Riverworld (2010 Miniseries)
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''Riverworld'' is a television film that had been intended to be a four-hour television miniseries released on the Syfy channel on April 18, 2010. Based on the ''
Riverworld The Riverworld series consists of five science fiction novels (1971–1983) by American author Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). The Riverworld is an artificial, or heavily terraformed, planet where all humans (and pre-humans) who ever lived t ...
'' books by
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...
, this miniseries is a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the cancelled Sci-Fi Channel ''
Riverworld The Riverworld series consists of five science fiction novels (1971–1983) by American author Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). The Riverworld is an artificial, or heavily terraformed, planet where all humans (and pre-humans) who ever lived t ...
'' television series, of which only the pilot episode was produced. ''Riverworld'' stars
Tahmoh Penikett Tahmoh Penikett (; ; born May 20, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Karl "Helo" Agathon on SyFy's 2004 television series '' Battlestar Galactica''. He has appeared in TV series ''Supernatural'', '' Dollhouse'', the Showcase ti ...
,
Laura Vandervoort Laura Dianne Vandervoort (born September 22, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Lisa in the ABC science fiction series '' V'' (2009). She also known for role as Sadie Harrison in the CTV teen drama series '' Instant ...
,
Jeananne Goossen Jeananne Goossen (born January 3, 1985) is a Canadian actress. Early life Goossen was born on January 3, 1985, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Goossen was raised in a middle-class family, with a Chinese mother and a Canadian father. Goossen studied ...
,
Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and presenter. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. He re ...
,
Mark Deklin Mark Deklin (born December 3, 1967) is an American actor and fight coordinator. He starred in the Fox primetime drama ''Lone Star'', the ABC comedy-drama '' GCB'', the Lifetime comedy-drama ''Devious Maids'', and in 2017 joined the ABC political ...
, and
Peter Wingfield Peter Wingfield (born 5 September 1962) is a Welsh actor and anesthesiologist. He is known for his television roles, notably as Dan Clifford on ''Holby City'', Methos on '' Highlander: The Series,'' Dr. Robert Helm on '' Queen of Swords'', In ...
. It is produced by
Reunion Pictures Reunion Pacific Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian studio based in Vancouver, that was formed in 2017. It produced movies and television series such Amazon Prime's The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019) and Greg Daniels' newest comedy Upload (2020 ...
, an award-winning Canadian-based production company. It is written by
Robert Hewitt Wolfe Robert Hewitt Wolfe (born 1964) is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and for developing and producing the series ''Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda''. Earl ...
and directed by
Stuart Gillard Stuart Thomas Gillard (born April 28, 1950) is a Canadian film director, writer, producer, actor and television director. He is best known for directing the films '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' (1993) and '' RocketMan'' (1997). He also w ...
.


Plot

The story centers on Matt Ellman, a war reporter, and his beloved Jessie, as they embark on a trip to
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, with Matt intending to propose marriage. Tragically, their lives are cut short in a devastating
terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...
carried out by a
suicide bomber A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
. Their journey, however, does not end with death. Instead, they awaken in an enigmatic realm called Riverworld, a vast and extraordinary planet where every soul that has ever lived on Earth has been reborn along the banks of an endless river. Riverworld serves as a sort of
purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...
, offering its inhabitants a second chance at life. In this world, Matt reunites with several of his deceased friends and encounters famous historical figures, some of whom become his allies, while others emerge as antagonists. Among the antagonists are the explorer
Richard Francis Burton Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, Royal Geographical Society#Fellowship, FRGS, (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, army officer, orien ...
and the formidable
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...
, the
Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
who conquered the
Incas The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...
. On the other hand, Matt finds solace in the company of friendly individuals such as the renowned American author
Samuel Clemens Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 â€“ April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fa ...
, also known as Mark Twain, and
Tomoe Gozen Tomoe Gozen (, ) was an onna-musha, a female samurai, mentioned in '' The Tale of the Heike.'' There is doubt as to whether she existed as she doesn't appear in any primary accounts of the Genpei war. She only appears in the epic "The tale of th ...
, a 12th-century Japanese warrior from the time of the
Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...
who is wedded to
Minamoto no Yoshinaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai lord mentioned in the epic poem '' The Tale of the Heike.'' A member of the Minamoto clan, he was a cousin and later rival of ''shogun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and t ...
. Along with the other heroes, Matt soon discovers that Riverworld is not a mere afterlife and is controlled by otherworldly caretakers who are engaged in a
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.


Cast


Caretakers

Riverworld's Caretakers, beings depicted as blue-skinned and cloaked in robes, assume the role of overseers. They are attributed with the creation of Riverworld, at times referred to as "
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
s". The Caretakers exist in two distinct factions: the Salvationists, driven by the desire to dismantle Riverworld and advance to grander pursuits, and the Second Chancers, who strive to safeguard Riverworld. This division has sparked a civil war, with each faction led by resolute figures. The leader of the Salvationists perceives their opponent as lacking vision of the broader implications, whereas the leader of the Second Chancers views their adversary as a self-serving betrayer seeking personal gain. In pursuit of their respective objectives, both factions clandestinely enlist champions, despite their laws strictly forbidding direct interference with humans.


Nature of the river

Riverworld is a fictional setting characterized by an endless or seemingly infinite river. Within this world, a unique trait grants every human being effective immortality, preserving their perpetual youth and robust health, irrespective of their age at the time of their demise on Earth. These inhabitants exhibit remarkable resilience in recovering swiftly from injuries and display a heightened resistance to various diseases. While they can experience death, the remarkable aspect of Riverworld is the phenomenon of
resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
, wherein deceased individuals are continuously reborn at different locations along the river. A notable aspect of this peculiar realm is the existence of a phenomenon known as the "suicide express," where some individuals deliberately seek death to be reborn at various points along the river, thus utilizing the river's resurrection mechanism as a means of transportation. Each individual in Riverworld is bestowed with a solid metal bracelet called a "
grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...
band." This device serves as a means for obtaining sustenance, as it provides access to food and beverages. However, champions within Riverworld are an exception; they are deliberately sent into the realm without these grail bands, symbolizing their liberation from the constraints of Riverworld. It is later unveiled that this exclusion from the grail bands not only grants them freedom but also acts as a mechanism to evade the vigilant surveillance of the caretakers of Riverworld. This enables those involved in the ongoing civil war to maintain greater mobility and remain inconspicuous to their opposing forces. The source of the river, known as the "Dark Tower," holds profound significance in Riverworld. It serves as both the origin of the river itself and the core essence of the entire realm, signifying its central importance. The name "Dark Tower" draws a parallel with one of the novels in the Riverworld series, ''The Dark Design.''


Transportation

The two main forms of transportation are the
riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury ...
and the
zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155â ...
. The riverboat ''Not-for-Hire'' was built by Samuel Clemens, while the zeppelin was built by the man who built the Hindenburg and is called ''Herumfurzen'' (which means in German to fart around). Both use what is suspected by one of the characters to be a
fusion power Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices d ...
source.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riverworld Syfy original programming 2010s American television miniseries Riverworld Fiction about purgatory 2010s Canadian television miniseries