Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming science fiction series Another Life, starring Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff. The 10-episode series premieres on July 25th, and it looks like a fun cross between the first-contact film Arrival and the Syfy Channel’s Dark Matter.
The series follows Commander Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff), who’s selected to lead a mission to a distant planet after an alien ship touches down on Earth. All the tropes of a “reluctant leader setting off on a dangerous mission”-type of show are present: there are promises to loved ones that she’ll be back, forlorn staring out into space, and members of the crew musing about their place in history. Meanwhile, her husband (played by Justin Chatwin) is tasked with figuring out where the artifact came from, and it looks as though there are bigger ramifications for the fate of humanity thrown in for good measure. Along the way, alien monsters, crew members apparently developing strange powers, and parties on the flight deck also factor into the story.
The series seems to have the feel of some of the big, goofy science fiction shows of the early 2000s, like Andromeda, Firefly, Stargate SG-1, as well as shows like Dark Matter, Killjoys, The Orville, and Netflix’s Lost in Space. These shows weren’t exactly on the same level of genre projects like Battlestar Galactica or The Expanse, but they’re perfectly fun diversions that rely on a decent enough hook and enough fun characters to keep watching. This one looks like it has enough of a compelling mystery and planetary exploration. Hopefully it’ll turn out a bit better than Syfy’s Nightflyers.