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Pilot (The 4400 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the first episode of season one and the pilot
of the science fiction
television series The 4400
. The episode aired July 11, 2004 on the USA Network
. The episode was written by Scott Peters
and René Echevarria
, and was directed by Yves Simoneau
. Attracting approximately 7.4 million viewers, the episode became basic cable's most watched première since The Dead Zone
. "Pilot" introduces the show's premise of 4400 people being abducted in the past, beginning from 1946, and all being returned to the present day in a flash of light at Highland Beach
.
A comet
suddenly changes trajectory
and is heading towards Earth, apparently coming in for a "landing", 4400 people assumed dead or missing reappear. When 4400s begin to exhibit "abilities" Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris are partnered to investigate them.
(Conchita Campbell
) of Crescent City, California
, is with her parents in their car. Although it is raining outside, she persuades her parents to let her play nearby. While she is collecting flowers in the bushes, a light shines down on Maia, and she disappears. The next scene takes place on May 11, 1951 in South Korea
. A young black soldier, Richard Tyler
(Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
), is being beaten
by his fellow officers. One of them remarks, "We treated you like an equal
, but that wasn't good enough for you. You had to cross the line." A fellow soldier then drops a photo booth strip on the floor; the pictures are of Richard with a young white woman. Moments later, the same light which abducted Maia shines on Richard, and he vanishes.
Next, two teenagers, Shawn Farrell
(Patrick Flueger
) and Kyle Baldwin
(Chad Faust
), are on a beach in the year 2001, drinking beers at night and talking about their personal lives. The light shines on them, and Kyle drops to the ground unconscious. The episode jumps to the present day with Kyle in a hospital bed, hooked up to a respirator. His father, Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch
), is comforting him.
Elsewhere, Diana Skouris
(Jacqueline McKenzie
) receives a call on her cell from Dennis Ryland
(Peter Coyote
) telling her to "Get over here, now!" As Diana arrives at NTAC, Ryland announces that the country is at DEFCON One
. Diana asks to be brought up to speed, and an unnamed co-worker tells her that the comet is no longer a fly-by; it is heading toward the earth. Countries around the world begin deploying missile
s in an attempt to destroy the comet.
As it enters the atmosphere of Earth, Diana remarks that the comet is slowing down, "as if it's coming in for a landing." As she tells Ryland the co-ordinates of where the comet's trajectory will land it, Dennis states that it is near Mount Rainier
, their "back yard." Arriving at the landing spot of the comet
, a multitude of cameramen and reporters have set up. Diana looks on as the comet slowly comes in to land, hovering over a lake and causing ripples to form in the water. While emitting a sound, the comet begins to shrivel and lose its cohesion. Seconds later, the ball of light explodes, sending a shock-wave that knocks over the onlookers. Returning to their feet, they discover the comet is gone, and thousands of people have appeared.
Back at NTAC, Tom and Dennis argue in Dennis' office. Tom tells him he needs answers, and that he will come through for Dennis. After this Dennis introduces Tom to Diana, explaining how, together, they will make a good team investigating the return of the 4400.
. Originally "Pilot" was scripted to be a one-hour pilot for the FOX network
; however, the FOX network passed on the show due to interest only in a miniseries while producer Maira Suro believed the show had "legs" for a full series. The FOX network then allowed Peters and American Zoetrope
to "take" the show with them. The USA Network was approached with the series, and after reading the script, the show was greenlit
for a two hour pilot episode. According to Peters, the USA Network did not wish to change the show or cut any characters from the script.
In an interview with writer
and executive producer
, Ira Steven Behr
, he notes that there are no religious aspects to the episode and that he does not believe religion will play any major part in the first season, stating "I have my beliefs, and you have yours"
. The episode was also nominated for two Emmy Award
s in the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, nominated for outstanding writing for a miniseries, movie or dramatic special and the award for outstanding cinematography for a miniseries or movie. The episode did not receive any wins.
Sci Fi television critic
Kathie Huddleston rated the episode as a "B", stating "The 4400 feels more like a drama than a science-fiction show. When the sci-fi elements do come into play, they're often subtle." While IGN
reviewer "KJB" rated the episode as a "six out of ten" and states in regards to the characters "What remains to be seen is if the major characters can get beyond their obvious roots in other series and make viewers forget their slightly more than passing resemblance to Mulder
& Scully
."
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...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The 4400
The 4400
The 4400 is a science fiction TV series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with Sky Television, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network. The show was created and written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria, and it stars Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie...
. The episode aired July 11, 2004 on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. The episode was written by Scott Peters
Scott Peters (writer)
Scott Peters is a Canadian television producer, television director and screenwriter, most probably known for his involvement in writing, co-creating and producing for the science fiction television series The 4400. He is also the head writer of the 2009 sci-fi series V, a remake of the 1980s...
and René Echevarria
René Echevarria
René Echevarria is an American-Cuban screenwriter and film producer.-Screenwriter career:Echevarria began his career as an amateur screenwriter submitting unsolicited scripts to the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation. After using a few of his stories, they hired him as a writer. He then...
, and was directed by Yves Simoneau
Yves Simoneau
Yves Simoneau is a Canadian film and television director.-Recognition:His acclaimed 1987 crime drama Pouvoir intime garnered multiple Genie Awards nominations including best direction at the 8th Genie Awards...
. Attracting approximately 7.4 million viewers, the episode became basic cable's most watched première since The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone (TV series)
The Dead Zone, aka Stephen King's Dead Zone is an American-Canadian science fiction/suspense series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma...
. "Pilot" introduces the show's premise of 4400 people being abducted in the past, beginning from 1946, and all being returned to the present day in a flash of light at Highland Beach
Highland Beach (The 4400)
Highland Beach is a fictional lake shore in the science fiction television series The 4400.The show revolves around the plot-line that over the last 58 years, 4400 people have been taken by people from the future. On April 22, 2001, the future accidentally took Shawn Farrell from Highland Beach...
.
A comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
suddenly changes trajectory
Trajectory
A trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
and is heading towards Earth, apparently coming in for a "landing", 4400 people assumed dead or missing reappear. When 4400s begin to exhibit "abilities" Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris are partnered to investigate them.
Plot
The episode begins on March 3, 1946. A young girl, Maia RutledgeMaia Skouris
Maia Skouris is a fictional character on the USA Network science fiction TV show The 4400.- Season One :...
(Conchita Campbell
Conchita Campbell
Conchita Elizabeth Campbell is a Canadian actress.-Biography:Campbell was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is known for her role as Maia Skouris on the hit USA channel miniseries and show The 4400, on which she portrays a child who's been missing for decades and returns unaged and with...
) of Crescent City, California
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
, is with her parents in their car. Although it is raining outside, she persuades her parents to let her play nearby. While she is collecting flowers in the bushes, a light shines down on Maia, and she disappears. The next scene takes place on May 11, 1951 in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. A young black soldier, Richard Tyler
Richard Tyler
Richard Tyler is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400.- Character :One of the first 4400s to be shown, Richard is Lily Tyler's husband, and is the father of her second daughter, Isabelle Tyler....
(Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Richard Tyler on the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400, and "Tizzy" in the 2008 motion picture The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.Ali was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore in Oakland,...
), is being beaten
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
by his fellow officers. One of them remarks, "We treated you like an equal
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, but that wasn't good enough for you. You had to cross the line." A fellow soldier then drops a photo booth strip on the floor; the pictures are of Richard with a young white woman. Moments later, the same light which abducted Maia shines on Richard, and he vanishes.
Next, two teenagers, Shawn Farrell
Shawn Farrell
Shawn Farrell is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400.- Season One:Shawn was born December 12, 1983, and disappeared April 22, 2001 from Highland Beach near Seattle, Washington, while with his cousin Kyle Baldwin...
(Patrick Flueger
Patrick Flueger
Patrick John Flueger is an American actor, known for his lead role in the television series The 4400.-Life and career:...
) and Kyle Baldwin
Kyle Baldwin
Kyle Baldwin is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400.- Season One:Kyle Baldwin is Tom and Linda Baldwin's son and Shawn Farrell's cousin. The two were drinking beer at Highland beach in 2001 when Shawn was abducted. After Shawn's abduction, Kyle is...
(Chad Faust
Chad Faust
Chad Faust is a Canadian actor, singer, film producer, film director and screenwriter, best known for his role as Kyle Baldwin in The 4400. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:...
), are on a beach in the year 2001, drinking beers at night and talking about their personal lives. The light shines on them, and Kyle drops to the ground unconscious. The episode jumps to the present day with Kyle in a hospital bed, hooked up to a respirator. His father, Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch
Joel Gretsch
Joel James Gretsch is an American actor. His roles include Tom Baldwin on the USA Network series The 4400, the monstruous Capt./Maj./Col. Owen Crawford in the Steven Spielberg produced 2002 sci-fi miniseries Taken and Father Jack Landry on V.-Early life:Gretsch was born in St...
), is comforting him.
Diana Skouris
Diana Skouris is a fictional character in the USA Network science fiction television series The 4400.-Season One :Initially portrayed as somewhat cold and removed, Diana Skouris was partnered with Tom Baldwin in the pilot episode to investigate the 4400 returnees. She expresses displeasure at being...
(Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie is an Australian actress.McKenzie made her film debut in the 1987 film Wordplay and on stage in Child Dancing for Griffin Theatre Company. She made a strong impression in Romper Stomper , and over the next couple of years came to be regarded as one of Australia's most...
) receives a call on her cell from Dennis Ryland
Dennis Ryland
Dennis Ryland is a fictional character on the USA Network science fiction The 4400 portrayed by Peter Coyote. He was the original supervisor and director of NTAC during season one....
(Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
) telling her to "Get over here, now!" As Diana arrives at NTAC, Ryland announces that the country is at DEFCON One
DEFCON
A defense readiness condition is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness for the U.S...
. Diana asks to be brought up to speed, and an unnamed co-worker tells her that the comet is no longer a fly-by; it is heading toward the earth. Countries around the world begin deploying missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s in an attempt to destroy the comet.
As it enters the atmosphere of Earth, Diana remarks that the comet is slowing down, "as if it's coming in for a landing." As she tells Ryland the co-ordinates of where the comet's trajectory will land it, Dennis states that it is near Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
, their "back yard." Arriving at the landing spot of the comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
, a multitude of cameramen and reporters have set up. Diana looks on as the comet slowly comes in to land, hovering over a lake and causing ripples to form in the water. While emitting a sound, the comet begins to shrivel and lose its cohesion. Seconds later, the ball of light explodes, sending a shock-wave that knocks over the onlookers. Returning to their feet, they discover the comet is gone, and thousands of people have appeared.
Back at NTAC, Tom and Dennis argue in Dennis' office. Tom tells him he needs answers, and that he will come through for Dennis. After this Dennis introduces Tom to Diana, explaining how, together, they will make a good team investigating the return of the 4400.
Production
Scott Peters, creator of The 4400, stated that The 4400 was loosely inspired by the events of 9/11September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. Originally "Pilot" was scripted to be a one-hour pilot for the FOX network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
; however, the FOX network passed on the show due to interest only in a miniseries while producer Maira Suro believed the show had "legs" for a full series. The FOX network then allowed Peters and American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope is a studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Founded on December 12, 1969, American Zoetrope was an early adopter of digital filmmaking, including some of the earliest uses of HDTV...
to "take" the show with them. The USA Network was approached with the series, and after reading the script, the show was greenlit
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
for a two hour pilot episode. According to Peters, the USA Network did not wish to change the show or cut any characters from the script.
In an interview with writer
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Ira Steven Behr
Ira Steven Behr
Ira Steven Behr born 23 October 1953, in New York City, New York, USA is an American television producer and screenwriter, most known for his work on Star Trek, especially Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, on which he served as showrunner and executive producer...
, he notes that there are no religious aspects to the episode and that he does not believe religion will play any major part in the first season, stating "I have my beliefs, and you have yours"
Reception
"Pilot" became basic cable's most watched première, supplanting the pilot episode of The Dead ZoneThe Dead Zone (TV series)
The Dead Zone, aka Stephen King's Dead Zone is an American-Canadian science fiction/suspense series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma...
. The episode was also nominated for two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s in the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, nominated for outstanding writing for a miniseries, movie or dramatic special and the award for outstanding cinematography for a miniseries or movie. The episode did not receive any wins.
Sci Fi television critic
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
Kathie Huddleston rated the episode as a "B", stating "The 4400 feels more like a drama than a science-fiction show. When the sci-fi elements do come into play, they're often subtle." While IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
reviewer "KJB" rated the episode as a "six out of ten" and states in regards to the characters "What remains to be seen is if the major characters can get beyond their obvious roots in other series and make viewers forget their slightly more than passing resemblance to Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
& Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
."
External links
- "Pilot" at the official 4400 website provided by USA NetworkUSA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. - "Pilot" at The 4400 wiki.