The pilot for Krypton is an enticing beginning to what we’re all hoping will be a successful prologue to the rich history of Superman. This episode did a good job of building a world familiar in concept but still needs a fair amount of fleshing out in order for it to feel personal and real. That being said, I’m optimistic about where it will take us. Seyg-El , grandfather of Kal-El and the protagonist on this show, is a likable character and is easy to root for. This episode’s purpose was to give us a crash-course on his situation and the impending doom that is Brainiac. Although it crammed a lot of information in, it wasn’t too much to still enjoy and understand the scope and direction of the show.
1. CGI
I was relieved to see that SyFy has a larger CGI budget than shows like The Flash (or essentially any other CW show). This is very important for a show that primarily takes place on another planet. There were no scenes that made me feel that the CGI was out of place or took attention away from the show itself. I’m excited to see how they use it in future episodes that are bound to be more action-packed.
2. Star Wars
Parts of this show feel like Star Wars, especially scenes with the Sagitarii, the equivalent of the Imperial army. I guess it’s somewhat impossible to escape that aesthetic on a show that’s based in outer-space. However, I hope they steer clear of making it feel too similar so it doesn’t get pigeon-holed. I think we can all agree that finding new looks for stories that take place in outer space/on a Sci-Fi platform can only be a good thing.
3. Genesis Chambers
I was happy to see them tying in the genesis chambers and the sterile way in which Kryptonians reproduce. This is important in the DCU’s rendition of events, as Superman was technically the first natural-born Kryptonian in years in Man of Steel. This detail helped to ground the world in something familiar. This falls in line with the general understanding of Kryptonian reproduction in DC canon as well.
4. Rao
The show uses Rao as a rallying-point for the body of Kryptonians who are anti-science and “Red Sun-Explosion” deniers. The priest of Rao, who is seen throughout the show with their golden, three-faced mask, is a character shrouded in mystery at the moment. I’m excited to see how they use and develop this character/idea. I also think its a stroke of genius to tie-in a concept so close to the issue of climate-change, something we can all relate to in this day and age.
5. Brainiac
I cannot wait to see what they do with Brainiac on this show! We see homages to him in shots of Kandar, where there is a dome that surrounds the city. We also get a nice shot of him towards the end of the episode. He looks menacing and similar to the Injustice 2 rendition of the character. As the overlying antagonist for the show, I have high hopes for what they’ll do with him. One slight criticism is the they made his spaceship (or rather space-vessel, as this thing certainly did not look like a ship) resemble the awful version of Galactus in Fantastic Four 2. This made me gag slightly, but it was easy to move past this when you looked at how cool it actually is.
