Mars (National Geographic mini series)

[ctg]

Spoiler: S02E03 - Darkness Falls

First of all, I don't understand why they added cut scenes from the previous episodes into the intro scenery. As a synopsis filler it should contain only stuff that made into the production. Not what ended in the editor's floor.

I get that grief is the same over there as it is down here at Earth, but stripping the power from the hands of scientist community leader is pure bureucrasy and the same madness that employed the leaders at the First World War. I guess it will never go away. Not as long as the Earth centric government thinks that they can govern even the farthest reaches of the frontier.

It surprised me even more that the said leader chose to stay in the command centre, fiddling her thumps while she knew very well that Earth could not stop her from exercising power. Water in the Mars is power, and it should be considered as the most valuable commodity until proper infrastructure is set in the place to properly recycle the material instead of wasting it by giving it to the corporations.

Here's the question: what would happen if something happened on Earth and would strand the two colonies on their own without the support from higher ups? Is it okay for you to just lay over and allow the bully to operate or would you rise up and rebel?

The war is in our blood. Our lives are very violent from the beginning to the end, even if there are peace in between. Thing is that we learn early on that human carries a stick and they can wield power over other individuals just because of the stick.

In the Wild West most of the pioneers didn't stop, because things got hard and there was no government telling them what to do. Frankly the laws are mostly imaginary. Of course they are in the books and written regulations, but over there you cannot think in yesterdays world terms, because over there you're on your own, even if you're flying the Authorities flag.

You have to be active or you will die in misery. Deaths are hard, but they are nothing you cannot overcome. If you let things become an issue in your head, you might as well never leave Earth. So I admired the chief scientist decision to take the matters in her own hands and go out there on her own, when the community leader failed to act on her job.

But, to be honest, you have to proactive and be an independent individual if you want things to get done. When everything failed due to the Solar Mass Ejection, the chief scientist decided to drive on her own in the unknown as she thought she knew the way. It is the same arrogance that got her to drill station, but for being a smart person, she was stupid to continue driving when she thought she was lost. Her instincts should have said to turn around and find your way back, instead of driving into the dark.

She could even have stopped and waited for the daylight. She could even have put on the space suit and go out to look for the stars. There must be North Star in that sky and it's easy to find if you can find Ursa Major constellation. Over there it cannot look much different.

You do whatever you have to do to keep you alive. I strongly believe that the chief scientist did what she could and she went as far as she would in the Mars night. Star Trek Spock would have advised her to meditate, while some others could have even tried to make her to walk back. But, I also find it curious that they had no survival stuff in the rover. Nothing to back the power generation or even to make some air.

What surprised me was that the miners went beyond their way to help her. Maybe that is because they're already in that pioneer headset, where as the chief was having a tunnel vision issues, because of her higher intelligence. When you don't have that sort of capability you do what you have to and you'll trust that those smart one got their science right. It doesn't make you any less of a human being.

We all fail. There is no exceptions. Not even if we add machines. They do stupid things too. The only failure is, if you don't learn from those mistakes.

Another good episode, and a great story that moved things forward. Also it was very emotional.

 

[REBerg]

Spoiler

I thought Marta was a goner. It would have been more realistic if the corporate cavalry hadn't rode in at the last minute and saved her.
Looks like cooperation between the scientists and the miners may happen yet. The reunification of the parents-to-be was heartwarming.

 

[ctg]

Spoiler

I thought Marta was a goner. It would have been more realistic if the corporate cavalry hadn't rode in at the last minute and saved her.

I think it was done for drama's sake. The series writers are having hard time on not using the traditional tropes and creating something original. But, since this is docudrama with Mr Musk featuring in every episode, I let it pass. It's not like the series writers are trying to compete with the Vikings.

 

[REBerg]

If Ragnar were leading the first Mars settlement, the corporate settlement would be an ideal place to plunder.

 

[ctg]

If Ragnar were leading the first Mars settlement, the corporate settlement would be an ideal place to plunder.

Sure, but you have to get that idea first. None of the others then the Chief scientist. To be honest I think the CME did good for all of them. Mother Nature plays such a huge role in this series. It is almost as if it's the antagonist and corporate guys her minions.

 

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Spoiler: S02E04 - Green Eyed Monster

I have wondered if the Nat Geo is going to touch the material that has been quite tightly wrapped in the tinfoil since the HD images from the rovers started to arrive at Earth. The thing is that in some of the images you can clearly see the artificially created remains of ancient things. It is as if there was once upon a civilisation occupying the Mars, and in that past it got destroyed.

Some people theories that the destruction was caused a planetoid coming apart and creating the Asteroid Belt around the sun. Other claim that there was a civilisation and it got nuked as you can find nuke craters and highly irritated places covered in green glass at the Northern Hemisphere.

I wanted to write in the last episode that if there is a liquid based lifeforms in the Mars then there must be a possibility that the ancient Martians are also real. But as a hard factual SF going in there is a big step, and I don't think Mars is ready to present anything to support those sort of theories.

But if you believe that there was a civilisation before us, then you must accept that there might be some truth in the theory that says they might have colonised our solar system before. And if Mars was a lush living planet before Earth graduated to support complex lifeforms, you might also accept that the theory behind transcolonising humanity in the second planet is also true.

Maybe the life in the universe goes around in cycles as everything else. But in the series life happens by making babies, and studying viral lifeforms in the petri dishes. It doesn't surprise me that corporates got in trouble by drilling in the sample site.

We humans are not great on accepting foreign bioforms. Every time we do that humans go through a series of diseases and other illnesses, our bodies eventually adapt or we find a way to come on top of the bioagent. But in the Mars colonies an outbreak can be super serious as the lethality can begin from 100 percent until we learn ways to fight it. Luckily humans has been doing this for at least last sixty thousand years.

Who really knows if the disease is the next thing that causes sixth apocalypse on Earth?

The only luck that the Mars colonies have is that they're isolated and they have isolation controls built within them from the very beginning. The mistake that they made was to treat the pathogen as a bacteria bases instead of treating it from the beginning with the antiviral agents. Viruses, after all, are the oldest known living organisms.

I don't understand why the colonies didn't start studying the ground samples straight away to get on top of things or even start taking blood sample to find out what is affecting the patients. Instead it is as if they acted like they knew nothing about the science.

I get that it's hard, but it shouldn't be hard to write. I loved every moment of it once the Chief Scientist started examining the pathogen. I also liked that Lukrum CEO played the bad boy and blackmailed the UN to do his bidding by ignoring the deaths. It seems to me that most of the humanity cares about each other and what happens to our home world, but the elite is ready to let us go with a snap of fingers. The vast majority of humans means nothing to them. Profit lines and being able to boast at their clubs is everything.

So I loved the Scientist Leader contacted the space station and didn't wait for instructions from Earth. Over there you have to be independent and not subordinate. You at the end are in control of you. You don't need some sort of leader to tell you what you need. The Chinese spacestation made the proper call by dropping down their medical supplies. For Mars the colonisation we have to build a space-station at the same time as we build a ground base. In fact we have to built stations wherever we go and it has become the new norm, instead of the profit line.

The money cannot fix everything.

A lovely episode that has nothing to do with the Martians or their hypothetical ancestors.

 

[REBerg]

Spoiler

It loved how Commander Jihae, struggling to control the rebellious Marta, also chose to do the right thing and disobey orders from Earth. If the colonists are going to have politics on Mars, let them be Martian politics.
The chain of command was made to be broken, especially when those at the top of the food chain are giving the commands.
I felt sorry for Marta as she came to grips with her responsibility for bringing death to the colony. She can forgive herself, as she was disabled when the samples came in, and her late assistant was somewhat distracted while tending to his test results.

 

[ctg]

She can forgive herself, as she was disabled when the samples came in, and her late assistant was somewhat distracted while tending to his test results.

Yeah, but I don't think she will as the science will take over her mind and the death of the side character goes into history as a footnote. It's just how we write these stories.

 

[ctg]

Spoiler: S02E05 - Blast from the Past

It didn't surprise me that UN Secretary General closed the leadership change with ease. It's so different to be over there than dealing at the situation. But on the other hand UN had no problem on deciding in the expansion, even though the Science Colony has a pool of liquid water forming underneath them.

I don't understand why Russia accepted the corporate plan so easily when nobody is going to offer them anything. At least nothing that would help a multiplanetary company like Lukrum. The Chief Scientist said that the situ is "making us look weak to everyone."

True. The Olympus City is weak, because it's not based on the idea of planetary exploitation. They are not ruthless. Instead the scientist and their specialists are weak even though they have more brains then Lukrum could ever pack in a shuttle. But it's not like they need brain power, instead they have a manpower problem. Lukrum needs able bodied people to work in their machinery that is seemingly geared towards profiting another planet.

In itself it's not a big deal. Why shouldn't be rob other planets if there is a need back home? There is an infinite amount of everything in space. You cannot run out of it. But that's also a problem as in short term sight humanity, especially corporates end up in trouble, because we would end in one planet everything that we don't need. What we need is resources close to Earth so that we can build colony ships. The rest is unnecessary.

If Lukrum would be strong, they would stockpile as much as they can in the surface and then expand. Repeat and Rince and soon you'll have a full colony. Repeat it elsewhere and you'll be the richest corporate in the known space.

Isn't that a proper capitalist dream?

The acting chief did proper thing when he said to shut down the power share, when it was evident that Lukrum wasn't playing by any rules. If they'll need things better be ruthless and ask properly instead of sharing willingly and getting pissed.

Why is that Lukrum cannot ship over there reactors or generators if they'll need so much power? After all they claimed they were able to create solar panels on Mars. Why is that they cannot do that without turning themselves to robbers? Why corporations cannot be by the people for the people companies?

 

[REBerg]

Spoiler: 2.05 Power Play

An aptly named episode.
It would have been tragic if the Lukrum colony had been wiped out by the power cut. On the other hand, it was Lukrum's disrespect for the Olympus Town colony that led to the cut. Those greedy capitalist bastards may be less likely to violate the power arrangement in the future, knowing that Olympus can end their lives with the flip of a switch.
The political power grab made by Lt. Glenn while the Olympus commander and geologist were off-base checking out a water lead was a dumb, ego-driven move. They should toss him out airlock, but maybe cutting the power to his quarters might be sufficient. I'd say an hour or so would do.
I was disappointed that corporate interests won over scientific interests in the sanction showdown back on Earth. Too much reality.
The premature birth and emergency C-section delivery of the first human Martian added a bit of melodrama to the episode. Will the baby survive? We won't know until the season finale next week.

 

[ctg]

Spoiler

I was disappointed that corporate interests won over scientific interests in the sanction showdown back on Earth. Too much reality.

Yeah, when the corporations are bigger then nations it's too much for one planet. If they would fast forward two to three hundred years into the future and planets themselves has become the power, the corporations influence diminishes. In a way living under one corporation is same as you would accept living under the tyranny ... happily.

The premature birth and emergency C-section delivery of the first human Martian added a bit of melodrama to the episode. Will the baby survive? We won't know until the season finale next week.

In theory yes, but the baby will struggle and we would struggle to understand that the nature finds the way. The thing I'm referring at is some old theory that said every planet, every humanoid would be different. So, maybe the pregnancy will be different in length at lesser gravity? Maybe the baby will grow taller then Earth based humans.

 

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Spoiler: S02E06 - The Shake Up

The Scientist Leader narrates at the beginning that their Solar Mirror Project has reached 22 percent completion, and there is no sign of liquid water Mars. She also claims that it's hard to be patient, because that part of the human nature has never been strong. But, the thing is, it takes time to warm up Mars.

According to the planetary scientists there is no tectonic activity underneath Mars crust, even though we are only now installing our first seismography. All that we know has been gathered with satellites, so we really don't know what's under there. Except that once upon time there was volcanos and Mars is home to largest in our solar system. Also in this year and in every three years in the past, there has been strange plume like cloud formation coming off from one of old volcanoes. Yet we hear the same old story. No water, no clouds, no volcanic activity.

Man, it is hard to be a scientist. But I liked that she acknowledge that whatever is happening at Earth, it's not happening at Mars, millions of kilometres and six months sail time in a tin can. I really liked that she saw light in the new born baby. Every colony needs new life, and that comes from traditional thing of making babies.

Humanity over there is changing and if they would only realise they could achieve so much more. To be honest if things continue decline over here, then there is no choice but to make the Mars project to work. In order for that we need to make Moon to work and we have to expect that it'll go independent later on. If you'd read my Facebook, you would've seen that I blog about it quite often.

You could claim that I'm more Moon Pro then trusting that the Earth can fix itself and you wouldn't be wrong. Over there, in the dead worlds, we can do all things that are custom to the humanity and the only thing we will eff is us. Nobody else needs to be harmed.

The corporate Mars boss took the whole thing to over the top, when Christmas bonuses were threatened. Instead of being patient and trusting that they'll hit water soon, the old schol explosives did the trick.

It's how Mexican's created huge farm for cannabis in the desert, and it's probably the way we are going to create well in Mars. Most likely it's going to be trialled in the Moon as well, because there are subsurface water and not just ice deposits in the shadowed craters.

I never expected it to cause major quake as it happened in the Mars colonies. Mars has been hit in the past by huge asteroids and even today it could be hit by one that is equal, if not stronger in force then 1.4 kiloton device that the Corporate boss used to create the well. It is no where strong enough to start the activity. Not in the way that it would create fissures, quakes, instantenous releases of gas and liquids.

If it happens then the planetary scientists has been lying to us all this time and nothing we know is the truth. We are a powerful species and we can make the impossible possible. Whenever we go over there we have to be careful with everything that we do.

I loved that the corporate boss felt quilt at the end, and he refused any help as he went to see what had happened to corporate colony. One that it's Earthly boss has never set a foot into. He also never saw a need to send enough of stuff for sake of having spares for whatever the Lukrum colony needs. Instead as always the exploitation came first, while the Mars boss learned to be a bit more diplomatic before he died.

He should have taken the scientist with him. I cannot even defend his actions by saying: "Stupid does what stupid can ... regardless of the outcome." He was a smart, capable man, and his death was a tragic accident. Luckily, the incident joined the colonies. There should have never been two sides as we are all humans. The only aliens are the microbiological things that they've found.

It is very likely that out there we will find time and again life finding a way to evolve. When we watch this series we should take it as a blueprint and as a warning of how things could happened whenever we start colonising our nearest planetary companion.

Soon the chances are we have to do all of this live. No second takes. No narrative rewrites. Just hard work, dedication and faith that we can conquer death.

 

[Peggyk13]

Why do they always have to ruin a show with politics? I HATE WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO THIS SHOW!!! I hope someone from the show reads this, I want to let them know they are wasting lots of money and my time in making "their" political statements. I record the show, and I FAST FORWARD THROUGH ALL YOUR POLITICAL bullsh**!! I know about global warming, I know about the pollution in the sea and in land,...... I know! It does not have to be forced down my throat when I watch a "fictional "tv show. This is NOT A DOCUMENTARY!!!!

 

[REBerg]

This was one of those rare episodes that could serve equally well as the finale of a season or a series.

Spoiler

As horrific as the destruction of the Lukrum Industries site was, it was pure karma in action.
Both the scientific and corporate sides had questioned the wisdom of using explosives to reach the water supply. Even the miner crew boss Kurt, who seemed to be getting in touch with his human side, might have exercised greater caution had he not been pushed by his profit-hungry CEO.
Kurt's accidental death while searching for survivors (thank goodness, the dog was among them) was saddening. It did, however, serve a dual purpose in his atoning for his bad decision and eliminating an inevitable power conflict with Commander Hana as the two colonies combine.
I was delighted with ISMF President Richardson's double-cross of Lukrum CEO St. John when she had Hana reveal to the world that Lukrum's use of explosives had triggered the quake which wiped out the corporate mining site. Her response to St. John's threat that she would not get away with her action was great -- "I already have."
The best part of Hana's address to Earth was the interplanetary introduction of Gabriella, the first human born on Mars. Who could deny funding for the colony after that?
I loved how this episode expressed the hope that we can somehow find the will to cooperate and save Earth. The appearance of the first Martian cloud produced by the combined terraforming efforts of the miners and scientists on Mars was symbolic of that future cooperative hope for Humanity.

National Geographic has not committed to a third season of MARS. The series deserves more than a 6-episode season once a year, but I'll take what I can get.

 

[ctg]

The series deserves more than a 6-episode season once a year, but I'll take what I can get.

Sure. It deserves more, but I' doubt it'll get more as it's not one of those things that will make or break National Geographic Channel. It was cool that they gave us six more. But, if they want to move this to another level, they will have to do more dramatic stuff and allow the series more room to breath. There are a lot of science that is involved with the Red Planet and terraforming. They should use the talking heads on those and not to use them to advance political science.

 

[REBerg]

Sure. It deserves more, but I' doubt it'll get more as it's not one of those things that will make or break National Geographic Channel. It was cool that they gave us six more. But, if they want to move this to another level, they will have to do more dramatic stuff and allow the series more room to breath. There are a lot of science that is involved with the Red Planet and terraforming. They should use the talking heads on those and not to use them to advance political science.

Unfortunately, the political science needs to be conquered if the hard science is to succeed.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Watched the first episode. Didn’t bother with the rest because it just comes across as an artful marketing tool for Elon Musk/SpaceX.

Which is funny, really because I enjoyed it but I’m more at the @ctg end of the spectrum. I’d rather it’d been full drama.

However... as a result I did end up starting the sublime Touch, which looks set to be a great series, so all is not lost

pH