The makers of one of the biggest ‘cult-following-time-traveling’ series, “Dark” on Netflix, are bringing us yet another sci-fi to look forward to with “1899”. After the massive success of “Dark”, we have another cult to follow! The story is set in the year 1899, the year a ship disappears mysteriously. This ship was called Prometheus.
Much like “Dark”, “1899” is historical/horror fiction, but with the twist of having characters speak different languages. It is an international collaboration where artists of different ethnicities are given a chance to showcase their acting skills. This upcoming drama is guaranteed to have a lot of twists and turns for the fans. The story is going to be about a group of immigrants leaving their continent and going to New York on a seven-day trip, preferably without a detour. But will that be the case in a thriller sci-fi? Of course not!
What Happens In The Netflix ‘1899’ Teaser?
At the very beginning of the teaser, there is a symbolic weapon or tool. The “triangle” gadget is shown multiple times and seems to be of significance, so maybe keep that in mind while watching the series. The passengers seem to have some sort of communication in a different language with only “triangles” as a medium. We are introduced to a character named Maura Franklin. She tells us the date, and we see a newspaper that says the ship Prometheus is still missing after three months. Here we get an idea of what the year is. Before getting into the teaser, Prometheus is also the name of a Greek god. In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a demigod, which means part human, part God. According to the tales of the famous myth, Prometheus stole the knowledge of fire and gave it to humanity.
In the series, we see the ship being named Prometheus, and the ship is going to be possessed, or so it looks!
Further, into the teaser, we see a group of people on another ship that has immigrants heading west to New York. There is a map shown in the horrifying yet interesting trailer, which will probably be very important to note for theories as to where they are actually going. But judging from the teaser, we don’t think the ship will be heading to New York any time soon. Now, the concept of time travel is not new, but we have seen previously how the creators of Dark have made the series so promising and engaging for the fans. It is still in the ranks of the most-watched sci-fi on Netflix, building a huge fan base among the Reddit community of cinephiles.
A lot of conspiracies have been brewed since the teaser was released, one of them being the connection to the symbol/gadget triangle. It seems like we are on a ship to “Shutter Island,” and the nothingness of the sea is jarring to watch. The cinematography has been done so amazingly that we get chills while watching the red neo-noir background. We are reminded of movies like “The Batman” with their sweet visuals of apocalyptic fire and sky while juxtaposed against the vast ocean, which is still a mystery to the world. The teaser literally teases us; I’m not kidding. The visuals are a treat to the eyes of true sci-fi fans, and we can guess how this series will garner a lot of love and support from the Dark-Reddit cult. With fans already talking so much about the series and not having much on their plate, speculation is running wild. We can guess from the teaser that we need to be seated with our notepads. Nostalgia is going to hit hard, as we have an amazing cast too.
The Cast And The Ethnicity Angle Of ‘1899’
The uniqueness of the trailer and teaser is that we see a vast cast. Without nit-picking a lot, it is safe to say that we do get a vibe from movies like Shutter Island and The Batman, with the cast being so star-studded. We see a very luxurious side of the show with guns and how the rich rule the world. We can tell the series is going to be very dramatic, which can be boring and stretched at times. But, as they say, one should never judge characters and their powers before the final product comes out. We have seen it in dark characters like the Joker.
Without reminiscing about scenes from The Batman, one cannot watch the teaser or the trailer. It is amusing how similar the fire symbolism and the depressing tone of the trailer are to “The Batman”. Are we getting a neo-noir version of Dark? Well, we do not have a time machine to tell! However, the creators of Dark, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, have promised to surprise us with the diversity and international aspect of the show. The languages involved in the show are English, Polish, German, and much more. The ethnic angle of the show is very interesting as well. We can clearly see people from Europe and some Asians and Africans too. It will be a very interesting ride through the multiverse and parallel worlds.
‘1899’ Theories, Explained
The ocean is so surreal that it usually makes everyone wonder what exactly life is and how unpredictable it is by nature. “We are oblivious to reality,” says one of the characters in the trailer. Well, the dialogues in the teaser and trailer are so strong. We witness powerful acting by the cast, and surprisingly, the main cast involves a major character from Dark, Andreas Pietschmann. Also, we have Miguel Bernardeau Duato, who is very popular for his Spanish series, Elite. His role in 1899 also seemed flashy and posh. Andreas, on the other hand, is his usual simple and serious-looking self. The secrets of the ocean are something to think about, and this is the question that 1899 brings to the table. It is very evident that some of the signs look panned out to indicate the theories of the Bermuda Triangle.
In the poster release of the series, the creators have released several shots, and we can see all of the cast’s eyeballs being “triangles.” We can safely say that there are going to be some connections that hint towards exploring the themes of world control (Illuminati alert!) and the Bermuda Triangle. It is surprising how ships sometimes disappear without a trace. The ocean is so big and scary that 1899 seems to be a perfect watch for people who enjoy horror in sci-fi. One of the girls looks possessed by something in the trailer, which indicates how the creators are also going to explore religious beliefs and myths. The creators have already expressed how they are interested in mixing and playing with different genres. Here, we see the Spanish and German cast being blended, and they are on their way to New York!
We can even expect some sea creatures or mysterious beings to live in the ocean. In one of the scenes, we also see a possible portal that could be a wormhole. Time to rewatch Dark and brush up on our skills to concentrate on the details of a show and how deep it can get. Every time someone rewatches one of the episodes of Dark, they find something new. We can expect the same from 1899, for sure.
The Themes That Can Be Explored In ‘1899’
Along with time travel and a possible alternate universe, history also seems to be one of the themes. Set in 1899, we see how rich the dressing sense and tools they had during that era were. But in the teaser, we see interesting gadgets that seem very futuristic. Again, time-traveling is a theme, so it could be possible that they bring these gadgets from the future or are building a secret group. The mystery of the lost ship will be seen getting solved and leaving us confused by the narrator’s team. They are from Kerberos. Now, Kerberos, in our reality, is a computer-network authentication protocol.
In simple words, several versions of the same are available. However, it is a weak network service because it has security issues. Interestingly, Kerberos was launched in 1888, which is 89 years after the mysterious ship Prometheus disappeared. It is going to be interesting to see how they justify the name in the upcoming series. We can also guess that “1899” is also going to have more seasons. The first season drops on Netflix on November 19, 2022. But, as we already know, there will definitely be more of “1899” than just one season. Coming back to the themes, it will be hopefully fruitful to see how the blend of the Spanish and German cast is going to be along with the Hollywood cast. It is a massive step forward to the marketing of international collaboration seen in normal everyday Netflix series.
Thoughts
Buckle up with your notes and binge-watching skills because this is going to be a big rollercoaster of madness and theories. Seeing a hint of horror is always exciting in a series. We last saw it on Stranger Things too, where the creator’s blended horror with sci-fi, and it is indeed a treat for all the horror genre-loving people of the Netflix society! The background score seems to be so catchy, and much like Dark’s music, we can expect a dark-themed album for 1899 too. It is always a delight to have good music added to our horror playlist, especially if it is a sci-fi-themed horror music album. As said in the trailer, indeed, there is a hidden world inside each of us, and we are all in search of the truth to be deciphered. 1899 is going to offer us some spiritual lessons, it seems. Whatever the case may be, 1899 is surely going to be a hot topic soon.
