Line #63 Series/Nightflyers


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightflyers.png]]
2	''Nightflyers'' is a miniseries that aired on [=Syfy=] in 2018, adapted from [[Literature/{{Nightflyers}} the novella of the same name]] by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin.
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4	In the late 21st century, Earth is on its last legs, its resources almost completely depleted. In a last-ditch effort to save mankind, the ''Nightflyer'' embarks on a mission to make contact with the Volcryn, a mysterious race with access to advanced technology.
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6	This being a George R.R. Martin story, naturally, things go wrong.
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8	[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Should not be confused]] with ''Film/TheNightFlier'', a 1997 horror film adapted from a Creator/StephenKing short story. Or with ''Literature/FlyByNightSeries'', a children book series by Creator/FrancesHardinge.
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13	!!This series contains examples of:
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15	* AnyoneCanDie: It's Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. Expect a sizable body count.
16	* AdaptationalHeroism: In the original novella, Karoly is TheMillstone, a useless intellectual with his head so far up his own ass that he dooms the rest of the crew because he refuses to recognize that his expedition has been sabotaged. In the series, Karl is one of the protagonists, and is far more competent.
17	* AdaptationalJerkass: Thale in the show is an emotionally maladjusted piece of work who is unpleasant to anyone around him and doesn't hesitate to inflict MindRape or worse. Thale in the novella is the TeamPrimaDonna and a NervousWreck but never antagonistic, and [[spoiler:is also the first character to die]].
18	* AdaptationDistillation: The reveal that [[spoiler:Eris's sociopathic mother has lived on as the ''Nightflyer'''s AI]] is revealed much earlier on the show than in the book. Also, the initial setting of the show shifts to Earth in 2093, rather than the fictional planet of Avalon from Martin's "Thousand Worlds" short stories.
19	* AdaptationExpansion: The show adds the subplot of D'Branin's dead daughter, the ''Eagle 16'' storyline, and the visual hallucinations, none of which are in the original novella.
20	* AdaptationNameChange: In the novella, all the characters have "futuristic" names like Royd or Rojan or Karoly, as the novella takes place in a distant future where humans have long since left Earth behind. In the series, where humans are still confined to the solar system, the characters' names have all been changed to more "normal" equivalents, so that Royd became Roy, Rojan became Rowan, and Karoly became Karl.
21	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the original novella, Lommie and Melantha's relationship is just one of Mel's casual hookups as she works her way through the crew with the eventual intention of bedding Royd. In the series, Melantha genuinely cares for Lommie and only beds Roy after he saves her from a near-death experience.
22	* ArtificialCannibalism: The Nightflyer comes across a rundown old ship whose crew have survived by cloning human meat as a food source.
23	* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:To say that Rowan doesn't take the death of his lover and unborn child well would be an understatement. He grabs an ax and goes on a rampage, killing Roy Eris and trying to murder Agatha.]]
24	* BrainUploading: [[spoiler:Eris' mother uploaded her consciousness into the ''Nightflyer'' in order to survive the death of her body.]]
25	* BrokenPedestal: In "The Sacred Gift", the crew finds an old ship that still has people on it, and Mel meets Dr. Constance Brighthead, the woman who created the processes that created Mel. She's clearly in awe of Dr. Brighthead... until [[spoiler:she discovers that Brighthead is insane.]]
26	* BubbleBoy: Roy Eris, the captain of the ''Nightflyer'', was born in space and has spent his whole life there. He stays sequestered to his private cabin, only communicating with others on the ship via holograms [[spoiler:because he's actually a mutant floating in a tank. The Roy Eris we see physically walking around the ship as of episode 3 is a RemoteBody]].
27	* ConspiracyTheorist: Rowan, the ship's resident xenobiologist, is deeply skeptical of the merits of the mission, and suspects that the Volcryn are probably not interested in meeting humans, given that they've ignored all previous efforts at communication.
28	* CreepilyLongArms: [[spoiler: Holo!Skye does this when Cynthia hacks Karl's memory reading.]]
29	* CreepyChild: The hologram of Karl's deceased daughter, Skye.
30	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Lommie grew up in a Luddite cult that severely punished anyone who used technology. When she was a teenager, she was compelled to shatter her own father's hands after he broke the cult's rules.
31	* DeadGuyJunior: [[spoiler:Rowan and Tessia were planning to name their unborn child "Skye", after Karl's deceased daughter, because Karl made their relationship possible by recruiting Rowan.]]
32	* DeathOfAChild: Skye, and then with [[spoiler:the spore baby, who was ''also'' going to be named Skye.]]
33	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Agatha kills herself in order to reduce the psychic feedback between her and Thale, which threatened to kill Thale.]]
34	* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:The Volcryn turns out to be a single massive, space-based organism. Proximity to it can cause insanity, and it appears to provide access to alternate realities.]]
35	* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Cynthia lures Lommie into her virtual world and locks her inside it, before downloading herself into Lommie's now-empty body.]]
36	* HeroicSacrifice: TrappedInContainment with a pathogen that is rapidly eating its way out, [[spoiler:Tessia]] insists that the [[KillItWithFire decontamination protocol]] be activated.
37	** [[spoiler:Agatha's suicide saves Thale's life. A psychic feedback loop between them was threatening both their lives.]]
38	* HowWeGotHere: The episode opens with the ''Nightflyer'' heavily damaged and a deranged Rowan chasing Matheson, who sends out a message warning people to stay away from the ship before killing herself. After this, the show cuts back to some time earlier, with the rest of the series being an explanation for how this came about.
39	* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:The crew of the ''Eagle'' have survived by creating deliberately-flawed clones, which they then carve up for meat.]]
40	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler:Realizing that he's going to lose Joy, Karl sends her a message offering his blessing for her to remove her memories of him.]]
41	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: D'Branin's ex-wife, Joy, is undergoing a form of grief therapy that involves having all her painful memories removed.
42	* MadScientist: Dr. Constance Brighthead was once one of the most brilliant minds in the field of genetic engineering. [[spoiler:Now she's the leader of a cannibal cult in deep space.]]
43	* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: Thale tries to read Lommie's mind and gets his head flooded with violent, disturbing imagery.
44	* MindRape: This is one of Thale's abilities.
45	* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:Auggie turns on Cynthia when he realizes she was going to abandon him on the doomed ''Nightflyer''.]]
46	* MyBelovedSmother: [[spoiler:Roy Eris' mother Cynthia took her smothering to an entirely new level, uploading her consciousness into the ''Nightflyer'' itself so that she could continue to control her son's life long after her death. Now she's sabotaging the ship in order to discourage Roy from his efforts to make contact with the Volcryn.]]
47	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Rowan is horrified when he discovers that he was responsible for Dr. Matheson's death.]]
48	* NeckSnap: How the deranged Hartley Suczek meets his end.
49	* OppositeSexClone: [[spoiler:Roy Eris is a male clone of Cynthia Eris.]]
50	* PetTheDog: As nasty as Thale is towards other people, he is incredibly gentle with Ralphy the bunny.
51	* PsychopathicManchild: Thale has spent most of his life in captivity, and has very little idea of how to interact with people. As a consequence, he has a tendency to lash out at anyone who presents the slightest threat to him.
52	* RaceLift: Eris is described as being very white with long white hair in the original novella (think [[Literature/TheElricSaga Elric]] in a spacesuit), while he's played by an black British actor on the show.
53	* RemoteBody: [[spoiler:The version of Roy Eris that is seen walking on the ship is actually an android; the real Roy Eris is floating in a tank in a hidden chamber.]]
54	* RescueRomance: Mel becomes smitten with Roy after he saves her from a near-death experience.
55	* RoboticReveal: [[spoiler:Roy survives an organic decontamination, and his eyes are destroyed to reveal cybernetic sensors underneath. It later turns out that his whole body is a robot remotely operated by the real Roy.]]
56	* SapientShip: [[spoiler:Cynthia Eris uploaded herself into the ship. She's still very aware and in control of what's going on.]]
57	* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Lommie and Thale both survive to the end of the season, whereas they were two of the first to die in the novella.]]
58	* StartsWithASuicide: The series starts with Dr. Matheson dispatching a warning before killing herself.
59	* SurpriseIncest: [[spoiler:DesignerBaby Melantha always thought that her parents were also her base genetic contributors. Turns out she's actually a clone of Cynthia Eris, which makes Roy her brother. She only learns this ''after'' they've consummated their relationship.]]
60	* {{Technopath}}: Lommie has an implant in her arm that allows her to communicate with the ship.
61	* TimeSkip: "Transmission" takes place eight months after the previous episode.
62	* TwoferTokenMinority: Melantha Jhirl is black and in a relationship with Lommie.

Context Series / Nightflyers