Defiance is an American science fiction television series developed for television by Rockne S. O'Bannon, Kevin Murphy and Michael Taylor and set in a near-future where Earth has been radically reformed to cause changes in topography, which follows a Human drifter and his adopted Irathient daughter putting down roots in Defiance, a city-state community where humans and several extraterrestrial races collectively known as Votans coexist in the ruins of St. Louis.
In the year 2046, it's a new Earth – with new rules. Over thirty years after various alien races arrived on Earth, the landscape is completely altered, terraformed nearly beyond recognition.
To the town of Defiance, on what used to be St. Louis, comes the mysterious Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his charge, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas).
As they settle into town – overseen by the mayor, Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) and filled with residents like the powerful Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene), enterprising lounge owner Kenya (Mia Kirshner) and the ambitious, alien Tarrs (Tony Curran and Jaime Murray) - events begin to unfold that threaten the fragile peace this border town has fought for.
As the events of Defiance unfold weekly on your TV screen, you can see how the residents' struggles impact the game of Defiance, a high-octane, multi-platform experience from Trion Worlds. For the first time in history, a TV show and a game exist concurrently in a shared universe, influencing and impacting the other.
Defiance is the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming, featuring an interconnected world between the two mediums as they evolve together into one overall story.
The series' cast includes Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner.
Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden - and tumultuous - arrival of seven unique alien races.
In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully.
Each week, viewers will follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, MO, while in the game, players will experience the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.
The series is executive produced by Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica, Hellcats), who also serves as showrunner, Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica) and Rockne O'Bannon (Farscape). Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest) directed the pilot; Michael Nankin will serve as supervising producer/director on the series.
Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions.
Broadcast Notes
There are 12 episodes in the first season, although the pilot episode is 85 minutes long. In South Africa the pilot was shown as two separate episodes, making it a 13-week run.