58th The Wildcards

It is through the Wildcards that we connect to the turmoil, tragedy, and hope of humankind in the near future. From the very beginning, we meet a group of young men and women who make up the Marine Corps 58th squadron, and as the tale progresses from accelerated training to battle, we go with them as they are thrust into a conflict that serves as a catalyst for comradeship and self-exploration.

The primary squardon members in Space: Above and Beyond are Nathan West, Shane Vansen, Cooper Hawkes, Vanessa Damphousse, and Paul Wang. Each has a reason for joining the service; each has a doubt that darkens as well as a conviction that brightens. And they all know that survival means keeping your friends alive.

They are all loyal to their commander, T.C. McQueen, a leader who knows well that death is ever upon them and that he bears the task of preparing them for a moment when one or more of them won't return. "Either they come back or they don't" he says to one. "It's OK to be scared" he says to them all, and each of them knows he would die for them.

The Chigs

Humans call them "Chigs." No human truly knows what they call themselves, but it served the war effort well to demonize the aliens with a slur, one that conjures up images of insect pests. When they first appear in Space: Above and Beyond, the Chigs are humanoid in form and encased entirely in armor, a faceless, evil presence we can neither see nor understand. Our reaction to them is simple: they are evil and must be destroyed.

The first encounter with them was catastrophic. They attacked the Tellus and Vesta colonies in the night, without provocation, without warning. The colonists had no chance. The attack sparked the Chig War, and before humankind was fully prepared, the Chigs were bearing down on the Solar System. They had routed Earth's finest combat squadron -- The Angry Angels -- and were preparing to attack humanity's home world.

The enemy seems to know much about humans. It appears that the Chigs has been watching humankind for a long time, perhaps from the television and radio signals beamed into space for over 100 years. In one episode, the 58th encounters one such signal. Perhaps the Chigs have visited Earth in prehistory. In another episode, McQueen suggests that the Chigs may already know an early Native American language that is being used as code, perhaps because they gave the Navajo the language. They also know something about English. On the special fighter craft piloted by "Chiggie" von Richtoven, we see the words "Abandon All Hope" and a crudely painted human skull.

It is from an A.I. that we hear that the Chigs have been watching Earth for an incredibly long time. These rebel A.I.s who have been in league with the Chigs, helping them, educating them about Earth cultures and beliefs. All that the humans know is that Chigs fear the dead…even their own dead.

As the series progresses, we see more into the Chigs themselves. Their technology is superior to human technology in some ways, comparable or even less advanced in others. They are disciplined and even predictable in their combat tactics. They have loved ones dear to them, carrying mementos close to them. We catch sight of one as it takes a moment to admire a great soaring bird in the sky. They spawn on a single moon within their home system, a moon that is sacred to them. We finally see them without their armor environment suits; we see that they are indeed humanoid.

But the biggest revelation comes when a Chig ambassador seeks to negotiate a cease-fire. The ambassador claims that his kind and humankind came from the same celestial substance. He also reveals that Aerotech had knowledge about the region around their sacred place, and in that region was Tellus and Vesta. The Chigs could never allow aliens to settle in that region and all attempts to warn off the Aerotech advance teams had come to naught. The Chigs did what they must to protect their legacy and their future.

In Vitros

The Latin phrase "In-Vitro" means "in an artificial environment outside the living organism." Thus, in Space: Above and Beyond, "In-Vitro" refers to the group of humans who were not only fertilized outside the womb, but had also gestated in a tank, to be "born" as young adults.

During the A.I. War, the cost in human life was devastatingly high in the civilian population as well as in the military. Terror attacks claimed far too many. Combat and battle claimed even more. Everyday, the losses mounted. Humankind made the decision to increase its numbers artificially, not with the electronic intelligences that were now the enemy but with artificially gestated humans who could become highly skilled soldiers. Government and industry worked together to build a multitude of In-Vitro facilities around the country, facilities where these soldiers could be grown and trained.

After artificial fertilization, In-Vitros gestate in tanks, with umbilical cords at the base of their necks delivering the nutrients and basics they need as they remain suspended in a sleep state and under accelerated development. After about six years, their physical development is equivalent to a natural-born human at eighteen years of age. When they are "harvested" from the tank and awakened, they have the physical qualities of a fully grown human, but none of the intellectual or emotional attributes. They don't understand love of self, love of family, love of friends, or love of country. They don't understand the human world or anything about its society and how it evolved over the millenia. And nothing is done to remedy that deficiency. Instead of receiving any social education, they are indoctrinated into the art of killing. Watched daily and trained by Monitors, they are never allowed to question anything. If they do, they are considered "defective" and promptly "erased." They are never released outside the facility until it is time for them to enter combat.

But for the A.I. War effort, the entire In-Vitro undertaking proved a disappointment. Because In-Vitros lack the understanding and considerations that mature through life from the first moment of self-cognizance to the onset of adulthood, they lack the desire or determination to fight for any cause. They soon gained the reputation for being lazy and shiftless. Some "natural-borns" even considered them expendable. Many derisively called them "tanks" in reference to their gestation chambers. Others call them "nipple necks" in reference to the navel at the base of the neck.

With the A.I. War finally over, humankind found itself with a population of In-Vitros lacking purpose and reason. A social movement arose to incorporate In-Vitros into human society, to educate and develop them, to cultivate them for labor or possibly even other ventures. In response, there is a palpable backlash against it.

There are, however, a few In-Vitros who rise above all that. They make the effort to bear up under the bigotry. They seek to understand the cultural legacy of humanity from the great classics and mythologies to the marvelous humor and drama portrayed in cinema, art, and literature.

Two prominent In-Vitros in this drama are Lt. Cooper Hawkes and Colonel T.C. McQueen.

AI - Artificial Intelligence

A.I. stands for Artificial Intelligence, and the A.I.s (Artificial Intelligences, commonly called "Silicates") were manufactured to serve humankind. Created in the image of the "maker," they were designed in several distinct models and epitomized what the creators felt was beautiful and physically appealing. They do not look at all like the mechanical electronic contrivances that they are…except for their eyes. Their eyes are opaque white orbs with crosshairs.

A.I.s also communicate with one another via modulation schemes through wireless telephony. When they communicate thusly, the only sound humans can detect are electronic beeps and chirps. Silicates are networked remotely so they know one another's position and operating state. In addition, they are capable of storing, and retrieving common knowledge. They share data on demand.

Although the A.I.s were programmed to comprehend the abstract, their programming did not include original thought and creativity. They merely understood and responded…until a discontented programmer inserted a computer virus into the A.I. code pool. The instruction: "Take a Chance."

That one single act triggered a storm of destruction. It became compelling ideology in A.I. behavior, leading them to define all activity in terms of risk and gamble. Eventually, the A.I.s rebelled, indiscriminately taking human life, slaughtering the life forms they derisively called "Carbonites." They unleashed a volley of terror that lasted nearly ten years, until humans finally overcame them. In the aftermath, many of the remaining A.I.s seized a number of military craft and fled into space, where they continue to plague humankind, tattered and malfunctioning, with no one no repair them. They even assist the Chigs in their war against the humans.

In Space: Above and Beyond, there are three prominent Silicate models: Felicity, Elroy, and Handsome Alvin.

USS Saratoga

The U.S.S. Saratoga is an SCVN (Space Carrier Vehicle Nuclear) of the John F. Kennedy Class, registry number SCVN-2812. It is the space-equivalent of a U.S. Naval aircraft carrier and serves as the base of operations for the 58th and a number of other squadrons. Its armament includes laser pulse cannons, phalanx missile launchers, and torpedo launchers. Not capable of atmospheric flight, the vessel is powered by a helium 3 fusion engine and measures 525.6 m (1.724 ft) in length, 245.1 m (804 ft) in the beam, and 185.4 m (608 ft) high. The U.S.S. Saratoga is commanded by Commodore Glen Ross.

Hammer Head - the aircraft

The primary fighter craft of Earth forces is the SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet, commonly called the "Hammerhead" because of its nose, which resembles that of a hammerhead shark. Its weaponry includes rail guns plus mounted missiles or bombs. It features a LIDAR (Laser Infrared Detection And Ranging) scanner that can track and engage 100 separate targets, plus an autopilot unit known as an "egghead" that pilots can turn to for long range routine flight or for moments when they cannot handle the flight controls themselves. Pilots can also use a holographic heads-up display (HUD) for combat intelligence and an optical disc playback unit (ODP) for mission data records. Capable of both space and atmospheric flight, these craft are highly maneuverable with detachable cockpit units that facilitate docking with space platforms and serve as ejection capsules. A single-person craft, Hammerheads dock in specially designed bays on the SCVN. The Hammerhead is often used by the 58th during sorties and other skirmishes.

ISSCV - the vessel

The ISSCV (Inter Solar System Cargo Vessel) is a configurable space craft to which various types of modules can be attached, depending on the needs of the mission. These modules can carry troops, transport cargo, conduct evacuations, and even serve as mobile command centers. For extended operations, the APC module can be left planetside while the transport moves to a safe orbit. The onboard electronics include a flight computer, LIDAR, EM detectors, and a gravimetric mass detector. The vessel is capable of both space and atmospheric flight, and its cockpit accommodates both a pilot and a co-pilot. The ISSAPC (Inter Solar System Armored Personnel Carrier) is essentially an armed ISSCV. Armaments include pulse lasers plus a gauss gun in the module itself. Transport vessels such as the ISSCV touch down on landing pads on the SCVN.

Squadrons - List

7th Asian Airwing
23rd Marine Strike Group - The Black Watch
29th Doodlebugs Squadron
41st Commando Squadron - The Wild Furies
57th Crusaders
57th Crusaders, CommTerminal v.2.0
63rd Squardon Blazing Knights, Australian Branch of Space Ready Reserve
116th The Tigers
244th Air Commando Squadron Midnight Furies
The 6-66th Squadron
4031st Soaring Eagles
Project Omega Special Operations Unit
Commonwealth Defence Force
58th Squadron Wildcards
88th Firebirds Nesting Site

Episodes 1- Pilot

After decades of peace, mankind discovers that it is not alone in the universe and is pulled into a war with an unknown alien species. A group of new recruits in the United States Marine Corps are thrown into the heat of battle. They each joined for there own reason, but in the end they are all fighting for the same thing, Earth and the survival of the human race.
Synopsis
Years of calling out into the empty reaches of space have convinced man we are alone. But are we? A group of men, women and children stand together on the soil of a new planet, looking up to the stars as the flag of Earth is unfurled. But the peace of the night is shattered by alien warplanes. The colony is destroyed.

Back on Earth, Nathan West and his partner Kylen Celina are nervously going through the final checks in preparation for the launch that will take them to the new colony of Tellus and their dream of building a new world together. But mere hours before the launch they are informed that only one of them can go. Ten members of the crew are to be replaced by In Vitros, people artificially gestated in gestation chambers, known as "tanks". Nathan and Kylen decide that Kylen must go alone, and the only possible way Nathan can hope to eventually be re-united with her is to join the Marines and hope to become a colonial sentry.

Shane Vansen visits her former home on a military base in San Diego. There she relives her parents' brutal murder at the hands of Artificial Intelligence terrorists. Placing a wreath on the very spot where they died, Shane squares her shoulders and sets off to join the Marines.

A building site in Philadelphia and Cooper Hawkes is running for his life. His workmates have discovered he is an In Vitro, a despised "tank" and now they intend to string him up from a girder. But Cooper is no easy mark. He fights back, and the thugs scatter. Seizing an iron bar Cooper chases the ringleader into the street where he dives into the back of a police car. Incensed that the man who tried to kill him is now being protected by the police, Cooper starts smashing the police car. He is quickly stunned unconscious by the police, still entangled in the wire the lynch mob tried to hang him with. He is sentenced to serve a term in the Marines rather than go to prison.

With war suddenly breaking out the training of the new recruits begins in earnest. Nathan West is still angry at his treatment, and, when he hears that the Tellus colony ship has been shot down, terrified for Kylen. Only faith that she is among the few missing survivors keeps him going. Shane, having decided to join the Marines for herself, and to get away from looking after her younger sisters, is exasperated to find all members of the squadron looking to her for guidance. Cooper is sullen and rebellious. Three people thrown together for very different reasons, and the only way for them and their squad mates to survive is to learn to work together as a team.

Episode 2- The Farthest Man from Home

Convinced Kylen may be among a handful of survivors of the attack on the Tellus Colony, Nathan commandeers a fighter craft and returns to the planet, where he encounters Alien resistance which prevents him from completing his rescue and nearly costs him his life.

Synopsis

Special forces US Army Green Berets, headed by Capt. Joyner, board SCVN USS Saratoga with a survivor discovered on Planet Tellus uttering "I'm the Farthest Man From Home." Howard Sewell (from Aerotech Board of Directors who had Nathan thrown off Tellus mission,) threatens to "reeducate" the prisoner during interrogation if he does not candidly speak of his time spend with the Aliens. Nathan, after learning from the prisoner that Kylen Celina might be alive, goes AWOL to Tellus to search for her.

Cooper and Shane fall out of their reconnaissance formation ('Go Elvis') to go after Nathan with McQueen's tacit blessing. Nathan finds Celina's locker with her personal belongings and a line up of photo-tags (w/ digital playback buttons) of those who survived... Kylen's message "Nathan, we're always together." He proceeds to a cave following her direction to "Look to the high ground," and discovers two additional Tellus survivors - Theresa Ashford and Yuko Kaya - living amongst alien graves. They confirm his suspicions that Kylen was taken by the aliens. Nathan plans to attack the campground of aliens holding other hostages, but abandons the search to rescue Cooper whose plane is shot down nearby.

Shane radios McQueen who then boards an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) to Tellus and orders the rest of the 58th to 'cover' it. Following the rescue, the survivors are taken away by Sewell (their fate unknown) and the 58th's actions are classified "Code Red" (not to be acknowledged or discussed.) The squadron will not see Tellus for another 50 years.

Episode 3 - The Dark Side of the Sun pisode

The 58th is assigned sentry duty on an asteroid where crucial fuel ore is mined, only to discover the mining base overrun by A.I. mercenaries intent on stealing the ore and selling it to the Alien forces. The 58th must stop the A.I.'s at all costs, and Shane is forced to confront these androids who murdered her parents.
Synopsis
Shane is haunted by nightmares of her ship flying into an exploding sun. As she is tossed into space, she drifts into the memory of her parents' murder by Silicates.

The 58th and Lt. Howard Gordon land on the Comet Bunuel to find themselves under attack by Silicates. They retreat into the industrial complex and discover the dead bodies of the miners who worked at the facility. While in the complex, Paul, Vanessa, and Cooper are captured by Al's commanded by Feliciti OH 519. By accessing an injured Al's RAM (Random Access Memory,) Shane and Nathan begin to track the Al's and their crew-mates down.

In an attempt to save the lives of the squadron, Cooper challenges Feliciti OH to "take a chance" at BlackJack; where the stakes are life and death. After Cooper loses 18 to 20, a Silicate (Jean-Paul) proceeds to carry out the execution. At the same time Nathan and Shane attack. While the rest of the Al's descend upon the squadron, Shane follows Feliciti. She discovers that the Silicates killed her parents for no particular reason; they were simply on the losing side of a coin toss. In a rampage, Shane kills Feliciti and Justin, saves the 58th, and shoots down the Al transport plane holding the stolen ore... but her nightmares do not stop.