Earth: Final Conflict

Earth: Final Conflict is a science fiction television series posthumously "created" by Gene Roddenberry.

Setting

Early in the 21st century a species of aliens, called Taelons, come to Earth. They offer their advanced technologies to the people of Earth and request shelter on Earth. With the new technologies, disease is almost wiped out, as is pollution and war. Despite all these advances, there are some people who think the Taelons are not as benevolent as they seem. A resistance movement is organised, and as the show progresses the viewer understands that the fears of the resistance fighters may be correct.

The show is unusual in that ultimately the Taelon aliens are not all-out evil (except for one character who eventually becomes the main villain in season 2 to season 4), nor are they actually trying to "conquer" the world, however they do have a hidden agenda and have no problem violating basic individual civil liberties to reach their goals.

Series

The show's pilot episode aired on 18 October 1997, and ran for 5 seasons before finally ending with a series finale. The 5th season of the show was a radical departure storywise, with a smaller main cast and with the Taelons replaced by a new and more openly hostile alien race, a group of energy vampires called the Atavus.

The show is infamous for the unusually high turnover rate among the main cast, partially due to contractual disagreements between the cast and the producers. Almost all major characters were killed or otherwise removed within a season or two of being introduced (including Boone, who appeared to be the main character in the show's first season). In fact, the only character to appear as a series regular in all 5 seasons of the show was FBI Agent Sandoval, the show's main antagonist.

Synopsis

The Story begins three years after the Taelon's arrived on Earth. The Taelons have used their advantaged technology to help humanity reach a better quality of Life. The North American Taelon Companion ( Da'an ) is targeted by an assassin while making a speech. A businessman named Jonathan Doors ( a businessman who is partnered with the Taelons) dies instead. Police Officer William Boone is assigned to supervize the security. He is able to track down the assassin and kill him. He is shocked to realize it is someone he knows. Da'an is impressed by Boone's work and offers him a spot as a Taelon Protector.

Season 1

Boone politely refuses do to so due to the fact he wants to start a family with his wife. Deep down, he doesn't trust the Taelons fully. Boone's wife is murdered mysteriously, and Boone finds out that Jonathan Doors is still alive and really faked his death so he could focus on his resistance movement. Doors believes the Taelon's have sinister intent and wants to find out their true motives. He believes that Boone's wife may have died because of the Taelon's. Boone agrees to work as a double agent for the resitance in order to find answers. He accepts Da'an's offer to become a Protector. Boone recieves a CVI that gives him enhanced brain abilities. The Resistance sees to it that the device does not change Boone's loyalties (as it does with most protectors). Agent Boone receives a biological weapon that attaches to his arm called a Skrill. Boone is joined by a fellow double agent and ex-marine Lili Marquette. She is an accomplished pilot of the Taelon Shuttlecrafts (that can travel in 3D space). On the Taelon side, Boone works with another protector named Agent Sandoval. Sandoval is apparently fully loyal to the Taelons.

Boone quickly finds out that Sandoval had his wife killed so he would join the Taelons. Sandoval explains that his own wife held him back and that he was forced to put her in a mental institution to get her out of the way. He didn't want Boone to have the same problem, so had his wife killed. Boone pretends to understand and continues his duties for the Resistance.

A strange satellite is found in a Amish community. Lili and Boone investigate. In later episodes the satellite ends up in the resistance base. It has the ability to make replicants and later kills a Resistance scientist. The probe winds up in the hands of the Taelons.

Boone introduces Lili to Augur, a technical genius that Boone likes to hire when he needs those types of skills. Later Lili and Boone become acquainted with Jonahtan Doors' state of the art base for the Resistance. They learn that Augur was actually a member of the resistance all along.

Boone continues to search for the true motives of the Taelons and becomes good friends with Da'an. A less sympathetic Taelon named Zo'or is introduced. Boone finds out that a Taelon named Ma'el visited Earth centuries before and predicted that humanity would one day be equal to the Taelons. Sandoval meets an Irish Protector who seems to fancy him.

Sandoval's CVI malfunctioned and freed him of Taelon control. He saved his wife from the mental institution but came close to death. The Resistance captured the couple and Boone convinced Doors to turn Sandoval back to the Taelons. His wife was given safe passage. Sandoval received a new CVI and was made to believe that Boone killed his wife.

The fiancée of the dead resistance scientist becomes determined that he found a way to get his love back. The resistance breaks into a Taelon installation in which the probe is located. The scientist gets his fiancée back at the cost of his own life. The probe is supposedly destroyed.

An enemy of the Taelons named Ha'gal lands on Earth. The Taelon's have apparently done something bad to his race (the Kimera). Ha'gal has the power to temporarily assume other forms, leaving his victims temporalily dormant. Ha'agal steals Sandoval's form and impregnates the Irish Protector. Boone tries to confront the alien but Ha'gal is frightened. Boone winds up getting badly wounded, and Hag'al is killed. Boone is in critical condition, as the Irish Protector in labor under the resistance's custody. Zo'or seemingly vaporizes Boone's body.

Season 2

The Irish protector gives birth as the Resistance is saddened by the news that Boone has died. The protector's baby is a Kimera/human hybrid and grows at a rapid rate. He takes the name Liam Kincaid and immediately takes action as an adult. The Irish Protector's mind is wiped and sent back to the Taelons. The recovered fiancée is really a replicant of the mysterious probe, which is from another alien Race known as the Jeridians. The probe replicant kills the leader of the Taelon Synod. Liam saves Da'an and is recruited to become his new protector. Liam joins the Resistance but doesn't get along with Doors. Lili is forced to work under Sandoval but continues her double agent duties. Zo'or becomes the new Taelon leader, with Sandoval becoming his protector.

Da'an realizes who Liam is, and the two become good friends. Da'an and Zo'or battle over each other's ideologies. Zo'or believes humanity should serve the Taelons, while Da'an thinks humanity should be their equal. The Taelon's prepare Earth for war with the Jeridians who believe humans have sided with the Taelons.

The Resistance finds out that CVI's motivational imperative wears off after awhile, leaving the protectors restored to their own wills. The Irish protector's CVI malfunctions and she has to deal with all the bad things she has done. Liam joins his dying mother and she remembers who he is as she passes away.

Doors decides to take the Resistance above ground and runs for President. The resistance members are pardoned in a deal Doors is able to make. Former resistance members come to Lili and Augur concerned over humanity's protection. The Resistance is reformed under Liam's leadership. Da'an doesn't betray Liam, yet thinks reforming the Resistance is a bad idea.

Zo'or sets the Resistance and Doors up when he has an assassination attempt made on President Thompson. Thompson survives and declares martial law. The Resistance members are targeted and many are brought to the mother ship. Liam and Augur try to rescue Doors but are pinned down. Lili tries to destroy the mother ship in a lastiditch effort to save Earth.

Season 3

Lili's plan backfires and she winds up dead, finally exposed as a traitor to the Taelons. Liam and Augur are rescued by a Volunteer. Doors is, however, captured. Doors is able to cut a deal with Zo'or to give himself freedom while ensuring that his company can secretly resist the Taelon's. The volunteer is really one of his people, Renee Palmer, and the new CEO of Doors International. Martial Law is repealed and many of the resitance members are returned. Lili turns out to be alive, and has been held captive by Sandoval. He changes her DNA and sends her off into deep space. Liam and Augur continue to lead the resistance.

Doors would work separately from the Resistance, but Renee would work with Liam on occasion. Over time they would become close partners. Da'an and Liam's relationship became strained. Zo'or continues his ambitious plans while Sandoval seemed to have his own agenda. Lili was tricked into given the Jeridan's 3D travel and realized she is on Jerida. Jonathan Doors dies saving his son. Lili returns to Earth pregnant with a Jeridian-Human hybrid (Bojack is the father). Liam and Renee help her throughout a difficult delivery proceess.

Season 4

Da'an helps to make sure that the baby lives. The Jeridians are dying and Bojack hoped that the hybrid child would hold the key to their salvation, but this happen as expected. Lili and Bojack escape with their child with Liam's blessing.

Augur runs into trouble with the law and is forced into hiding. He offers his friend Juliet Street to take over his role in the Resistance. Street is street smart, as well as book smart, so she accepts.

The Resistance goes above ground once again when Renee and Liam team up with an international group dedicated to defending human interests against the Taelons.

Trivia for "Earth: Final Conflict"

On the desk of Dr. Julianne Belman, played by Majel Barrett, is a picture of Gene Roddenberry, Barrett's husband and creator of the concept for the series.

The original title for the show was "Battleground: Earth", but the producers changed it because it sounded too much like L. Ron Hubbard's novel, Battlefield Earth.

The show originally starred Majel Barrett, the wife of Gene Roddenberry, as the character Dr. Julianne Belman. Barrett is in possession of notes Roddenberry kept of story and series ideas; after his death, these notes provided the basis for this series. Another posthumous creation of Roddenberry's is Andromeda.

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