Doctor Omega
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Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on ideas developed by Gene Roddenberry. The series was produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who possessed notes kept by Roddenberry that would provide the conceptual basis for the series. It ran for five seasons between October 6, 1997 and May 20, 2002.
Early in the 21st century, a race of aliens, the Taelons (often referred to as "The Companions"), travel to Earth and take up residence in limited numbers. The Taelons possess highly advanced technologies, many of which they share with humanity, seemingly out of generosity and good will. As a result of these advances, disease, war and pollution are nearly eliminated within three years of their arrival. Despite this, some question whether the Taelons' motives are as benevolent as they appear, and a resistance movement forms to halt the Taelons' ever growing influence on humanity.
Development
After the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, its creator Gene Roddenberry began working on other projects, producing scripts and pilot episodes which were shown to various networks, including Genesis II and The Questor Tapes. He began early planning for a project called Battleground: Earth, a science fiction series set in the near future when a group of aliens landed on Earth under a banner of peace.
Twentieth Century Fox expressed interest in producing a pilot episode for the series, but Roddenberry's busy schedule prevented it. When the order for the pilot came in, he was in England filming a TV movie, which was followed by work on the Star Trek films and later the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. When he died in 1991, Battleground: Earth had yet to be produced.
In the mid-1990s, Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, began to develop the project. It went into production with Tribune Entertainment. It was renamed Earth: Final Conflict to avoid confusion with the film Battlefield Earth, which was released around the same time. The success of the show led to the development of other posthumous Roddenberry projects, most notably Andromeda.
Series[edit]
See also: List of Earth: Final Conflict episodes
The show premiered on October 6, 1997 and ran for five seasons. The finale was broadcast on May 20, 2002.
The show is infamous for the unusually high turnover rate among the regular cast, partially due to contractual disagreements between the cast and the producers.[citation needed]Almost all of the show's major characters were killed or otherwise removed within a season or two of being introduced. In fact, the only character to appear as a regular during all five seasons was FBI Agent Ronald Sandoval (Von Flores), the show's main antagonist.
The fifth season of the show was a radical departure from the storyline of the previous seasons, with the Taelons being replaced by a new and more openly hostile alien race, a group of energy vampires called the Atavus.
Cast
- Kevin Kilner as William Boone, Companion Protector/Resistance agent (season 1; recurring season 5)
- Lisa Howard as Lili Marquette, interdimensional shuttle pilot/Resistance agent (seasons 1–2; recurring seasons 3–4)
- Von Flores as Ronald Sandoval, Companion Protector (seasons 1–5)
- Richard Chevolleau as Marcus "Augur" Deveraux, Resistance hacker (seasons 1–4)
- Leni Parker as Da’an, the North American Companion (seasons 1–4)
- David Hemblen as Jonathan Doors, Resistance leader (seasons 1–3; recurring season 4)
- Robert Leeshock as Liam Kincaid, Companion Protector/Resistance agent (seasons 2–4; recurring season 5)
- Anita La Selva as Zo’or, United Nations Companion, later Leader of the Taelon Synod (seasons 2–4; recurring seasons 1 and 5)
- Jayne Heitmeyer as Renee Palmer, Companion business liaison/Resistance agent (seasons 3–5)
- Melinda Deines as Juliet Street, Resistance hacker (seasons 4–5)
- Guylaine St-Onge as Juda, Atavus warrior (season 5)
- Alan Van Sprang as Howlyn, Atavus leader (season 5)
- Helen Taylor as Ra’jel, Sire of the Synod (season 5)
- Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as Julianne Belman, Doctor and CVI expert/Resistance agent (season 1; recurring season 2 and 3)
