New Terra Nova Featurette Gives More Exciting Perspective

In this just-released featurette, various cast and crew members of Terra Nova comment on the story, scope and novelty of the show. (Watch it below)  It starts out with a view of Hope Plaza, with a female voice over talking about the Tenth Pilgrimage…the wave of settlers that includes the Shannon family, Terra Nova’s central characters.

Brannon Braga, Executive Producer/Writer, prefaces, “It’s the year 2149, and Earth is on its last legs, and scientists have found a way to send people back 85 million years, to rebuild civilization.”

As he speaks, there are images of the colonists walking through the portal, of Jim Shannon fighting security and hurling himself through the gateway, into the past.

“Traveling to the year 2149, this is like utopia, it’s like a second chance,” says Jason O’Mara, as his on-screen character marvels at the lush surroundings of his new home 85 millennia in the past.

Fast forward through images of the set and locale: the tangled green jungle, sparkling waterfalls, the Terra Nova compound itself. Braga comments how they built the set from the ground up, and that everything is genuine.

“When the Shannons arrive in Terra Nova, they discover that it’s being run by this incredibly charismatic leader, Nathaniel Taylor,” comments Alex Graves, another of the executive producers and director of the Pilot.

“My equity here is sweat equity,” declares Stephen Lang, speaking about his character, Nathaniel Taylor, the leader of the colony. “I built (Terra Nova) from the ground up, and I have a vision about what this place is going to be and how it’s going to work.” While he speaks, there is a montage of images, such as Taylor inspecting his troops like a swaggering general and welcoming the new colonists with almost paternal affection.

“I look at this show like an old Western, and Taylor represents the sheriff, and his word is law,” says O’Mara, regarding Lang’s character. Remember that, according to the information gained form those who saw the first hour of the pilot episode, that Jim Shannon gets picked by Taylor to work with the colony’s security—we are wondering what this means. Is Taylor trying to get Shannon (who is obviously capable and a “loose cannon” due to his previous police experience and violent past) on “his side”?

Taylor’s character has provided an enigma for those of us who are attempting to analyze the show before actually seeing it; based on comments and interviews with Lang, Taylor isn’t easily categorized as a “good guy” or “bad guy.” The inclusion of the Sixers splinter group and their violent opposition to Taylor’s leadership adds extra confusion to the whole thing, and intrigues us to watch closely. Perhaps the characterization of “good guys” and “bad guys” isn’t appropriate, since, after all, there is rarely in life a true black or white—it’s almost always varying shades of gray, right?

Aaron Kaplan, another producer, continues, “This isn’t a regular television show. This (the set) is built in the middle of a massive piece of land. The sounds that you hear are real, the weather is real, the topography is real. Whether it’s the market, whether it’s the Lieutenant’s headquarters, whether it’s just this incredible wall here, there’s nothing like Terra Nova.” Kaplan refers to the “incredible wall,” which is one thing that always arrests me about shots of the compound itself: those barrier fences around the perimeter. It is the same kind of fencing used in the Jurassic Park movies and later in Avatar. I wonder, did Spielberg get a bulk rate on that stuff, and so he uses it as often as he can? But I digress.

“There are a lot of unexpected dangers in the show,” interjects Braga, against the backdrop of conflict between characters, while Alex Graves follows with, “This is so much fun to shoot!”

Jason O’Mara says, “There are leadership struggles, there are splinter groups, dinosaurs are rampant…it’s a very hostile environment.”

“It’s a family drama, it’s Jurassic Park, it’s a blast of adventure,” continues Graves, speaking of the complexity of the show’s focus. Terra Nova is not just about dinosaurs, or action: it’s also about family, and the interpersonal drama between characters with their own sets of morals, values and motives. What was, in the beginning, a pretty straightforward action-and-adventure series has evolved into a drama…with a lot of dinosaurs and gunplay to keep interest alive. We hope this combination works!

“This is probably the most ambitious network show, ever,” finishes O’Mara, during visuals of a Carnotaurus (think T-Rex with horns) charging a vehicle…and the camera.

Terra Nova is, indeed, a “New Land,” for network TV. We can only hope that the viewers agree with the critics and the hype: it promises to be a fun ride!