Ascension (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Creators:  Adrian Cruz, Philip Levens
	Actors: Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica TV-series), Gil Bellows, Brian Van Holt
	Country: USA, CDN
	Genre: SF, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: March 2015, 10" tablet screen
Synopsis: The routine daily life aboard a spaceship en route the Proxima Centauri is perturbed by what could be a murder.
Review: I was teased by the topic and format of this short series proposed on Netflix. Imagine a spaceship launched secretly in the 60's for a 100-year journey to our neighbour star. A generation ship it is called, because only the grandchildren of the original crew will reach the targeted new world. Tricia Helfer in one of the main roles guarantees the interest from the fans of the Battlestar Galactica TV-series (in which she was playing the unforgettable Number 6) and the rest of the cast plays just good enough. A major twist in the story is revealed rather soon, and after a quick research I found out that stories of generation ships are quite common in SF, in particular ones involving the same twist. The characters and story are interesting, at least in the first episodes, in particular the hierarchy that has evolved aboard the ship after 50 years. But in spite of the fact that the series was always scheduled to be limited to 6 episodes, I didn't like that too many story arcs are opened and not closed. It makes me feel like the series was stopped halfway through the end. I am not talking about the rather open ending which is fine (even good), but about some pieces of information and new characters that appear in the last two episodes without leading to anything. A bit disappointing.
Rating: 5 /10