This is a pilot for a cancelled TV series. If I had realised that, I may not have watched it. As it happens, I'm glad I did. This is the sort of science fiction I prefer. No ray-gun shoot-outs, just ideas (some confusing).A big warning for those who dislike unresolved endings, this is about as bad as it gets. On the other hand, If you enjoy imagining what the writers intended for this series, have fun.If anyone wonders what I made of it, I supposed the mission itself was virtual. The strange occurrences being intended to provoke confusion and conflict among the "crew". They were making a TV program after all.

There is a quirk in the virtual reality simulation system of a long duration space craft which seems to be attacking the crew. This is a sci-fi with quality production values and a solid cast but it never gets where it needs to go. There is a lot of time developing the characters and scene setting but the story arc is utterly incomplete. I think some of the other reviews have mentioned that this was supposed to act as a pilot for a TV series that never got picked up and it really feels that way because nothing gets resolved. There is a bunch of questions on the table at the end but no resolution, which is immensely frustrating.This is nice to watch and not badly acted but in the end leaves a very sour taste for the incompleteness and lack of resolution.

JMS said of the new Star Trek shows, 'IF you are in space, and you have to go to the Holodeck to have an adventure, you're missing the point." So Ronald Moore, a guy responsible for most of those insipid "Holodeck gone made" episodes on Star Trek brought us this steaming load about a reality TV space ship where people pass the time by going into virtual reality settings.Oh, yeah, and they call their ship the Phaethon. For those who went to PUblic School, he's a character who met a bad end in mythology. It's kind of like naming your ship the "GRissom or the "Icarus". Things aren't going to go well.Slow moving, uninteresting and not much to validate it, really.

While it isn't the be-all/end-all, I liked it overall. I can't believe though that the comp rating for this is 6.6 when Event Horizon gets a 6.3 and Terminator Salvation gets a 7.1 and Transformers gets a 7.4. Where's the justice in that? Anyway, I'll be interested to see what comes of this as a series. BSG had its moments that stretched into infinity, but overall the series was spectacular, so I'll give these guys enough rope to run with or hang themselves.The infiltrated VR system is a neat hook, the idea of a possible life-after-death in VR land, the problems of whom to believe and trust as cabin fever sets in, this is all fertile ground for plot (and thus character) development. Plus, they took the entire pilot introducing you to a character who dies in the end. Gotta respect a writing team who is willing to invest in a doomed character! True: none of the characters were dazzling, but then, have you ever watched a reality show and given a damn about anyone on it? (If so, please seek help.) A few of them at least have potential; Jensen and his simulated child, for one example.Man up, folks. Whether you like it or not, sci fi is not always about chest-bursting aliens, "moon-based lazers", killer cyborgs (whether they disguise themselves as crappy American cars or not), or spaceships that become possessed by demons. Sometimes its just about how technology affects the way people live and interact with each other.