''Impact'' is a 2009 Canadian

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

disaster A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

directed by Mike Rohl, written by Michael Vickerman and distributed by

Tandem Communications Tandem Productions is a Munich-based company which produces television film, miniseries, television series and film series. It was founded in 1999 by Emmy-nominated producers Rola Bauer and Tim Halkin. In 2012, StudioCanal acquired Tandem. ...

, starring

David James Elliott David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series '' JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005. Early life Elliott was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton, ...

Natasha Henstridge Natasha Tonya Henstridge (born August 15, 1974) is a Canadian actress and model. In 1995, she came to prominence with her debut role in the science-fiction thriller ''Species'', followed by performances in ''Species II'' and ''Species III''. She ...

, Benjamin Sadler, Steven Culp,

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor and activist. Some of his best-known films include '' Babe'' (1995), '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996), '' L.A. Confidential'' (1997), '' The Green Mile'' (1999), '' The Queen ...

and

Florentine Lahme Florentine Lahme (born 21 July 1974) is a German actress. Biography Lahme was born in Berlin, Germany. After she passed her Abitur (final exam to graduate from high school), Lahme studied Japanology and English for four semesters. After that, ...

as the story shows about a meteor shower which eventually sends the Moon on a collision course with Earth. The two-part (Episodes were called Nights) mini-series premiered February 14 and 15, 2009 on the Canadian

premium television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but ...

channel Super Channel and was also shown on ABC on June 21 and 28, 2009 and on

Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek free-to-air channel, being one of the biggest stations in Greece. The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on information. The studios are located in Kifissia and Pallini. Alpha TV is owned by A ...

in September 2011.

Plot

During a

meteor shower A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extr ...

said to be the most spectacular in 10,000 years, an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...

hidden by the meteor field strikes the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

. Fragments of the asteroid and of the Moon itself penetrate Earth's

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. ...

and make impact. The initial damage is minimal, though significant physical damage to the lunar surface can be seen from Earth. Experts believe that the Moon has stabilized into a slightly closer orbit. Then strange anomalies begin to manifest themselves on Earth, including cell phone disruptions, unusual static discharges and odd tidal behavior. The world's leading scientists, including Alex Kittner, Maddie Rhodes, and Roland Emerson, begin piecing together evidence that suggests the Moon's properties have been permanently altered because the asteroid that hit the Moon was actually a fragment of a

brown dwarf Brown dwarfs (also called failed stars) are substellar objects that are not massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion of ordinary hydrogen (hydrogen-1, 1H) into helium in their cores, unlike a main sequence, main-sequence star. Instead, they have ...

; the fragment is highly magnetized and more massive than the Earth despite being only 19 kilometers across, and it is still inside the Moon. When the Moon's new, more elliptical orbit brings it closer to Earth,

electromagnetic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

surges begin affecting the surface, causing people, vehicles, and other objects to levitate at random, worldwide. Alex, Maddie, Roland and the rest of their team soon discover that the Moon's new orbit will cause it to collide with the Earth in 39 days, completely destroying the planet. After a failed attempt by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

to destroy the Moon with nuclear weapons, the three scientists plan an international mission to the Moon, where

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

must construct a device to magnetize the Moon's core, causing it to disgorge the embedded brown dwarf fragment, eliminating the magnetic effects and restoring the Moon to a stable orbit. Because of their unique expertise, Alex and Roland must join an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut on the mission, which is expected to be a one-way trip. Roland's pregnant fiancée, Martina Altmann, was travelling across Germany on a train that levitated and derailed. She and an American, Bob Pierce, are able to lead the survivors to a military convoy, and Bob convinces the soldiers to allow Martina to ride to Roland's location. She and Roland are immediately married. Alex's children are left in the care of their late mother's father. When they attempt to drive cross-country to reunite with Alex, their car levitates and crashes. After a confrontation with a man hoarding resources at a convenience store, the children's grandfather suffers a fatal heart attack. The other man originally plans to leave alone, but has a change of heart and brings the children to Washington, DC. Alex is already in space, but he had asked Maddie, with whom he once had a romantic relationship, to make sure his children remained safe. He is able to tell his children "goodbye" over a video feed. On the Moon, the electromagnetic machine is assembled. Roland and the astronaut, Courtney, travel in a rover to locate a fissure in the lunar surface. The rover crashes deep inside the fissure and Courtney falls to her death. Roland is unharmed but trapped inside the fissure and unable to rejoin the spacecraft. He demands that the cosmonaut, Sergei, launch the module so that he and Alex can be saved. The device is activated, causing a large explosion on the Moon, which kills Roland. The Moon splits in two as the brown dwarf fragment flies into the Sun. The orbit of the lunar debris is stable. Sergei and Alex make radio contact, revealing that they escaped the Moon before the explosion. Back on Earth, Alex is reunited with his children and with Maddie.

Main cast

as Alex Kittner *

as Maddie Rhodes * Benjamin Sadler as Roland Emerson * Steven Culp as President Edward Taylor *

as Alex's father-in-law *

as Martina Altmann * Natasha Calis as Sadie Kittner * Samantha Ferris as Renee Ferguson *

Ty Olsson Ty Olsson (born January 28, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Benny Lafitte in ''Supernatural'', real-life 9/11 victim Mark Bingham in the A&E television film ''Flight 93'', and Ord in the PBS Kids animated children's series ' ...

as Derek

Filming locations

* Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

— Central Park,

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrume ...

( CNRC) *

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Scientific reaction

The ''Impact'' mini-series received little comment from the scientific community due to its lack of realism, incorrect use of terminology, and basic misunderstanding of the law of gravity.Plait, Phil (June 15, 2009)
"If I watch this I hope the Moon *will* hit the Earth"
"Bad Astronomy". ''Discovery Magazine''.

References

External links

* * Yazel, Leslie

June 20, 2009, The Washington Post. {{DEFAULTSORT:Impact (Tv Miniseries) 2009 films 2000s Canadian television miniseries 2009 Canadian television series debuts 2009 Canadian television series endings English-language Canadian films English-language German films 2000s German television miniseries 2009 German television series debuts 2009 German television series endings Sat.1 original programming Television series by Tandem Productions Television shows filmed in Victoria, British Columbia Television series about impact events