I just got done watching all three seasons and I have to admit that I really enjoyed this series. Yes, there are a lot of recycles tropes and plot devices, but they do a few things that really work for me. First of all, the universe isn't spoon fed to the audience. Instead of having some narration or excessive exposition, the writers reveal this new world to the audience through regular dialog and context. The story is pieced together from ideas that have already been used, but it all comes together fairly well thanks to a decently balanced plot and decent acting. They really flush out each separate culture and main character fairly well and the conflicts don't feel too forced.The CG was okay for what it is. I'm judging this as a made for SyFy series. I don't go into a show like this expecting Steven Spielberg.

Seasons 1 and 2 were excellent.I was really looking forward to Season 3. Then Christie and Rafe were killed and the whole dynamic that had been building up for 2 seasons between the McChristies and the Tarrs was gone. Way to ruin a scifi show, you moronic new writers.Just to bring in Linda Hamilton as some really stupid moronic bitch who managed to get everyone killed as she had to kidnap them and drag them hundreds of miles south into enemy lines so they could get killed stupidly and pointlessly.So I tried to keep on watching but for some reason Syfy had got rid of the writers for seasons 1 and 2 and replaced them with some morons.So they killed off lots of established characters and ruined most of the plot buildup that had been going on with establishing a relationship between the humans and their alien invaders.They they brought in another alien enemy who I cannot even be bothered to remember their name.Blame the new season 3 writers. They killed this show.

I've always loved science fiction. I grew up loving shows like Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Quantan Leap...but tend to be more of a movie lover- Soylent Green, Dark City, Things to Come. I haven't had a TV for the past six or seven years, so for a show to catch my attention enough for me to watch it religiously, it really needs to sparkle.Defiance is, in my opinion, a fantastic show, but I see why it struggles. I don't think it is really a science fiction show, which probably hurts the fan ratings compared to other shows in the SyFy network. It really plays more like a western than anything else, like The Wild Bunch, but in the future.I see other users criticizing the special effects, animation, and the horribly tacky cliché scenes- the deus ex ma china saving the characters at the last second- and I have to say I agree for the most part. There is tackiness, there are many clichés, and the animation at times is goofy. However, I think it is well written and very often clever. There is a lot of originality in the writing. (E.g. their own original swear words). The show has a few of these little quirks in the script that stay consistent throughout the series and give it individuality. -----------VERY MINOR SPOILER----------------- At times, I have been upset when some of the main characters were killed off, but I think the story wouldn't be as believable otherwise, since it takes place in a rough, post apocalyptic type of world. Also, I think it also makes it easier for the viewer to accept new characters. That is harder to do, I think, with the same cast lasting multiple seasons before someone is killed off and replaced.I love SF, but not so much as a fantasy genre, but rather as an element of setting in a story. Consider, for example, renowned twentieth century American author, Kurt Vonnegut. Few literary scholars would classify him as SF, but almost all of his most-widely read novels have major science fiction themes in the plot (i.e. Slaughter-House Five, Cat's Cradle), utilized in a way which poignantly expresses the nature of humanity in addition to Vonnegut's ever-witty and darkly comedic humanist ideals. That's kinda similar to how I feel about Defiance, in terms of classification. It plays out like a western more than anything, but the science fiction element gives it a cool edginess. I like the time frame it is set in, just far enough into the future so that Amanda and Nolan are about the age I will be in the year 2046. It gives the audience something familiar on which the main human characters are based, and something new, in which human and non-human characters alike have been versed, but the humans are the ones who initially spell it out for us as far as catching us up the past few decades, post alien arrival.-------VERY MINOR SPOILERS IN REGARD TO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ------- I also appreciate that the obvious main character, Nolan, doesn't have to story continuously centered around him. in fact, I think the play time of each character's story has a very god balance, with the Tarrs emerging as the characters we observe more consistently throughout the series. Clever, since they entangle themselves either by choice or not with every other character in the show somehow. Also, Datek and Stahma are well matched, and they offer us as much humor as they do heartache. We can't help but love them, despite their transgressions or their loftiness. Every blow and screw up they endure serves to make them more easy to relate to, and we see them grow and learn from their mistakes, and struggle to change their behavior. Even though their natures dictate certain behavioral patterns, we see them react differently as they try to change and better themselves.------------------As far as clichés and deus ex machines are concerned, I'm hard-pressed to think of a series that has never employed them. Any that didn't I imagine didn't run very long. For this series though, I expect a bit of cheesiness from time to time. The lessons and morals Defiance offers are universal. I really think this show is pulled off very well in general, and I believe the special effects would be way better if they had a bigger budget to work with. For three seasons so far, Defiance has kept me engaged in its plot and still holds as much intrigue as it did when it first got its hooks in me. I really hope it gets renewed for a fourth season, because so far it has been an energetic and entertaining tale, reliable more often than not, and I see a lot of potential for more of the story to build on that foundation. And also because I love the character of Doc Yewl. What would we do without anymore of that dry, pragmatic humor?My apologies for any run on sentences or grammatical issues. Please don't let that weigh in on your opinion of this show.

This show depicts a world in which there are a variety of different species, however these species can easily be interchanged with races. The 'humans' can be seen as Native Americans, they're native to earth, and other species attempt to take over their land. The Castithan are the most racist against other species, most likely white, and then you have the Omek (of course there's other races, however it's irrelevant). The Omek are often depicted by African American actors, and these characters are seen as barbaric monsters who everyone should be in fear of -- sound familiar? This show simply recreates our world as it already exists, however instead of using just one species -- the human race, they add a little twist to it, incorporating other species as well.