Born from a Youtube pilot in 2016, Final Space was moved to TBS in hopes of it becoming something more. Now, five years later, the third season of the hit is series set to begin airing on March 20.
So, with a new adventure on the horizon, let's look back at the original pilot that spawned the series to take note of what was brought over and what was drastically changed.
Having no name in the Youtube pilot, the Galaxy 1 was given a complete overhaul for the series, from its exterior and interior design to its general purpose. In the show, the pilot doesn't establish Gary as a prisoner but as its legally appointed Captain, giving it a much different spin. And while the original design of the Galaxy 1 was unique, with its stylish colors and cryogenic chambers, the prison ship that it came to be is the one that holds a special place in the hearts of fans.
In the pilot, when Gary's at the end of his rope, stuck in space and at the end of the barrel of the Lord Commander's artillery ship, he sits helplessly as H.U.E issues a countdown to self-destruction. Dissatisfied with a countdown to his demise, Gary asks H.U.E to change it to something more cheerful, such as cookies. This heartbreaking countdown made its way into the series but changed Gary's fate. Instead of him sitting in his ship, holding Avocato's body and waiting for destruction, he is floating in space and slowly running out of oxygen, waiting for the "cookies to be done."
Season 1, Episode 10 saw the Galaxy 1 team take on the Lord Commander, only to suffer loss after loss. However, while this last stand didn't happen in the original pilot, there is one interesting part of it that was changed. As mentioned earlier, the pilot saw Gary holding Avocato's body during his final moments, but in the series, Avocato is long dead by that point, having sacrificed himself to save Little Cato. While it would've been nice to see Avocato fighting with the Galaxy 1 crew, his sacrifice became an important part of the show moving forward.
When working in sci-fi, there is an open canvas when it comes to cosmic creatures. Olan Rogers took this opportunity to create the Temporal Worm, a beast that swallows its victims and spits them out at a random point in time. The Youtube pilot ended with Gary jumping into the worm in hopes of getting a do-over on his attempt to stop the Lord Commander, but that didn't end up in the series. The Temporal Worm would still make an appearance in the show, however, when it threw the Galaxy 1 a few days into the future. The beast would then return in Season 2, Episode 8, "The Remembered," sending the team three years in the past to give them a chance to save Avocato.
The Final Space pilot presents the Lord Commander as a silly alien who isn't perceived as a threat, but the series takes things in a different direction by keeping his stature and making him more menacing. The Lord Commander's introduction that sees him beat a prisoner to the point he begs for mercy is haunting, setting him up as a true villain for the series.
Gary Goodspeed opens the TBS series as a prisoner of the Galaxy 1, having spent close to five years in isolation in deep space doing repairs, while the pilot makes Gary a warden in the Infinity Guard. In both versions, though, his motives for wearing the uniform remain the same, with him stating his only purpose for joining is to pick up women.
The audience comes to find out that the Lord Commander is adamant about getting Mooncake because he is the key to unlocking Final Space. But while the series slowly builds up to unravel what Final Space is and how Mooncake is vital to unlocking it, the pilot didn't have enough time to condense all that information into a few minutes. However, it did show what the Lord Commander's plans were for Mooncake when he reveals he wants to use him as a planet destroyer.
A beautifully written battle cry, "Rip that ship from space" was screamed by the Lord Commander in the closing moments of the pilot. Thankfully, this line made its way back into the series, delivered perfectly by David Tennant, who voices the villain on the TBS show During this moment, the Lord Commander's rage and power build to a breaking point because, with Final Space only inches away, the only thing in his way is Galaxy 1.
Most teams have the one person that everyone hates that they end up loving over time, but KVN doesn't fit those criteria. While Gary's hatred of KVN is touched on briefly in the pilot, that aspect of his character was intensified in the series. Gary constantly wishes for KVN's death, so much so that he was crying tears of joy when he finally sees his lifeless body floating outside the Galaxy 1.
The pilot made sure to include some of Gary's adventures with Mooncake and Avocato, showing clips of them on wacky adventures in space. One of those journies saw Mooncake and Gary hyping themselves up to take on an army, only to realize they were on the wrong planet. The series takes this joke and splits it in half, but still allows both punchlines to hit. Hyped up to take on the Lord Commander, Gary and Avocato shoot out of the Galaxy 1 with music blasting in their ears, which causes them to land on the wrong planet. And even after getting to the right one and standing outside the Lord Commander's base, they find no one around.
Created by Olan Rogers, Final Space stars Olan Rogers, Tom Kenny, Tika Sumpter, Fred Armisen, Steven Yuen, David Tennant and Coty Gallaway. Season 3 airs March 20th 2021 on Adult Swim.
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