Monday, April 29, 2013

"Defiance" Cast of Characters Quick Guide

Defiance spaceships screencaps pilot recap

Worried you can't catch up with the new "Defiance" series because there are too many characters? Concerned that even though you *have* watched the pilot, you still can't remember who everyone is or what's going on? We're here to help with this quick guide to the "Defiance" universe and characters.

Defiance spaceship plane pictures pilot clouds

How scary would it be seeing this enormous ship turn up in your atmosphere, never mind a whole fleet of them? About three decades ago, Earth got a lot of unexpected visitors. These space ships were arks containing alien races from another solar system, refugees from their now-exploded planets. At first humans and aliens tried to coexist peacefully, but various tensions increased and led to years of war.

Spaceship debris war battle destruction Defiance pilot screencaps pictures

The arks in orbit mysteriously exploded, and the destroyed ships began to fall through the atmosphere. This is referred to as "Arkfall". The spaceships tumble to earth and the impact destroys huge sections of land. In addition, the terraforming devices carried on the ships activated in some cases, restructuring the earth's surface in alien ways and devastating existing cities and landmarks.

Stephanie Leonidas Grant Bowler Irisa Nolan Definace screencaps Irathiant pictures pilot recap
This is Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas). She is an Irathient woman who travels with a human man Nolan (Grant Bowler), whom she calls her father. We learn later that he adopted her as a child to save her from a bad situation, and may or may not have killed her parents.

Irisa is strong, smart, wily, and has a lot of anger issues. She and her dad travel constantly, scavenging the ships that fall to earth for items they can sell or trade. They hope to eventually reach the sunny beaches of...Antarctica. (We told you those terraforming machines messed things up.)

Defiance recaps Irisa Irathient Stephanie Leonidas screencaps images

Riding around between civilizations and scavenging tends to land them in trouble. A lot. With other scavengers...

Defiance pilot Nolan Grant Bowler creatures gun battle forest Irisa hurt screencaps recaps images pictures

...and with scary creatures that go bump in the night.

Defiance pilot recap Grant Bowler Nolan forest gun standoff pictures

This is Nolan by the way. He's a Han Solo type, handsome and kind of scruffy and swashbuckling. A war veteran, he's as tough as they come, but he is also fiercely protective of Irisa and has a soft spot for Doing the Right Thing.

But back to that trouble stuff. In the pilot episode, Irisa gets seriously injured and the two get surrounded by scary creatures in the forest. Luckily some folks from the nearby town of Defiance arrive to help them out. But they're not all that trusting of the strangers at first. Nolan ends up handcuffed to a hospital bed.


Which turns out to be not so much a problem for the crafty war vet.

Lawkeeper Clancy Peter MacNeill badge star Defiance pilot mentor screencaps Tommy

Nolan meets the town's Lawkeeper, Clancy (Peter MacNeill). The two share a brief military history, and we find out that Nolan was part of the regiment that finally laid down arms in an act of "defiance" against their superiors--which led to the end of the alien wars.

Tommy LaSalle Dewshane Williams Defiance pilot hat jacket deputy screencaps pictures

This is Tommy LaSalle (Dewshane Williams), Clancy's deputy. Clancy took in Tommy when he was a kid and gave him a more positive direction in life, much the same way Nolan has looked after Irisa.

 Trenna Keating Doc Yewll Indogene doctor Defiance pilot recap pictures photos

We also meet Doc Yewll (Trenna Keating), an Indogene with exceptional intelligence and wit, but Spock-like bedside manner.

Julie Benz Mayor Amanda Rosewater Defiance pilot recap pictures screencaps

Meanwhile, the town built on the ruins of St. Louis is celebrating that day of peace that inspired the town's new name, "Defiance". Mayor Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) tries to inspire the gathered crowd, but is understandably nervous, given she's only had the job of town leader for three weeks.

Defiance pilot former Mayor Nicolette Nicky Riordon Fionnula Flanagan screencaps pictures oxygen mask wand device breathing apparatus

She's got a lot to live up to, with favorite-of-the-people former-mayor Nicky Riordan (Fionnula Flanagan) sitting close by to remind her of that.

Mayor Amanda Rosewater Julie Benz Defiance Datak Tarr Tony Curran

Mayor Amanda introduces us to two powerful families in Defiance, and right away we get the impression they are in big competition to be the most powerful. One one side we have Datak Tarr (Tony Curran), a Castithan longing for ultimate respect from the people while he exerts control over much of the criminal enterprises in town.

Stahma Tarr Jaime Murray Defiance pilot recap Jesse Rath Alak Tarr white hair pale hood beautiful screncaps images wife

His lovely wife Stahma Tarr (Jaime Murray) dotes on her ruthless husband, but her gentle and subserviant demeanor are carefully constructed masks to hide her devious, manipulative ways.

Alak Tarr Defiance pilot Castithan son streaked goth hair Jesse Rath screencaps images photos

Their son Alak Tarr (Jesse Rath) is going through a rebellious phase with his family. You can tell by this goth hair.

Defiance pilot Graham Greene Rafe McCawley photos screencaps skeptical applause

On the other side is wealthy mine owner, Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene). He is fiercely proud and is not all that fond of aliens in general, let alone the shady Tarrs.

Luke Justin Rain Quentin McCawley Nicole Munoz Christie McCawley daughter son Defiance pilot recap family meeting event screencaps

He loves, but is extremely hard on, all of his children: Luke, Quentin, and Christie.

Defiance Jaime Murray Stahma Tarr Castithan scheming screencaps

The Tarrs do a lot of scheming while walking in town, talking in restaurants, and taking baths at home. They take a lot of sexy baths. They do not appear to have any hang-ups about sex or nudity...or violence.

Defiance Nolan Amanda Rosewater Grant Bowler Julie Benz screencaps flirting

Nolan finally meets the mayor. He thinks she's purty.

Nolan Amanda Mayor Grant Bowler Julie Benz Defiance pilot flirting

She's feisty, too. She tells him he can't have his gun until he leaves Defiance. And she also suggests he go work in the local brothel if he's looking for some easy money. He likes her even more now.

Kenya prostitute madam Mia Kirshner Defiance pilot recap screencaps

Nolan checks out that brothel, of course. There he meets the Madam, Kenya (Mia Kirshner). She's sassy and seductive.

Defiance pilot recap Grant Bowler Nolan smile flirt bar brothel

Yep. He likes her, too.

Jesse Rath Alak Tarr Nicole Munoz Christie McCawley Castithan dance dating Romeo young romance screencaps Defiance pilot smiling

Nearby, dancing the night away, we discover our Romeo and Juliet. Turns out Christie McCawley and Alak Tarr are young, rebellious kids in love. This leads to some conflict with Christie's big brother Luke, who later winds up dead. But Alak had nothing to do with that.


It was this guy. Who's he? Oh, just an Indogene named Ben Daris (Douglas Nyback), who happened to be working for the mayor. He sabotages the town's protective stasis net, which will allow an invading Volge army to infiltrate and likely completely eradicate Defiance.

Kenya Mia Kirshner Defiance screencaps

The town rallies together, and even Madam Kenya gives Mayor Amanda a pep talk. Oh, did we mention the two of them are sisters?


Yep, he was surprised, too. This may have aided his decision to get the heck out of town. But also, the Volge.

Defiance recaps Irisa Stephanie Leonidas Nolan Grant Bowler roller jeep screencaps pictures battle

Remember that whole Do the Right Thing thing? Yeah, Nolan takes one look at the invading army and he just can't do it. He can't let them get slaughtered, when he has the power to help. See, they scavenged a handy alien power source from one of the arks that fell to earth.

Only problem is that it's a one-time-use sort of thing in this case. If they give it to Defiance, there goes the money for their passage to Antarctica. Irisa is peeved and takes off for greener pastures. Nolan goes back to help Defiance.

Doc Yewll Indogene Votan Trenna Keating manipulating power source explosion Defiance battle

So, apparently the Indogenes have super brains that can do amazing stuff. In this case, Doc Yewll has the ability to make that scavenged spaceship power source go BOOM in a big way.

Defiance pilot battle Dewshane Williams Tommy LaSalle pictures

Tommy and the townspeople just have to fight the Volge off until she can make things go boom. Sounds easy, right?

Defiance pilot Volge battle scary robots aliens screencaps

Did we mention the Volge are super-big and super-scary and kinda look like a Mad Max version of Voltron robots and Transformers?

Volge firefight robots aliens Defiance pictures war battle

Grant Bowler Nolan gun battle war Defiance pilot recap character list

Nolan does his hero thing with a blaster.

Volge laser gun blaster close-up Defiance recap battle war destruction

Irisa comes back with some more Irathients as back-up, and ends up on the ground facing this guy.

Stephanie Leonidas Irisa screencaps battle fear eyes pictures Defiance pilot recap

She seriously questions her decision to come back to help Dad out. Luckily Tommy has a bit of a crush on her and blasts some Volge butt and saves her.

Volge Defiance battle robots aliens

Oh, and Doc makes the Volge go BOOM!

Volge Defiance attack battle destroyed aliens monsters robots pictures screencaps

Defiance pilot Irisa Nolan hug Stephanie Leonidas Grant Bowler battle leather jackets images screencaps

Nolan and Irisa are reunited. They fight a lot, but they're still family.

Defiance pilot lawkeeper sheriff badge closeup screencaps Nolan

Back in town, Nolan gets asked if he'll take over for killed-in-McCawley-Tarr-argument-crossfire lawkeeper Clancy.

Grant Bowler Nolan contemplating serious Defiance pilot lawkeeper sheriff new screencaps

He considers it carefully.

Mayor Amanda Rosewater injured Julie Benz Defiance pilot recap screencaps side boob

For about two minutes, because seriously, there's no way he's saying no to a beautiful and wounded Mayor Amanda, who's tantalizingly showing some side boob.

Defiance recap Jesse Rath Alak Tarr Nicole Munoz Christie McCawley love romance engagement wedding marriage

Fighting the battle brings Romeo and Juliet, aka Alak and Christie, closer together. They want to get married. His parents decide to go along with it, because they hope to manipulate her into giving them control of the lucrative mine operation...after her father and brother perish in a Tarr-engineered "accident".

Defiance Irisa writing in journal Irathient Stephanie Leonidas screencaps images

Irisa writes about their new home in her journal. Yes, like any other teenage girl or vampire, Irisa the Irathient keeps a diary.

Mr. Birch Steven McCarthy Defiance pilot screencaps mystery man plot glasses sunglasses shades

The end of the pilot gives us a glimpse of Mr. Birch, a mysterious man who is apparently behind the attempt to destroy Defiance. But who is his powerful accomplice?

Defiance former mayor Nicky Riordon Fionnula Flanagan conspiracy conspirator secret meeting screncaps hood head scarf

Oh, it's just the former mayor. You can't help being creeped out by a woman who says things like "One day the survivors will thank me."

So, have you got all that? If not, feel free to come back here as you watch the series and use these screencaps as a guide.

Watch "Defiance" on the SyFy Channel, Monday nights at 9/8c.

--> ~ PHOTOS: "Defiance" pilot screencaps, SyFy Channel, 2013, fair use.

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