Lexx: The Dark Zone

Plot synopsis:
The main characters of the series are the Lexx and its crew. The crew consists of the captain of the Lexx, Stanley H. Tweedle, the love slave Zev/Xev, the undead former assassin Kai, last of the Brunnen-G, and the love-crazed robot head 790. Together they are looking for a new home. The background conflict of the series is the war between Mankind and the Insect Civilization, in which each side seeks the annihilation of the other. It was foretold to Kai that one day he will destroy the last remnant of the Insect Civilization.
The plot unfolds across a time span of over 6,000 years. Kai's death (or undeath) occurs 2,008 years before the beginning of the events of the series. For the first two seasons, each episode is focused on space travel and usually one different planet. Each of the last two seasons has a single location for all episodes. At the beginning of Season 3 the crew spends about 4,000 years in cryostats before arriving at the twin planets of Fire and Water. In Season 4, the Lexx reaches our Earth in the present.
=== First season ===
Stan, Zev and Kai accidentally steal the Lexx, the most powerful destructive weapon in the two universes. After successfully fleeing from the Cluster, the main planet of the League of the 20,000 Planets, they are looking for a new home.
Kai needs protoblood to live outside of his cryochamber. Looking for protoblood, the Lexx returns to the Cluster to learn that a huge insect survived. This insect had controlled The Divine Order and His Divine Shadow in order to eat all human inhabitants of the 20,000 planets. The insect then begins a metamorphosis into the Gigashadow. Gigashadow produces protoblood. With the help of Zev, Kai manages to fill up his store of protoblood. Kai places the cluster lizard Squish in the brain of the insect and thus is able to destroy it.
=== Second season ===
The main conflict of the second season is the fight against Mantrid, the former Bio-Vizier of His Divine Shadow. The crew had inadvertently helped him transfer his mind into a machine in the first episode of the season while accidentally fusing it with a remnant of His Shadow. Mantrid's goal is to transform all matter in the Light Universe into Mantrid Drones.
In the meantime the crew keeps getting into difficult situations and is usually rescued by Kai. At the end of the season they destroy Mantrid. Unfortunately, the Light Universe is also destroyed. The crew flees into the Dark Zone.
=== Third season ===
The Lexx is running out of food and must fly slowly to conserve energy. 790 computes that it might take thousands of years to reach an inhabited planet. The crew enters cryostasis to survive the voyage. After 4,000 years in cryostasis, they reach the twin planets Fire and Water. The entire third season takes place on these two planets.
The crew meets people they knew from the Light Universe. These survivors cannot remember their past in the parallel universe, though their personalities are still the same. Fire is ruled by the charismatic Prince. Water doesn't seem to have a ruler. The inhabitants of both planets live in isolated towns. On Water they live on islands in a huge ocean and on Fire there are big towers separated by desert.
Prince wants to win the crew over to his side, especially Xev. He tests their sense of morality through various temptations. The crew members are frequently separated, forcing them to act individually. After jumping from the Lexx to the surface of Water, Kai has trouble functioning normally without the other crew members. On Water, deep beneath its surface, Kai encounters his soul essence, which awaits rebirth. Stanley dies and a trial is held over the destination of his soul. All his bad decisions are weighted against his good deeds and he is sentenced to eternal punishment on Fire.
At the end of the season both planets, Fire and Water, are destroyed. Stan's soul is set free, and is able to return into his body, though he cannot remember what happened to him on Fire. The souls of all inhabitants of Fire and Water are also released, then travel to a planet that looks like Earth.
=== Fourth and final season ===
The Lexx travels to Earth looking for food. It is located in the very center of the Dark Universe and the crew assumes that it must be a very dangerous place. The crew again meet people they knew from the Light Universe, and from Fire and Water. Only Prince and Priest are able to remember their lives on Fire (though presumably Priest can do this only because Prince allows him to).
Kai's soul is stuck because he is undead, and he decides to die to release his soul. To do this, he must regain his mortality. He plays chess with Prince to regain mortality and wins, but remains undead.
The Earth is threatened by a being who resembles Lyekka. The crew finds out that the fake "Lyekka" destroyed all human life on her way through the Dark Zone. Kai decides to destroy the asteroid that is the source of the entity. Prince keeps his promise and restores Kai's mortality. Minutes later, Kai finally dies destroying the asteroid, saving all inhabitants of the Dark Zone. 790 destroys the Earth using the senile and dying Lexx. Prince, Priest, and Bunny escape on a rocket filled with Catholic schoolgirls, and Xev and Stan fly off together on the Lexx's offspring, "Little Lexx" to find a new home.

Tags: psychedelic, comedy, gothic, humor

Review:
The first episode sees Stanley H Tweedle (A security guard who accidently destroyed 94 reform planets, played to perfection by Brian Downey), Zev Belringer of B3k (A young woman who was transformed into a love slave forfailing to perform her wifely duties, a freak accident occured during her transformation leaving her part Cluster lizard; portrayed in her first incarnation by Eva Habermann), Kai (an emotionless undead assasin, played by Michael McManus) and 790 (the robot who worked on Zev was decapitated and it's head given the "falling-in-love" part of the transformation thus 790 fell madly in love with his subject; voiced to perfection by series writer Jeffery Hirschfield) unite by chance on "The Cluster" the planet ruled by almost eternal His Divine shadow who rules the universe, and accidently steal the LEXX (a 10 kilometre long dragonfly, also the most powerful weapon ever built/grown).
Although often dismissed as hoky and low-budget (and it can be both), the Lexx series has strong characterizations, good solid writing with multiple story lines that always seem to come together seamlessly at the end (and that is NOT easy), and plenty of eye candy.
Has more of a personality than Data, in love with Zev, how's that for originality???4) Kai, the 2000 year old dead Brunnen G 'anti-hero'.
But then there are the half-lizard nymphomaniac, the unintelligent "dirty old man" (who somehow became the Captain of the Lexx through an accident), the robot head driven by love-psychosis, and the sentient, organic Lexx itself, a living ship and slave to the Captain who, if unchecked, would be content in destroying or feeding on organic life in the form of other space ships or entire planets.The questionable desires of the crew are usually left unfulfilled in the episodes, and morality and good win out in the end over immorality and evil, but not before a thorough exploration of self-indulgent natures and evil.True, the low-budget nature of the series may make it ideal for viewing in late night hours as an alternative to infomercials, but the series is nothing if not imaginative.
Other series have cropped up since, with similar themes of a powerful space ship crewed by fools and lechers, but "Lexx" is definitely unique in that its flawed characters are so familiar that they become endearing..
In the vast ocean of blandness of (sci-fi and) regular television, this is easily the most enjoyable show I've ever watched.As counter to the stuffy, sterile and stale space operas of the Star Trek series as this could be; its a refreshingly imaginative take on the wandering starship plot.This show is either hit or miss with most people.
If you love absurd, bizarre scenarios and a touch of dark humour you'll love this show.It's a mix of the original Star Trek series, with a seriously dark and foreboding air to it; with hysterical and upsetting plots and characters that keep you from feeling secure.
Although the episodes in the marathon didn't make a lot of sense (Sci-Fi aired the Season 2 episodes out of order) we were hooked by the black humor, the funky music, and the show's overall stylishness.I think the show was a lot smarter than most people realize.In a nutshell, Lexx is the American Red Dwarf.
Sure, there MIGHT be another Lexx someday, but the conclusion of Season 4 didn't leave any loose ends or nagging issues.Warts and all, Lexx stands as one of the most interesting and innovative sci-fi shows ever attempted.
The story and costumes are completely new, the acting perfectly suited for what is needed, and the effects certainly enough to fascinate viewers.One of the scenes I liked best was in Episode One, which has a His Shadow ship attacking the homeworld of the Brunnen-G.
The very story is just hilariously cool, as we see the talking spaceship, Lexx, which is in fact a living insect, but a huge one and unbearably droopy and always praising Stanley Tweedle, an unlikely hero, who owns it and is always willing Xev. Xev is a nice sweet space woman, and then there is Kai, the last of the dead people race, and he is cool, handsome and never shows any sense of humor or irony, but can help hapless Stan whenever he is in deep trouble.
The first season is very specific, with 4 larger series, each looking more like a real full movie.
The second season is mostly a collection of shorter mini series, about Lexx's team long wanderings in space, looking for some good planet, some food and some sex for Stan and Zev. We see the Nook - planet of men only and then we are worried by impossibly evil Mantrid who seeks Lexx all the time, and then we laugh heartily when the whole series is a Opera show.
i highly recommend it to people who like science fiction that thinks outside normal sci-fi convention..
Eva Habermann as Zev is one of the most luscious looking characters ever, she was better than Xenia Seeberg (no disrespect to Xenia), Kai is so cool, and 790 is a love crazed robot head.The supporting cast is also brilliant, especially the 2 mercenaries, who add an extra touch of dark humor.
After so many other scifi shows that can't ever seem to get away from earth-based humans as the main backdrop, we have a completely new and original universe with a refreshing lack of moral conviction as a basis for plot building.
Lexx has to be the craziest, strangest, and most bizarre shows in TV history.It's about 4 characters: Zev/Xev is a love slave.
Apart from the comedy, sexual themes feature very heavily on Lexx, it's in most episodes and a strong motivational force for the characters and drives some of the story lines.
It's a really refreshing alternative to the more "serious" sci-fi-shows out there (like Star Trek and so on, although a absolutely adore DS9), and has some really fascinating plots and characters.
I started watching in the middle of the seasons, and only later discovered, in my eyes, my favorite sci-fi-actress of all time (Eva Habermann).
I was able to watch the first 2 seasons of Lexx when it was first shown here in the UK, late at night on the fairly new Channel 5.
Even then, its quirkiness made it watchable.Now, with full knowledge of the overlying plot and background I must say this is probably the most impressive sci-fi epic I've ever seen.I had no idea the tale itself was so captivating, the background history of the universes involved so superbly imagined.It's adult, dark, violent and frequently tongue-in-cheek.It reminds me of the groundbreaking sci-fi comic book epics of the 2000ad comic back in the 70s and 80s - genuine enthusiasm and love put into developing the tale and characters; nothing done by committee nor with an eye on sell-thru merchandising.So the story itself is deserving of praise before the execution, limited by TV budgets and tech available at the time, can be considered.The effects overall are pretty decent given the former, the sets and acting above TV average - more than convincing in its entirety for you to suspend disbelief and invest time in a truly memorable bit of sci-fi.Truly, though, it is the epic story - the most crucial fundament - which carries the day; so worthy that it would still deserve praise had the whole thing been played out only with hand puppets.If half the integrity and belief had been invested into the Star Wars franchise it would have avoided its ultimate descent into deserved derision.Lexx is the Star Wars they never made but should have; the more deserving, more adult and more talented sibling that will only take the limelight and plaudits in retrospect.There is, however, still plenty time to give us the big-budget movie version.
The music, as others have eluded to, is great and the concept of the Lexx and the Dark Zone as a Parallel Universe, interesting.
All in all, it is a great series of movies and are worth watching ..
Well, Lexx certainly had that covered, and it was also wildly original and almost cliché-free.It's basically about a fugitive coward who accidentally gets control of the most powerful and destructive space ship in the known universe: a planet destroying, living insectoid starship.
Well, this show was really strange and bizarre, with moments of brutality, sexuality, and dark humor absent in most sci-fi series.
The first series (my favourite) was mind blowing full of wacky and original ideas, a great music score as well as a brilliant script.
The whole look and feel of the series is wildly original, but consistent with its own tenets.For those who complain about the plots:  this is a series you need to watch carefully, or you'll miss seemingly unimportant little bits that turn out to be major elements.
The satire is lovely, too--for instance, the jab at Star Wars (A New Hope) in the opening scenes of 'Lafftrak' and the interior of the space shuttle in 'Little Blue Planet.'I prefer Xenia as Xev, because she makes the character more three-dimensional than Eva.
And Michael McManus does a superb job in *not* making Kai into a Spock-like character.Lexx combines horror, terror, humor, sex, gore and warmth.
The last season of Lexx got quite silly but the series is definitely worth watching..
In a genre choked to mediocrity by a flood of american sci-fi garbage, Lexx is completely refreshing.Sexy, funny, dark and deep, this show breaks the stale mold and establishes some exciting new directions for science fiction into the next century.
Cast do a great job, especially Xenia Seeberg a.k.a. Xev. Kai is also portrayed quite good, however the script doesn't give him a chance for a proper character development.
In a sense, it is the life journey of its sole human protagonist, surrounded by super-human good and evil characters and temptations.Lexx is a very human show about human flaws, human desires, and occasionally doing the right thing.I give it a 10 not because it is perfectly executed (the quality of the episodes is variable), but because the overall effort is so innovative and entertaining compared to the rather boring derivative scuff shows that come and go every few years and that don't know when to quit..
LEXX is a unique Sci-Fi show and is simply in a different -love it or hate it- universe from anything else that has been made.Normally we have impossibly good guys and totally evil bad guys -here we have flawed characters who are each a bit selfish but have formed a family and in not learning from experience create havoc wherever they go.
Catching the initial episodes is a must to have any idea of character motivations-the show is stylish and the goth soundtrack fits perfectly.Took me a long time to realise that I really liked this show and now I love catching back episodes as its just so different..
I've actually only seen episodes from the fourth series and i've fallen completely in love with Lexx.
What Lexx does so well that few others shows can do is introduce you to a completely new world, something so fresh and bizarre that you can watch the same episode several times in different moods and have different experiences as a result.
But it's good fun.The aspect that is worst is the (apparently necessary) substitution of Xenia Seeberg (Xev) for Eva Habermann (Zev) at the beginning of the series (after the 4 movies that comprised the first season).
Bizarrely, despite the fact that the budgets aren't obviously what other shows have, Lexx keeps you entertained, and is most like Red Dwarf, or older episodes of Dr Who. The show is very character driven, all four characters have fairly interesting motivations and attributes, and are all completely atypical of standard Sci Fi writing.Lexx is an odd mix that somehow works.
This definitely seems to give it a non formulaic character.While somewhat odd, out of all Science Fiction TV, Lexx is probably the most unusual, especially considering four seasons of it were produced..
Its like a nightmare/dream come true.How often do we get a series that isn't preachy especially in Sci Fi. I highly recommend LEXX to anyone who has ever watched Dr.Who. Farscape is nice but LEXX is the BOMB!.
Lexx is a bizarre sci-fi series mixed with dark humor.
Canada's best Sci-Fi. Based on the miniseries Lexx is about a strange group of travellers on their way to find a new home.
In my personal opinion, I consider the Lexx movies (better known under the alternate title Tales from Parallel Universe) to be way better than the lexx t.v. series that aired on the Sci-Fi channel a few years back.The reason I think this because I thought the series (particluarly during it's fourth and last season) got slowed down by too much bathroom humor and the writers decision to keep the characters in one setting for long periods of time.
The things I enjoy about this show are: the opening theme'O-a-yo'(which lures you in like a good theme should), Stanley Tweedle (who Brian Downey portrays greatly) relates to the unsure part of us trying to be heroic but is too normal, and the strange and creative plots.
I think she kicks ass on the original Xev(or Zev) who i have seen a few times in the series' common flashbacks.
The Lexx loses its memories and can only be controlled with Stanley Tweedle's hand.This is one of the most unusual looking sci-fi with a crazy story background.
For years I been hearing about how original and good is this show, but after watch the first 4 Tv movies I just a found just a few pieces of trash with nothing new except there is anything less science.
As many other stories of science fiction this saga begins with one prophecy of one warrior who will kill the ultimate evil who destroys his world, then all the classic elements are changed just to put a bunch of laments characters commanding a big space ship of an ancient insect race who manifest in the end of the fourth movie with the form of a human(at least the face).
Those looking for something different or fans of the original series will really like it.
If you watch the shows regularly and often then you'll begin to understand the context of it and the people like Stan, Kai, Zev and that robot thing.
i don't like him, annoying little thing.The special effects are great though not as good as Star Trek's i'll will have to admit that but all in all it's pretty good.My favourite character is Zev Bellringer.
She's very sensible at times but has also a great sense of fun in which Stan and Kai don't.It's an exceptional Sci-Fi series and does fit the bill on many accounts.
I hope the series doesn't end where it did and that the Lexx crew continue on their adventures for a few more years..
Xenia Seeberg is possibly the best actress in Sci-fi at the moment.It is the most original series on TV and some of the later episodes surpass even the best of the movies..
.......one of the best sci-fi movies i've ever seen.....the music is great, cast characters played at their best, & the compostion of movies is thrilling......good maked film.....i'll buy it soon, & offer ya to do the same......!.
The concept of insect based organic technology is a nice touch.I think what makes this show hard for people to like, aside from the shallow scripts and bad special effects are the sexual aspects.The comedy is somewhat funny, in a juvenile bathroom kind of way.
BUT - for any sci-fi fan who has up to his or her neck of Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek or Stargare Universe THIS 1'st season of Lexx with its 4 episodes will be a very refreshing treat.
Don't expect much in the way of good CG though (or a budget for that matter), but for everything the series lacks it compensates generously with an original storyline and very unusual characters..
I really like the idea of Lexx, but I just think that there could have been so much more to it, it could have been a great Sci-Fi comedy.I am still not really sure about the whole thing, the main characters are not the greatest (possibly through casting decisions?
Lexx is a one of a kind show with character and ideas that are absolutely unique and excellent!A twisted a clasic humorus series set in the setting of Space.
And there are other characters that just make the show hillarius, LEXX is a sexy comedy sci-fi that will just make your day more exiting.
Lexx is great scifi with brilliant effects that are mainly CGI based like Babylon 5 but much more inventive and bizarre.
Lexx is a non-PC version of Star Trek with elements of horror, comedy and drama all mixed into one to form one of the most amazing sci-fi series around today.
The worst sci-fi series I've seen, I cant think of anything I can compare it too that makes it look good.
After seeing only one episode of Lexx I'm convinced this is really not able to be in the shadow of the original and very witty Science Fiction series Red Dwarf.
Even the effects are cheap and not convincing.The only thing I liked were the original decors in Lexx.
Now the great movie turned into cheap Star Trek which, if you look at it closely, lives on characters and ideas from The Dark Zone and really hasn't got much of it's own.
A clean, fresh movie on a good budget with great ideas and original characters would have made the day.
A series will never be better than a movie - ideas are depletable.Also, sometimes things that seem little are very important, and people who watch it without too much attention will get wondering about how come the security guard gets the key or why the star started shining.