Commstar

Commstar (Arvorian: Коммстар, Hallisised: Kommstar) is an ongoing Arvorian science-fiction telescreen programme. Since its first episode aired in early 7676, the show has gone on to produce (thus far) fourteen seasons and 3 feature films, well as books, games, and toys. It is widely considered one of the most popular and influential television series produced within the ADR of all time.

Synopsis

The history of the series begins in 7963, when humanity built and successfully tested the first FTL-capable ship, the Aurora, by traveling to the Delta Bandum star system, approximately 4.3 light years away, and returning. The test’s success sparked a new era of wanderlust and curiosity in humankind, and the planet began to pool resources in an effort to further exploration of space. Within the next century, Gotha was united under a common government, and over seventy worlds in other star systems had been settled.

As humanity has explored space, they have encountered numerous alien races, some friendly, some less so, and some outright hostile. These include the highly spiritual Allae, the militant Laagir, the mercantile Nezeans, and the logic and reason-driven Yali. Many episodes centre around the Commonwealth's interactions with these species, ranging from diplomacy and commerce to tense standoffs and even war. The Commonwealth of Stars is established in the year 8065, when the one hundredth star system is settled. By current date, over 200 systems were settled by humanity, and over 5,000 had been surveyed. Technology has progressed to enable a vast new range of capabilities, in domestic life, industry, science, and medicine.

The show depicts the adventures of its characters, who are all citizens of the Commonwealth of Stars (Arvorian: Содружество Звезд, Hallisised: Sodruzhestvo Zvezd, colloquially referred to as "Commstar"), an interstellar nation state consisting of over 200 member worlds. Some of the characters are officers and crew of the military arm of Commstar, which is known as "Commforce" (Arvorian: Коммфорс, Hallisised: Kommfors). Throughout the series, the characters interact with their fellow citizens and with alien peoples encountered both during exploration of deep space and in the course of their regular duties.

Story

Season 1

When the show first aired, the story was set in the year 8185, and its first two seasons followed the state of interstellar affairs in the aftermath of the war between the Commonwealth and the militant Laagir Hegemony, which was opposed to "inferior Humans" expanding into territories they claim were theirs. After a three-year conflict in which the Commonwealth fought the Hegemony to a standstill, an uneasy peace has been achieved.

Throughout the season, the main characters - a special operations team known as Black-11, led by Commander Yuri Bazarov and eight others - work against a backdrop of cold war tensions between the Commonwealth and the Laagir, whose highly militaristic society is still recovering after failing to subdue the Human star nation. As Bazarov and his colleagues deal with other matters that arise while continuing the primary mission of Commforce - interstellar exploration - they simultaneously must diffuse various attempts by shadowy interests to rekindle the war between the two powers while working with various agencies and individuals to expand Human diplomacy and outreach. One key success in this period is the conclusion of treaty negotiations with the Yali Dominion, who join in an alliance of mutual defence and trade with the Commonwealth despite (and because of) Laagir interference.

The season ends on a tense note as news comes back to Commonwealth Central that the Laagir leader, Ro'nejal, has been assassinated. His eldest daughter, Arzhuen, has succeeded him as Primarch. Commonwealth Intelligence tells the team that the new leader is extremely close to the more conservative faction of the Laagir government.

Season 2

The second season opens on a recap of the last moments of Season 1. With a new leader on Laagir Prime, the Commonwealth is forced to shore up its border security as fears are high that the Hegemony will seek to launch a new campaign against Commstar. Commander Bazarov and his team are assigned the light cruiser Lorenzo Rambaldi, which will function as their main base of operations and enable them to move about more quickly and efficiently. Working in concert with the ship's chief officer, Commander Gabriel Hughes, Black-11 is tasked with monitoring the Commonwealth-Hegemony border and keeping a track on the Laagir military communications network, which has been successfully sliced into with Yali assistance. The team's analysts, Lieutenant Punhe Zediw and Doctor Victor Bergman, gradually gather a portfolio of information which points to increased mobilisation of the Hegemony's military strength.

Events come to a head when word comes in that the Laagir have attacked the Yali shipyards at Vinyke, which was the facility from which the technology that enabled the Commonwealth to slice into the Laagir mlitary network was developed. While the attack was successfully fended off, with consderable losses, Commonwealth Intelligence is concerned that there were ulterior motives for the strike. A Commforce battle squadron is dispatched to provide assistance during the attack and remains after the battle is over, granting the system additional defence. The Dominion puts its military forces on high alert, and ships from both their fleet and Commforce begin to jointly patrol their borders.

Over the following episodes, Black-11 finds itself in several tense encounters with both Laagir forces and with agents of the Hegemony, after learning that a powerful crosslink comms transmitter, of the kind the Yali gave the Commonwealth to monitor Laagir communications, was stolen in the raid on the Vinkye shipyards. The team eventually successfully retrieves the transmitter after confronting two Laagir spies on Lliea E6T, but Commander Bazarov is injured while retrieving a data card that he believes contains valuable information that may help shed more light on recent events. The season concludes with Black-11 being informed that the decrypted data card indicates the Laagir, while still highly distrustful of Humans, is more suspicious of an "unknown third power" it has reason to believe is manipulating events to some as yet unknown purpose.

Season 14

As of the current season, the series is set in the mid-83rd century, in the year 8202.