I recently finished the first season of Dark Matter on Netflix, and I found that I had a few things that I wanted to write about.  My goal is to make this as spoiler-free as possible, but there is one spoiler that really turned around the show for me, and will be the focus for this post.  My spoiler-free review is that I really enjoyed the first season, and gets a solid recommendation from me.  For some minor spoilers, read on, but if you want to go into this show blind, stop now.

Alright, with that out of the way, the main reason that I like this show is that the main characters are not as evil as they are made out to be.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite, they are all decent people who have a genuine dedication to each other and to improving themselves and the world around them.

Over the course of the first season, we see each character struggle with their own personal demons, and overcome them in a way that illustrates their nature.  It is through these personal stories that each character learns a bit more about themselves – most notably, who they are outside of what others know of them.  They also grow as a team though – they learn when they can rely on each other, what their suspicions are, and what role they fill on the team.

Another thing I like about the show is the distinctiveness of its setting.  In very few scenes, the universe is established as one of worlds spanning megacorporations and struggling colonists, seedy mercenaries and galactic police.  Through this, the show demonstrates what makes the main characters unique.  They are not the seedy mercenaries, they care more for the long-term consequences of the job than what they payout is.  On the other hand, they aren’t noble vigilantes, they’re constantly on the run, and would be risking their own lives if they ever took the noble path.

As I’ve said a number of times, I love stories about heroes; especially stories about heroes making difficult choices.  Dark Matter is really shaping up to contain such stories, and I was overall impressed with season 1 of the show.  I look forward to future seasons…