Ascension 

A young woman's murder causes the subjects of a century-long mission to populate a new world to question the true nature of the project as they approach the point of no return.

Creators:

Adrian Cruz, Philip Levens

Stars:

Tricia Helfer, Gil Bellows, Brian Van Holt

2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Tricia Helfer	...	Viondra Denniger 3 episodes, 2014
Gil Bellows	...	Harris Enzmann 3 episodes, 2014
Brian Van Holt	...	Captain William Denninger 3 episodes, 2014
Andrea Roth	...	Dr. Juliet Bryce 3 episodes, 2014
Brandon P Bell	...	Aaron Gault 3 episodes, 2014
Jacqueline Byers	...	Nora Bryce 3 episodes, 2014
Tiffany Lonsdale	...	Emily Vanderhaus 3 episodes, 2014
P.J. Boudousqué	...	James Toback 3 episodes, 2014
Brad Carter	...	John Stokes 3 episodes, 2014
Ryan Robbins	...	Duke Vanderhaus 3 episodes, 2014
Wendy Crewson	...	Katherine Warren 3 episodes, 2014
Lauren Lee Smith	...	Samantha Krueger 3 episodes, 2014
Al Sapienza	...	Councilman Rose 3 episodes, 2014
Ellie O'Brien	...	Christa Valis 3 episodes, 2014
John Ralston	...	Robert Bryce 3 episodes, 2014
Amanda Thomson	...	Lorelei Wright 3 episodes, 2014
Jessica Sipos	...	Jackie 3 episodes, 2014
Aliyah O'Brien	...	Eva Marceau 3 episodes, 2014
Rachael Crawford	...	Ophelia 3 episodes, 2014
Mark Camacho	...	Martin Carillo 3 episodes, 2014
Michelle Mylett	...	Presley Delon 3 episodes, 2014
Hannah Saunders	...	New Stewardess 3 episodes, 2014
Sebastian Pigott	...	Rawles 2 episodes, 2014
Taylor St. Pierre	...	Dwight Crouch 2 episodes, 2014
Sandi Ross		2 episodes, 2014
Cynthia Preston	...	Laura Enzmann 2 episodes, 2014
Jason Cavalier	...	Safety Officer / ... 2 episodes, 2014
Moe Jeudy-Lamour	...	Orderly 2 episodes, 2014
Martin Thibaudeau	...	Machine Shop Foreman 2 episodes, 2014
Isaiah Gero-Marsman	...	Young Gault 2 episodes, 2014
Sylvia Stewart	...	Young Gault's Mom / ... 2 episodes, 2014
Eric Davis	...	Dr. Enzmann (Young) 2 episodes, 2014
Yvanna-Rose Leblanc	...	Young Opelia / ... 2 episodes, 2014
Michael Nangreaves	...	Mitchell Egland 2 episodes, 2014
Vanessa Grimaldi	...	New Stewardess 2 episodes, 2014
Hilary Hilaire	...	Student #2 2 episodes, 2014
Olivia Winston	...	Student #3 2 episodes, 2014
Victor Zhao	...	Student #4 2 episodes, 2014
Adam Bernett	...	Ike Messmer 2 episodes, 2014
Ryan Ali	...	Mid-Level Student / ... 2 episodes, 2014
Damien Marques	...	Doug Bodwin 2 episodes, 2014

Storyline

A young woman's murder causes the subjects of a century-long mission to populate a new world to question the true nature of the project as they approach the point of no return.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | mission | murder | female nudity | love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Ascensão

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levens, Blumhouse Productions, Sea to Sky Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

231 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

A major character is named "James Toback" and is frequently called by his full name rather than first name like the other characters; presumably this is the series writers' in-joke homage to writer/director James Toback.

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Goofs

Throughout the series we see the occupants of Ascension apparently experiencing normal Earth gravity. In deep space there are only two ways to simulate the effects of gravity; either you build a ship that rotates around a central axis, where centrifugal force gives the appearance of gravity at the rim, or you rely upon thrust from the engines. Since Ascension is clearly not cylindrical (all through the series we see flat floors and a deck layout along the axis), the apparent force of gravity must therefore be provided by thrust from the engines.

To approximate the gravity of Earth, the engines would need to provide a constant acceleration of 9.81m/s2. At this acceleration, the ship would reach 97% of the speed of light in just 2 years and the journey to Proxima Centauri (Ascension's quoted destination) would take roughly 5.2 years. In the show, the ship has apparently been en route for over 50 years, almost 10 times as long as the journey should take.

Such a speed would not be possible for a ship of this type in any case, as it would need a huge shield against interstellar material and an impossibly large fuel load.

All of this is simple math and physics and could be questioned by any reasonably well-educated person in the 1960s; it's inconceivable that none of the crew or other people on board would not have questioned this inconsistency.

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Connections

Referenced in Flat Earth & Other Hot Potatoes: Episode #1.43 (2015)

User Reviews

I liked it, I liked it a lot. Best thing SiFi has had on in memory!

I liked it a lot. The story is far fetched, however most good science fiction is. Getting you to believe that, HEY this could be done is part of the fun. The special effects were very good for the most part, great in other parts. The cast was strong I thought and kept it together. In a couple of places the story was jaw dropping. I don't know what some of the folks were seeing that did not like it. Once again I LIKED it a lot and I have been watching science fiction for over fifty years. I need ten lines. O.K., I DO NOT place spoilers in reviews, that is dumb. The fans should see it for themselves and enjoy the show with out knowing what is coming. This series in particular has some sharp twists and turns and add to the enjoyment of the piece. Is this enough said? Oh yeah, I do not misspell. Grammar can be a problem. Good night.