Deepwater Black facts for kids

Deepwater Black is a science fiction book from 1995 by New Zealand writer Ken Catran. It's the first book in a series called the Deepwater trilogy. The story is about young characters who get stuck in space while a dangerous virus takes over Earth. The books are about younger characters (around 13-14), which is different from the TV show where they are older.

About the Story

The main story is about a deadly virus that spreads on Earth, threatening all humans. Before it's too late, people on Earth use all their resources to quickly build a huge spaceship, an "ark". This ark is meant to carry humans to a new planet to start over.

The ship has a crew of six clones. These clones are teenagers, but they have the memories of important people who helped build the ark. Before they even reach their new home, the crew wakes up early because something is wrong with the ship. They don't have all their memories yet. They have to learn how the ship works, deal with dangers, realize they are clones, and understand that their mission is to save humanity.

The TV Show

The book series was made into a TV show in 1997 by the Sci Fi Channel. It was called Mission Genesis in the United States. In the United Kingdom and Canada, where the show was co-produced by the YTV Network, it kept the original name, Deepwater Black. Only one season with 13 episodes was made. The show had a small group of actors and used a lot of computer-generated effects (CGI).

After the show finished, the main actors, Nicole de Boer and Gordon Michael Woolvett, went on to star in other popular science fiction shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Andromeda. The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Meet the Cast

Here are the main actors and the characters they played:

• Gordon Michael Woolvett as Reb (the captain and engineer)
• Nicole de Boer as Yuna (the pilot and navigator)
• Jason Cadieux as Bren (the defense and weapons expert)
• Julie Khaner as Gen (the ship's computer)
• Craig Kirkwood as Zak (the computer and cybernetics technician)
• Sara Sahr as Lise (the doctor)
• Kelli Taylor as Gret (the geneticist and communications expert)

Episode Guide

The show had 13 episodes before it was canceled. Here is a list of them: