Ascension (Syfy) News/Discussion

[Annoyed]

The timeline, although wonky, isn't much of an issue to me compared to the ridiculous notion that the most intelligent people in the world would fall for such a blatant farce. In 50 years, no one took a spacewalk?

That was one of my sticking points as well. Another would be when Stokes is spaced, they depict him being sucked out of the ship by the supposed vacuum of space. But the outside of the ship wasn't a vacuum. So where did the air pressure differential come from?

No, I agree here.. There's no way they could have fooled a large group of intelligent folks.

[Brother Freyr]

Another would be when Stokes is spaced, they depict him being sucked out of the ship by the supposed vacuum of space. But the outside of the ship wasn't a vacuum. So where did the air pressure differential come from?

They actually explained that one, or tried to. They applied a black chute to the side of the ship, around the hatch door. It made a seal, and they created a vaccuum. Like I said, they tried.

[Ian-S]

No, I agree here.. There's no way they could have fooled a large group of intelligent folks.

I disagree, tell someone not to open a door because they will get sucked out and die, and prove that fact to them by manipulation (for all intense and purposes they were in a space vacume with no view of the outside world) of killing anybody they know who does dare to open the door, couple that with being told you are on a space ship from the day you are born, then people are simply not going to question it, because they have no reason to question it.

[Annoyed]

They actually explained that one, or tried to. They applied a black chute to the side of the ship, around the hatch door. It made a seal, and they created a vaccuum. Like I said, they tried.

I rewatched that scene, as the error caught my eye. I saw no chute.. he was just sucked out, and landed on a big airbag of some sort.
But that aside, What explains the pressure differential that "sucked" him out of the airlock?

[pakar]

with all due resppect why this matters in a show that was a disinformation and a deception?

[ecgordon]

I'm not sure why I watched it all, and the first part even twice. It's not like I don't have tons of other things to watch, but I had been looking forward to this. Now I have to set my sites to the future, The Expanse, Killjoys, Childhood's End [I swear, if they screw that one up as much as they did Ascension, I will be done with this network].

A major part of the problem is that they had originally planned for this to be telecast in six separate episodes per week, starting some time in November, but either they didn't think that would work ratings wise, or they realized they had a stinker on their hands, and they had it re-edited into this mine-series. I am sure that means they are done with it, but on the outside chance they decide to continue, I won't be watching.

Oh, and for those salivating over Tricia's body, you do realize that was a body double instead, right?

[txlucky1]

I disagree, tell someone not to open a door because they will get sucked out and die, and prove that fact to them by manipulation (for all intense and purposes they were in a space vacume with no view of the outside world) of killing anybody they know who does dare to open the door, couple that with being told you are on a space ship from the day you are born, then people are simply not going to question it, because they have no reason to question it.

They weren't all born in space though. I'm specifically referring to the brilliant scientists who went missing and became the original crew. Adult engineers and astrophysicists couldn't tell they weren't really in space? I'm not buying it.

with all due respect why this matters in a show that was a disinformation and a deception?

We got on this discussion because someone asked if it was worth watching. No matter which plot hole you pick at with Ascension, the main issue is that the premise is fatally flawed.

I'm not sure why I watched it all, and the first part even twice. It's not like I don't have tons of other things to watch, but I had been looking forward to this. Now I have to set my sites to the future, The Expanse, Killjoys, Childhood's End [I swear, if they screw that one up as much as they did Ascension, I will be done with this network].

A major part of the problem is that they had originally planned for this to be telecast in six separate episodes per week, starting some time in November, but either they didn't think that would work ratings wise, or they realized they had a stinker on their hands, and they had it re-edited into this mine-series. I am sure that means they are done with it, but on the outside chance they decide to continue, I won't be watching.

I did notice the different episode titles. Honestly, had it been shown in individual episodes over six nights, I doubt I would have finished it. I really only watched to the end to see what happened with the little girl. I wish they had explored her origins more. What exactly did they do? How did they think geniuses on a ship would lead to powers? Lastly, I did not think she would create a wormhole with her mind. I thought the show would end with her taking control of the ship and actually launching it into space to head toward the blue star system she said they were meant to travel to.

[ecgordon]

I did notice the different episode titles. Honestly, had it been shown in individual episodes over six nights, I doubt I would have finished it. I really only watched to the end to see what happened with the little girl. I wish they had explored her origins more. What exactly did they do? How did they think geniuses on a ship would lead to powers? Lastly, I did not think she would create a wormhole with her mind. I thought the show would end with her taking control of the ship and actually launching it into space to head toward the blue star system she said they were meant to travel to.

It is possible that was the route they were going to take with it later. Didn't Gil Bellows (the head scientist, can't remember his name in the show) say something like "They're going to space!" ? What was that in the water that activated when the girl was in her trance-like state? Maybe it was some alien artifact that they knew needed a telepathic or telekinetic person to activate.

[pakar]

It is possible that was the route they were going to take with it later. Didn't Gil Bellows (the head scientist, can't remember his name in the show) say something like "They're going to space!" ? What was that in the water that activated when the girl was in her trance-like state? Maybe it was some alien artifact that they knew needed a telepathic or telekinetic person to activate.

i don't think so. They clearly reffered to punctual evolution and the birth of the "starchld" which it seems could transport you in space. Of course the idea of evolution in a closed system is ridiculous!

[Annoyed]

I disagree, tell someone not to open a door because they will get sucked out and die, and prove that fact to them by manipulation (for all intense and purposes they were in a space vacume with no view of the outside world) of killing anybody they know who does dare to open the door, couple that with being told you are on a space ship from the day you are born, then people are simply not going to question it, because they have no reason to question it.

If the illusion of being in space was to be the goal, they would be told they're on a spaceship. And they would know how to operate it. (Or at least have the illusion of doing so.) Part of that bucket of knowledge would be knowledge of how to maintain & repair it. And the tools to do so, such as spacesuits. Even if by some miracle hardware built by the lowest bidder didn't break in a way that required an EVA to fix over a period of 50 years, someone would have gone jaywalking.

Nope. Sorry. The basic premise just doesn't hold water.

[txlucky1]

It is possible that was the route they were going to take with it later. Didn't Gil Bellows (the head scientist, can't remember his name in the show) say something like "They're going to space!" ? What was that in the water that activated when the girl was in her trance-like state? Maybe it was some alien artifact that they knew needed a telepathic or telekinetic person to activate.

I did hear him say that. I was so disappointed that the didn't explain the things I actually found interesting.

[txlucky1]

i don't think so. They clearly reffered to punctual evolution and the birth of the "starchld" which it seems could transport you in space. Of course the idea of evolution in a closed system is ridiculous!

True

[Brother Freyr]

I rewatched that scene, as the error caught my eye. I saw no chute.. he was just sucked out, and landed on a big airbag of some sort.
But that aside, What explains the pressure differential that "sucked" him out of the airlock?

That's not the scene I referred to. In a later episode, he tells his people to prepare a different airlock for possible ejection of a person. He tells them to create a vacuum seal. I'm not defending the show, just saying you missed that detail.

[Ian-S]

Also we're/you're assuming the 'original adults' were awake for the launch, tbh if you're going to pull off a piece of magic this detailed, you're not going to let people watch as they're wheeled into a studio. You're going to make up some excuse, put the to sleep for a few hours (for their safety during launch), then wake them up in a few hours and say 'hey fantastic launch, you can go about your mission now, oh BTW don't open the door otherwise you'll die'.

I'm not saying the premise isn't flawed' or the plot hasn't got gaping great holes in it, all I'm saying is I think you under estimate people's level of trust, if they genuinely believe they are in space, and the simulation is perfectly organised and realistic, unless they had suspicions from day one in which case, they'd never get on the ship in the first place.

It's like zoos, you goto the zoo as a kid and you're told not to jump into the lions enclosure because then lion will eat you, if you're unlucky you may have seen film of it happening in the past, so you're automatically conditioned before you even enter the place not to do it, nobody in their right mind is going to do it right? Same for the ship, if they have been conditioned correctly, then no they won't suspect a thing. As for EVA, why would they do it? No need because the simulation is set in such a way that outside maintance isn't needed. Anybody takes a joy ride? Well stupid them, they won't survive due to having some unfortunate, manufactured accident (they as much admitted to doing that), further enforcing the illusion of being in space.

The only big flaw I saw in the story told (aside from gravity), was that there wasn't a manufactured vaccum outside the ship permanently, as Freyr says, they had to ad-hoc one when needed, a tad risky if it went wrong.

[pakar]

And for 50 years they didn't make a spacewalk, an EVA? not to mention ridiculous things like inventing mew technology in the ship. With what resources? and evolution in a closed system and a very limited gene pool? And the first scientists that embarked into the journey which were so brillant they didn't know that their country didn't have the technology to construct such a spaceship? the list can go on and on.