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Mood: Happy ]
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Currently: Watching The Colbert Report ]
So, dear readers, we come to the sorry end of this on-going series. This time we are looking at season 3 saw yet another re-tooling. The sub, which had been trapped on an alien world at the end of season 2, mysteriously reappered in a corn-field ten years after it left. It’s crew appeared all over the world not a day older than when they left.
This sounds like it might be an excellent episode of the X-Files, but instead of exploring the idea of how the crew could re-integrate themselves into society, the show tried to turn into dark military sf. Think of it as an underwater Battlestar Galactica but written, in part, by the people who brought you Diagnosis Murder a few years later.
The third season saw the removal of fan fave Miguel Ortiz as well as fan pariah Wendy Smith who died on the alien planet. Captain Bridger also left to raise the grandson of his dead son, although the fact that his son was dead and then alive and then dead stretched the suspension of disbelief a wee bit. And that’s saying a lot given what seaQuest had already asked fans to believe.
They were replaced by the talented actors below in . . .
seaQuest – Where Are They Now? – The End Is Near
Michael Ironside
Micheal Ironside came to seaQuest with an impressive Sci-Fi pedigree. He took on the role of Captain Oliver Hudson, a military hard-ass who seemed to take pleasure in riding the crew of the sub. I know, that was such a departure from the rest of his work.
Since seaQuest, Ironside has continued to be one of the busiest character actors in Hollywood. When you think hardass, guess who you call? Witness the recentTerminator Salvation, where he gets to play the hard-ass leader of the resistance who is tired of John "the Savior" Connor.
Elise Neal
The role of sub-fighter pilot Lt. J.J. Fredricks proved to be a breakout role for Neal, who came to seaQuest from a series of guest spots. Fredericks was also a "chippie", meaning she had a computer chip in her brain to control her emotions. This meant that there was not a lot of range given to her. And given that she was killed off in the final episode, the producers clearly felt that she had outlived her usefulness.
Since seaQuest, Neal has done well for herself. She moved on to starring roles in The Hughleys, All of Us and K-Ville. In fact, one could argue she has had the best post seaQuest best career of all.
Next time: Manimal – Where are they now? (Tee hee)