I absolutely LOVE this show, and although it probably aired in the US quite a while back (as it was one of the projects that Renaissance Pictures were working on after Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Young Hercules completed their final season's runs). However, as we in Australia get to see all these awesome shows long after you guys do, I've only seen this series for the first time last year.
From Left To Right: Sarge, Hel, Cleopatra
I was sad when the series seemed to finish after two seasons as I was really getting involved with the stories and the characters, but it seems there was a third season which didn't air here which I certainly hope will be made available on DVD!
Here's the synopsis of the series (which I copied from a Cleo2525 site):
****The year is 2525, and the world has been turned upside-down. Monstrous airborne creatures known as the Baileys have driven the world's population underground, and taken over the Earth's surface.
Over centuries of Bailey domination, mankind's subterranean universe has grown into an immense labyrinth of shafts and corridors. The Earth's interior houses various levels comprised of different worlds, ranging from beautifully simulated surface environments to toxic waste dumps. The human populations inhabiting these domains have evolved independently over hundreds of years, giving rise to a vast array of diverse cultures. Bailey-engineered Betrayer robots, outwardly indistinguishable from humans, roam among the people, ready to warn their masters of any impending insurrection.
While most of humanity has abandoned hope of ever reclaiming the surface of the Earth, there are those who are still fiercely committed to that cause. Among these brave souls are the female warriors Hel (Gina Torres) and Sarge (Victoria Pratt). They are joined by Cleopatra (Jennifer Sky), who wakes up 500 years after being cryogenically frozen during breast implant surgery, and Mauser (Patrick Kake), the android that runs their lab. They are united with a mysterious and unseen entity known as The Voice (Elizabeth Hawthorne) in the most courageous of quests: to restore humanity to its rightful place on the planet.
But now the battle has shifted. After a major all out war between human kind and bailey kind, with neither side winning or losing, It's now Hel's enemy Creegan (Joel Tobeck) who governs the Bailey Race. His personal obsession with Hel is what this new season is mainly about. Creegan has the power to destroy it all in an instant and there's nothing the team can do about. What stops him from doing it? Also, there is another threat from the maniacal mind-controller, the telepath/psychopath Raina (Danielle Cormack) - just what is her story?****
It's interesting how many of the lead characters are played by actors/actresses who had previously appeared on the Hercules and Xena series. Then again, they are all Renaissance productions, so naturally these fabulous performers would be hired for other series that RenPics produces.
Gina Torres (Hel) previously portrayed the feisty pirate queen Nebula on HTLJ, while Victoria Pratt (Sarge), Jennifer Sky (Cleopatra), and Danielle Cormack (Raina) previously appeared in XWP -Victoria playing the legendary first Amazon Queen Cyane, Jennifer portraying Amarice, the feisty young Amazon sidekick with a secret, and Danielle portraying the fearless Amazon Regent Ephiny. Joel Tobeck also appeared in HTLJ and XWP as evil demi-gods Strife and Deimos, while Kate Elliott who plays Sarge's sister Lily previously appeared as the Amazon Shamaness Yakut in XWP.
Here is a brief biography of the characters:
HEL (Gina Torres) - Hel is the leader of the team. Voice contacted her through the recepter inplanted in her ear. Hel's father died fighting for Voice's cause, and Hel will make sure that the cause succeeds, so her father didn't die in vain. Her moves are flawless and her skill is excellent. Voice made a good decision when she chose Hel as a Team Leader. Hel had to face the challenge of becoming the new Voice, after Voice died, but now it would appear that Voice is back.
SARGE (Victoria Pratt) - Sarge is the "Kick Butt, Take Names Later" part of the team. When she was younger, she lived on the Surface with her sister, Lily. They belonged to a group known as the Dworks, who worshipped the Bailies and thought that they would take them to the "Mother Planet." Boy, were they wrong. Sarge decided, "To Hell with this" and fled to the underground. There she met a group called The Black Watch, a group of thugs who like to hurt innocent people. The only people she knew in the underground were either trying to buy her, sell her, or kill her. Then she met Hel and decided to fight for Voice's cause.
CLEOPATRA (Jennifer Sky) - Cleopatra is her stage name, and all her friends call her Cleo. She was frozen in the year 2001 when they couldn't wake her up after her boob job surgery. She didn't wake up until the year 2525, where she met Hel and Sarge and learned of the Bailey Domination. For a while she was a fish out of water, but has recently matured into a pretty good Warrior.
CREEGAN (Joel Tobeck) - Creegan, the psychotic clown (much like The Joker in the Batman franchise), has been a thorn in the team’s side since the very beginning. He was the one who created the Bailies, and programmed them to destroy the human race. He then put himself on ice, and was thawed by an unknown. He then started out working for Voice and her cause, but after she cheated on him with Carter, he became mentally unstable. He finally left, and became Voice’s biggest enemy. He has a thing for Hel, since she used to believe he killed her father. Creegan was captured by Hel and her team, and was sentenced to death. He escaped at the last minute and became the leader of the Bailies. He was then able to kill Voice, his greatest enemy. He is trying to take over the underground, but Hel is constantly stopping him.
RAINA (Danielle Cormack) - Raina was an evil psychopath with the power to read and conrol other people's minds. She caused a lot of trouble for the team when she turned Hel and Sarge against each other, sent Cleo to another plane of existence, and had a Bailey at her command. Since then, she's been tampered with by Voice and now is no longer a threat, but instead helps the team every now and then. She's still a bad little girl, but doesn't really have a side to call her own. She's currently wanted by Dr. Ramsey for studying, because they know about her powers. Raina has a little brother named Nathaniel.
Here is the list of missing episodes I've never seen:
SEASON THREE:
"The Voice Part 2" Voice's final secret is revealed when she sends the team on a mission to destroy the Bailey Command Nexus.
"A Family Affair" The team takes on Raina's evil younger brother, who wants to rid the world ofVoice's Legacy and seek revenge for his sister.
"Mauser's Revenge" After learning of the fate of his wife, Cara, Mauser leaves the team to seek revenge on her killer.
"The Warrior Within" Sluggo returns and makes Cleopatra his number one soldier, giving her skills she never knew she had.
"Coyote Cleo" After a major tiff, Cleo leaves Hel and Sarge and works at a bar where she uses her skills as a stripper to entertain the patrons, becoming the target of a madman's obssession.
"The Legacy Part 1" Voice's past is revealed to Hel through visions as Creegan and The Bailies start an all out war on the underground.
"The Legacy Part 2" The Underground continues to be destroyed...
