''First Wave'' is a Canadian
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
drama television series, filmed in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, that aired from 1998 to 2001 on the
Space Channel in Canada. The show was created and written by
Chris Brancato
Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer. Brancato grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey .
Francis Ford Coppola was executive
producer on the show. In an unusual move, the Sci-Fi Channel, which picked up the show in late 1998, later expanded their pickup of the series to a 66-episode order.
The show was subsequently cancelled once the 66-episode order was filled at the end of the third season due to disappointing ratings.
Plot
Former thief turned security specialist Kincaid Lawrence "Cade" Foster’s life was idyllic, with a beautiful wife, good job and a nice house. Unbeknownst to him, a race of extraterrestrials called the Gua have identified him as subject 117 in an Alien experiment - AHX2323 - to test human will. As part of this experiment, his life is systematically ruined, including the murder of his wife, for which he is framed. He is the only one of the 117 subjects to solve the riddles of the experiment and escape arrest to live as a fugitive. The Gua are among humans in the form of hybridised genetic clones and plan to enslave humanity—the first of three "waves" intent on conquering and finally destroying the human race. Constantly pursued by the police, and a strange government agency called the Illuminati, Foster discovers previously unknown
quatrains
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gree ...
of
Nostradamus
Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...
, which tell of three waves that will destroy the planet unless the "twice-blessed man" can stop them. For this reason, Foster investigates strange occurrences that may have ties to the Nostradamus
quatrains
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gree ...
, hoping to find what he needs to stop the Gua.
"Crazy" Eddie Nambulous is a computer hacker who helps Cade Foster and works on a web tabloid ''Paranoid Times''. He uses Cade’s journal to tell people that the "aliens are here, walking among us, laying the groundwork for an impending invasion." After scanning the prophecies of Nostradamus into his computer, he analyzes and cross-references the
quatrains
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gree ...
with bizarre current events to which they may be connected. Foster and Eddie use these
quatrains
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Gree ...
to understand the Gua invasion and search for any and all tools that may aid them in stopping the invasion in its First Wave.
One of the Gua, Joshua, does not believe the invasion of Earth is necessary. Although he wants the best for his people, he helps Cade and Eddie stop his people from initiating the "Second Wave" — the invasion itself, in which 19 million people will die.
History of the Gua
We were like you once. There’s a time for peace and inner-growth, but we became complacent; and when the invasion force landed, they took us down. One rebel led us to freedom. That’s when we took the name Gua; it means “power to overcome”. Over the centuries, science and industry achieved perfect focus. We created a military machine to ensure our freedom, permanently... We’re here because we’ll never be victims again."
: — Joshua Bridges, season 1 episode 09, "Joshua"
The Gua are a race older than humanity, coming from a much older star system. As Joshua tells Cade, “Everything on my planet is red, the colour of a tired sun; the colour of death”
[ Episode 1x09, "Joshua"] which indicates that their home system is at a much later stage than our own, and that their sun is entering a late phase of its life. The Gua originally existed peacefully, exploring their inner selves until they were invaded and enslaved. Eventually, they rose up and overthrew their oppressors, taking the name Gua from that climactic, defining event; Gua meaning “power to overcome”.
As a consequence of this invasion, the newly named Gua decided they could no longer afford to be passive and peaceful, and set out on an aggressive, expansionist path. Aware of the limited lifespan of their home
planet
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
, they began a campaign to expand into other systems. Thus their invasion of
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
was planned.
Due to the distance between Earth and their own planet, the Gua devised a method of dispatching small metallic orbs containing their consciousnesses through
wormholes
A wormhole ( Einstein-Rosen bridge) is a hypothetical structure connecting disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special solution of the Einstein field equations.
A wormhole can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends at separate p ...
to Earth and transferring them into specially
bioengineered
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...
human husks. As a result of this, it is unknown what the Gua actually look like.
These husks contain small amounts of Gua
DNA that provide the aliens with an increased rate of healing, strength, speed and intelligence. The husks dissolve and disappear completely when the aliens are killed. The aliens in these husks are tasked with preparing the planet for the Second Wave. While being held hostage by Cade, Joshua noted that he was in his “third body”;
this is further elaborated when Joshua states that the average Gua life-span is “equal to 1,000 human years”.
In the third season, Joshua reveals that at least one other race had been conquered and exterminated by the Gua centuries prior. Apparently, some members of that race had
precognitive
Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future.
There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...
abilities; it is revealed that the being later known as Nostradamus was a member of this race. He journeyed to Earth and used his precognitive abilities to leave behind the prophesies that would help Cade resist the Gua.
It has been established that the Gua communicate telepathically and have sensory abilities far more advanced than a human. This is due largely to the fact that from birth the Gua undergo a continuous metamorphosis, making the issue of identifying one individual Gua from another impossible. As a result, they have developed a sophisticated array of senses that can be used to rightfully identify other Gua. It has also been established that a Gua can at least sense the presence of another Gua from a distance without making contact.
The Gua have on numerous occasions demonstrated a very totalitarian culture and nature that limits their empathic abilities. Their sexual nature is one where intercourse is severely painful and partners are chosen out of genetic capabilities. Their culture is based on racial unity, where society is superior and individuals have no value. Several Gua have experienced guilt and even rebelled after realizing the horror they have committed on themselves and other races. As a result, many of them have been killed by their own as traitors.
Throughout the entire series, the Gua’s most important weakness has been their lack of will, making them vulnerable when cornered or in emotional distress. They also proved (in human host form, at least) to have a weakness to salt – it affects them like a drug, rendering them ‘blissed out’ and may lead to addiction.
In episode 41 (Season 2, episode 19),”The Trial of Joshua Bridges”, Joshua confirms his fury towards the totalitarian and despotic nature of the Gua, accusing their leaders of reducing the Gua to “primitive butchers”.
Cast
*
Sebastian Spence
Sebastian Spence (born December 9, 1969) is a Canadian actor. He played the lead role of Cade Foster in the Space Channel science fiction television series, '' First Wave'' (1998–2001).Science Fiction Television Series, 1990–2004: Histories, ...
as Cade Foster
* Rob LaBelle as Larry Pisinski a.k.a. "Crazy" Eddie Nambulous
*
Roger Cross
Roger Cross (born October 19, 1969) is a Jamaican-born Canadian actor who has made numerous appearances in several films and television series, mostly on productions shot in Canada. He is known for his work as CTU Agent Curtis Manning in the ...
as Joshua/Cain
*
Traci Lords
Traci Lords (born Nora Louise Kuzma; May 7, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She entered the adult film industry using a fake birth certificate to conceal that she was two years under the legal age of eighteen. Lords starred in adult f ...
as Jordan Radcliffe (season three)
Crew
*
Mike Rohl
Michael Rohl is a Canadian TV director and producer. He is of Volga German and Ukrainian descent. He has worked on ''Shadowhunters'', '' Smallville'', '' Supernatural'', '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', '' Andromeda'', ''Kyle XY'', a ...
*
Holly Dale
Holly Dale (born December 23, 1953) is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor. Although she has comp ...
(6 episodes, 1999–2000)
*
Brenton Spencer
Brenton Spencer is a Canadian film and television director and cinematographer. His television credits include '' Earth: Final Conflict'', '' Andromeda'', ''21 Jump Street'', '' Mutant X'', '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'', ''Sanctuary'', ''Stargate ...
(4 episodes, 1998)
*
Ken Girotti
Ken Girotti is a Canadian television director who was nominated for a 2006 Gemini Award in the category "Best Direction in a Dramatic Series" for the TV series ''ReGenesis''.
Career
He directed episode 9 of the first season of ''Supernatural''. ...
(4 episodes, 2000–2001)
*
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the '' Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...
(2 episodes, 1998–1999)
*
Bill Corcoran
William J. Corcoran is a Canadian film and television director.''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors: Volume 1'' - Page 102
As a television director his credits include ''Friday the 13th'', ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', ''21 Jump Street' ...
(2 episodes, 2000–2001)
* Rob LaBelle (2 episodes, 2000)
*
Randy Cheveldave
Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall (given name), Randall, Randolf (given name), Randolf, Randolph (given name), Randolph, as well as ...
*
Graeme Lynch
Graham and Graeme may refer to:
People
* Graham (given name), an English-language given name
* Graham (surname), an English-language surname
* Graeme (surname), an English-language surname
* Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer
* Clan Gr ...
*
George Mendeluk
George Mendeluk ( ua, Джордж Менделюк) (born March 20, 1948, in Augsburg, Bavaria) is a German-born Canadian film director, television director and writer of Ukrainian descent.
Throughout his career he has amassed a number of cr ...
*
Larry Sugar
*
Daniel Cerone
Daniel Cerone is a television writer and executive producer. His credits include '' Dexter'', where he served as showrunner, along with ''The Blacklist'', ''The Mentalist'', ''Dirty Sexy Money'' and '' Charmed''. He was the co-creator of ''Constant ...
(11 episodes, 1998–2000)
*
William T. Conway (3 episodes, 2000–2001)
*
Dan E. Fesman
Dan E. Fesman (sometimes credited as Dan Fesman) is a television producer and writer. Fesman graduated from Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey, Teaneck, New Jersey.
Fesman has also been producer and writer on several recent series, includ ...
(2 episodes, 1998–1999)
*
Harry Victor
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
(2 episodes, 1998–1999)
*
Chris Brancato
Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer. Brancato grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey
*
Michael J. Cinquemani
*
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the Clevela ...
*
Fergus Cook
Fergus may refer to:
Given name or surname
*Fergus (name), including lists of people and fictional and mythological characters
Places
*Fergus, Ontario, Canada
*River Fergus, County Clare, Ireland
*Lake Fergus, South Island, New Zealand
*Loch ...
*
Michael Robison
*
Andrea Stevens
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that re ...
*
Michael Thoma
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
*
David Wilcox
Episodes
Broadcast
''First Wave'' originally began airing on the
Space Channel in Canada, premiering in September 1998. It also premiered in other foreign markets in 1998. While originally designed for
first-run syndication market in the United States, the series was ultimately picked up the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
in December 1998 for a March 1999 premiere on the network. Sci-Fi Channel later increased their order for the series to 66 episodes (three seasons) in early 1999.
Home media
On May 17, 2011,
Alliance Home Entertainment released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 (North America).
Other media
''First Wave: Subject 117'' is a novel by
Chris Brancato
Chris Brancato (born July 24, 1962) is an American television and film writer and producer. Brancato grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and
Karen Holmes aimed at younger readers, and published in June
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
.
A series of comic books were published by Andromeda Entertainment. Six issues were published between 2000 and 2001, encompassing four storylines and each issue was released with two alternate covers: a painted one by
Matt Busch
Matthew Stuart "Matt" Busch (born September 22, 1972) is an American artist and entertainment illustrator.
He is currently a professor of Media and Communication Arts at Macomb Community College. He teaches a range of courses including figure i ...
or one featuring a photo of the cast.
* ''Heart of A Killer'' (2 issues), written by James Anthony Kuhoric with art by Dan Parsons — Cade Foster poses as a reporter and goes to
Rikers Island to talk to a prisoner who might be an alien.
* ''Jordan Radcliffe'' (1 issue), written by James Anthony Kuhoric with art by Dan Parsons — Ties into ''Raven Nation'', the second episode of the third season.
* ''In The Beginning'' (1 issue), written by James Anthony Kuhoric with art by Michael Malbrough — A prequel story that reveals how Cade Foster was chosen for their experiment by the Gua.
* ''Double Vision'' (2 issues), written by James Anthony Kuhoric with art by Dan Parsons — The Second Wave occurs as Cade Foster and Jordan Radcliffe struggle to stop it.
References
External links
''First Wave''official site (
Syfy). Archived fro
the originalon April 1, 2004.
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Wave (TV Series)
1990s Canadian drama television series
2000s Canadian drama television series
1990s Canadian science fiction television series
2000s Canadian science fiction television series
1998 Canadian television series debuts
2001 Canadian television series endings
Apocalyptic television series
Syfy original programming
Alien abduction in television
Nostradamus
Alien invasions in television
Television series by American Zoetrope
Television shows filmed in Vancouver