Dark Skies
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| Dark Skies | |
|---|---|
| Format | Science Fiction |
| Created by | Bryce Zabel |
| Starring | Eric Close Megan Ward J.T. Walsh Tim Kelleher Conor O'Farrell Charley Lang Jeri Ryan |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 mins. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | 21 September 1996 – 31 May 1997 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dark Skies is an American sci-fi/drama television series which aired during the 1996-1997 season for 20 episodes. The success of The X-Files on the FOX Network proved there was an audience for genre shows, resulting in the NBC Network commissioning this proposed competitor following a pitch from producers Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman. The series debuted September 21, 1996 on NBC, and was later rerun by the Sci-Fi channel. Its tagline was "History as we know it is a lie."
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
20th Century history as we know it is a lie. Aliens have been among us since the late 1940s, but a government cover-up has protected the public from such knowledge. As the series progresses, we follow John Loengard and Kim Sayers through the 1960s as they attempt to foil the plots of the alien Hive. The Hive is an alien race that planned to invade Earth through a manipulation of historical events and famous figures, including most notably the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In addition, the pair must stay one step ahead of a covert government agency with mixed motives, Majestic 12.
The featured a number of real-life 1960's personalities in the plot, such as The Beatles, Robert Kennedy, Jim Morrison, and J Edgar Hoover. This show also has the distinction of introducing sci-fi fans to Jeri Ryan, just shortly before her Seven of Nine fame. Similar to Star Trek: Voyager, she played a regular character that was introduced in the middle of the show's run.
[edit] The Hive
The Hive are an alien species who are covertly invading Earth. They are a microbial race that infests host bodies, after which it spreads ganglia throughout the body to control it. Various stages from Alpha to Delta occur which show varying degrees of the infection. The Gamma and Delta stages are where the Hive organism takes total control over the host which becomes nothing more than a shell for the invading organism.
The Hive's language was developed by Reed College linguistics professor Matt Pearson.
[edit] Cast
- Eric Close ... as John Loengard
- Megan Ward ... as Kimberly Sayers
- J.T. Walsh ... as Frank Bach
- Tim Kelleher ... as Jim Steele
- Conor O'Farrell ... as Phil Albano
- Charley Lang ... as Dr. Halligan
- Jeri Ryan ... as Juliet Stuart
Guest real-life 1960's characters
- James F. Kelly ... as Robert Kennedy
- Hansford Rowe ... as President Harry Truman
- Mike Kennedy... as Allen Dulles
- Don Moss ... as Hubert Humphrey
- Jack Lindine ... as Jack Ruby
- Paul Gleason... as Nelson Rockefeller
- Joe Urla .... as Carl Sagan
- Wolfgang Bodison... as Colin Powell
- Don Most ... as Dr. Timothy Leary
- Arell Blanton ... as General Nathan Farragut Twining
- Marilyn McIntyre ... as Dorothy Kilgallen
- Art Bell ... as William S. Paley
- Wayne Tippit ... as J. Edgar Hoover
- Gary Lockwood ... as Earl Warren
- Gunther Jenson ... as Captain Norman Schwarzkopf
- Susan Griffiths ... as Marilyn Monroe
- Dennis Creaghan ... as J. Lee Rankin
- Sam Whipple ... as J. Allen Hynek
- Robert Carradine ... as Lonnie Zamora
- James Lancaster ... as Kenneth Parkinson
- Carey Eidel ... as Brian Epstein
- Jerome Patrick Hoban ... as Ed Sullivan
- Carmine Grippo ... as Ringo Starr
- Tim Michael McDougall ... as Paul McCartney
- Rick Anthony Pizaria ... as George Harrison
- Joe Stefanelli ... as John Lennon
- Brent David Fraser ... as Jim Morrison
[edit] Episodes
| # | Title | Original US airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | The Awakening (part 1) | September 21, 1996 |
| 1-2 | The Awakening (part 2) | September 21, 1996 |
| 1-3 | Moving Targets | September 28, 1996 |
| 1-4 | Mercury Rising | October 19, 1996 |
| 1-5 | Dark Days Night | October 26, 1996 |
| 1-6 | Dreamland | November 2, 1996 |
| 1-7 | Inhuman Nature | November 9, 1996 |
| 1-8 | Ancient Future | November 16, 1996 |
| 1-9 | Hostile Convergence | December 7, 1996 |
| 1-10 | We Shall Overcome | December 14, 1996 |
| 1-11 | The Last Wave | January 4, 1997 |
| 1-12 | The Enemy Within | January 11, 1997 |
| 1-13 | The Warren Omission | January 18, 1997 |
| 1-14 | White Rabbit | February 1, 1997 |
| 1-15 | Shades of Gray | February 8, 1997 |
| 1-16 | Burn, Baby, Burn | March 1, 1997 |
| 1-17 | Both Sides Now | March 8, 1997 |
| 1-18 | To Prey in Darkness | March 15, 1997 |
| 1-19 | Strangers in the Night | May 24, 1997 |
| 1-20 | Bloodlines | May 31, 1997 |
[edit] DVD Release
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Following fan campaigns for many years, an announcement was made that Dark Skies would receive a complete series DVD boxset release in October 2007 (presumably for Region 1). [1] However Sony Entertainment subsequently cancelled the release, citing prohibitive music licensing costs.[2]
As for the region 2 release, the rights had been acquired by DD Home Entertainment and it had been reported by DVD Times that it could be released in October 2007. Unfortunately, DD Home Entertainment are now in administration which could well effect the release in the UK.
[edit] CD Soundtrack
To celebrate the show's tenth anniversary, a limited edition CD soundtrack was released on Perseverance Records in September 2006, featuring selections from the original television score composed by Michael Hoenig and a previously unreleased Pilot Suite arranged by The X-Files composer Mark Snow.
