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?
I still miss this show so much! Wish it would return!
Please bring Defiance back. It was the best show that SyFy had and the shows that they offer now are not anywhere near the quality of Defiance. I have to figure out where to go for reruns now.
I really liked that series!!! I hope it’s not cancelled, as i was looking forward to seeing it this year. Bring it back please!!
The Sci Fi channel sucks. They have a history of pullin great sci fi shows. They did it with Firefly, Farscape & now Defiance. They are no good sci fi shows on anymore :(. You have to watch reruns to get a fix, nothing new.
We were just talking about ‘Defiance’…Some networks make THE worst decisions! BRING IT BACK !!!
I really can’t believe Defiance was cancelled! Best sci-fi series on tv without question. Defiance had so much more than your average cliche’ sci-fi show. Characters were well written, plot was inventive and original, the setting for the show was phenomenal, stories were great, even the music was great!! The people at Syfy are compete idiots for cutting this show. And, I hear it was Syfy’s top viewed series at the time but, the cancelled because of production costs….. are you kidding me??? Just cut the budget. Problem fixed. It’s that simple. Hopefully a smarter network can revive this great… Read more »
Please bring back Defiance. This is a GREAT program and had a great story line. Too many Dumb show out there are ruining it for those of us who LOVE this program. Give us what we want and NEED. If you wont bring this great show back, give it to another station to broadcast so we who choose to watch it may do so.
Please bring back the best series that Syfi has done. I love the series, story lines, acting, and the great characters. There are many stories and adventures left to tell here. See how the absence has made us fonder. Bring Defiance back and watch the ratings grow!!
I am so upset this fabulous and unique show was cancelled! It has so much more character, topnotch makeup, attire, and storyline than most of the other sci-fi channel shows. They’re crazy for cancelling it! Maybe the producers of the show will find out somehow the number of fans being lost and will do something to get it back on. You never know!
BRING IT BACK!!! I mean seriously… It’s SO much better than Z Nation could ever be yet that’s still on the air?? =( Defiance is one of Syfy’s BEST shows in my opinion! BRING IT BACK!!! PLEAAASE!
Damn shame they cancelled this show. It was better than most
So very disgusted to find out that Season 3 was the finale!! Great show with lots more potential than most of the crap on tv these days. I loved the characters and the costumes, story line, all of it. Shame
No way I was searching to see when it was going to air this year and found out it’s not . Sad…
I searched to find out if this show was coming back and am so bummed that it isn’t. Great show, great characters.
Awesome Show, and should NOT be “cancelled” really intriguing plot and characters