Another Life

When a mysterious alien artifact touches down on Earth, commander Niko Breckinridge is picked to lead a manned mission into deep space to track the object back to its origin and attempt first contact. The series splits time between the starship and life on Earth, where Niko's husband Erik Wallace and other scientists, military figures, and loved ones deal with political pressure, public panic, and scientific uncertainty. The crew faces equipment failures, strange biological encounters, and hard decisions that test loyalties and protocol, while the possibility of communicating with an intelligence beyond human experience raises ethical and personal stakes without ever promising easy answers.

Created by Aaron Martin, the show premiered on Netflix in 2019 and stars Katee Sackhoff as Niko Breckinridge, with Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, and Tongayi Chirisa in key roles. It was produced for streaming audiences and positioned among Netflix's original science fiction slate.

Critical response leaned mixed, with an overall viewer vote average near 6.06 out of 10 based on user ratings. Reviewers praised the cast's commitment and the series' willingness to pose moral questions about contact and command, while many critics called out uneven plotting and effects that sometimes strained believability. Themes include leadership under pressure, the limits of scientific certainty, and the human cost of long-distance exploration and secrecy.

Among genre viewers the show sparked steady online discussion, fan theories, and episode-by-episode breakdowns about alien intent and character decisions, helping it find a niche audience on forums and social media. Its presence reinforced Katee Sackhoff's profile in science fiction beyond earlier roles, and it became a talking point in debates about serialized space dramas on streaming platforms.

The series did not become a major awards contender, but it maintained visibility through Netflix's global reach and generated a loyal fanbase that kept conversations about its mysteries and characters alive after each season.