Salvation comes in the blink of an eye.
Godspeed
is a 2023 independent animated science fiction drama series created by Olan Rogers following the abrupt cancellation of his previous series Final Space. It stars the voices of Troy Baker, Claudia Black, Bryce Charles, Coty Galloway, Tom Kenny, and Rogers himself.
After giving up her place on an evacuation ship, a young woman named Iris struggles to survive in an increasingly hostile wasteland as the world crumbles due to an unexplained extraterrestrial phenomenon. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the pilot episode premiered on YouTube December 15, 2023. A second Kickstarter to fund a full season is currently active.
Godspeed contains examples of the following:
- After the End: The series is set on a dying Earth where civilization has crumbled in the face of a mysterious extraterrestrial phenomena called Ion.
- Big Fancy House: In her hunt for an active signal, Iris eventually finds a modernist glass-and-steel mansion, protected from the anomalous rains by massive tarpaulins, and still in very good shape. Its occupants appear to have hanged themselves not too long ago.
- Bizarro Apocalypse: Earth has been destroyed by a moon-sized, spherical, glowing red thing named Ion — as it approaches the planet, devastating anomalous storms that produce rain capable of cracking glass occur with ever-increasing frequency. As a result, the surface is reduced to a wasteland almost entirely devoid of life.
- Cat Folk: At the end of the pilot, Iris encounters an alien being similar to Avocato from Final Space - even sharing his voice actor, Coty Galloway.
- Darker and Edgier: Final Space, while having darkness and drama in abundance, still had a goofy sense of humor and wild sci-fi concepts. Godspeed, by comparison, is more grounded and serious.
- Driven to Suicide: Iris explores a covered home where the residents had one last party before hanging themselves.
- Expy: Kingslayer is basically an older Avocato, down to being voiced by the same person. And in a way, from what little we know of Iris' parents so far, they bring Gary and Quinn to mind as well, with her father in particular being the best friend of a cat-like alien and being implied to have a fondness for cookies.
- Filling the Silence: Bowie never stays silent for long, often making quips or describing what Iris is doing whenever he's not playing music.
- Foreshadowing: Near the beginning of the pilot, Iris's uncle, Ryan, is seen recording a new message, with the text "Initiate Protocol B: KS Rescue" visible on his computer screen. At the end of the pilot, an alien who introduces himself as KingSlayer lands on Earth in order to find Iris and take her off-world.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Of the non-fatal variety; as she was about to board one of the ships evacuating civilians, Iris notices a woman named June and her son watching from behind a fence. After a moment of hesitation, she gives her boarding pass to the boy, ensuring that he gets taken to safety off-world but also condemning herself to stay on a doomed Earth.
- Homeworld Evacuation: The pilot begins with the chaotic boarding of ships evacuating Earth, where Iris gives up her seat to a young boy.
- Hostile Weather: The rains on Earth have become extremely corrosive and acidic. A plastic bottle alone can be destroyed in seconds.
- I Choose to Stay: After Iris receives the transmission from her uncle telling her to go to the crash site, June opts to stay behind and accept her fate on Earth.
- Negative Space Wedgie: The mysterious glowing orb in the sky, slowly approaching Earth, is known only as Ion.
- Robot Buddy: Bowie, a karaoke robot traveling with Iris who serves as the Plucky Comic Relief.
