Four Things Netflix’s Lost In Space Could Teach Mass Effect: Andromeda

It’s really hard to keep up with Netflix’s endless stream of new series, but don’t let their reboot of Lost in Space slip past you.  I know, the 60’s series was a silly Star Trek ripoff with little redeeming value.  And I know that the 90’s movie was an even worst, overly serious and oddly ponderous sci-fi misfire whose one redeeming virtue was that it ended Matt LeBlanc’s action hero aspirations.  So, I was pleased to find out this weekend – after watching all ten new episodes – that Netflix has finally created the first genuinely good version of Lost in Space.  It’s much better than Star Trek: Discovery (and I really liked Discovery), it’s more enjoyable than Jessica Jones (and I love Jessica Jones), and it’s definitely the best family-in-jeopardy show I have ever seen (suck it, Land of the Lost).  It got me thinking that maybe this show could help my favorite sci-fi game franchise, Mass Effect.  Here are four things I think Lost in Space could teach Mass Effect.

Oh I forgot about Peebee. Okay, there also needs to be a “breakup” function added to the romance options.

Focus on the Family

Mass Effect Andromeda started with the idea of a family of Pathfinders leading colonists to a far off location.  Not to spoil the plot, but your father and sibling are quickly incapacitated, leading you to be the only member of your family active in the game.  This seems like a mistake; letting your hero have a family here could have added to your character’s story.  The family story is told in flashbacks but seeing it in real time could have made it about relationships you navigate rather than just data you process.  You could have had the choice to let it affect your relationships in real time rather than just have it be expository information.  Plus, the shadow of the loss somewhat conflicts with the sense of adventure and discovery the game should be trying to create and cultivate.  This leads me to my second suggestion:

Why not a family of heroes rather than just the last one standing? Sure, it could complicate the romance component if you and your brother pursue the same person. Or if your dad did. Gross.

Have More That One Hero

Mass Effect has run four games now with the same idea of a single protagonist surrounded by a diverse and interesting crew.  This model definitely peaked with Mass Effect 2’s truly excellent and memorable characters (I love how the final level puts you in charge of the attack where the wrong decision can jeopardize their lives).  But having one hero – while streamlining the story – also kind of limits the story.  You can only have one relationship, you can only build one kind of soldier, and you can only be either good or bad.  And, sure, this lets you replay the game as a different sort of hero if you like, but who has time to replay games anymore?  Letting you have a family of heroes instead could allow a broader constellation of experiences in a single playthrough and, if you wanted to play again, you could always build a different squad of heroes.

Some of these guys are pretty cool. And some of these guys had to stay on the ship the whole game.

Make the Environment the Villain

One thing that really struck me about Lost in Space is how much the game focused on environmental hazards rather than evil monsters.  Yes, there’s a dark Dr. Smith here (played well by Parker Posey) but she’s not really the worst thing the heroes face.  There are alien monsters and evil robots, but they’re also not the worst part.  Here the heroes spend most of their time struggling to survive.  The planet has plenty of natural problems of its own from frozen climates to earthquakes to tar pits to exploding geysers.  There are other celestial problems they encounter, too.  Sure, a game that focuses on firefights is going to need alien opponents, but focusing on the struggle to establish life in inhospitable space could make a far more interesting struggle.

Honestly, isn’t space dangerous enough without all these aliens?

The Heart of the Story Should be the Pioneers

The best moments in Lost in Space focus on moments when the colonists either face down a environmental hazard or achieve a technological breakthrough.  Probably the very best moment occurs late when the characters have to recreate an early NASA space launch.  Those moments remind you about the feeling of wonder and discovery that you should feel in space exploration.  You get a few of those moments in Andromeda, but you spend most of your time on your ship or the Nexus and way too little time on the colonies.  While there is a large cast of colonists, you don’t need to spend much time with them and their story gets submerged beneath the larger story of predatory aliens.  Really, you just travel to each planet, activate some beacons, and move to the next planet.  What if, instead, each planet had unique challenges and stories that made growing each colony feel special?  What if there were those moments of innovation that made you feel like a real pioneer building a civilization at the end of the universe?  Lost in Space has a few of those moments, and I think Andromeda really needed them.