DISCLAIMER: This recap of Beacon 23 Season 1 Episode 1, “Corbenic,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Hugh Howey‘s 2015 sci-fi novel Beacon 23 now has a small-screen adaptation. Following hot on the heels of Apple TV+’s Howey adaptation of Silo, Beacon 23 wastes no time jumping into the narrative meat of its freshman season. “Corbenic” isn’t a perfect premiere episode, nor does it reveal too much about the characters at its center, but the story is intriguing enough to keep watching. Well, so long as the show doesn’t become too bogged down by its own mystery.
I’m usually more forgiving of pilots because, let’s face it, pilots are seldom anything beyond “decent.” There’s enough here, though, to warrant future investment.
Lena Headey and Stephan James deliver solid performances. Particularly the latter, who finds the nuances of Halan and digs deep into the PTSD that plagues him. Aster and Halan’s dynamic is already complicated from the get-go and is easily the best part of the series thus far.
Ready to delve into “Corbenic”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Halan (James) trapped in the airlock of Beacon 23, a lighthouse in space. Halan emphatically calls out for Aster (Headey), who stands beside her AI companion, Harmony (Natasha Mumba), on the other side. We see a ship pull up to Beacon 23. It latches onto the docking bay with every intent to board. However, we don’t know what transpires next as the episode cuts to the story’s beginning.
Earlier in the episode, Halan receives a hail, informing him of the Crest‘s approach. It’s carrying important cargo. Halan tries to respond but notices the comms are inexplicably offline. He attempts to troubleshoot the issue. Halan informs the Crest that a ton of dark matter obstructs their path to Beacon 23. As of now, the beacon light is still white. Halan suits up and heads outside, hoping to manually change it to red to alert the Crest to the dangers awaiting them. He utilizes a crowbar to move the gears. We see the light temporarily switch to red; however, Halan loses his grip on the crowbar, and the light reverts to white.
Unfortunately, the Crest falls prey to the dark matter obstruction and explodes. Fortunately, Halan notices a sign of life — a sleeper pod. He travels to said pod and retrieves it, bringing it inside Beacon 23. Later, Aster wakes up in the lighthouse. She experiences the shock of being forced out of sleep mode. Halan brings her something to drink and reassures her that she’s okay. He introduces himself as “Solomon.” Thankfully, Aster reveals she was the only person aboard the Crest. Halan also gives Aster a derma patch to calm her down.
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Then, Aster inhales a plate of food. She meets Bart (Wade Bogert-O’Brien), Halan’s AI companion. Their friendly chat takes an unexpected turn when Aster informs Halan of why she was sent to Beacon 23 — to collect samples of unknown mineral deposits and isotopes. Halan released a report about a year ago, so “mission control” sent Aster to gather his findings. However, Halan claims he doesn’t recall filing any report or the alert that Aster was en route. Halan’s demeanor changes on a dime. He puts his foot down, claiming he won’t allow Aster to take the rocks.
Next, he suggests that Aster rest for a while. You know, sleep off being asleep. After Halan gives Aster her belongings, she surreptitiously grabs a knife from the kitchen, returns to the sleeper pod and contacts Harmony. Aster asks Harmony to check any files for proof of these unknown deposits. Elsewhere, Halan seems to space out while staring at an image of an old-school lighthouse. Bart assists Aster without Halan’s knowledge, showing her video footage of the real Solomon (Stephen Root), who emerges from a pod after finding the unidentified rocks. Busted!
Unfortunately, Halan catches Aster watching the footage. He admits he’s not the actual Solomon. Halan is an ex-military pilot who went AWOL. He claims the real Solomon stole his ship and departed, leaving him stranded here. Aster replies that she’s merely an Interstellar Space Authority (ISA) agent who collects samples and files reports. She doesn’t care about the Halan/Solomon situation.
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Halan notices Aster’s holding the knife at her side. She attempts to escape, but he catches her. That’s when Aster stabs Halan. He puts her in a sleeper choke hold, knocking her unconscious. Later, Aster wakes up on the floor, her ankle cuff securing her so she can’t flee. Then, Harmony materializes as a woman and helps Aster break free. Halan also wakes up. He notices Aster is no longer in her bed on the floor. Suddenly, he finds himself held captive as Aster traps him in the airlock.
Bart turns on Halan, claiming the latter tortured and killed Solomon. The AI was quite fond of Solomon, despite the late Beacon-keeper referring to Bart as a “rust bucket.” Bart informs Aster and Harmony that Solomon took great care to conceal his discoveries. Bart didn’t even know about them. Harmony asks Bart to scan the beacon again for the silicate samples.
Meanwhile, Aster tries to get more info from Halan by softening him with food. Halan is plagued with visions from his time in the military. He begs Aster to let him take a ship and leave quietly. They can put this business behind them. Aster refuses. She and Harmony notice Halan’s PTSD is worsening. Aster attempts to give Halan medication to lessen his symptoms.
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Then, Aster tells Halan about the time she had to quarantine for 74 days while in Sector 91. Halan has spent so much time in isolation with zero human contact. She understands what that’s like. After stepping aside and chatting with Harmony about her “inspired” story of quarantining, Halan informs Aster that he remembers something. She arms herself with sweet, high-tech brass knuckles before returning to him.
Halan claims he has a list of demands that need fulfilling before he helps Aster find Solomon’s mineral deposits. He wants the picker to escape Beacon 23, even though he’ll undoubtedly struggle to navigate the debris field around it. Harmony informs them that they have 30 hours before reinforcements arrive. Halan shows Aster a button with the note, “Never touch.” It unlocks the place where Solomon might have hidden the rock samples.
While searching the antenna silo, Halan is saddled with more PTSD-fueled visions. He races back to the airlock to decompress. Aster is hot on his heels. She grabs his hands and reassures him. Everything will be okay. She gives him a sedative patch before returning to her search. Finally, she discovers what she’s been looking for — Solomon’s vast collection of the unknown mineral deposit. Success!
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After Aster makes her discovery, she reunites with Halan, who hopes to escape on that picker now. However, Aster asserts she can’t let him go despite their deal. Bart taunts Halan, revealing he cut Halan off from communicating with the outside world. Harsh. Next, Aster examines the deposits. She notices the luminous blue material instantly vanishes when she separates it from the rocks. Strange.
Meanwhile, an unidentified vessel flies toward Beacon 23. It’s the same one from the beginning of the episode. Halan yells for Aster to free him. Aster tries to lock down the beacon and orders Bart to prepare the weapon systems. However, the ship has already latched onto their docking bay. That’s too close for comfort and would damage the beacon instead of the visitor.
Aster and Harmony watch as two Wreckers board Beacon 23. More danger is afoot.
Do you think Aster will team up with Halan to take out the Wreckers? Did Halan really murder Solomon? Can Aster and Harmony trust Bart? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Beacon 23 drops new episodes every Sunday on MGM+.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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