‘1899’ Creators Refused to Reference 1 Moment in History as They Created Netflix’s Sci-Fi Mystery Show
Netflix‘s Dark was a great, increasingly confusing sci-fi show about a group of immigrants trapped in an inescapable time travel loop. The narrative wasn’t always easy to follow, but the writing quality and direction were clear to see. Show creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar are back with a new project, the recently released 1899.
This series isn’t quite as complex as their previous work, but it still puts several characters in the maelstrom of a conflict that threatens their understanding of time and space. Friese and bo Odar recently explained the process behind crafting such a detailed show.
Netflix’s ‘1899’ is inspired by migrant issues new and old
The story of 1899 follows a group of passengers on a steamship named the Kerberos, making its way to New York from England. The ensemble cast comprises people from disparate countries with little language overlap. But they all share one thing in common: They must escape their previous lives in Europe.
The trip quickly gets sidetracked by what appears to be a miracle. A ship called the Prometheus, which disappeared without a trace four months earlier, is now sending distress signals from nearby.
When ship captain Eyk Larsen and a few others make their way onto the Prometheus, they find no one aboard except a young boy hiding in a cupboard who wordlessly hands them a black obelisk. The show only gets deeper and stranger from there.
Friese and bo Odor talked to The Hollywood Reporter about how they made 1899 and revealed that the idea for the show was initially sparked by a provocative picture they found during a separate research project. Friese described:
“We stumbled upon a picture of a man in a white shirt covered in blood, with a hammer in his hand and a really weird look on his face, standing on top of what looked like an old boat.
It was one of those pictures you’re drawn to, where you immediately start asking questions: What did he do with that hammer? Where does he come from? Where’s he going? What’s this all about? Immediately, I had the idea that this might be a migrant on a ship. But what happened on that ship? That was the big question.”
This discovery also coincided with the European refugee crisis in 2015. That year, 1.3 million people sought asylum on the continents, contributing to increased political polarization in many countries.
The creative duo felt compelled to interrogate the dynamics between people of different cultures through their work. Friese explained:
“How do people cope with situations when they’re not able to speak the same language? What happens when you have all these different cultural backgrounds, that are put into a space like this? That’s what triggered the process.
Then, of course, just like in Dark, we have a big philosophical theme at the center of it all about perception and reality.”
‘1899’ has little in common with ‘Titanic’
The year 1899 wasn’t a random choice. It was a time of great social change as the world entered the 20th century. New technologies and ways of thinking challenged the old status quo, creating friction over topics that are sadly still present in modern times.
Naming the project directly after the year came courtesy of a fit of transitive reasoning most commonly among college kids late on a Saturday night. “You can do a lot of things with [1899],” explained bo Odar. “One plus eight is nine. So you have 999. If you turn that upside down, it’s 666, the number of the beast, so it’s magical too.”
He and Friese looked to seminal movies like The Shining and Alien to help define the visual language for their increasingly haunted ship locales.
One classic they made it a point to avoid using as a reference was Titanic. Both projects are about doomed people trapped on a ship. But bo Odar and Friese did not want any viewer to think about Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s romance while watching 1899.
“It should feel different because you have this image of a big steamship going from Europe to America, and immediately you think this must be the cube version of Titanic. That’s not what we wanted,” bo Odar said affirmatively.
The ships’ names might hint at what’ll happen to the ‘1899’ cast
The creative team’s consideration for every piece of the puzzle also includes the names of the two ships.
Kerberos bears a passing resemblance to Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Greek mythology who guards the entryway to the underworld overseen by Hades. Meanwhile, those same legends consider Prometheus the Titan god of fire and a trickster who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. In many stories, he is also associated with creating humanity from clay.
Using these names isn’t a coincidence, so they may hint at what happens to the passengers later in the story. Is someone on the Kerberos keeping watch to ensure no one gets off the ship? Were the events on the Prometheus set off by a piece of brand-new technology introduced by a devious figure? Is the Atlantic Ocean a metaphor for hell?
We’ll have to watch the entire story (Friede and bo Odor have ideas for two additional seasons) before those questions get answered.
