Season 2 of National Geographic's Mars may not premiere until 2018 but Screen Rant had the opportunity to explore the sets of the sci-fi drama and meet with cast and crew to talk about the next stage of colonizing Mars.Last weekend we traveled to Budapest, Hungary where we spent two days at Korda Studios learning all about Mars season 2. The series, which is more "science future" than sci-fi, is going to be much bigger and bolder in its second six-episode miniseries. There are more characters, bigger sets to represent the bigger colony on Mars, and to bring the show to life in its second season which is set years later, Nat Geo is utilizing one of the biggest sound stages in Europe. It's here at Korda - where massive sets for Hellboy 2, The Borgias, Emerald City, and Robin Hood still stand - that our journey towards returning to Mars begins.We explored the costume, art, and prop departments and toured the many impressive and fully realized sets which included multiple Mars settlements, spacecraft, and ground vehicles. Don't worry, we won't share any spoilers. Here are a few things to expect in Mars season 2.

7. Time Jump: Mars Season 2 Takes Place Years Later

In the six-episode miniseries that formed season 1 of Nat Geo's Mars, the first two saw the original small team of astronauts locate water and an underground refuge to make camp and plant the flag for humanity's first Mars colony. This became Olympus Town and the following four episodes spanned several years as other starships were sent to Mars with more colonists and resources to begin expansion.

Season 2 of Mars picks up years later and there's been significant change not just on the Mars settlement itself, but on the political landscape back at home. Public interest in the Mars program is at a low since there's been little to no progress on on the discovery of life on the red planet, and the private industry backers from season 1 (Mars Missions Corporation, consortium of private aerospace companies preparing Mars expeditions) are no longer involved, and therefore no longer providing the tech, science, funds, and vehicles. Instead, there's a new faction with a larger and more complex role to play in the plot of season 2.

6. Privatizing Mars: Introducing Lukrum Corporation

Where Hana Seung (Jihae) and the IMSF (International Mars Science Foundation) colony founded by the original astronauts of the Daedalus crew were in charge in season 1, everything is different where season 2 picks up nearly a decade after they set originally set course for Mars. Now there's the Lukrum Corporation who have their own, more advanced settlement on Mars. Their Earthbound CEO is Roland St. John (played by Esai Morales).

Where Olympus Town is hidden deep under the surface of Mars inside of a lava tube to protect itself and its inhabitants from radiation and to support long-term growth and colonization, Lukrum is there for the commercial side of things. They're mining for the planet's most valuable resource: water. It's water that any expansion on Mars will need most to support life and it's also the precious resource which is used to protect Lukrum structures from radiation, allowing Lukrum employees to have their structures on the surface of the red planet.

Lukrum teams have very different goals and philosophies than the IMSF crew leading to relatable human conflict on Mars, a major theme for the show's sophomore season. Its leaders are there for the money and are only contracted for the short term (a matter of years). They are there to make a buck and head back to Earth and they're lead by Captain Kurt Hurrelle (Jeff Hephner), who's in charge of the Lukrum mining colony and his two right-hand top officers: Shep Master (Evan Hall), the wildcard of the Lukrum crew, and Jen Carson (Roxy Sternberg), operation forewoman at the Lukrum mining colony.

It's their short-term goals and focus on mining and results that causes problems for the people of Olympus Town who are there for life and science, and to protect their home, and you can bet it'll reach a boiling point this season.

5. New Characters Join Mars Season 2

Mars began with six characters setting course for the red planet with a support staff millions of miles away, safely home on Earth, before it expanded as the surviving Daedalus crew began settling. Now there are seemingly hundreds of humans living on Mars almost a decade later and that means more characters and much more drama - a major focus of season 2 of Mars which sees slightly less documentary footage and more sci-fi drama thanks to new showrunner Dee Johnson (ER, Nashville) who brings an impressive resume and background to season 2.

In addition to the Lukrum leadership mentioned above (their CEO and three drill team leaders on Mars) there are also new characters at Olympus Town stepping into the spotlight as well, including a new scientist, new doctor, and a new second in command:

  • Gunnar Cauthery (Genius, War Horse) as Lieutenant Michael Glenn, the newest addition to Olympus Town and second in command
  • Levi Fiehler (The Fosters, Mission Control) as Cameron Pate, a molecular biologist tech in Olympus Town
  • Akbar Kurtha (24, Syriana) as Dr. Johar, a psychologist bringing his expertise to Olympus Town

Each character has a very important role to play in the larger story and strong personal arcs that we won't spoil here.

4. Mars Season 2 Introduces New Costumes and Space Suits

New space suits for the IMSF colonists (returning characters and newcomers) that are teal in color, more smooth with built-in lights this time, and red, more aggressive looking suits with thick shoulder pads for the Lukrum crews and miners. The extra detail extends to their gloves and boots as well. At a glance, it's easy to presume who the antagonists may be.

As for casual wear, the idea is that in the future on Mars the colonists will 3D print clothing the same way they print materials for tools and building materials. Clothes are thin, light and seamless. One idea the costume designers had is that they could even deliver vitamins through the skin of the user.

Each character also has their own personal attire they wear in their off time which matches their personality and character background.

3. Mars Season 2 Introduces New Conflict

Interior of Lukrum sleeping quarters

Are humans doomed to repeat the same mistakes as we become an interplanetary species in the future? This question is at the core of the the themes of Mars season 2 as it takes a deep dive in exploring the conflict between science and commercialism. What are the consequences of living on Mars and tapping it for its resources?

The reality is, just like NASA needs SpaceX to help supply the International Space Station, is that private corporations will be needed to help drive the efforts to get to Mars and fund the missions and much of the science required to do so.

Marta's discovery of microbial life at the end of season 1 salvaged the IMSF mission to pursue humanity's expansion to Mars and thanks to that revelation, Marta now has staff to assist her in research and an massive and impressive lab unlike anything viewers have seen previously. We walked through this multi-level set which featured all sorts of workstations and lab materials, and it seemingly has enough space for a team of scientists to do their work.

Showrunner Dee Johnson:

œThis season takes us literally into new territory. With no laws, no government and no safety nets of any kind, what is it like to be among the first settlers of Mars? Not only do we explore dangers and mysteries of this brand-new world, but we also explore what it means to be human in a place where so few exist.

Co-creator and executive producer for RadicalMedia Justin Wilkes:

œThe struggle between private industry and scientific exploration is going to come to a climax on the Red Planet just as we have seen it happen on Earth. In fact, the fundamental question we ask this season is can we learn from past mistakes, or are we doomed to make the same flawed decisions on another planet?

Production Designer Adrian Smith tells us that the IMSF gets financing thanks to Lukrum but the deal is that they get to exploit the planet and mine for resources. Living on Mars however, both the IMSF and Lukrum crews still desperately need each other for basic survival. They both want the same thing (making Mars habitable) but for entirely different reasons.

2. New Tech and Terraforming Mars

Robert Foucault built a bar in Olympus Town for colonists to wind down

From Marta's state of the art, futuristic lab and Lukrum's Martian ground vehicles and drilling tools to holographic displays and the IMSF control room which looks like something from a Star Trek starship bridge, there's been significant advances in technology since the Daedalus crew left Earth in 2033. Humanity is about to begin terraforming Mars in season 2.

There are ships that can travel back and forth between Mars and Earth, basic clothing that can feed vitamins directly into its wearer, radiation proof habs that don't need to be hidden under the surface of Mars and the 3D printing tech can help producer larger structures and more detailed tools and equipment. With power and water, Mars colony can virtually sustain itself. But as per usual, nothing ever goes according to plan on the deadly surface of Mars and there's always human error to account for - especially now with more people with different agendas.

Viewers of Mars season 2 will notice the attention to detail in the many new environments from the inside of "the bus" to the social area and bar in Olympus Town to the interiors of Lukrum structures (these are bright, slick, clean, sterilized compared to the darker, grittier, with exposed wiring of Olympus Colony) which take the idea of modular design and prefab buildings to the next level. We were able to traverse the massive, to-scale and incredibly detailed sets sitting within Stage 6 at Budapest's Korda Studios and almost everything is done practically and in-camera.

Check out this 360 degrees live video from the set of Mars season 2 shared earlier this month for an idea of what to expect.

1. New Documentary Footage

Having documentary segments in Mars - which makes it a unique hybrid series - helps rid the dramatic story elements of needed exposition. It's a "happy byproduct" of the design of the series says showrunner Dee Johnson when we spoke with her on set. Johnson tells us there's slightly less screen time devoted to the documentary elements as to allow more focus on the story and characters.

"The reason there is more scripted is because I'm here [laughs]. That's what I do. I thought they did a really amazing job with on season 1 but I wanted more character, I wanted to know who they were, and I felt like they had so much 'event' going on because of the challenges of getting there and everything else. I just wanted more. The idea was to come in and really get into those characters and use the documentary part to marry it more.

We're working so closely with our documentary partners. They're shooting at the same time we are. Every step of the way we have worked with them: 'here's our outline. Let's talk about where the doc pod that you anticipate being able put together is going to fit.' So hopefully it's as seamless as it can be moving between these really different genres."

Informing the future dramatic sequences at Olympus Town, MARS once again assembles the world's most brilliant, diverse and contemporary experts within its documentary passages, including Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX; Michio Kaku, preeminent theoretical physicist and futurist; Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief; and international bestselling author Jared Diamond (Collapse and Guns, Germs and Steel). But this season, the documentary sequences go beyond the world's leading experts to reveal even more dramatically the potential challenges that we could confront on MARS with real-world scenarios we are facing today on Earth.

Stay tuned for interviews and more exclusives as we approach the premiere date of Mars season 2!

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Mars season 2 airs spring 2018.

Source: National Geographic