Voyage Through the Stars (television show)
| Voyage Through the Stars (television show) | |
 | |
| Genre | science-fiction |
|---|---|
| Created by | Eduardo Sastre |
| Theme music composer | Urbano Laurén |
| Country of origin | |
| Original language(s) | Alexandrian |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original release | 1720 AN until 1723 AN |
Voyage Through the Stars (Alexandrian: Voyage Dans les Étoiles) is a Nouvelle Alexandrie science-fiction television series that aired for three seasons and 36 episodes between 1720 AN and 1723 AN. It is based on Eduardo Sastre's acclaimed Voyage Through the Stars quintology of books. The series dramatizes the deep-space missions of the FS Dauntless as it explores uncharted regions of the galaxy, encounters new civilizations, and uncovers the mysteries of the universe.
The show is widely regarded as one of the foundational works of Nouvelle Alexandrie science fiction television, praised for its ensemble cast, philosophical themes, and ambitious world-building. It is also well-known for pioneering advanced CGI technology and animatronics.
Production
Development
The popular book series Voyage Through the Stars, a quintology authored by Eduardo Sastre between 1701 AN and 1714 AN, was in talks as a motion picture as early with the publishment of the second volume, Celestial Frontiers, in 1704 AN. Initially, director August Darmelle bought the film rights in 1710 AN, with the intent of turning the books into two movies. Initial work for such motion pictures began in 1715 AN, and long-time science-fiction screenwriters Ernesto Cora and Carmen Pastilos were contracted. The first treatise for the first movie, then simply titled Dauntless, was produced after four months. However, due to budgeting issues and casting shortfalls, the film never went into production.
Darmelle eventually passed the film rights to Renata Calvane and Dorian Vessaire, who decided to turn the screenplays into a television series. Cora and Pastilos were maintained as screenwriters, while Sastre was also contracted as executive producer and as co-writer for certain episodes. Pre-production of the series began in 1717 AN, with United Alexandrian Pictures coming on as the main production house. Associate Producer Lucien Morval was brought on in 1719 AN to assist with outdoor production.
Casting for main roles began in 1717 AN, with the main lead Darius Kelan being contracted. To ensure the ensemble cast atmosphere was maintained, the main cast al retained credit scores equally during the opening titles.
Production of the first season was performed in 1719 AN, while later seasons were filmed between 1720 AN and 1721 AN. The series made extensive use of CGI for both exterior shots and characters; however, models and matte paintings were also used. The show also saw innovative use of animatronics.
Music
The main theme, used in the opening titles, was composed by renown composer Urbano Laurén and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Most of the show's music tracks, however, were composed by three distinct composers: Valerio Suárez, the principal composer for the series; Nicolás Ferreyra; and Oliver Quiroga.
Plot
Set in the early era of interstellar exploration of the fictional Star Federation, the series follows the crew of the FS Dauntless, an advanced exploration starship assigned to push beyond known space. Its mission blends diplomacy, scientific discovery, and high-risk encounters as the crew confronts alien species, spatial anomalies, political intrigue, and the enigmatic legacy of mysterious long-gone civilizations.
The First season roughly covered the first two books - The Dauntless and Celestial Frontiers - while the second season focused entirely on the third book - Echoes of the Ancients. The final season covered roughly the last two books - The Shattered Constellations and Beyond the Known - with Sastre co-writing the series finale.
Cast
Main Cast
- Darius Kelan as Captain Tarek Vol
- María Estellan as Commander Aurora Menda
- Slene Arquette as Dr. Liora Vance
- Jonas Verrick as Chief Engineer Kael Tor
- Tessa Maurel as Lieutenant Mara Jex
- Ilyana Corvana as Ensign Rhea Talla
- Elias Morvant as Counselor Kaedra
Recurring
- Ronan Dey as Dr. Halix Sorrel
- Viktor Samay as Thalen Oris
- Kira Dovni as Chancellor Selarra Venn
- Jalen Thorne as Captain Arrek Dane
Guest
- Lucienne Yvarra as Astra of the Nameless Moon (Season 1, Episodes 8-9)
- Garet Nohl as The Iron Envoy (Season 2, Episode 7)
- Siera Vantros as The Cartographer (Season 1, Episode 10)
- Sebastièn Correl as The Last Ambassador (Season 3, Episode 7)
- Nadira Kelth as The Keeper of Gates (Season 3, Episode 11)
- Riòs Fen as Commander Sol Oryn (Season 2, Episode 3)
- Helene Drovas as The Silent Oracle (Season 2, Episode 9)
Episodes
| Season | # | Episode | Director | Producers | Composer | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Into the Frontier | Helena Marquetta | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire |
Oliver Quiroga | Ernesto Cora
Carmen Pastilos |
| 2 | The Outer Reaches | Valerio Suárez | ||||
| 3 | Relics of the Silent Moon | Marella Duvant | ||||
| 4 | The Veil of Orpheon | Jorin Valas | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval |
Eduardo Sastre | ||
| 5 | The World Made of Echoes | Selene Aren | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire |
Ernesto Cora
Carmen Pastilos | ||
| 6 | Starlit Diplomacy | Carlo Rell | ||||
| 7 | Engines of the Void | Jorin Valas | ||||
| 8 | The Nameless Moon | Marella Duvant | ||||
| 9 | Children of the Rift | Helena Marquetta | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval | |||
| 10 | The Cartographer's Dream | Orlando Talo | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire | |||
| 11 | Through Hollow Suns | Carlo Rell | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval |
Oliver Quiroga | ||
| 12 | The Edge of the Galaxy | Helena Marquetta | Nicolás Ferreyra | |||
| 2 | 13 | Return to the Spire | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire | |||
| 14 | Ghost of the Particle Sea | Marella Duvant | ||||
| 15 | The Archivist of Solenne | Carlo Rell | Oliver Quiroga | |||
| 16 | Mirrors of the Lost Voyagers | Helena Marquetta | Valerio Suárez | |||
| 17 | Storm at the Eye of the World | Jorin Valas | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval |
Nicolás Ferreyra | ||
| 18 | The Broken Path | Helena Marquetta | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire |
Valerio Suárez | ||
| 19 | The Iron Envoy | Jorin Valas | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval |
Oliver Quiroga | ||
| 20 | Fields of Glass | Selene Aren | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire |
Nicolás Ferreyra | ||
| 21 | The Crescent Accord | Carlo Rell | Valerio Suárez | |||
| 22 | Veil of the Void | Helena Marquetta | ||||
| 23 | Darkness at Perihelion | Orlando Talo | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval | |||
| 24 | The Stars Remember | Helena Marquetta | ||||
| 3 | 25 | Aurora's Burden | Carlo Rell | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire | ||
| 26 | The Navigator's Trials | Marella Duvant | ||||
| 27 | Songs of the Ancient Fire | Helena Marquetta | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval | |||
| 28 | The Twin Suns Paradox | Jorin Valas | Nicolás Ferreyra | |||
| 29 | The Shattered Constellation | Marella Duvant | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire |
Valerio Suárez | ||
| 30 | Voices from the Moons | Carlo Rell | ||||
| 31 | The Last Ambassador | Jorin Valas | ||||
| 32 | A Grand Leap | Marella Duvant | ||||
| 33 | Hammers of the Dawn | Helena Marquetta | Renata Calvane
Dorian Vessaire Lucien Morval |
Nicolás Ferreyra | ||
| 34 | Threadfall | Jorin Valas | Valerio Suárez | |||
| 35 | The Gate Opens | Helena Marquetta | ||||
| 36 | Legacy of the Luminous God | Ernesto Cora
Carmen Pastilos Eduardo Sastre |
Reception
Broadcasting
Voyage Through the Stars launched on NBC 2 with repeats, and afterwards with syndication.
| TV Season | Season | No. of episodes | Time slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1720 AN-1721 AN | Season 1 | 12 | Monday at 20:30 |
| 1721 AN-1722 AN | Season 2 | 12 | Monday at 20:30 |
| 1722 AN-1723 AN | Season 3 | 12 | Monday at 20:30 |
UAP leased the streaming rights to Interflix in 1723 AN, shortly after the series end. It is still available there as of 1740 AN.
Critical response
During its runtime, the series had steady viewer figures of around 8 to 10 million. The series debut had viewer numbers at 25.8 million; while the series finale had viewer numbers at 31.4 million, at the time the highest viewing numbers for any non-documentary show.
The Aldurian rated the show's debut at 4 out of 5 stars; Newsflash had it at an 8.6 out of 10. It has consistently been placed in the top 10 of 'best science-fiction shows of all time', including by Newsflash in 1720 AN and 1730 AN. NBC has ranked season 1 the best season of any science-fiction show to date, with episode 4 the best.
Home Media
The series was released on Blu-ray, first per season in 1720 AN to 1723 AN, and then as a 'Full Series' three-partner in 1725 AN. The Blu-rays also include some extra behind-the-scenes material related to the show. In 1730 AN, a full-feature documentary called "Making the Voyage" was released on Blu-ray and on Interflix, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and previously unreleased interviews with cast and crew.
