Network: Syfy
Episodes: 38 (hour)
Seasons: Three
TV show dates: April 15, 2013 — August 28, 2015
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Jaime Murray, Tony Curran, Graham Greene, Mia Kirshner, and Fionnula Flanagan.
TV show description:
This TV series takes place in the year 2046. It’s a new Earth and there are new rules. It’s been more than 30 years since various alien races started arriving on our world. The landscape has been completely altered — terraformed nearly beyond recognition.
The mysterious Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his charge, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), come to the town of Defiance (which used to be St. Louis). As they settle into the town, events begin to unfold that threaten the fragile peace this border town has fought for.
Defiance is overseen by Mayor Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) and filled with residents like powerful Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene), enterprising lounge owner Kenya (Mia Kirshner) and the ambitious, alien Tarrs (Tony Curran and Jaime Murray).
Episode #38 — Upon the March We Fittest Die
So anyway, Kindzi killed Andina, knocked Alak out cold and brushed Stahma aside to get at tender little veal-like Luke. Now that Kindzi has the screaming ball of chubby in her hands, Stahma offers herself as a slave (sex slave, friendship slave, food slave, all the kinds of slave) in return for the baby. Alak rouses long enough to hear his mother’s sacrifice and be truly moved. He also hears Kindzi’s rejection of the offer.Fortunately, Datak has been hiding in the bushes with his fist-blade drawn, waiting for the most dramatic moment to enter. That moment is now. He stabs Kindzi through the neck, pinning her like a to-do list against the doorframe. She’s not dead, of course — just stuck — so the family Tarr decide it would be best to run like hell before she gets free. Hesitantly, wary that this could still be a trap, Alak begins to forgive his parents as they all drive toward town to stop the influx of Omec.Yewll, who knows a thing or two about Omec warships, devises a plan that requires four volunteers, including herself. Requirements: You must love Defiance, have a karmic debt to settle, be a little bit crazy, and/or have a little bit of a death wish. The obvious choices, in that order, are Amanda, Datak, Yewll and Nolan. And yes, Nolan has a little bitty death wish –- remember, it’s only a matter of time before the Votanis Collective gathers their resources from down south to scoop up the man who assassinated their beloved leader, so he’s mostly dead already.
Even if no Omecs kill them while they board the ship, set an explosion, and run away, they still have to pray that the transport pods are operational in the “Down” direction. But as they prep for the mission, Kindzi whips her earthbound crew into beast mode, and one of her soldiers slashes Amanda in the stomach. Yewll can’t let her sweet little crush bleed to death, and Nolan won’t leave her side, but when she revives and orders him to finish the mission that holds the town’s only hope, he complies. She knows he’ll be back and seals that certainty with a kiss.
Irisa says she’ll take Amanda’s place, and when Nolan objects, she hits him with that “Live or Die Together” mantra they’re both so fond of, thereby steamrolling any objection he may have. Once aboard the ship, Nolan gets googly-eyed at the sight of Earth from space, and Irisa has to be like, “Yo, moon boy, time to save the world.” She and Datak assist Yewll in hooking up her brain to the ship’s ark brain (bow chicka bow bow! Can we show that on basic cable?) while Nolan heads to the engine room to manually override the heating system, redirecting all of the heat into one strategic spot to get it to go BOOM.
But look out, the ship’s drones try to kill him! Yewll overrides them and saves him. But look out, Kindzi realized someone had been using her transport pods and got really mad and tries to kill him! Yewll can’t override this one; Nolan has to initiate a different kind of manual override –- with his fists! Luckily, he brought them along. They almost give up, but at the last minute, the fists throw Kindzi into the conveniently open hatch above the seething mass of gulanite that powers the ship, which vaporizes her like the cherry vanilla tobacco juice in those e-cigarettes the kids are so fond of these days. Poof goes the lady villain.
By this time, Datak and Irisa have plugged so many pointy cords into Yewll’s body and seen her lose so much vital fluid, they know she’s not making it back to Earth with them, a fact she knew all along but didn’t tell anyone so they couldn’t try to stop her. She’s part of the ship now, and knowing they can’t do anything about this, Datak and Irisa thank her for her sacrifice, say their final goodbyes and head for the transport pad.
Datak beams down, but Irisa waits for her pops. She tells him she’s not leaving — the people on board this ship are just that, people, no more monstrous than she or Nolan have been, and she chooses to save them. Nolan grumbles. Why does she have to be so damn ethical? He asks Yewll to redirect the energy from Explosion Mode to Propulsion Mode so they’ll blast into unchartered space to find a home for the li’l Omecs. Yewll hates this idea, but her prospects are severely limited, so she might as well.
Irisa runs to her dad to give him a big bear hug for doing the right thing. He returns the embrace with a blast from Kindzi’s Space Taser (our new band name) and places his daughter on the transport pad. He’s just a used-up war hero on the lam from the VC, but she has a future that he won’t let her waste. If she could move, she would surely fight back, but she can only listen as he tells her how much he loves her and how incredibly proud he is of her before he sends her back to Earth. Nothing like a father-daughter goodbye to kick up the dust in the room and make our eyes water!
Nolan makes for the captain’s chair of this incredible vessel, missing his family but filled with purpose and excitement at exploring the cosmos. Yewll will be his co-pilot as they sail through the inky blackness of cold space — remembered, loved, and thanked by the people of Defiance. (Courtesy Syfy.)
First aired: August 28, 2015.
What do you think? Do you like the Defiance TV series? Do you think it should be cancelled or renewed for another season?
Please Don’t Dump Defiance!
Bring it back I need a season 4
I enjoy Defiance. I wait from week to week making sure I don’t miss any of the shows. I didn’t realize how much I loved the show until I missed one week because of illness. I have made sure not to miss another one. I think it is one of the best if not best sci-fi in years. So yes it should be renewed for another year. Yes, Please.
The season finale was one of the best episodes of any series in recent memory.I would love to see the series continue ,but where can you go after that ending
Kevin Murphy, the Defiance Showrunner, gave us an interview on our Voices Of Defiance Podcast the day of the season 3 finale and describe in detail where he will be heading the show in season 4 if SyFy does renew Defiance. For one thing he plans on bringing Nolan and Yewll back through time travel and a skin-job for Trenna Keating (Doc Yewll). There’s lots more in the interview. You can find the entire interview on our website or on our podcast GonnaGeek network here: http://www.gonnageek.com/2015/08/voices-of-defiance-45-kevin-murphy-defiance-executive-producershowrunner-interview/
If this show is cancelled, or not picked up for another season, count me as one less subscriber to Syfy channel. This is not mere hyperbole. I’ll end my subscription to Syfy channel and it’s sister networks. I’m not kidding. Though this may seem laughably absurd to you, I’m willing to end my cable subscription entirely if you end this show. Thin k about it: I can get FX, HBO, Showtime, and ESPN without subscribing to one specific network. Apps are where it’s at. So, again, I hope you’re not ending this show but **** you if you are.
Defiance is a great SYFY TV show. I love it and look forward to it each week. It would be crazy to cancel it. It has a range of complex characters, good stories, interesting technology, and great CGI effects to transport viewers into the future. This show is a winner!
Love to see it continue…The cliff hanger left many unanswered questions….It has become a part of my summer viewing and I have looked forward to the summer starts each year since the first season. We have seen so little of the world outside of Defiance and if you are looking for a direction to go for next season, how about having some of the residents travelling to other cities to form alliances?
Me and my family love the characters. Its better than dark matter or killjoys. It needs better writting. It lost its way phenominal 1st season give it another year syfy needs a long running series
The season finale was wonderful. Please keep going! And we want Nolan back in town after he has dropped off the Omec in a good place. 😉
Please Do NOT cancel Defiance!
One of the few Great Sci Fi shows on t.v.
My husband and I enjoy the show Defiance Very Much!
We do not want to see it canceled.
Please do not cancel the show. It’s the hallmark show for the Syfy network. My wife and I have watched it from day one.
A loyal viewer!
Please, No way! My wife and I look forward to watching this show every week. It is the best show on tv. It shows great imagination and thought. Not just for the writers but for the viewers too.
Please give it at least two more years.
Thank you,
A faithful viewer
Defiance is one of the Very Best SYFY series that has ever been put on Television. I love all the characters and the plot is ‘Great…. Please renew it for the next 10 years….. Please
Don’t cancel It is a great show