What is Space ?

Space: Above And Beyond is a war drama sci-fi series created by Glen Morgan and James Wong, and set in 2063-2064 AD. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after its first season on May 6th, 1996 by the Fox Broadcasting Network because it didn't get the Nielsen ratings it deserved.

What Fox didn't think about was, that due to THEIR change of the airing schedules, people were confused and couldn't find the episodes aired.

The historical as well as the literary background of this show stems from many sources: World War I & II - especially the Pacific Campaign, The Forever War by award winning author Joe Haldeman and last but not least COMBAT!, the sixties series about WW II.
But Morgan and Wong succeeded in blending all these things and more and create something totally new and innovative.

In this futuristic show which bears a lot of resemblance to our own current political and ethical issues, mankind has become confident of solitude in the universe, and established colony missions on distant worlds. All is peaceful, until both colonies are completely destroyed by a vicious alien race ...

Space Above And Beyond shows the life and development of a squadron of five young Marines during the years 2063 to 2064 under the command of a veteran Colonel.
All of them have different reason to join the US Marine Cavalary - Nathan wants to seek his girl-friend, Cooper is sentenced to serve in the USMC for offending the law, Vanessa seeks her goal in life, Shane wants to get rid of her past - to make a life of her own and last but not least, Paul wants to toughen up.

Lots of negative aspects of the war are shown in the episodes - the doubts of the soldiers on what they are doing, nervous breakdowns, drug abuse, personal losses, corruption and racism. At the beginning of the war they are still newbies but soon they turn into seasoned and disillusioned soldiers who have to fend for their lives and also for life on Earth ... against an enemy which is not only the Aliens but also comes from their own human ranks, a powerful corporation.

But what is also shown in this show - and this makes it such an exceptional good show - is how the soldiers can stand the daily cruelty and horror around them: Loyalty, Dedication, Honour and Friendship and even Love are the values they rely on.