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Revision as of 21:41, 25 May 2007 by Kusma (talk | contribs) (remove spoiler warning from clearly marked section or from classical literature using AWB)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1996 TV series or program| Dark Skies | |
|---|---|
| File:Darkskies.jpgDark Skies promotional shot | |
| 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. |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | 21 September 1996 – 31 May 1997 |
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."
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 show is memorable for involving an array of real-life 1960's personalities in the plot, such as The Beatles, Robert Kennedy, Jim Morrison, J Edgar Hoover and a host of others, portrayed believably by competent actors. Through these icons, the viewer is drawn into that pivotal maturing period of American history.
This show 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, probably to boost falling ratings.
The Hive
The Hive are a fictional alien species who are covertly invading Earth in the TV show Dark Skies. They are a microbial race that infests host bodies after which it spreads ganglion 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 are named after the fact that they are telepathically linked to one another and possess a 'hive' consciousness.
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
- 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
- Mitchell Ryan ... 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
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 |
DVD Release
Following fan campaigns for many years, Dark Skies will receive a complete series DVD boxset release in October 2007 (presumably for Region 1). Currently no news of DVD extras is known, although plenty of archive material is known to exist.
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.
External links
- DVD Times - Dark Skies: The Movie
- Eric Close: Dark Skies - by Brigitta B.
- GEOS: Dark Skies
- Intro
- The Templeton Gate - Television - Dark Skies
- The J.T. Walsh Super Site
- The Tim Kelleher Homepage