Meteor (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Meteor is a 2009 disaster television miniseries about the asteroid 114 Kassandra
on a collision course with the Earth
. The surrounding meteorites crash into various locations worldwide, including the small town of Taft, California
, with little success in their elimination by the military.
The first part of the film was broadcast on the NBC
network July 12, 2009. The second part aired a week later on July 19, 2009.
), and his assistant, Imogene O'Neill (Marla Sokoloff
), race against time to provide vital information to JPL rocket scientist Dr. Chetwyn (Jason Alexander
), Lehman's former boss who fired him and the only one authorized to prevent the impending destruction. Lehman ultimately gets hit by a car and Imogene strives alone, encountering various murderers and automotive failures. Amidst the chaos, Detective Jack Crowe (Billy Campbell
) desperately searches for his psychotic ex-partner Stark (Michael Rooker
) before the madman seeks revenge against Jack by killing Jack's father and daughter. Meanwhile, Jack's father, the Police sheriff (Stacy Keach
) of the town of Taft, deals with subsiding the panic in his town as the meteor shower
continues. Another subplot involves a family struggling for survival in a meteor-struck hospital.
After the United States launches numerous nuclear weapons at the approaching asteroid, Imogene discovers a flaw in Dr. Lehman's algorithm and finds that 114 Kassandra had been split in two by the comet that knocked it out of orbit. The second half of Kassandra is larger than the first, and the military's nuclear arsenal is already depleted from destroying the first half, which was believed to be the whole meteor.
As the meteor draws closer to Earth, the meteor storms surrounding it cause increasing amounts of damage as they occur at an unstoppable pace. Part of the headquarters of the scientists tracking Kassandra is hit, resulting in Dr. Chetwyn's death.
Imogene finds herself as the only one left who can save the world from destruction, however, she can no longer contact the government by any traditional means of communication. After being abducted by and escaping from Stark with Jack's help, she finds a radio tower that can reach the remaining scientists at the base, but Stark unexpectedly returns, having survived being shot thanks to a bulletproof vest he had previously stolen. By the time Stark is shot dead by the Sheriff and Jack, Kassandra has entered Earth's atmosphere, and the government decides to launch their remaining missiles and accept the consequences - massive meteor storms and radiation from the blast.
Mere minutes before the missiles hit the meteor, however, Imogene manages to get the scientists to alter their course. Initially it appears that the missiles missed Kassandra entirely, but it quickly becomes clear that Imogene's plan deflected the meteor into the Sun, saving Earth. But three months later, Imogene tells Jack that there will be "next time" in the year 2027, talking about Apophis, 18 years from 2009.
114 Kassandra
114 Kassandra is a large and dark main-belt asteroid. It belongs to the rare class T. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on July 23, 1871, and is named after Cassandra, the prophetess in the tales of the Trojan War. The asteroid is featured in the 2009 film Meteor: Path to Destruction, in which...
on a collision course with the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The surrounding meteorites crash into various locations worldwide, including the small town of Taft, California
Taft, California
Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Taft is located west-southwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 955 feet . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census...
, with little success in their elimination by the military.
The first part of the film was broadcast on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network July 12, 2009. The second part aired a week later on July 19, 2009.
Plot
An astronomer, Dr. Lehman (Christopher LloydChristopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
), and his assistant, Imogene O'Neill (Marla Sokoloff
Marla Sokoloff
Marla Lynne Sokoloff is an American actress and musician, known for playing the part of Lucy Hatcher on the TV show The Practice, and Gia Mahan on the ABC sitcom, Full House.- Personal life :...
), race against time to provide vital information to JPL rocket scientist Dr. Chetwyn (Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
), Lehman's former boss who fired him and the only one authorized to prevent the impending destruction. Lehman ultimately gets hit by a car and Imogene strives alone, encountering various murderers and automotive failures. Amidst the chaos, Detective Jack Crowe (Billy Campbell
Billy Campbell
William Oliver "Billy" Campbell is an American film and television actor. In television, he is best known for his roles as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, as Det. Joey Indelli on Crime Story, as Jordan Collier on The 4400, and as Dr. Jon Fielding on the Tales of the City Miniseries...
) desperately searches for his psychotic ex-partner Stark (Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
) before the madman seeks revenge against Jack by killing Jack's father and daughter. Meanwhile, Jack's father, the Police sheriff (Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
) of the town of Taft, deals with subsiding the panic in his town as the meteor shower
Meteor shower
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories. Most meteors are smaller...
continues. Another subplot involves a family struggling for survival in a meteor-struck hospital.
After the United States launches numerous nuclear weapons at the approaching asteroid, Imogene discovers a flaw in Dr. Lehman's algorithm and finds that 114 Kassandra had been split in two by the comet that knocked it out of orbit. The second half of Kassandra is larger than the first, and the military's nuclear arsenal is already depleted from destroying the first half, which was believed to be the whole meteor.
As the meteor draws closer to Earth, the meteor storms surrounding it cause increasing amounts of damage as they occur at an unstoppable pace. Part of the headquarters of the scientists tracking Kassandra is hit, resulting in Dr. Chetwyn's death.
Imogene finds herself as the only one left who can save the world from destruction, however, she can no longer contact the government by any traditional means of communication. After being abducted by and escaping from Stark with Jack's help, she finds a radio tower that can reach the remaining scientists at the base, but Stark unexpectedly returns, having survived being shot thanks to a bulletproof vest he had previously stolen. By the time Stark is shot dead by the Sheriff and Jack, Kassandra has entered Earth's atmosphere, and the government decides to launch their remaining missiles and accept the consequences - massive meteor storms and radiation from the blast.
Mere minutes before the missiles hit the meteor, however, Imogene manages to get the scientists to alter their course. Initially it appears that the missiles missed Kassandra entirely, but it quickly becomes clear that Imogene's plan deflected the meteor into the Sun, saving Earth. But three months later, Imogene tells Jack that there will be "next time" in the year 2027, talking about Apophis, 18 years from 2009.
Cast
- Marla SokoloffMarla SokoloffMarla Lynne Sokoloff is an American actress and musician, known for playing the part of Lucy Hatcher on the TV show The Practice, and Gia Mahan on the ABC sitcom, Full House.- Personal life :...
as Imogene O' Neill - Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
as Dr. Daniel Lehman - Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak as Michael "Mike" Hapscomb
- Ernie HudsonErnie HudsonErnest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:...
as General Brasser - Kenneth Mitchell as Russell "Rusty" Hapscomb
- Mimi MichaelsMimi Michaels- Early life :Michaels was born in Great Neck, Nassau County, New York. She left to attend the famed LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York City, which she calls "The best decision of my life!" After graduating, on the high school dean's advice, rather than accepting a place at the...
as Jenny Crowe - Michael RookerMichael RookerMichael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...
as Calvin Stark - Erin CottrellErin CottrellErin Cottrell is an American actress, who has appeared in the role of Missie Davis-LaHaye in 5 of the 8 films in the Love Comes Softly series. She also played Caroline Ingalls in the 2005 miniseries Little House On The Prairie...
as Dr. Chelsea Hapscomb - Anne Nahabedian as Claire Payne
- Ariel Gade as M. Keely Payne
- Alex PaezAlex PaezAlex Paez is an award-winning American actor, musician and restaurateur.- Career :Paez began his career in 1971 appearing in various TV commercials. In 1979, he received a Best Actor Emmy Award for his performances in Unicorn Tales, a series of mini-musicals for NBC...
as Lieutenant Finn - Paola TurbayPaola TurbayPaola Turbay Gómez is a Colombian-American actress of Lebanese descent, model, and television presenter.Turbay represented Bogotá in the Miss Colombia beauty pageant, which she won in 1991...
as Nurse Huxley - Tiffany Hines as Maya
- Sam Ayers as Captain Finnegan
- Wyatt Smith as Roadside Boy
- Natalie R Ridley as Police Dispatcher
- Billy CampbellBilly CampbellWilliam Oliver "Billy" Campbell is an American film and television actor. In television, he is best known for his roles as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, as Det. Joey Indelli on Crime Story, as Jordan Collier on The 4400, and as Dr. Jon Fielding on the Tales of the City Miniseries...
as Detective Jack Crowe - Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
as Police Chief Crowe - Jason AlexanderJason AlexanderJay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
as Dr. Nathan Chetwyn - Zachary Bryan as Deputy Kosey
- Camille ChenCamille ChenCamille Chen is a Taiwanese American actress. She was born in Taiwan and raised in the U.S. She began her career in show business, doing voiceover work for the English version of anime TV series such as Lost Universe and Devil Lady.-Filmography:*Spilled *The Ringer *Heavenly Beauties as Asian...
as Lieutenant Quigley - Eugene Davis as Whitaker
- Harrison Knight as Buck
- Cindy Ambuehl as Cheryl
- Chancellor Miller as Trent
- Carmen ArgenzianoCarmen ArgenzianoCarmen Antimo Argenziano is an American actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes....
as Border Police Murphy
External links
- Meteor: Path to Destruction Movie Clips
- Meteor at NBC
- Meteor Watch movie: Meteor - Part 1 with subtitles
- Meteor Watch movie: Meteor - Part 2 with subtitles
- Meteor credits - InBaseline
- Meteor at Rhitv