notes: this show only has one season because it was cancelled. however, the ending is pretty solid, with the majority of storylines rounded up enough to inspire fandom extension, but not feel like a cliff-hanger.
there's a bit of politics involved, because of where some of the astronauts are from, but it's not overwhelming.
although the entry into the show is a middle-upper class, white, american, cis-het family -- (mum, dad, daughter) -- the cast is diverse, and you get to see the background of all the characters.
there is a canonically LGBTQIA+ relationship and characters. they don't quite get a happily ever after, because one of them is in space. but, they do get a possibly happy ending.
essentially, this show is about family, and questions how far people should go in regards to "loyalty". 'space' is the background, the 'mission' is the situation, and 'family' is the overarching theme.
despite how tense the show can be, there are no major character deaths.
~
thinking of this show reminded me of a film, based on a book. so, here is a second rec!
title: the martian genre: science fiction media type: film (based on a book) source material: netflix wikia/imdb:imdb trailer:youtube tumblr recs:gifset by vivenvalentino
notes: admittedly, i couldn't finish this film when i first tried to watch it. but, then i came back to it late last year because of donald glover, and thought it was quite good!
at 2h 21m, it's a long film, but it doesn't actually feel long because of the various characters you get to meet and the fact that it's focused on solving a problem.
essentially, this film is about survival, but you get to see ethical and moral dilemmas, too. (akin to away.) i haven't read the book by andy weir, so i don't know how much it's true to the original source material.
off the top of my head, i don't recall any canon LGBTQIA+ characters in this, so it's likely there's none, or it's vague enough to not stand out. but, there is a slightly diverse cast!
it's tense for a minute, but there are no major character deaths.
2 recs: away (2020) & the martian (2015)
title: away
genre: science fiction
media type: tv show (1 season)
source material: netflix
wikia/imdb: imdb
trailer: teaser | youtube
cast interviews: behind the scenes | interviews with jake hamilton
notes: this show only has one season because it was cancelled. however, the ending is pretty solid, with the majority of storylines rounded up enough to inspire fandom extension, but not feel like a cliff-hanger.
there's a bit of politics involved, because of where some of the astronauts are from, but it's not overwhelming.
although the entry into the show is a middle-upper class, white, american, cis-het family -- (mum, dad, daughter) -- the cast is diverse, and you get to see the background of all the characters.
there is a canonically LGBTQIA+ relationship and characters. they don't quite get a happily ever after, because one of them is in space. but, they do get a possibly happy ending.
essentially, this show is about family, and questions how far people should go in regards to "loyalty". 'space' is the background, the 'mission' is the situation, and 'family' is the overarching theme.
despite how tense the show can be, there are no major character deaths.
~
thinking of this show reminded me of a film, based on a book. so, here is a second rec!
title: the martian
genre: science fiction
media type: film (based on a book)
source material: netflix
wikia/imdb: imdb
trailer: youtube
tumblr recs: gifset by vivenvalentino
notes: admittedly, i couldn't finish this film when i first tried to watch it. but, then i came back to it late last year because of donald glover, and thought it was quite good!
at 2h 21m, it's a long film, but it doesn't actually feel long because of the various characters you get to meet and the fact that it's focused on solving a problem.
essentially, this film is about survival, but you get to see ethical and moral dilemmas, too. (akin to away.) i haven't read the book by andy weir, so i don't know how much it's true to the original source material.
off the top of my head, i don't recall any canon LGBTQIA+ characters in this, so it's likely there's none, or it's vague enough to not stand out. but, there is a slightly diverse cast!
it's tense for a minute, but there are no major character deaths.