Prey (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Prey was a science-fiction television series that aired for one season (13 episodes) in 1998 on ABC
. The series starred Debra Messing
, Adam Storke
, Larry Drake
, Frankie Faison
, James Morrison
, and Vincent Ventresca
.
in humans. Sloan's mentor, Dr Ann Coulter, is a geneticist
who believes that the violent behavior of certain criminals may have a genetic basis. She has collected genetic samples from a variety of convicted murderers and other violent criminals, and is currently preparing to serve as an expert witness in the trial of an accused serial killer
. After the killer escapes and murders Dr Coulter, Sloan discovers her body, along with a collection of data demonstrating that violent criminals- especially serial killers- often share distinct genetic similarities that set them apart from normal human beings, rendering them as different (genetically) from humans as humans are from chimpanzees.
Sloan shares Dr. Coulter's discovery with fellow scientists, law-enforcement personnel, and a few others, and soon comes to realize that the new species is on the verge of supplanting humankind in the same way that Homo Sapiens supplanted the Neanderthals at the end of the last Ice Age
, even theorizing that their emergence might be connected to global warming
.
Meanwhile, as the escaped killer cuts a murderous swath through California, Sloan makes the acquaintance of Tom Daniels (Adam Storke), a federal agent determined to capture him. Tom is eventually revealed to be a member of the new species himself, and describes them as "hunting" human beings the same way humans hunt deer and other animals, hence the show's title.
Upon learning that the new species can breed with humanity, but due to their dominant genetic traits the children of such a pairing are always the new species, they are given the name Homo dominant.
toward human beings that borders on racism
. Their aggression is portrayed as an instinctive genetic characteristic, present even in young children.
Dominants also possess various psychic
traits, including the ability to cloud the minds of others, sense other members of their species telepathically, and to sense emotions empathically.
The Dominants are able to exist comfortably in much warmer climates than humans, barely perspiring even in desert
conditions. They have smaller craniums than humans, and their brains display greater synaptic interconnectivity
. The mummified
remains of a young Dominant girl revealed that the females of their species possess four uterus
es.
Sloan speculates at one point that there may be as many as 200,000 members of the new species. Their point of origin is revealed to be a deserted village in Oaxaca
, Mexico
, a location the Dominants regard as sacred
. It is also the location of a mysterious monolith with arcane writings on its surface.
There are groups of humans who are aware of the Dominants and collaborate with them. Similarly, there are groups of Dominants who wish to co-exist peacefully with humans.
Technologically, the Dominants use genetic engineering
in an attempt to "convert" humans into members of their own species. They also make use of cloning
and nanotechnology
.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The series starred Debra Messing
Debra Messing
Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress, voice artist, and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her role as Grace Adler in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace and as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife....
, Adam Storke
Adam Storke
Adam J. Storke is an American actor who has starred in television and film. He is best known for playing Julia Roberts' love interest in the 1988 hit film Mystic Pizza and as Larry Underwood in the 1994 hit Stephen King mini series The Stand.-Biography:Storke was born in New York City, New York,...
, Larry Drake
Larry Drake
Larry Drake is an American actor.Drake was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Lorraine, a homemaker, and Raymond Drake, a drafting engineer for an oil company. Drake is renowned for his portrayal of developmentally disabled Benny Stulwicz on the television show L.A...
, Frankie Faison
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
, James Morrison
James Morrison (actor)
James Paige Morrison is an American actor. He was born in Bountiful, Utah, the son of an office manager, and was raised in Anchorage, Alaska.-Biography:...
, and Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Ventresca
Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
.
Premise
The series follows Dr Sloan Parker (Debra Messing), an anthropologist studying genetic variationGenetic variation
Genetic variation, variation in alleles of genes, occurs both within and among populations. Genetic variation is important because it provides the “raw material” for natural selection. Genetic variation is brought about by mutation, a change in a chemical structure of a gene. Polyploidy is an...
in humans. Sloan's mentor, Dr Ann Coulter, is a geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
who believes that the violent behavior of certain criminals may have a genetic basis. She has collected genetic samples from a variety of convicted murderers and other violent criminals, and is currently preparing to serve as an expert witness in the trial of an accused serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. After the killer escapes and murders Dr Coulter, Sloan discovers her body, along with a collection of data demonstrating that violent criminals- especially serial killers- often share distinct genetic similarities that set them apart from normal human beings, rendering them as different (genetically) from humans as humans are from chimpanzees.
Sloan shares Dr. Coulter's discovery with fellow scientists, law-enforcement personnel, and a few others, and soon comes to realize that the new species is on the verge of supplanting humankind in the same way that Homo Sapiens supplanted the Neanderthals at the end of the last Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, even theorizing that their emergence might be connected to global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
Meanwhile, as the escaped killer cuts a murderous swath through California, Sloan makes the acquaintance of Tom Daniels (Adam Storke), a federal agent determined to capture him. Tom is eventually revealed to be a member of the new species himself, and describes them as "hunting" human beings the same way humans hunt deer and other animals, hence the show's title.
Upon learning that the new species can breed with humanity, but due to their dominant genetic traits the children of such a pairing are always the new species, they are given the name Homo dominant.
Traits of Homo dominant
Dominants are smarter and more aggressive than humans, and are convinced that, as a superior form of life, they are entitled to subjugate their human cousins by whatever means necessary. They often express an antipathyAntipathy
Antipathy is dislike for something or somebody, the opposite of sympathy. While antipathy may be induced by previous experience, it sometimes exists without a rational cause-and-effect explanation being present to the individuals involved....
toward human beings that borders on racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. Their aggression is portrayed as an instinctive genetic characteristic, present even in young children.
Dominants also possess various psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
traits, including the ability to cloud the minds of others, sense other members of their species telepathically, and to sense emotions empathically.
The Dominants are able to exist comfortably in much warmer climates than humans, barely perspiring even in desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
conditions. They have smaller craniums than humans, and their brains display greater synaptic interconnectivity
Synapse
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...
. The mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
remains of a young Dominant girl revealed that the females of their species possess four uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
es.
Sloan speculates at one point that there may be as many as 200,000 members of the new species. Their point of origin is revealed to be a deserted village in Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, a location the Dominants regard as sacred
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
. It is also the location of a mysterious monolith with arcane writings on its surface.
There are groups of humans who are aware of the Dominants and collaborate with them. Similarly, there are groups of Dominants who wish to co-exist peacefully with humans.
Technologically, the Dominants use genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
in an attempt to "convert" humans into members of their own species. They also make use of cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
and nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
.
Broadcast History
- Thursdays 8:00 p.m. (January 15, 1998 - March 19, 1998)
- Thursdays 9:00 p.m. (June 11, 1998 - July 9, 1998)
Episode titles
| № | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Hungry for Survival" | (Unaired pilot Television pilot A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an... ) |
| 1 | "Existence" | January 15, 1998 |
| 2 | "Discovery" | January 22, 1998 |
| 3 | "Pursuit" | January 29, 1998 |
| 4 | "Origins" | February 5, 1998 |
| 5 | "Revelations" | February 19, 1998 |
| 6 | "Infiltration" | March 5, 1998 |
| 7 | "Transformations" | March 12, 1998 |
| 8 | "Veil" | March 19, 1998 |
| 9 | "Collaboration" | June 11, 1998 |
| 10 | "Sleeper" | June 18, 1998 |
| 11 | "Vengeance" | June 25, 1998 |
| 12 | "Progeny" | July 2, 1998 |
| 13 | "Deliverance (Part 1)" | July 9, 1998 |