'The Ark' premiere sets up a sci-fi survival saga in outer space

Outer space has never looked this terrifying.

Flooding the cable airwaves today is "The Ark," a new 12-episode science fiction series over at SyFy helmed by "Independence Day" screenwriter Dean Devlin and starring Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read and Ryan Adams. 

"The Ark" debuts Wednesday (Feb. 1) at 10:00 p.m. EST exclusively on SyFy and can also be viewed the day after on Peacock, NBC Universal's official streaming platform. To entice viewers, SyFy has just released an extended preview of the pilot's first five minutes that you can buckle up for and watch the entire inciting incident play out in the cold reaches of deep space. 

This melodramatic clip follows a familiar trope in sci-fi: A sudden catastrophic event befalling an interplanetary spacecraft en route to its deep space destination and the consequences that follow. 

Related: Smashin' asteroids, Hollywood style: could nuking an asteroid save the Earth?

Promotional art for "The Ark." (Image credit: SYFY)

Here's the complete series synopsis:

Created by Dean Devlin, "The Ark" takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.

"'The Ark' is a perfect fit for SyFy audiences and we know fans will gravitate to this heart-racing story from Dean Devlin, one of the most accomplished and respected sci-fi writers working today," said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBCU Entertainment and Streaming in an interview last year with Deadline. "With the recent success of both 'Resident Alien' and 'Chucky,' the network is home to several of the most creative storytellers working in all of television."

A hull breach causes panic in "The Ark" (Image credit: SYFY)

This space-centric survival show is being created by co-showrunners and executive producers Dean Devlin ("Independence Day," "Stargate") and Jonathan Glassner ("Stargate SG-1"), alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English of Balkanic Media and Steve Lee are also onboard the flagship project as producers.

"The Ark" drifts into your living room Wednesday (Feb. 1) at 10:00 p.m. EST on SyFy and can be viewed the day after on Peacock.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, or on Facebook and Instagram. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Jeff Spry
Contributing Writer

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.