Battlestar Galactica Creator’s Sci-Fi Horror Series Is Worth Streaming And Has A Wild Twist

Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published 12 seconds ago

Ronald D. Moore changed the face of sci-fi in 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot, but after a few hours of failed network pilots, he returned to SyFy with Helix in 2014. It’s a scary and twisted sci-fi series about a deadly virus being studied in a secret Arctic location.

What starts as a dialogue-heavy, slow-burner slowly peels back the layers to reveal the history of natural weapons, the megacorporation behind it, and a late-season twist that turns the whole place upside down. Seemingly forgotten today, it was a minor hit on SyFy, and with only two seasons, it makes for an easy weekend binge that will keep you glued to the screen.

Nothing Good Happens in the Arctic

Helix It starts with the former couple Dr. Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell, The Rocketeer) and Dr. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky) leads a team to investigate the dark site ArcTech BioSystems Facility, where Alan’s brother, Peter, was stationed and succumbed to a new deadly virus. This site works under the watchful eye of Dr. Hiroshi Hatake, who seems to know more than he lets on. When a zombie-like virus, vectors, is discovered, the new team realizes they are in over their heads.

The first season starts slowly, but as the number of vectors and corpses begin to pile up, it becomes clear that there is a sinister purpose behind the undercover research. Things go really well in episode 7 there Star Trek: Voyager’s Jeri Ryan arrives with heavily armed mercenaries to control the situation, but even the military falls to the arrival of a mysterious assassin determined to protect the base’s secrets from prying eyes.

Avoids the Healing Writing Stick

Helix makes two bold storytelling decisions that set it apart from other mystery box shows. Each episode represents one day, which keeps the timeline intact, and there are no flashbacks. I didn’t appreciate that second part until recently after watching it again it, just passed The event. The SyFy series uses stereotypes that may or may not be true to the audience. At the time, it pissed me off, but ten years later, it’s a refreshing way to tell a story.

I was happy Helix Season 1 when it first aired on SyFy and thought it had a good balance in its flow, even if a few episodes were slow; plus, the sci-fi puzzle box series is worth the trip. I wasn’t alone in feeling that way either, as Rotten Tomatoes Season 1 has a 79 percent fresh critic rating with an audience score of 72. And, like most fans, I didn’t come back for Season 2, thinking the story was wrapped up.

Helix Ends the Story

Helix Season 2 takes the same tension and mystery of what’s really going on but takes you to an island inhabited by a religious cult. Steven Weber (Wings) plays Brother Michael, and there are no points for guessing that he’s up to something bad on the island. A step back from the bold choices of Season 1, Season 2 includes original backstories and more, but this time, it helps fill the 15-month gap between seasons because some of the characters are very different when we see them again.

It wasn’t until recently that I came to know Helix Season 2 was there and continued the story. Due to the lack of tension of the first season, it almost ends at the end but then it goes to a city that is so crazy that I can’t respect the way the writers play it safe. Taking a step towards the end, the story comes to an end, but whether it is satisfying or not depends on everyone’s interpretation. I’m glad it has a real ending and not a cliffhanger that teases a third season that won’t come.

You can broadcast Helix on Tubi, Disney+, and Hulu.