History Series / DarkMatter2015

** According to WordOfGod from Joseph Mallozzi, this was enforced by ExecutiveMeddling. All six numbered characters were originally intended to survive throughout the show, but the execs mandated that they kill off the first-billed main cast member at the start of Season 2 because they had the idea that AnyoneCanDie would be a fun trope to use. The cast and crew still aren't happy about it.[[invoked]]

* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler: I'm sorry, did you think Derrick Moss AKA One was the main character? Well, the first episode of Season Two would like to very violently disabuse you of that notion.]]

** According to Word of God from Joseph Mallozzi, this was enforced by Executive Meddling. All six numbered characters were originally intended to survive throughout the show, but the execs mandated that they kill off the first-billed main cast member at the start of Season 2 because they had the idea that AnyoneCanDie would be a fun trope to use. The cast and crew still aren't happy about it.
** Two new main cast members join the ''Raza'' crew after their prison break in the beginning of Season 2: a black woman named Nyx whose skill set is basically a copy of Two's, and a white man named Devon with a skill set that would be a useful addition to the crew (he's [[TheMedic a medic]] and the crew doesn't have one yet) and a NiceGuy personality tailor-made to [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replace]] [[spoiler: the recently-killed One]]. Guess which one gets killed off several episodes later in a way that leaves the rest of the crew to unwittingly just shrug [[spoiler:him]] off as having bailed on them, not knowing [[spoiler:he's]] dead?
*** This trend was successful in making the audience worry about Three during the several times he was injured or threatened throughout the rest of the season.

* VitriolicBestBuds: It looks like One and Three are headed here. They can't stand each other and don't trust each other but they almost always get paired off on missions by Two to keep each other honest, and haven't turned on each other yet. [[spoiler:This despite Three knowing that [[SecretKeeper One is not the real Jace Corso]]. He uses it to blackmail One but doesn't tell when his bluff is called]]. [[SubvertedTrope Ultimately, their differences cause them to turn on each other in the first season finale]] instead of bonding. [[DoubleSubversion They would have continued to develop this dynamic in Season 2]] had [[spoiler:One survived]] as in the original series plan rather than [[spoiler:being killed off by ExecutiveMeddling]], however. In fact, the original plan states that it will "form the core of the show".[[invoked]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: It looks like One and Three are headed here. They can't stand each other and don't trust each other but they almost always get paired off on missions by Two to keep each other honest, and haven't turned on each other yet. [[spoiler:This despite Three knowing that [[SecretKeeper One is not the real Jace Corso]]. He uses it to blackmail One but doesn't tell when his bluff is called]]. [[SubvertedTrope Ultimately, their differences cause them to turn on each other in the first season finale]] instead of bonding. [[DoubleSubversion They would have continued to develop this dynamic]] had [[spoiler:One survived]] as in the original series plan rather than [[spoiler:being killed off by ExecutiveMeddling]], however. In fact, the original plan states that it will "form the core of the show".[[invoked]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: It looks like One and Three are headed here. They can't stand each other and don't trust each other but they almost always get paired off on missions by Two to keep each other honest, and haven't turned on each other yet. [[spoiler:This despite Three knowing that [[SecretKeeper One is not the real Jace Corso]]. He uses it to blackmail One but doesn't tell when his bluff is called]]. [[SubvertedTrope Ultimately, their differences cause them to turn on each other in the first season finale]] instead of bonding. [[DoubleSubversion They would have continued to develop this dynamic]] had [[spoiler:One survived]] as in the original series plan rather than [[spoiler:being killed off by ExecutiveMeddling]], however. In fact, the original plan states that it will "form the core of the show".

* VitriolicBestBuds: It looks like One and Three are headed here. They can't stand each other and don't trust each other but they almost always get paired off on missions by Two to keep each other honest, and haven't turned on each other yet. [[spoiler:This despite Three knowing that [[SecretKeeper One is not the real Jace Corso]]. He uses it to blackmail One but doesn't tell when his bluff is called]]. [[SubvertedTrope Ultimately, their differences cause them to turn on each other in the first season finale]] instead of bonding. [[DoubleSubversion They would have continued to develop this dynamic]] had [[spoiler:One survived]] as in the original series plan, however.

* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Not so much with the actual villains of the show (except Alicia Reynaud), but when contrasting our heroes with their evil counterparts. While ruthless murderers Portia (during flashbacks to the pre-mindwipe days on the ''Raza'') and Alt Portia from the AlternateUniverse, and newly-ethical Two, all generally wear tight black outfits, the Portias still manage to dress considerably more revealingly (very low-cut shirts, [[CleavageWindow boob windows]], [[BareYourMidriff bared midriffs]]), to the point where you can easily tell who's who during fake-outs by the amount of cleavage shown by the actress. Even the outfits of One / Corso try to encourage the EvilIsSexy trope by having Corso (and Alt Corso) wear [[ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow guyliner]] and more [[HellBentForLeather black leather]], while One dresses in a range of black, white and earth tones with an aesthetic that's more "space cowboy" while Corso's could be described as "vampire wannabe". The male version of this doesn't come with the same visual allusions to the MadonnaWhoreComplex, though.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: In the graphic novel, the crewmates don't actually start going by the names One through Six and are only referred to by those numbers [[AllThereInTheManual in background notes]]. In the TV series, they explicitly rename themselves that aloud.

* NintendoHard: The video game played by Five and the boy in the time travel episode "Isn't That a Paradox", and later taken back by Five into the future, is apparently this. Despite the game shown being a mainstream console action RPG from the mid-2010s, which are generally designed to be impossible to lose even by casual gamers. (And the levels in this genre, if there are any at all, are changes in setting, not difficulty. Or if Character levels are meant, that's just a matter of time and grinding - there are no shortcuts, no matter how skilled a player is.) The dialogue makes it quite obvious the writer hasn't played video games since their own childhood in the 1980s.

** The televised episodes also omit a scene of Three flying away in the Marauder, abandoning the others during the fight with Ferrous Corp on the mining planet (which he'd like to do in the TV version but can't, because he doesn't know how to fly it), and then [[ChangedMyMindKid coming back guns blazing]], perhaps to save that CharacterDevelopment for later in the series, and a scene of Mireille telling One he seems like someone who may have survived a great loss, [[spoiler:which would have hinted at his true past identity as Derrick Moss, [[CrusadingWidower widower]] of Catherine Moss]].

* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Not so much with the actual villains of the show (except Alicia Reynaud), but when contrasting our heroes with their evil counterparts. While ruthless murderers Portia (during flashbacks to the pre-mindwipe days on the ''Raza'') and Alt Portia from the AlternateUniverse, and newly-ethical Two, all generally wear tight black outfits, the Portias still manage to dress considerably more revealingly (very low-cut shirts, [[CleavageWindow boob windows]], [[BareYourMidriff bared midriffs]]), to the point where you can easily tell who's who during fake-outs by the amount of cleavage shown by the actress. Even the outfits of One / Corso try to encourage the EvilIsSexy trope by having Corso (and Alt Corso) wear [[ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow guyliner]] and more [[HellBentForLeather black leather]], while One dresses in a range of black, white and earth tones with an aesthetic that's more "space cowboy" while Corso's could be described as "vampire wannabe". The male version of this doesn't come with the same visual allusions to the MadonnaWhoreComplex...

* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Not so much with the actual villains of the show (except Alicia Reynaud), but when contrasting our heroes with their evil counterparts. While ruthless murderers Portia (during flashbacks to the pre-mindwipe days on the ''Raza'') and Alt Portia from the AlternateUniverse, and newly-ethical Two, all generally wear tight black outfits, the Portias still manage to dress considerably more revealingly (very low-cut shirts, [[CleavageWindow boob windows]], [[BareYourMidriff bared midriffs]]), to the point where you can easily tell who's who during fake-outs by the amount of cleavage shown by the actress. Even the outfits of One / Corso try to encourage the EvilIsSexy trope by having Corso (and Alt Corso) wear [[ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow guyliner]] and more [[HellBentForLeather black leather]], while One dresses in a range of black, white and earth tones with an aesthetic that's more "space cowboy" while Corso's could be described as "vampire wannabe". Of course, the male version of this doesn't have the UnfortunateImplications that come with visual allusions to the MadonnaWhoreComplex... [[invoked]]

** The Feudal Japan in Space! aesthetic of Four's home, the Principality of Zairon, is the showrunners' way of incorporating their love of anime and anime tropes, including ''Anime/CodeGeass'' and ''Anime/{{Gundam}}'', into the series via RuleOfCool. The name is a shout-out to ''Gundam'''s Principality of Zeon.

* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: All of the crew are more moral people once they're regressed to a BlankSlate at the start of the series (except Five, who was already innocent and is noted by [[spoiler:Ryo, after Four regains his memories,]] to be much the same as she was). Even Three, the most cynical and opportunistic, doesn't go out of his way to kill people like he did pre-mindwipe. Unless they have it coming.

** Even after learning at the end of the first episode that they were cutthroat mercenaries hired to wipe out the mining colony on the planet below, none of them find themselves naturally inclined to finish the job and kill innocent people. Three's the only one who raises the possibility of doing so, and only because he's afraid that disappointing Ferrous Corp might be suicidal, rather than any eagerness to commit murder.

* AmnesiacsAreInnocent / RousseauWasRight: All of the crew are more moral people once they're regressed to a BlankSlate at the start of the series (except Five, who was already innocent and is noted by [[spoiler:Ryo, after Four regains his memories,]] to be much the same as she was). Even Three, the most cynical and opportunistic, doesn't go out of his way to kill people like he did pre-mindwipe. Unless they have it coming.

* BigBrotherInstinct / BigSisterInstinct: The adult crew (and the Android) towards Five whenever she is or might be in danger, even though she becomes increasingly able to handle herself. Showcased most often with Two and Six, but One and Four also feel that way, and while it takes time to develop in Three's case, it's unquestionable later on.

* EvilTwin / GoodTwin: In addition to the AU counterparts mentioned above, in the primary universe, [[spoiler:One isn't actually Jace Corso but an imposter who took his place - with an agenda to kill Marcus Boone - when Corso was supposed to join the ''Raza'' crew, and there's a real one out there who still has his memories. They look exactly alike, except their fashion choices make it very clear which one's good and which one's evil, and the real Corso seems, if anything, even more of a PsychoForHire than the rest of the crew were pre-mindwipe, in contrast to One being the crewmember who best fits bill of TheHero (without being TheLeader)]].

* [[GamerChick Gamer Chicks]]: When stranded in the past, bored with the adults' socializing, Five goes upstairs and finds a 21st century gaming console, getting to level 8 despite never having played the game before. After they return from the past with the console as a farewell present, one of the last scenes of the episode is Five playing a game with Two and laughing as they try to outscore each other.

** Whether the FarmBoy Titch, whose memories of a happy childhood with two loving parents Five wants to stay in forever in "Episode Six", was One, like Five and Six assume, or actually Three, whom they think is too much of a rough-edged cynical jerk to have had this type of childhood. [[spoiler:It was Three. He turned out the way he did because at some point not long after the memory Five was in, his parents were killed and he was raised by their murderer]].

* AllAsiansKnowMartialArts: Four almost immediately finds out that he can expertly use a ''katana'' and is proficient in unarmed martial arts. It is eventually revealed that [[spoiler: he is from a FeudalFuture culture based on Japan, where he was trained as the heir to the throne]]. Two, in her first appearance, easily puts One on his back with her unarmed combat skills in order to get at the controls and stabilize the ship.

** The Feudal Japan in Space! aesthetic of Four's home, the Principality of Zairon, is the showrunners' way of incorporating their love of anime and anime tropes, including ''Anime/CodeGeass'' and ''Anime/{{Gundam}}'', into the series via RuleOfCool. The name is a shout-out to ''Gundam''s Principality of Zeon.

** The Feudal Japan in Space! aesthetic of Four's home, the empire of Zairon, is the showrunners' way of incorporating their love of anime and anime tropes, including ''Anime/CodeGeass'' and ''Anime/{{Gundam}}'', into the series via RuleOfCool.

* SpiritualSuccessor: There's more than a few comparisons to be made to ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', with similar character concepts (Three and Jayne, and Five is a combination of Kaylee and River, with One, Six and Two arguably mapping to Simon, Book and a combination of Mal and Zoe, respectively), premises (crew of miscreants trying to make a living), and universe details (some Eastern influences and a massive galactic authority). Joe Mallozzi has stated that ''Firefly'' was not one of his inspirations, however. Similarities are down to the two shows sharing influences from older works. [[invoked]]
** When the series was still in development and showrunner Creator/JosephMallozzi posted character descriptions on his blog, he listed each character's "''Franchise/{{Stargate|Verse}}'' equivalent" (Mallozzi and Creator/PaulMullie were also showrunners of all three ''Stargate'' shows before co-creating ''Dark Matter''), though to be honest some of them are stretches: One - [[Series/StargateUniverse Eli Wallace]], Two - [[Series/StargateSG1 Samantha Carter]], Three - Vala Mal Doran, Four - Teal'c, Five - [[Series/StargateAtlantis Aiden Ford]], Six - Ronon Dex, The Android - Richard Woolsey.
** Mallozzi also stated that the character of John Crichton from ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' was a partial inspiration for One (such as in being the odd man out on a ship of criminals), and the character was described as "a Creator/BenBrowder type" in Mallozzi's art design notes for the graphic novel.
** In addition to ''Stargate'' and ''Farscape'', Mallozzi has listed the show's influences as: ''Series/BlakesSeven'', ''Film/TheSevenSamurai'', ''Film/TheDirtyDozen'', ''Series/TheShield'', ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' (just compare Five and Radical Ed) and ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'', as well as anime from the "swords in space" genre like ''Anime/CodeGeass'' and ''Anime/{{Gundam}}'' inspiring the Principality of Zairon (named for the Principality of Zeon in the latter).

* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Not so much with the actual villains of the show (except Alicia Reynaud), but when contrasting our heroes with their evil counterparts. While ruthless murderers Portia (during flashbacks to the pre-mindwipe days on the ''Raza'') and Alt Portia from the AlternateUniverse, and newly-ethical Two, all generally wear tight black outfits, the Portias still manage to dress considerably more revealingly (very low-cut shirts, [[CleavageWindow boob windows]], [[BareYourMidriff bared midriffs]]), to the point where you can easily tell who's who during fake-outs by the amount of cleavage shown by the actress. Even the outfits of One / Corso try to encourage the EvilIsSexy trope by having Corso (and Alt Corso) wear [[ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow guyliner]] and more [[HellBentForLeather black leather]], while One dresses in a range of black, white and earth tones with an aesthetic that's more "space cowboy" while Corso's could be described as "vampire wannabe". Of course, the male version of this doesn't have the UnfortunateImplications that come with visual allusions to the MadonnaWhoreComplex...

* SpiritualSuccessor: There's more than a few comparisons to be made to ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', with similar character concepts (Three and Jayne, and Five is a combination of Kaylee and River, with One, Six and Two arguably mapping to Simon, Book and a combination of Mal and Zoe, respectively), premises (crew of miscreants trying to make a living), and universe details (some Eastern influences and a massive galactic authority). Joe Mallozzi has stated that ''Firefly'' was not one of his inspirations, however. Similarities are down to the two shows sharing influences from older works.

** Solara Shockley, also introduced in 3x03 as Adrian's bodyguard, seems to be one for Nyx Harper. After Nyx proved unpopular with the fanbase for perceived CharacterShilling and [[MarySue Mary Sue qualities]], yet also provided diversity during a heightened awareness of black actors and actresses in entertainment, the showrunners killed off Nyx and replaced her with another black actress playing a badass mercenary, only this time one whose introduction is so subdued and low-key it's as if the production team is screaming "This is normal! Don't notice this! Carry on!" to avoid a backlash.

** InUniverse, Two pretends she's Five's mother when the crew are stranded in the 21st century, though the characters look around a decade apart at most (Creator/MelissaONeil and Creator/JodelleFerland have only six years between them). Ironically, Two is [[spoiler:actually chronologically ''younger'' than Five, having been created as an adult only a few years ago. Of the crew, only the Android is younger than Two]].

** Throughout the first two seasons harming Five appears to be the crew's BerserkButton, most noticeably with Two, which seems to become a theme within the show: Five being slapped and then the person who slapped her is given a KarmicDeath. [[spoiler:Two straight up murders the Casino Manager in "Episode Four" for slapping Five. In "Episode Eleven", Tash slaps Five and ends up with Two snapping her neck. Also when Chief Inspector Shaddick - once again - slaps Five and holds a gun to her head the Android not only kills all the GA troops present but takes her time with Shaddick. And in Season 3, the mercenary Ash tries to choke Five and ends up lethally stuck in a wall after trying to dodge Two and Three's gunfire]].

** Four had [[LongHairedPrettyBoy long hair]], was clean-shaven and more slender and {{Bishonen}}; when Three referred to "PrettyBoy" in the comic, he was talking about Four rather than about One.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Most of Five's hair is dyed a bright teal color.

** "Sometimes In Life You Don't Get A Choice": [[spoiler: Four takes back the throne of Zairon...and kills off ''everybody'', including his stepmother and half-brother]].
** "But First, We Save The Galaxy": [[spoiler:Four steals the Blink Drive and destroys the station hosting the corporate summit, Nyx may be dead by poison, and the fates of Two, Three, Five and Six are all up in the air since they were last seen on the station]].

** In "We Should Have Seen That Coming", [[spoiler: Four gives Milo a knife so he can commit suicide after being handed back to the Seers.]] In "Sometimes In Life You Don't Get to Choose", Seer leader Hansmeed [[spoiler:shows the knife to Nyx in order to turn her against Four]].

* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: "Take the Shot". Two, Three and Four are forced to face their greatest doubts and fears.