Chalk up another programme that was intended to run for years with multiple story arcs that, in the end, got canned after a single series. In 1995, (a few) viewers saw a band of raw recruits learn the ropes as they fought a desperate war against the aggressive alien "chigs". With its sub-plots of artificially grown soldiers, "silicates", and a government conspiracy, Space: Above and Beyond had a lot of story potential. Despite these solid ideas and decent effects, it couldn't find a large enough audience and the series ended with many of the cast seemingly killed in action. If a second season had been made, several of these characters would, indeed, not have made it. Rather, new characters were planned, including an unlikable female commander for the 58th Squadron. The ideas for the second series are certainly interesting and provide a tantalising glimpse of what could have been.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
