Netflix’s Another Life is the Sci Fi Horror We Need Right Now

When I heard that Katee Sackhoff, who is famous in the geek community for playing Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, would be the main character for a new Sci Fi I about lost my mind with excitement. Thankfully this new series called Another Life had just launched on Netflix and I dove right in. Little did I know that I was in for a Sci Fi Horror treat that I desperately needed!

Astronaut Niko Breckenridge and her young crew face unimaginable danger as they go on a high-risk mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact. – IMDB

In the not so distant future Earth is suddenly visited by an unidentified object that lands and crystallizes into the surface. Unsure of how to handle this, the government decides to launch the Salvare, the only space ship capable of making long distance journeys, to find the home planet of this being and figure out what their intentions are. Meanwhile on Earth a group of scientists and military surround the artifact and attempt to communicate with it.

For the space mission, instead of going ahead with current captain of the Salvare as the mission lead, they brought in Niko Breckenridge to the surprise of all. While Niko had a wonderful husband and young daughter, she decided to accept this mission after deliberately not being a part of a space assignment in years.

There are only ten episodes in the first season of Another Life and every single one is jammed pack with action and drama. What separates this series from other Sci Fi shows is the sheer intensity of the danger. A lot of shows will tease that a main character’s life hangs in the balance but then will ultimately pull their punch and everyone lives happily ever after.

Not this show.

The crew members of the Salvere are in constant, real, danger and even with the veteran leadership of Niko, they still suffer tremendously. This show was well written because it showcases the strengths and weaknesses of all of the characters and then places them in situations that are do or die. You become so accustomed to their personalities that you know exactly what is running through their mind. When they do step up and make sacrifices, you feel a sense of dread because there is such an emotional attachment.

As a sci fi show, Another Life delivers on providing viewers the beauty and chaos that is space. It has everything from advanced artificial intelligence, aliens, space sicknesses, black holes, and more. For only ten episodes you will get your fill of everything you love!

While the special effects, lore, and acting are all superb, another aspect of the show that I truly appreciate is how progressive they paint the future in Another Life. JayR Tinaco plays Zayn who is the medical personal and therapist for the Salvare and she is transgender yet not a soul comments about it at all. Even in the midst of high tension and shouting matches, they remain focused on the argument at hand instead of attacking her. The acting and cinematography also slightly teases that they might do it but then take the road of equality.

Not only that, but the show places women in roles of leadership and strength that is respected by all crew members. When it comes to making tough decisions or dealing with insubordination, the crew of the Salvare remained objective rather than making crude comments about women. Showing that in this future there is far more equality than we have in our current day and age. Hell, even in physical combat the female characters are throwing hay makers and taking them without skipping a beat.

However not everything about Another Life is stellar. My one complaint are some of the character’s choices. The daughter of Niko is one of the most annoying kids I have ever watched on a show. The entire show she dances between obnoxiously whiny to unreasonable. There was not a single moment of emotional attachment for her and in the the only part of the series that I actually enjoyed is when she gets hurt and knocked out. I enjoyed it so much because she didn’t have any lines from then on. On the real talk I firmly believe this is more so because of poor acting along with bad writing that combined to make a hot mess.

 

On this same topic, there are conflicting moments such as the alien artifact is surrounded by a classified military base and yet almost everyone can run past guards stationed there with automatic rifles OR the guards are literally no where to be found during moments of intense action. I get that this is just a show and there has to be a suspension of disbelief but the rest of the show is filled with a realistic setting so these scenes feel cheap. I would have liked to see plans foiled or some sort of distraction to justify the more bold actions of some of the Earthbound characters.

All in all Another Life is a fantastic show that will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys Sci Fi and Horror! Every single episode is solid and the ending leaves viewers on the edge of their seats wanting so much more! You can find Another Life on Netflix!