With humanity looking as though we are on the brink of another era of space exploration, it seems more timely than ever that Netflix is releasing a drama series focusing on the trials and tribulations of being part of a long-term space mission. Whilst it seems like space exploration is all about incredible feats of engineering, we often forget about the real human emotions behind it all. What if you had to leave your family behind for three years to go on a great mission fraught with danger? Such is the plight that Away focuses on.
Starring Hilary Swank and a creative team consisting of creator Andrew Hinderaker, executive producer Jason Katims, and showrunner Jessica Goldberg, the series focuses on Swank’s character Emma Green as she boldly goes where no human being has gone before, travelling with a multi-national team of astronauts on a mission to Mars. Along the way, Green will have to deal with occupational hazards, technical problems, and the emotional pain of being kept away from her husband Matt (played by Josh Charles) and daughter Alexis (played by Talitha Bateman) as she takes that leap into the unknown. With her mother not being around for such a long time, Alexis will have to deal with all sorts of family issues back home on earth, including Matt’s sudden health issues.
Star Trek may have taught us that space is the final frontier. But, if Away is anything to go by, the final frontier could instead be how to stay strong in the face of the very human emotions that make us who we are. With the very real potential that we will be sending astronauts to Mars within the next few decades, Away is perhaps a warts-and-all look into how those astronauts will cope being millions of miles adrift from where they call home and being forced to band together in the face of adversity. If the trailer is anything to go by, Away will be the most down to earth space drama yet.
Away will debut on Netflix on September 4th 2020.
Words by Robert Percy
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