Space: Above and Beyond, also called S:AAB, first aired on September 24, 1995 and the last episode aired on June 2, 1996 on FOX. In the decade where there was a lot of SCI-FI TV SHOWS in space, there also was this little gem. It wasn't a neat and tidy show like Star Trek: The Next Generation, it was gritty, it was dark. A lot of battles were done on planets, in the dirt, in the vein of DS9 episode "The Siege of AR-558" but of course this episode aired after S:AAB already ended.

If there is a show similar to S:AAB, I guess you best can compare it with Battlestar Galactica 2003 in regards of being dark and gritty and fighting battles not only in space but also hand to (cylon) hand combat. One peculiar thing I have with S:AAB, is that there isn't a character I absolutely love, which is kind of odd to say the least. Usually there always is a character you are the most fond of but I do not have this with this show.

It uses the same kind of CGI as Babylon 5 does, of course dated now but still watchable last time I did a rewatch back in 2017. I think I really would love a reboot of this show, I think it could be great hit now, but obviously not on FOX but on Cable network or streaming platform. Like a lot of shows that get cancelled, this show also ends with a huge cliff-hanger. Still it is worthwhile to check it out, eventhough there isn't a satisfying solution. Below you'll find a blog about the rewatch I did back in 2017, so you can decide if this is interesting to watch, but be aware, it contains spoilers!

S:AAB has been released on DVD in several countries. In the US it was released in 2005 already, the rest of the world had to wait much longer, 6 to 7 years to get a DVD release of this show.

Plot (Wiki):

In the years leading up to 2063, humanity has begun to colonize other planets. Lacking technology that would enable them to travel faster than light, also known as "FTL technology," colonization is accomplished by taking advantage of transient but predictable, naturally occurring wormholes in space, which allows them to traverse vast distances. Without warning, a previously unknown alien species, the "Chigs", attack and destroy Earth's first extra-solar colony and then destroy a second colony ship. The bulk of the Earth military forces sent to confront the Chigs are destroyed or outflanked, in part because the Chigs have some form of FTL, affording them greater freedom of movement (although this technology appears limited, and the Chigs also primarily utilize natural wormholes).

At the opening of the show, the Chigs have defeated all counterattacks, and have entered the Solar System. In desperation, unproven and under-trained outfits like the 58th "Wildcards" are thrown against the Chigs. The Wildcards are the central focus of the series, which follows them as they grow from untried cadets into veterans. Although the unified Earth forces come under the control of a reformed United Nations, the UN has no formal armed forces of its own and therefore navies such as the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy operate interstellar starships.

Prior to the events of the show, there was a war between humans and android artificial intelligences known as Silicates. These human-looking androids, referred to as "walking personal computers", have rebelled, formed their own societies, and wage a guerrilla war against human society from a number of remote bases. The Silicates are also suspected of having some involvement with the Chigs.

Cooper Hawkes