Whenever the new year rolls around, television watchers usually expect a handful of brand new shows claiming to be the ‘next hit series.’ Among these shows, many tend to be paranormal or fantasy in origin to attract a young fanbase. The result: the transformation of one of the biggest entertainment trends of the 21st century into completely unoriginal and cliche story ideas. Aliens are no exception. For decades, theories of the existence of extraterrestrial beings have snowballed into popular television and movie topics. From MythBusters to E.T, martians have most definitely not been strangers to the entertainment industry. With that said, what happens when a new show about an alien-human romance premieres on national television at the risk of being heavily criticized? Those who decided to give the series a chance found that hidden beneath its cliche facade is the incorporation of significant modern issues of today such as persecution and segregation into its intricate storyline.
On February 17, The CW entered Star-Crossed into the competitive entertainment scene under the assertion that it could be the upcoming big success. Despite having just started, the show casts some of the human race’s greatest sins as the true stars of the series for the whole entertainment community to see. With that said, the show rejuvenates the industry with freshness and uniqueness amongst the exhausted and worn-out mainstream plots of others.
Star-Crossed follows the life of Emery Whitehill (Aimee Teegarden), a sixteen year old human girl living in a futuristic society during the year of 2024. Ten years prior, an extraterrestrial ship crash landed on Earth carrying ‘Atrians’ who are indigenous to a foreign planet called Atria. Six at the time, Emery aids a young Atrian in hiding from the human military, who see the crash as an invasion. Unfortunately the boy is shot and is never seen or heard from again. Flash forward to the present, the relatively peaceful and harmful Atrians are regarded by humans with utmost hostility and resentment and are forced to live in what is basically a prison camp. In an effort to try to have Atrians assimilate into human society, seven of them are allowed to enroll in the local high school. Amid the taunts and threats of violence students pose upon their arrival, Emery is reunited with the alien boy she helped as a little girl and learns that his name is Roman (Matt Lanter). As the attraction between the two increasingly grows, so do humans’ intolerant sentiments and agitation to get rid of the ‘invaders’ once and for all.
The strongest aspect of this show that shines above everything else is its portrayal of worldwide societal problems such as discrimination and racism. These issues have been a part of human nature for centuries and still happen to this day. The various scenes in which human oppressors bully, beat-up, make fun of, and segregate the Atrians accurately illustrate how the human race has unfairly treated different races, cultures, and religious groups. By having its audience watch the oppression unfold from an outside point of view, Star-Crossed has high potential in convincing viewers to take action against cruel acts of intolerance, no matter how subtle. Throughout the show, humans ignorantly perceive the aliens as monsters, but unknowingly to them, Atrians harbor human emotions such as grief and love. This juxtaposition of character shows viewers that they must embrace differences because in essence, members of disparate groups worldwide are all humans.
Admittedly, the show does have its cliche moments, but what can one expect when a part of the storyline revolves around a forbidden, human-nonhuman, Romeo and Juliet-esque romance? In the love department, the only thing that is different from the well-known tragedy is that the “blood feud” is extended to aliens and humans rather than between two families.
For some, simply all a good television show needs is a pretty girl and a hot boy as main protagonists. Whether or not audience members will push aside that money-making element and view Star-Crossed as much more than just a meaningless love story depends purely on how engaging the show is. Unoriginality aside, the show cleverly utilizes the profitable, forbidden-love motif as another means to advocate its main message.
The true purpose of the relationship between Roman and Emery is to emphasize the importance of embracing differences and accepting others no matter what. Other viewers can appreciate the exposure of human bestiality and feel connected to the show in a way that an alien fling never will. Although it is a fairly new T.V. series, Star-Crossed already wanders away from a stereotypical teen sci-fi romantic sitcom by focusing on generating awareness of intolerance and prejudice from the audience.
Contribute to the crusade against oppression by watching Star-Crossed Monday nights at 8 pm on The CW.
