Within the Syfy present The Ark, colonization missions are crucial for the survival of the human race. One-hundred years into the longer term, the primary group of people board the spacecraft Ark One and set a course for a brand new planet to function their future house. Touring aboard a spaceship into the unknown — what might go incorrect?
In The Ark‘s case, nearly every little thing goes awry after a disastrous occasion destroys vital sections of the ship and kills many of the high-ranking officers on board. With one yr remaining on their journey and sources dwindling, Lt. Sharon Garnet (Maid’s Christie Burke), Lt. James Brice (The Sandman’s Richard Fleeshman), and Lt. Spencer Lane (The Outpost’s Reece Ritchie) should act shortly and take management of the ship earlier than it’s too late. Created by Dean Devlin (Independence Day) and Jonathan Glassner (Stargate SG-1), The Ark is an intense “misplaced in area” drama that forces a various crew to depend on one another to outlive.
In an interview with Digital Traits, the solid and creators of The Ark share their love for area, observe the present’s similarities to Sport of Thrones, and clarify why good characters are an important side of a tv sequence.
Notice: This interview has been edited for size and readability.
Digital Traits: Dean and Jonathan, you might be each again in area making a TV sequence. What makes area such setting for a present?
Jonathan Glassner: It’s the nice frontier, as they mentioned on Star Trek. It’s the solely frontier left apart from perhaps the deep ocean. It’s a fertile floor for journey, enjoyable, and discovering new issues and challenges.
Christie Burke: I believe there’s one thing as an viewers member that’s so thrilling concerning the unknown. It’s nearly like a standard worry I really feel with all people, which is this concept of what’s on the market. I get excited watching sci-fi stuff like that.
One thing all the time goes incorrect in these exhibits or films. I all the time marvel for those who might make a present the place nothing went incorrect. It’s like, “We obtained there. That’s it.”
Dean Devlin: [Laughs] I like this concept. No drama or battle.
Burke: It lasts one episode.
It may be like a actuality sequence.
Devlin: It might be a webcam, you already know?
Christie, your character is thrust right into a management place instantly. Did you draw inspiration from any leaders in media or actual life?
Burke: Completely. I really feel like main as much as the audition, I watched so many robust feminine and male characters in exhibits as a result of, clearly, I’m standing on such large shoulders with Sigourney Weaver, Demi Moore, and stuff like that. I simply wished to attempt to do one thing totally different and say one thing totally different, however nonetheless respect and stand on these wonderful shoulders too. I’m a giant movie fan. I watch a whole lot of exhibits and films, so I really feel like it could be a disservice to not.
Reece and Richard, your characters are additionally considered as leaders, however they’ve this distinct, generally brash, means of going about their enterprise. What was interesting about every of your characters?
Reece Ritchie: I believe the state of affairs requires this sort of gallows humor, so the brashness most likely comes from the determined state of affairs that all of them share. With reference to this management, that’s not a carried out deal for any of those three lieutenants. Not solely have you ever obtained the setting, [but] you’ve additionally obtained this interpersonal relationship and interpersonal battle, which is continually altering, fracturing, [and] reforming.
Richard Fleeshman: There’s slightly echo of Sport of Thrones in combating for the chair. All through the sequence, the captain’s chair stays vacant for an awfully very long time, perhaps indefinitely. It’s all the time the satisfaction of place within the bridge. It’s type of within the background. All people’s obtained their eye on the prize. Definitely, Lt. Garnet steps as much as the plate and does an incredible job initially.
Burke: Initially? [Laughs] Give me some extra credit score!
Ritchie: She does alright …
Does that imply dragons will probably be sooner or later if it’s like Sport of Thrones?
Fleeshman: There are dragons, sure. Spoiler alert.
Ritchie: That was really the working title, I believe. House Dragons.
Burke: I really put that in my contract. Will solely do it if there are area dragons.
This was principally shot in Serbia. I noticed many Instagram images of the solid hanging outdoors of labor. I’ve carried out this sufficient that I can inform which actors are mendacity after they say the solid obtained alongside all through filming. Judging by these images and the way you’re all speaking, I do imagine you all obtained alongside and bonded.
Ritchie: It was wonderful.
Fleeshman: It was wonderful, yeah. There was one thing about doing a present that’s set in area the place the characters are thrust right into a state of affairs. They’re discovering a household from such an eclectic bunch, they usually’re simply thrown collectively. There’s like brotherhood bonds occurring and sisterhood bonds occurring. This entire dynamic [is] taking place.
Then in actual time, the actors enjoying them are going by means of precisely the identical factor. We had a very eclectic, numerous group of individuals from everywhere in the world. As a result of we have been in Jap Europe, it allowed for the solid to be much more numerous than if it have been to be filmed some other place, simply by means of visa restrictions and stuff. So it was wonderful. We actually turned a household for basically four-and-a-half months. It was wonderful, really. Actually wonderful.
Burke: We nonetheless keep in contact with all people, like I only in the near past was speaking to [cast members] Christina [Wolfe] and Shalini [Peiris] and stuff like that. I felt like all of us obtained so shut. Yeah, it was simply so stunning and uncommon. You’re proper, it’s uncommon that it occurs.
Fleeshman: Actually uncommon. Normally, you sit right here going, “No, all people’s nice [smirks].”
They’re simply smiling and nodding.
Fleeshman: Sure, smiles and nods
With the solid, a whole lot of the actors saved their pure accents. Jonathan, was {that a} deliberate choice to make this a global crew?
Glassner: Yeah. You work sooner or later, if this ever occurs and we do must ship an arc, you’d hope it could be a global effort to save lots of humanity. And there’s the scientific motive of desirous to have the range of genetics. That’s why we did it. A few of them are literally not doing their very own accents, which is fascinating. Richard is definitely doing a Scottish accent, however that’s not his accent.
Fleeshman: [Laughs] In some episodes.
Burke: Yeah, he’s making an attempt it [laughs].
Fleeshman: You see? That is what I’ve to place up with, Dan.
Glassner: Christie is doing an American accent. She’s really Canadian.
Burke: [In an exaggerated Canadian accent] Oh, yeah, don’t you already know? Let’s get the puck on the ice, eh?
That will probably be for subsequent season.
Glassner: Yeah.
The pilot wastes no time moving into the battle. It’s inside seconds. Was that all the time the way in which you have been going to open the pilot, to begin proper with the motion?
Devlin: Yeah. We wished to throw you proper into this premise in order that we are able to get to the characters shortly. But in addition, we wished you to be with our characters. In different phrases, they don’t know what simply occurred and neither does the viewers watching. One thing has occurred to the ship, and we don’t know what brought about it, so we wished to have [the audience] instantly engrossed in the identical thriller that our characters try to take care of.
Dean, you’ve talked about the significance of fine characters and the way individuals care most concerning the characters in a present. What’s the secret to creating good characters that an viewers will care about and make investments their time in?
Devlin: Effectively, I believe the factor is that the premise lasts about 15 seconds. It might draw you there, however when you’re there, it’s all concerning the characters. One of many issues that Jonathan’s so good at is weaving these tales the place you assume it’s going one course, after which it’s going one other. He did that with the evolution of the characters as properly.
What we tried to do from the outset is make it possible for all of them had very totally different however distinct voices, so that they weren’t all sounding the identical. Quite a lot of the character improvement actually comes from the actors. Fairly often, Jonathan and I will probably be watching dailies, and we’ll see one thing like, “What was that look she simply gave,” or “What was taking place between the 2 of them?” Then it sparks an thought to write down one thing that fulfills that.
I believe you attempt to plan these items out as greatest you’ll be able to, however you even have to actually be open to the magic that’s taking place on set as a result of, fairly often, you’ll see issues on set that take you in an entire different course than what you thought you have been going to do with the present.
The Ark airs on Syfy at 10p.m. ET on Wednesday nights.
Editors’ Suggestions