all life on Earth, he doesn't hesitate when he sees what needs to be done. The problem is that Scheider returned in Season 2, and the shift from edutainment to action-oriented sci-fi was a waste of his acting talent, and Bridger seemed ill-suited to fighting giant alligators and cryptic science experiments.
The rest of the crew fares even worse, as young Lucas (Jonathan Brandis, a mainstay of Tiger Beat in the early 90s), Commander Ford (Don Franklin), and Lieutenant O'Neill (Ted Raimi) are the only three to stay through all three seasons, too, along with Darwin the Dolphin. In an effort to make the series appeal to a wider audience, NBC executives wanted to add more “eye candy” to the show, which meant that Stephanie Beacham came out as Dr. Kristin Westphalen and Royce Applegate as Chief Crocker, a much younger Kathy Evison as JG Lonnie Henderson and Edward Keer as Lieutenant James Brody.
Cast changes happen throughout the show, but when NBC made it, only four characters carried over from Season 1 to Season 2, and SeaQuest DSV you were completely invisible.
From Science and Exploration to Giant Crocodiles
Edutainment episodes based on real science and exploration have been replaced by a giant crocodile escaping its icy prison, an unknown hunter finding a way to board a sub, and even SeaQuest itself looks different. On camera, Captain Bridger sacrifices reality to save the planet.
closed camera, SeaQuest DSV moved from filming in Vancouver to Florida at Universal Studios, complete with a brand new set. Scheider was eventually released on bail, which led to Michael Ironside replacing him in Season 3, when the show was renamed SeaQuest 2032 like hard-nosed Captain Oliver Hudson, but the producers may have been rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
SeaQuest DSV it wasn't a ratings juggernaut, but the slow, thoughtful, and character-driven episodes of Season 1 provided a great building block for the future. O'Bannon's greatest song, Farscapeit took time to evolve into the wild sci-fi romp it would eventually become, but his first series was denied the opportunity to grow and develop organically. The result is that Seasons 2 and 3 were burning ratings for NBC as every act of studio meddling backfired, with audiences turning their backs on a plethora of corny programming, which went all the way to Season 3 when Poseidon was stuck.
If SeaQuest DSV has always focused on environmental programs and deep sea exploration, it may have been one of the best sci-fi shows of the 90s instead of a forgotten series. Thanks to the talent of Jonathan Brandis, Lucas was a better young character than Wesley Crusher The Next Generationand again, Roy Scheider was directly involved in the network-type series as the lead, first and last.
The ocean is big and unexplored, full of surprises, and it's a wonderful setting for a sci-fi series, but no matter how good the idea is, any show will fall if greedy studio executives chase the latest trends, and we don't know where O'Bannon would have taken the show if it hadn't been destroyed.
