Defiance
Genre	Science Fiction Political drama Action drama
Developed by	Rockne S. O'Bannon Kevin Murphy Michael Taylor
Starring	Grant Bowler Julie Benz Stephanie Leonidas Jaime Murray Tony Curran Graham Greene Mia Kirshner Fionnula Flanagan
Composer(s)	Bear McCreary
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English Votan Languages
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	5 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Rockne S. O'Bannon Kevin Murphy Michael Taylor
Location(s)	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time	43 minutes (Pilot - 84 minutes)
Production company(s)	Five & Dime Productions Universal Cable Productions
Broadcast
Original channel	Syfy
Picture format	NTSC (480i) HDTV 1080i
Original run	April 15, 2013 – Present
External links
Official website

Defiance is an American science fiction television series developed for television by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Kevin Murphy, and Michael Taylor. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions, in transmedia collaboration with Trion Worlds, who are producing an MMORPG video game of the same name which will be tied into the series. Defiance stars Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan, the local lawman in a border town known as Defiance, as well as Julie Benz, who plays the newly appointed mayor of Defiance, Amanda Rosewater. Also starring are Stephanie Leonidas, Jaime Murray, Tony Curran, and Graham Greene.^[1][2][3]

The series is broadcast in the United States on the cable channel Syfy and in various international markets. It premiered on Monday, April 15, 2013 in the United States, and that same week in most countries that picked up the series.^[4]

On May 10, 2013 Syfy renewed Defiance for a 13 episode second season to air in 2014.^{[5] [6]}

Summary [edit]

In a near future where Earth is almost alien, a human drifter and his adopted Irathient daughter put down roots in Defiance, a community where humans and Votans coexist in the ruins of St. Louis.

Cast [edit]

Main [edit]

• Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan, a former Marine and the Chief Lawkeeper of Defiance.^[1][2][3]
• Julie Benz as Amanda Rosewater, the Mayor of Defiance.^[1][7][8]
• Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa, an Irathient warrior who is Nolan's adopted daughter and serves as his deputy.^[1][7][8]
• Tony Curran as Datak Tarr, an ambitious Castithan businessman.^[1][7][8]
• Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr, Datak's wife, also a Castithan, a cunning Lady Macbeth-type figure.^[1][7][8]
• Graham Greene as Rafe McCawley, the owner and operator of "the largest mine in the territory".^[9]
• Mia Kirshner as Kenya, Amanda's sister and the self-assured, dauntless proprietress/prostitute of Need Want, Defiance's bar/brothel/gambling hall.^[10]

Recurring [edit]

• Dewshane Williams as Tommy LaSalle. A Human Deputy Lawkeeper in Defiance.
• Trenna Keating as Doc Yewll, Defiance's Indogene doctor.
• Justin Rain as Quentin McCawley.
• Jesse Rath as Alak Tarr, the son of Datak and Stahma who has fallen in love with Rafe's daughter, Christie.
• Nicole Munoz as Christie McCawley, the daughter of Rafe.
• Fionnula Flanagan as Nicolette "Nicky" Riordan, the ex-mayor and trusted mentor of Amanda.^[10]

Background [edit]

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The series is set in the near future, where aliens known collectively as Votans have come to Earth seeking a new home after their star system was destroyed in a stellar collision. The Votans had thought Earth was uninhabited, but upon their arrival in 2013 discover that humans are living on the planet, who respond to them with hostility and suspicion.

A limited number of Votans are allowed to settle in a colony in Brazil, and eventually two other colonies, but millions of Votans remained in hypersleep aboard their ships in orbit as negotiations dragged on with Earth governments for full-scale settlement.

Tensions rose for ten years, but the Votan and human governments were on the verge of negotiating a peaceful settlement, when in 2023 the Votan ambassador to the United Nations was assassinated by a disgruntled human supremacist on live television outside of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. This sparked a disastrous global conflict between humans and the aliens known as the Pale Wars.

The wars tore apart the planet for seven years, until their culmination in 2030 in the apocalyptic "Arkfall" event, when the Ark fleet in orbit mysteriously exploded. The aliens think a rogue human commander was responsible, while humans suspect it was an alien weapons experiment gone wrong. Millions of Votans died. During the Arkfall, destroyed Arks rained down on Earth and accidentally released terraformer technology.

While the Votans had intended to use their terraforming technology in a carefully planned manner, the Arkfall haphazardly unleashed chaotic and radical changes to the biosphere and even the geology of Earth, making the planet dangerous to both humans and the aliens. The earth was scorched, chasms opened in the ground, new mountain ranges were raised, and the surface of the planet was covered with dust and debris.

Animal and plant species from the Votan star system were introduced to Earth, and both native and alien animal species were horribly mutated by the uncontrolled terraformer technology, creating bizarre and dangerous hybrids and new species.

Within a few months, the Pale Wars wound down as both sides had fought to the point of mutual exhaustion, and a ceasefire was declared. Few organized governments remained for either the humans or the aliens, and both sides factionalized as their members began looking out for themselves. In several areas, local human and Votan militias began to band together when they realized that they had to cooperate if they hoped to survive on this new, almost alien planet.

The debris from the destroyed Ark fleet now forms an artificial "Ark belt" in Earth orbit, which periodically rains down in small scale "Arkfalls", which present a hazard for survivors on the surface, but also provide valuable opportunities to salvage advanced technology aboard the Arks.

Votans [edit]

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The Votans (/ˈvoʊtæns/) are not a single species, but a collection of seven different alien species who evolved on a number of planets in the Votanis star system. The different races banded together to flee their star system when it was destroyed in a stellar collision, and ultimately arrived at Earth.^[11] The Votanis star system was destroyed in a stellar collision 5,000 years ago, but the millions of Votans who fled in ark-ships made the long interstellar journey in hypersleep, thus many of the older Votan characters were born in their home star system and lived under their old social structures before they had to evacuate. For example, older Castithans such as Datak and Stahma grew up in the caste-based society on their old homeworld, but younger Castithans born on Earth grew up after the Castithan social hierarchy broke down when they lived as refugees. Thus there is something of a generational divide between those Castithans who immigrated to Earth, who possess an older value set, and their second generation children raised on Earth (such as Datak and Stahma's son Alak).

The Votanis star system was located in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. It was actually a binary star system, composed of the stars Vysu and Solus. Vysu was orbited by two habitable planets, Daribo and Irath, each of which had one habitable moon. Solus was orbited by one habitable planet, Casti. The Indogenes and Castithans evolved on Daribo, and the Castithans later colonized Casti (hence its name). The Irathient, Sensoth, and Liberata evolved on Irath.

The Votanis Collective is the unified government of the Votans, formed to escape their home star system, though since the Pale Wars many Votans have (like humans) factionalized and broken off to carve out their own small fiefdoms. The Castithans, Indogenes, and Irathients were the most politically powerful races in their home star system, thus they made up a disproportionately large number of the survivors in the evacuation. Because they were politically weaker, relatively few of the Sensoth, Liberata, or Gulanee were present in the evacuation fleet.

The Votanis Collective is officially an alliance of five races, excluding the Gulanee and the Volge. So few Gulanee survived to arrive on Earth that they are not considered a separate faction, but are simply spread out among the other races of the Collective. The artificial Volge are hated by all other Votan races, and are the enemies of humans and other aliens alike. The Castithans and Irathients loathe each other, as their societies are based on idealistically opposite values of hierarchical order and rugged, chaotic independence. In contrast, the other four races besides the Castithans get along together quite well. The Irathients, Liberata, and Sensoth all evolved on the same planet where they peacefully co-existed for generations, while the rational Indogenes are also quite tolerant and try to get along with all of the other races. Most of the other Votan races, while not outright hating them like the Irathients do, see the Castithan as arrogantly trying to assume control over the other races. The Indogenes have a complicated relationship with them, because the Indogenes are very tolerant, but at the same time, the fact that they and the Castithans evolved on the same planet has led to each bickering over which of their two races is superior. Meanwhile, the labor-minded Liberata are just content to serve anyone, even the Castithans.

Castithan [edit]

The Castithan appear very similar to humans. Their coloration is very pale, however, verging on albinism, with pale white skin, white hair, and pale yellow eyes. The Castithan society is aristocratic and hierarchical, and the other Votan races view them as arrogant. The Castithans used to have a patriarchal, rigidly segregated society on their home planet based on castes, known as liros, though this has broken down somewhat among the survivors on Earth due to the harsh conditions of the war and its aftermath. Datak Tarr, co-founder of Defiance (in the former location of St. Louis) is a Castithan, from one of the lower castes. His wife, Stahma Tarr, is from one of the Castithan higher castes. As a member of the lower castes, Datak possesses more egalitarian values, striving to work with other races through sharing of power to achieve mutual defense. As a member of the higher castes which benefited from the old patriarchical hierarchy, Stahma feels that their family should acquire more power for itself. However, this very ideology insists that it is not a woman's place to seize power, thus Stahma is faced with goading Datak into taking more aggressive measures so that he (and by extension, she) will possess more power. Known liros include the Yuke and the Shanje (Datak's caste). There are five liros, though there is also an untouchable group officially outside of the caste system, which functionally makes up a sixth liro. An unofficial seventh liro has sprung up among the Castithans living on Earth.

Castithan society is deeply religious, based on a monotheistic belief system with rigid dogma and leadership (in contrast to more loosely "spiritual" Irathients). However, while dogmatic in many other social areas, the Castithan religion has few restrictions on sexuality, and Castithans are actually quite liberal in their attitudes towards sex.

When the Votan star system was being evacuated, each race was left to decide how they would select the small fraction of their populations which would be saved. The scientific and rational Indogenes stoically selected their best and brightest, while the Irathients decided who would earn a place in the evacuation fleet during a round of inter-tribal wars to determine who was the strongest (and therefore fittest in their culture). However, the Castithan leadership officially decided to evacuate only members of their higher castes, and leave the lower castes to die in their home star system. Thus, more than any other Votan race, the Castithans on Earth are not a microcosm of their entire race's social structure, but a disproportionate slice of their ruling elites. This causes several problems for the Castithans on Earth, as they don't really have a working-class base to rely on. Indeed, higher-caste Castithans living on Earth tended to assume that they could treat the other Votan races as essentially their new lower-castes, feeling they should lead the Votanis Collective while the other races serve them. This has led to considerable tension with the other races. Even so, a large number of Castithans from the lower-castes were still able to make their way onto the evacuation fleet and arrive at Earth, through one means or another (bribing their way onto the ships, or simply stowing away).

The Castithan language is created by linguist David J. Peterson, developer of the Dothraki language used in Game of Thrones.

Irathient [edit]

A near-human race with an affinity for nature and adept at tribal warfare, described as almost feral marauders. They are naturally athletic and skilled at combat. Their coloration is more similar to humans than the pale Castithans, with bronze skin interspersed with biologically occurring patterns of white marks. However, the proportions of their facial features are slightly different from humans (and the human-like Castithans), with a wider bridge of the nose arcing towards the eyes. Their hair is usually a bright warm color, and they have oversized, brightly-colored irises. The Irathients are the most common Votan race living on Earth. David J. Peterson also developed the full Irathient language.

While aggressive and tribal, the Irathients also have a great respect for nature and are a deeply spiritual people. However their "spirituality" is a very loose and personal polytheistic belief system, in contrast with the rigidly ordered hierarchy and strict dogma of the Castithan religion. One of their chief deities is a god known as Irzu, who has a path planned for everyone. They look down on humans for disrespecting and abusing nature. Due to their respect for nature and religious beliefs, the Irathients refuse to vaccinate their children. This led to tensions when the town of Defiance instituted a mandatory vaccination policy, leading to violence and many Irathients leaving the town. Several members of other races look down on them for this, blaming unvaccinated Irathients for spreading diseases.

The Irathients tend to get along well with the Sensoth and Liberata, because they evolved on the same planet, and peacefully co-existed on it for many generations. The Irathients can't stand the Castithans, whom they see as arrogant, as their rigidly hierarchical and ordered society and culture is the opposite of the chaotic, independent-minded society and culture of the Irathients.

On extremely rare occasion, certain Irathients are born with psychic abilities, which grant them visions of past or contemporary events during which they were not physically present. Irathients who possess "the sight" are said to be touched by Irzu. Irisa Nyira is one such Irathient who possesses these abilities, though because she was raised by the human Joshua Nolan, she didn't know what her visions were and he mistook them as simply PTSD-induced hallucinations. On arriving in Defiance, other Irathients explained to Irisa the true nature of her abilities.

Indogene [edit]

The most technologically advanced Votan race. They have bright white skin and no visible hair follicles. Their heads are hairless and smooth; their external ears don't really protrude, smoothly merging with the rest of the head. They have hexagonal shaped irises, and their skin is covered in faint hexagon-shaped scales; even their written language is based on hexagon shapes. As the most scientifically advanced Votan race, they have been upgraded with numerous genetic and cybernetic implants (which are often not externally visible). Culturally, they tend to be technical geniuses, scientists, and doctors.

Indogenes are typically atheists. They cremate their dead, and store the ashes in hexagon-shaped boxes.

Due to their technical expertise, most Indogenes remained on the Ark fleet in orbit when the Votans first arrived at Earth. Thus the Indogenes' numbers were devastated when the Ark fleet was destroyed at the end of the Pale Wars. After the wars, the surviving Indogenes have one of the smallest populations of all Votan races, usually concentrated in cities and towns. Highly analytic and adaptable, the Indogenes tend to get along well with all other Votan races. The Castithans, however, are something of an exception, as both races evolved on the same planet and each feels they are superior. However, Indogene-Castithan tensions are more along the lines of petty bickering than a deep-seated blood feud.

Liberata [edit]

The Liberata are shorter than humans, broad shouldered and thick-necked, with blockier facial features and long scruffy green-yellow hair. They are described as a servant-class race. Their language includes a high frequency of slang terms. The Liberata were once economically very powerful in the Votan star system, but their own avarice led to the ecological and social collapse of their society. Present-day Liberata humbly consider their present-day status as menial laborers and servants as deserved atonement resulting from the mistakes of their ancestors. They are well known for their gruff tempers and are sometimes considered petty. However, their frequently sarcastic demeanors have a deeper and more tragic origin, stemming from cultural disillusionment after their society self-imploded due to their own ancestors' short-sightedness.

The Liberata have a polytheistic religion focusing on the basic needs of life. However, their social collapse while in the Votanis system, combined with their relatively low numbers in the evacuation fleet, resulted in very few of their religious traditions surviving on Earth. Instead, the Liberata ended up borrowing many religious traditions from their planet-mates, the Sensoth and Irathients.

The Liberata are the servants of choice for the hierarchical Castithans, who find that the Liberata's labor-class work ethic and resignation to being servants in society fits well with the Castithan's own attitude that they are a superior ruling class. Because they were not politically powerful when the evacuation fleet was being organized, many of the Liberata who were let onto the Arks did so in exchange for contracts of indentured servitude with the Castithans. The Liberata get along well with the Irathients and Sensoth, because they evolved on the same planet where they peacefully co-existed. The independent-minded Irathients are often frustrated with the Liberata, however, because they feel the Liberata should stand up for themselves more and not be content to let others, such as the Castithans, order them around.

Sensoth [edit]

Slightly larger and taller than humans, the Sensoth resemble humanoid orangutans. Their bodies are covered in reddish-brown fur, except on their faces, which have grayish skin. Their jaws protrude further forward than on humans, like apes (actors playing Sensoths characters have remote-controlled prosthetic appliances attached to their heads to achieve this effect). The Sensoths have a lifespan about twice as long as any other Votan race, often living as long as two centuries. This has made them a very patient people, preferring long-term plans over abrupt action. They come from a region on the planet Irath known as the Great Tarnalin Forest. They thus share several aspects with Earth's sloths, being arboreal in nature, speaking and acting very slowly and deliberately. Like the Liberata and Gulanee, they were not one of the more powerful Votan races, though for many generations they co-existed relatively peacefully with their planet-mates, the Irathients and Liberata. However, due to the value of the Sensoths' great strength, Castithan raiding parties frequently captured Sensoths and brought them back to their own planet to be servants and soldiers. Sensoths can be fiercely loyal to their Castithan "employers", almost to the point of gullibility. They enjoy the company of Earth domestic animals, one Sensoth owning a dog as his companion.

Gulanee [edit]

An energy-based race, they are a mystery to everyone else, including the other Votans. The other Votans weren't even aware of their existence until fairly recently, when the Indogenes sent out an expedition to the gas giant planet Gula to look for the mineral gulanite to power the Ark fleet. They established contact with the Gulanee, who agreed to help mine gulanite in exchange for a small fraction of Gulanee being allowed into the evacuation fleet. Most of the Gulanee stayed behind on their homeworld, confident that they would somehow survive. Like the Sensoth and Liberata, they were not politically strong when the exodus from the Votanis system was being planned, and very few were present in the evacuation fleet. The Gulanee are exceedingly rare on Earth, to the point that the Votanis Collective is officially considered to be made up of five races, excluding the Gulanee (who would have been the sixth). Instead, the handful of Gulanee on Earth are spread out amongst the other Votan groups.

Gulanee are so rare that others often assume that they are simply floating balls of energy. Instead, they wear carefully crafted "encapsulation suits" which are difficult to build and maintain. Gulanee will die if they spend more than a few hours outside of their suits.^[12]

Volge [edit]

Disliked by all of the other Votan races, and the closest thing to a straightforward "villain" race. They stand over eight feet tall, are covered in dense armor, and possess integrated internal weapons. They come from a different planet in the Votanis system, Omec, and during the evacuation were intended to be left behind by the other races. No one knows who smuggled the Volge onto the Arks, or why, and their reappearance during the Pale Wars was a surprise to the other Votans. After the Pale Wars ended they retreated to underground caverns, and continue to be hostile to humans and other Votans alike.^[13]

Mutants [edit]

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Numerous new mutant races were created when the Votans' terraformer technology was haphazardly released in the Arkfall of 2030. Some are bizarre hybrids of animals from Earth and different Votan planets, or creatures so drastically altered that it isn't really clear what stock they were created from. Most prominent among these are Hellbugs, originally a small and rather harmless insect species from the Votanis system carried in the Arks, which were twisted by the terraformers into vicious predators. Hellbugs are hive-based eusocial insects with several different specialized castes, ranging from small Skitterlings that attack in swarms, to larger lion-sized Warriors. There are rumors of even larger varieties that are several stories tall. Greater effort hasn't been expended on eradicating Hellbugs because they are a very valuable fuel source. Hellbugs consume gulanite ore as a digestive aid, which results in their excrement containing unrefined "petrohol", the main fuel source for contemporary vehicles.

In addition to the alien races, another race present in the series are the Biomen (or Bio-Marines). During the Pale Wars, in an effort to match the Votans' superior technology, Earth's militaries successfully developed fully synthetic, sentient life-forms which could be mass-produced as shock troops in the war. Designed to be stronger and tougher than humans, the Bio-Marines were treated as expendable, because they were considered to possess no human rights. Biomen are larger and better muscled than normal humans, with bulging overdeveloped neck muscles. They come in a variety of skin colors, both natural and unnatural (e.g., blue) and have vividly colored eyes. Biomen can be individually identified by the three inch tall serial numbers which have been branded across the width of their chests, with each production run of Biomen was given its own "batch name", e.g., "Pierce" or "Ulysses-537634". Biomen have an off button somewhere on their bodies, with the location dependent on their batch. If hit with enough force in the off switch, a Bioman will be knocked out cold; several thousand volts of electricity will wake them up. Biomen were designed to be naturally aggressive for the wars, and now that the wars are over they have been rendered obsolete. The Biomen have difficulty integrating into peacetime and are ostracized by baseline humans and Votans alike.

Series overview [edit]

This section is incomplete. (April 2013)

Episodes [edit]

Development and production [edit]

In June 2011, Syfy announced that they would be producing a television series which was being developed by Rockne S. O'Bannon and would be produced by Universal Cable Productions.^[22] It was also announced that the TV series would be connected to a video game being produced by Trion Worlds.^[22] It was later confirmed that Syfy had ordered thirteen episodes for the show's first season, which would premiere in either late 2012 or the summer of 2013.^[1] In July 2012, the network announced that the series and game would debut in April 2013.^[23]

Casting announcements began in January 2012, with Grant Bowler first to be cast. Bowler plays Joshua Nolan, "the law keeper in a bustling frontier boomtown that is one of the new world's few oasis of civility and inclusion."^[2][3] On February 8, TVWise revealed profiles of five of the main characters.^[1] It was later reported that Gillian Anderson had been briefly considered by the show's producers to play either Amanda or Stahma. However, that casting did not move forward as they assumed she would not be interested in returning to episodic television.^[24] On March 8, 2012 it was announced that Jaime Murray, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas and Tony Curran has been cast in the series.^[7][8] Jaime Murray plays Stahma Tarr, "Datak’s beautiful and proper wife"; Julie Benz plays Amanda Rosewater, the mayor of Defiance;^[25] Stephanie Leonidas plays Irisa, "a beautiful warrior who is part of an alien race called the Irathients"; and Tony Curran plays Datak Tarr, "the right hand to Amanda."^[7][8]

Production on the series began in April 2012 in Toronto.^[1][2][3]

As of Season 1, linguist David J. Peterson has developed two full languages for the different alien races, for the Castithans and the Irathients. Basic language sketches also exist for two of the other races, the Indogenes and the Liberata.^[26]

As of May 10th, Defiance has been confirmed to run for a second season as well.

International broadcast [edit]

Country	Network(s)	Series premiere	Timeslot
Brazil	Syfy[27]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 8:00pm
Canada	Showcase[28]	April 15, 2013	Monday 10:00pm
France	Syfy[29]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 10:15pm
United Kingdom	Syfy[30]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 9:00pm
Ireland	Syfy[30]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 9:00pm
Germany	Syfy[31]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 9:00pm
Spain	Syfy[32]	April 16, 2013	Tuesday 10:25pm
Portugal	TVSeries	May 5, 2013	Sunday 10:00pm
Australia	SF[33]	April 18, 2013	Thursday 9:30pm
Turkey	Sinema TV	May 14, 2013	Tuesday 9:00pm

Reception [edit]

Critical reception of Defiance has been "mixed or positive" according to Metacritic.^[34] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post called it "a smart, well-crafted TV show with a good cast and an adventurous flavor" and added "it's also indisputably science fiction, which is a relief," saying that she felt too many science fiction shows were "watered-down... genre-lite dramas". She also praised the casting, performances and the production design.^[35] Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News noted that "the TV show may not break new ground... but it does stand on its own as a watchable sci-fi series, with a Wild West vibe mixed with a bit of 'Farscape'-meets-'West Side Story.'"^[36] Other reviewers gave Defiance average reviews and noted its similarity to previous television series,^[37] while at the same time praising its "breathtaking" landscapes and "impressively rendered" monsters;^[38] its "intriguing" cast and setting;^[39] its digital effects and performances;^[40] and its mythology and "interesting" story.^[41] Conversely, David Hinckley of the New York Daily News gave it one star out of five and found it to be "incomprehensible", but said "if you’re a sci-fi fan for whom this stuff can never be too complex, have at it."^[42]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official website
• Defiance at the Internet Movie Database
• Von Bach Industries viral website
• Defiance Wiki
• Defiance at Scifi TV Guide