General Information

What is Earth 2?

Earth 2 is a science-fiction show that aired on NBC in the 1994-95 season in the 7-8 PM EST time slot. It was cancelled after one season, despite a very vocal fan protest. It was produced by Michael Duggan (Law & Order), Carol Flint (China Beach, ER) and Mark Levin (The Wonder Years) for Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment.

What is the premise of Earth 2?

In 2192, human beings have left Earth, for the most part, to live on giant orbiting space stations. Earth has been environmentally devastated, and the only people left are miners and other poor laborers. A rich station designer, Devon Adair, whose only son,Ulysses, has been stricken with a fatal illness called The Syndrome, puts together an expedition to found a colony on an earth-like planet, called G889, twenty-two light years from Earth. The expedition backfires when the Advance team crash-lands on the planet on the opposite side of the continent from their destination. They discover that the planet that they thought was uninhabited, is in fact home to a variety of species, as well as some cast-off Humans from the Stations. The colonists journey westward to their destination, New Pacifica, encountering problems along the way.

What is Planet G889?

G889 is an Earth-like planet approximately twenty-two light years from our Solar System. It is the ninth planet in the G88 system. It is unknown if the G88 system is actually a real star system. G889 has two moons, an atmosphere that is similar to Earth, and five continents, one in the southern polar region. New Pacifica, the colonists' proposed base, was located in the southern portion of the eastern continent, on the shore of an ocean.

What life-forms are indigenous to G889?

There are at least three life-forms that the colonists came in contact with on G889. Two of them possessed human-like intelligence.

• Terrians Tall, bipedal aliens that live underground, inside a network of caves beneath the surface. Terrians resemble the New Guinea "mud-men" in form. They are all male, and consider the planet to be their Mother. They have a complex tribal system. Terrians also function in a "group-mind" structure, but are non-violent. Any Terrian who goes against the group mind is automatically cast out of the tribe. The Terrians are also guardians of the planet. They communicate via the Dream Plane, similar to the aboriginal "Dreamtime" or shamanic trance. They also have the ability to communicate via a whale-like trilling. Their weapon of choice is a "lightning stick", which shoots energy bolts that are supposedly channeled from the planet's magnetic sphere.
• Grendlers Short, squat, bipedal aliens with short arms. "Grendlers" may or may not be the correct term for the species. They were probably named by a penal colonist after the monster in Beowulf. Grendlers are nomadic, and traders by nature. They hoard just about anything for trading purposes, and strike a hard bargain. They can be violent if provoked, but possess human-like emotions. Grendlers have a very pungent body odor and produce copious amounts of saliva, which has healing properties against various diseases. Grendlers also get intoxicated on human blood, and they go to great lengths to acquire it.
• Kobas Small monkey-like creatures with a leather-like skin and large eyes. Kobas possess sharp claws, which they use like darts to incapacitate their intended food source. Once struck by a Koba-claw, a victim falls into a near-death coma for two to three days, but awakens with no permanent damage. Kobas have a great talent for mimicry. They are friendly toward those who are friendly to them, but are quick to defend themselves against possible predators.

In addition, G889 has a variety of earth-like flora and fauna, including birds and insects. Some of it is toxic to humans, and some is edible.

What Humans are on G889?

Unknown to the colonists, planet G889 had a lot more human beings than they realized. The Council, the governing body of the Stations, sent hardened criminals to G889 as a penal colony. Some penal colonists banded together to form communities, while others, like Gaal, survived alone. In addition, some "radical biologists," who objected to the Council's ideals and were searching for an earth-like environment, had travelled to G889. They all died except two children, Mary and Waylon. Mary was adopted by the Terrians, and Waylon went insane.

How did the Colonists get to G889?

Eden Project was designed to resettle 250 families of Syndrome children, or approximately 1000 people. Planning and preparations, including getting permission from the government, took six years. Two spaceships, which departed the Stations simultaneously, ferried the colonists to G889. The smaller, faster Advance ship was to carry the initial colony planners, and arrive 18 months before the Colony ship with the bulk of the colonists. Once the Advance team was safely delivered, the ship was to return to Earth, with a round-trip time of 44-45 years. The ships were presumably powered by sub-light engines. The passengers and crew were placed in timed cryogenic suspension until arrival.

Who was on the Eden Advance Team?

The Advance Team consisted of:

• Devon Adair - A rich, charismatic station designer and single mother. Devon's father was a Station designer, and she inherited the family business. She formed the Eden Project as a way of saving her son and other children from the Syndrome. She's an idealistic visionary, but is used to having her word be taken as law. Devon supposedly got the idea to settle G889 from a penal colonist named Sheppard, who was using the Terrians' Dream Plane to contact her.
• Ulysses Adair - Devon's 8-year-old son, who is stricken with the Syndrome. He has lived his short life in an exoskeleton which provides most of his body functions, and keeps him safe from disease. Shortly after the colonists arrive on G889, he is taken underground by the Terrians, who heal him. Uly then becomes a link between the Humans and Terrians. Uly is headstrong, adventurous, and spoiled.
• Yale - Uly's tutor, and Devon's closest advisor. Yale is a former criminal who was converted to a cybernetic tutor by the Council. His original identity was suppressed. When his programming begins to fail, he is discovered to be a former Special Forces soldier who disobeyed orders to shoot unarmed civilians. He is part library researcher, part teacher, part minister, and part father-figure to the colonists. As part of his programming, Yale has a behavioral modification chip which gives him an aversion to any type of weapon.
• John Danziger - Head of the Operations crew for EA, he was not supposed to land on the planet. Danziger is accompanied by his daughter, True. He is a solid, blue-collar man who is a gifted mechanic. The ultimate pragmatist, Danziger quickly assumes the role of gadfly to Devon's high-and-mighty morals. He lived in the Quadrant, which was presumably the working-class ghetto of the Stations. He was also working to pay off the debt of his grandparents' passage up to the Stations from Earth that he'd inherited from his parents. As a result, he has very little respect for authority, especially that of his "betters" on the Stations. He knows that his skills are needed if the group is to make it to New Pacifica, and doesn't let you forget it.
• True Danziger - John's eleven-year-old daughter. True is an inquisitive tomboy who is more comfortable around tools than books. She began helping her father out on jobs at an early age, and is the darling of the Operations crew. Like most girls, she likes small animals - especially cats. She secretly adopts a Koba, with disasterous results. She is also very trusting of strangers, and jealous of her father's newfound responsibilities - which also leads to disaster when the group encounters a penal colonist named Gaal.
• Dr. Julia Heller - Julia is the only doctor on board the Advance ship, and the youngest member of the Eden medical team. The lead physician, Dr. Vasquez, had went to check on the children in the Colony ship before their departure, and was left on board. Julia's mother is a member of the Council, and Julia was genetically engineered to be a physician. Julia is very distant and professional at first, but gradually warms toward the other crew members. She is also carrying a secret - she is a spy for the Council, who are trying to find a way of controlling the Terrians so they can populate G889. Julia is forced by the Council's representative, Reilly, to perform experiments on Uly Adair, and to inform on her fellow crew members. Whey they discover her secret, she is banished from the group until they need her services. Julia's conscience and ethics took over, and she gave up spying to help her friends. In addition to being a doctor, she often teamed up with Yale to find scientific answers to the colonists' problems. While on G889, Julia also fell in love with Alonzo Solace.
• Alonzo Solace - The pilot for the Eden Advance ship. Alonzo is a cocky, good-looking, arrogant womanizer. He considered the best pilot around. Because he has been on so many cold-sleep runs, he is 109 years old, but looks like he's in his early twenties. Also due to spending time in cold-sleep, he doesn't dream. In the crash, he breaks his leg while shielding Julia from the lifepod's impact. He spends much of the early part of the trip doped up on painkillers. In his sleep, he is contacted on the Dream Plane by the Terrians, who use him as their spokesman. During the course of the season, he becomes less arrogant and more in tune with his spiritual nature. He also forms a deep commitment to Julia - much more so than he would have on the Stations. Of all the characters, Alonzo is the most changed by his time on G889.
• Morgan and Bess Martin - The Government Liaison, Morgan, and his Earth-raised wife, Bess, are the only married couple on G889. They were married approximately two years when they left the Stations. Morgan was a "Level Four" out of the six levels needed for clearance. Bess, the daughter of an Earth miner, was uncomfortable with life on the Stations. While total opposites, Morgan and Bess are deeply committed to each other. Morgan is overly cautious, overprotective, concerned with outward appearances, dependent on Bess, and has a capacity for detailed work. He is obsessed with making a fortune, presumably so he can provide Bess with everything she never had on Earth. Bess, who was dependent on Morgan during their previous life, is more independent and decisive. She is accustomed to making do with what she has, and is indispensable to the group. She is nurturing, and often acts as a babysitter to True and Uly. However sweet Bess is, she is no pushover when it comes to protecting Morgan.
• Commander Broderick O'Neill - Broderick O'Neill is a retired military man who is technically in charge of Eden Project. He is Devon's right-hand man. He looks upon G889 as a great adventure, and the planet is his to conquer. O'Neill is "killed" when he shoots at a Koba, and the Koba shoots its claw at him. He was buried, then dug up by Grendlers who were subservient to Gaal. When the colonists discovered that Koba stings merely render a victim comatose, they returned to his gravesite. O'Neill was finally killed by the Grendlers that were subservient to Gaal, after discovering the penal colonist's secret.
• Other Colonists - There were seven other colonists in the Eden Advance team. They were Baines, Magus, Walman, Cameron, Denner, Mazatl, and Eben. Baines, an African-American man, was a member of the bridge crew. Magus, a Caucasian woman with a mop of platinum-blonde hair, was a member of the Operations crew. Walman, a large Caucasian man, was also a member of the Ops crew. Cameron was the other large man, who had blonde hair and a beard. Denner was a small African-American woman who was a member of the bridge crew. Mazatl was a Native American or Hispanic man, and was a member of the Ops crew. Eben, who died in the last episode, was a Caucasian woman. Two other members of the Ops crew, Les Firestein and Alex Wentworth, were a married couple who were friends with the Danzigers. They were in the first escape pod, and died of a mysterious illness a few weeks after crash landing.

If G889 was 22 light-years away, how did the Advance ship get there in 22 years?

Since the Advance Ship did not travel at the speed of light, it would have taken a lot longer than 22 years to get to a planet 22 light-years away. It is presumed that both the Advance and Colony ships travelled at near-light speed. Since the Advance ship was smaller and more powerful, they arrived first. After all, travel above the speed of light NEVER happens in science-fiction shows, does it???

How many episodes were there, and what were their titles?

Twenty-one episodes of Earth 2 were produced. The titles are (in timeline order):

• First Contact (pilot)
• The Man Who Fell to Earth (Two)
• Life Lessons
• Promises, Promises
• Natural Born Grendlers*
• A Memory Play
• Water
• Church of Morgan
• The Enemy Within
• Redemption
• Mooncross
• Better Living Through Morganite (Parts 1 and 2)
• Grendlers in the Myst
• The Greatest Love Story Never Told
• Brave New Pacifica
• After The Thaw
• The Boy Who Would Be Terrian King
• Survival of the Fittest
• Flower Child*
• All About Eve

*Denotes shown out of order.

Where was the episode "Natural Born Grendlers" supposed to go?

There has been a great deal of controversy about the placement of the "lost episode" called "Natural Born Grendlers". Kevin Pike, the special effects supervisor for E2, explained that the B-story for NBG - Alonzo's attempted suicide and his gradual acceptance of life on the surface - was supposed to be part of "Life Lessons". However, that sequence was cut because the episode was too long. So, the additional plot of Bess trading with the Grendler was added. Technically, NBG should fall between "Life Lessons" and "Promises, Promises". There are some clues about this placement. Namely, Alonzo has a cut on his forehead in "Promises" which he got in NBG, and the infamous "horse in a can" can be glimpsed in a distance shot of the camp in NBG. The horse was featured in "Life Lessons". However, most people place it after "Promises, Promises" because the three Gaal episodes were shown as a group.

If the Colonists crash landed, how did they get so many clothes?

The only people to escape the ship with their luggage were the Martins, who carried a suitcase to the escape pod. But, the group did recover one crate of clothing in "Life Lessons", another bunch of clothes were found in "Mooncross", as well as a large Grendler stash in "Grendlers In the Myst".

What is the Syndrome?

The Syndrome is a mysterious auto-immune illness that strikes very young children. It bears a strong resemblance to AIDS, although it seems to be a strictly childhood disease. There is no known cure, and the cause is undetermined. Theoretically, it is caused by the lack of natural diseases on the Stations, which would cause a child to build up antibodies. It may also be caused by the lack of fresh air, sunshine, and other "Earth-like" factors that are missing on the Stations. The Syndrome is a dreaded disease among the Station- dwellers, mostly since it is a death sentence. Some parents have abandoned their children to the care of the health care system, and the children are put in "Syndrome Wards". The leading researcher on the Syndrome, Dr. Vasquez, was one of the driving forces behind the Eden Project.He led a team of researchers which included Julia Heller. Vasquez was stuck on the Colony ship due to the unplanned early departure from the Stations.

What is the Council?

The Council is the shadowy governing body of the Stations. They seem to be involved with every aspect of Station life, although at a much higher level than the average person would realize. Even though he was a mid-level civil servant, Morgan was shocked by Julia's involvement with them in "The Enemy Within". The Council seemed to be concerned mostly with maintaining order on the Stations, and provided subtle guidance toward that effect. They were responsible for sending Special Forces troops after the radical biologists, conducting genetic experiments on people - willing and otherwise, and placing biostat chips in Station residents for medical monitoring purposes. Julia's mother was on the Council's Board of Regents, which is presumably the highest level. In the real world, the closest parallel one could draw would be the Politburo in the government of the former Soviet Union.

Why didn't the Council want Eden Project to succeed?

The Council was testing several planets for possible colonization. G889 was the best candidate, except for the small problem of the Terrians. They dumped the penal colonists there, then experimented on them to see if they would adapt. The Council didn't want Eden Project to succeed because they didn't want their secrets to be discovered. They also wanted to control the Station population. If the viability of G889 was to be made public, there would be a mass exodus away from the Stations. The Council made several attempts to sabotage the Eden Project, including:

• placing a bomb in the bridge of the Advance ship, which would explode upon departure;
• inserting a behavioral modification chip in Alex Wentworth, which caused her to sabotage the Advance ship upon being released from cold sleep
• causing that same chip to react to G889's environment, causing a fatal neurological disease; and
• placing a spy (Julia) in the crew of the Advance ship, to report on the Advance Team's progress.

Is G889 really "alive"?

Well, the Terrians certainly think so! In actuality, Earth2 is an example of the Gaia Hypothesis, which was popularized by Dr. James Lovelock, a British biochemist. The Gaia Hypothesis states that living organisms and inorganic material are part of a dynamic system that shapes Earth's biosphere. The planet functionsas a super-organism that regulates physical conditions to keep the environment hospitable for life forms. While the Gaia Hypothesis has yet to be proven scientifically, many aboriginal cultures venerate the Earth as a living being - a benevolent Mother. The Terrians, which have the same biochemical makeup as the soil of G889, consider the planet to be their Mother. The spiritual beliefs of the other G889 natives was never mentioned.

Who is Reilly, and why was he after the Colonists?

Reilly was Julia's contact when she was spying for the Council. She never spoke to him in person, only in VR. Reilly was supposedly sent by the Council to monitor G889, and to try to control the Terrians, who are the guardians of the planet. He was especially interested in the changes to Uly Adair. At one point, Reilly forced Julia to attempt to remove Uly's pineal gland. After a communication from the Terrians, she lied to protect Uly. Julia then harvested the Terrian components of Uly's DNA and injected them into herself. After she was discovered, Julia was abandoned by the group. She returned to them, promising not to spy for the Council again.

Reilly was supposed to monitor the Colonists' progress on G889 and, supposedly, report back to the Council on their activities. Julia believed that he was a real person, located somewhere either on the planet or in orbit. In the last episode, however, Reilly was discovered to be part of a sophisticated biological monitoring program called EVE. EVE was created and set into orbit by Dr. Franklin Bennett, a Council scientist sent to explore G889 and report his findings. The Colonists discovered Reilly's true nature when the EVE computer began to malfunction, causing them to become ill. With Yale's help, the colonists "reset" EVE, and Reilly was back to his old maleveolent self. Whether Reilly was an actual person or a creation of EVE is discussed ad nauseam by E2 fans everywhere.

What happened to Devon, and why did the show end in a cliffhanger?

In the series finale, "All About Eve", Devon Adair contracted a mysterious disease, and was placed in cold sleep until a cure was found. This was done so that Debrah Farentino - who was pregnant at the time - could take time off to have her baby. When she was ready to come back, they would write her back in. The producers also knew that there was a strong possibility that the show would be cancelled, and deliberately filmed a cliffhanger to try to force the hand of the network.

Are there any book tie-ins available?

There are three Earth 2 books available. They are:

• Earth 2 by Melissa Crandall. ISBN 0-441-00146-7. A novelization of "First Contact". Provides a lot more background information. Judged by most fans to be the best novel.
• Leather Wings by John Vornholt. ISBN 0-441-00198-X. The colonists attempt to cross a canyon, and discover a tribe of Terrians that fly instead of travelling underground.
• Puzzle by Sean Dalton. ISBN 0-441-00148-3. The colonists get caught in a stampede, then find an ancient underground city.

All three books are still in print, and may be ordered through your local bookstore. In addition to the pro novels, there are several fanzines available, which are covered under section 3 - Fandom Information.

Why did The X-Files make a comment about the scientific inaccuracies of Earth 2?

In the second season of The X-Files, specifically the episode "Blood", the Lone Gunmen invite Mulder over to their apartment to "hop onto the Internet and pick apart the scientific inaccuraciesof Earth 2." Many fans of both the X-Files and Earth 2 thought that this was a cheap shot directed at E2, or a confirmation that E2's science wasn't accurate. Actually, it was a comment directed against the nitpickers on the alt.tv.x-files newsgroup, that picked apart every detail of the show. The writers of that episode, Glen Morgan and James Wong, were fans of E2. It was their way of welcoming the "new kid" on the science-fiction block. They may have used another subtle reference to E2 in the very beginning of Space: Above and Beyond, where a colony living in domes on a planet with two moons got wiped out by attacking aliens. The colony looked a lot like the Eden Project.

What is the E2 connection to the Lost Colony?

The main symbolism in E2 is the connection to the Roanoake colony that landed in Virginia in 1587. It was the first English settlement in America. Roanoke is the famous colony whose inhabitants disappeared under mysterious circumstances. It was founded by a group from Devon, England. On August 18, 1587, Eleanor Dare, wife of Anais Dare, gave birth to "the first Christian borne in Virginia," according to her grandfather John White. They named the little girl Virginia.

EARTH 2 CONNECTIONS:

• One of the ships (either Advance or Colony) was named the Roanoke, although it is not stated in the pilot episode. Probably one of the things that ended up on the cutting room floor.
• The jackets of all the Ops crew had "VA-xxxx" (a four-digit number) on the back. "VA" is the postal abbreviation for Virginia, and Danziger's jacket said "VA-1587".
• Most of the settlers were from Devon.
• Devon's last name, "Adair," is a play on words of Virginia's father, Anais Dare. If you initialize his first name, it becomes "A. Dare."
• The Edenites' journey west is a comparison of American settlers' expansion westward to the Pacific (or New Pacifica). If you compare the crash on G889 to the the failed effort of the Roanoke colony, then the Edenites' journey was a symbolic trek forward through time as well. They started in the east at one of the earliest settlements in the new world, and successfully worked their way west, dealing with such issues as exploitation and war with the natives as they went along -- a lot like humankind did over a 400-year period across the Western Hemisphere.
• The episode "Promises, Promises" draws a parallel to the Pilgrims \ in Massachussetts, where the colonists and the Indians made friends and helped each other. Alonzo says, "That was it. No Thanksgiving dinner..."
• Gaal calls the Edenites the "Pilgrim band" in "Promises, Promises"

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