A Web Original sci-fi comedy series following the intrepid crew of the SS Transolar. Season 1 was recorded on an extremely low budget (described by the creators as "can't even afford the shoestring" and "a budget of what we find in the couch") almost entirely in front of a green screen. Season 2 promised actual locations, thanks to a $30,000 Kickstarter, but eventually failed to materialize.
Watch it here
.
The series provides examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The ships's "Sol-Bot"."Minor glitches have been reported in only 8% of Sol-Bots, a fraction of those requiring refurbishment or resulting in gratuitous mutilation and/or death."
- Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: Captain Trigger in Nano Episode 1:Captain Trigger: "Tell 'em to spready my ashes in Ireland, boys, I hear it's lovely this time of year... or... maybe Sweden, I'd blend in well there."
- Butterfly Effect: The nano episodes are the same scenario played out in different ways.
- Captain Space, Defender of Earth!: Captain Trigger.
- Continuity Nod: At the end of "Sibling Rivalry", Captain Trigger asks Yasaki if he's "sober enough to snake us out that ravine", a callback to the Noodle Incident from Episode I.
- Death by Despair: What the Sol-Bot tries to explain Samson's medical condition as in episode III, "The Will to Live". While Samson's covered in blood and shouting how he doesn't want to die.Captain Trigger: "How bad is it, doctor?"Sol-Bot: "Physically, there appears to be nothing wrong with him. It seems he has simply given up the will to live."Samson: "Somebody please help, I don't wanna die! I really don't wanna die! *spits blood* Oh that's not good..."
- Empathy Doll Shot: Used in Yasaki's backstory in "The Return of Icarus".
- Exact Words: In Nano Episode 1, Captain Trigger orders the crew to fire on his mark. Samson primes the grenade he's holding... and then waits out the entire firefight with it in his hand.Trigger: "Samson?"Samson (holding a rapidly beeping grenade): "You said 'on your mark', and I didn't want to disappoint you again."Trigger: "Mark!"*KABOOM!*
- Holographic Terminal: The only kind of user interface in the series, to make things futuristic... and because all of season 1 was green screened, so all the interfaces had to be CG'd in in post.
- Lens Flare: Everywhere, as a jab at J. J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009).
- Literal Metaphor: In episode I, Captain Trigger orders the ship to literally steer to "the second star to the right and straight on till morning".Captain Trigger: "Let me tell you something: whether my orders are technical, dangerous or goddamned beautifully metaphorical, you better flogging well do 'em. So when I tell you, Ensign Yasaki, to take the second star to the right and drive straight on till morning, you better flogging well do it. You got that?"
- Mr. Exposition: Lampshaded with the Locus in "The Return of Icarus"."I owe you for killing the pilot that murdered my young innocent child that fateful day in the stars. That pilot was of course Charlie Sang-Soo Yasaki also known as Icarus but you know that 'cause you just murdered him."
- Negative Continuity: Someone — often everyone — dies in every single episode of season 1 only to come back in the next one. Finally explained in "The Sins of the Father" as a result of all of the episodes of season 1 being simulations.
- Off-the-Shelf FX: All guns in the series are repainted nerf guns.
- Only Sane Man: Yasaki.
- Origins Episode: Started as stretch goals in the Kickstarter. Only two were reached, but the team decided to do all of them - one for every character - anyway. Unfortunately, those and the nano episodes were the only tangible results of the Season 2 kickstarter.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The mind slugs in "The Invasion". Except Samson made them up to "look cool in front of the captain".
- Psychic-Assisted Suicide: Samson does this to a guard in "Fall of the Dark One".
- Psychic Nosebleed: ... sort of. Only instead of just bleeding from his nose, Samson vomits blood all over the place. And then his head explodes.
- Retired Bad Ass: Yasaki in "The Return of Icarus", until Captain Trigger brings him out of retirement.
- Shout-Out:
- Season 1's ubiquitous lens flares are a jab at JJ Abrams' Star Trek (2009).
- Most of "The Kidnapping at Blue Horizon", McCall's origin episode, is a Whole-Plot Reference to Back to the Future.
- Tricklesmith the butler in Captain Trigger's origin episode, "The Sins of the Father", is a shout-out to Michael Caine's Alfred in Batman Begins.
- The scenario computer in nano episode 2 warns that "You must Construct Additional Pylons".
- Space "X": Used for pretty much everything, for comedic effect.Tricklesmith: "I've raised a devil, and soon my soul will transcend into Space Hell, where I will be hailed as a hero for raising the spawn of Space Satan himself!
- In one of the discussion panels they even discuss trying to get "Jesus Space Christ" into the script.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: The plot of Episode VIII: Ominous.
- Sympathetic Murder Backstory: In "The Return of Icarus", Yasaki is revealed to have destroyed a civilian ship.
- Unusual Euphemism: "Flogging".
- Unexplained Accent / What the Hell Is That Accent?: Reggie, who has a new accent in each episode.
- Episode I, "Second Star":
Yasaki: "We all know the accent's fake. We're spacemen living in closed metal tubes. There's no way you can have a regional dialect."Reggie (in an Australian accent): "Screw you, you... bongaloogaloo. I'll... put his shrimp on the barbie."- Episode VII, "Edge of the Universe":
Reggie (in a heavy Japanese accent): "I wirr do my best to do honor to you, Trigger-sama."Yasaki: "All right... No, Reggie. No!"
