Pratik Handore
Syfy’s ‘The Ark’ is a science-fiction drama series created by Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner, who previously worked together on ‘The Outpost.’ Set in space, the series follows the crew of Ark 1, a spacecraft on a multi-year mission to colonize a distant planet. However, when the crew is forced to wake up from cryo sleep ahead of schedule, they face several issues. Moreover, there are several mysteries about the nature of the crew’s mission and personal motivations. If you are looking to unwrap all the drama and tension in the series premiere episode of ‘The Ark,’ here is everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Ark Episode 1 Recap
The first episode, titled ‘Everyone Wanted to Be on This Ship, opens with Ark 1, a spacecraft in outer space facing an unidentified breach. Lt. Sharon Garnet awakens from her cryo sleep and realizes the danger the ship encounters. She recuses the other crew members from their cryo pods. We are introduced to Lt. Spencer Lane, who assists in the rescue. Ensign Baylor Trent tries to save Commander Susan Ingram as the cryo bay collapses. However, Ingram dies, and Garnet saves Trent. Soon, everyone is forced to adjust to being awake after years of cryosleep. Garnet works with Lane to get the situation under control.
Garnet and Lane discover that the other cryo bay carrying the high-ranking officers was destroyed along with their supply chamber. As a result, Garnet searches for Lt. James Brice. Garnet, Lane, and Brice are now the highest-ranking officers on the ship and address the rest of the crew. Garnet takes charge and explains the circumstances to the crew. The ship has very little food and water supply and nearly a year of space travel left. However, Garnet succeeds in motivating the crew.
Later, Garnet learns from Angus Medford, a young horticulturist, that he brought fertile soil to the cargo. Angus believes he can grow food for the crew using the soil, but the ship’s power supply must be heavily redirected. Angus meets Alicia Nevins, a waste management expert, and uses her help to develop fertilizers. Eva Markovic and Harris Beckner meet privately when the former is recharging the oxygen helmets. Eva and Harris are a couple, but the law forbids couples from traveling on the same ship, requiring them to keep their relationship a secret.
Meanwhile, Lane is displeased with Garnet taking charge, while Brice approves of her leadership. Nonetheless, the trio forms a council to make crucial decisions, such as whether or not to use their limited resources to grow crops. The Council consists of Dr. Sanjivni Kabir, the health expert; Felix Strickland, the lead of security; Eva Markovic, an engineer; and the three lieutenants. The ship’s crew faces another crisis when the oxygen level suddenly depletes. As a result, the ship’s security systems go into lockdown.
Trent races to the med bay and retrieves oxygen tanks. On the other hand, Harris’ team and Eva’s team are separated when the door between them closes due to the lockdown. However, only the helmets on Eva’s side are replenished with oxygen. When one crew member collapses, Harris sacrifices his oxygen to save his life. On the bridge, Brice reveals to Garnet that the system diagnostics are malfunctioning, preventing him from identifying why the oxygen level is dropping.
Brice and Garnet discover that Jasper Dades designed the system diagnostics. Meanwhile, Lane leads a team to search for the issue manually. Garnet calls for Jasper, but he ignores her and hides. Trent uses his skills to disarm the locks opening the door and separating Harris’ team from the other side. He arrives just in time to provide the crew with oxygen. Felix finds Jasper and brings him to the bridge, where he is asked to fix the system diagnostics. However, Jasper reveals he is an imposter named Malcolm Perry.
The Ark Episode 1 Ending: What Happens to Malcolm Perry? Is Garnet an Imposter?
After Jasper is revealed as an imposter, Brice and Garnet scramble to find a solution to the oxygen issues. Alicia steps up and reveals that she has some knowledge about the code the system diagnostic was designed after. As a result, she successfully fixes the system diagnostics leading to an identification of the oxygen leak, and Lane’s team fixes it. Things return to normal on the ship, and Brice congratulates Alicia, making her the life support team’s head.
In the end, Garnet interrogates Malcolm Perry, who explains that he forged fake documents to get on board Ark 1 as it has the best chance of colonizing a planet. However, Garnet is disgusted with Perry’s action and suggests she will plead with the Council to give him a death sentence. However, Perry blackmails Garnet by describing an incident on the earth. He tells Garnet about a woman named Denise who killed a man in a bar fight, implying that he is talking about Garnet.
Later, Garnet discusses Perry’s fate with the Council. The group concludes that they should allow Perry to make his case. However, when Felix goes to the chamber to retrieve Perry, he is killed with his throat slit. The episode ends with Garnet retreating to her room and expressing remorse, implying that she killed Perry. The episode’s ambiguous ending kick-starts a murder mystery that will likely become the narrative’s focus moving forward. Moreover, it is also evident that Garent is hiding a dark past, and she killed Perry to stop him from revealing her secret. Thus, the premiere episode ends with the perfect amount of pay-off and set up for viewers to invest in the characters and their adventures.
Read More: Where is SyFy’s The Ark Filmed?
