NYCC '13: State of Syn Screening

By Friday night, I was exhausted and wandering around the convention center while it was shutting down around me. There were still some panels going on that I knew I wanted to check out. I walked into the closest one, which happened to be for the upcoming series State of Syn.

I had written it down because it had David Hewlett from Stargate Atlantis on the panel. I also knew that one friend was moderating and another friend was in the audience. When I finally made it inside, I had already missed the introduction. However, I got inside just in time for the premiere screening of the first two episodes.


I admit, I had no idea what I was walking into. What I saw was the most unusual and unique show I've ever seen. They call it a 3D enabled motion novel.  It's best compared to a motion comic but using live actors, mostly through photography but there seemed to be a bit of actual taped movement, which was confirmed by the panel later on. When it first started, I was actually in awe for the first time. It just seems so cool to look at and was seamless in its execution.

State of Syn takes place in a future controlled by the wealthy behind their glided gates while the poor struggle to survive. We follow Annika, a girl who suddenly gets thrown into a fight against a dangerous technology. The series also deals with a very real condition, synesthesia, which plays a huge role in the events unfolding. 

The acting is hard to dissect because of the design of the series but I can honestly say I didn't dislike anyone. It was exciting to see all of the Stargate Atlantis alums together again. Along with Hewlett, the lead role Annika is played by Jewel Staite. She wasn't at NYCC but they played a special message from her. She did say that this was on of the most unique projects she has ever been on and she is excited she can start talking about it! Also on the cast from SG:A is Rainbow Sun Francks and a voice-over from Torri Higginson. A fun side note that I don't remember hearing at the panel but I might have missed is that Jimmy Palmotti is consulting on this as well.

Along with the show, there is an app you can play. It layouts the events leading up to the show's plot. It should be released in the coming days on iOS and Android. If you are still hawing about any of this, I wanna tell you, it's all free. That's right. The show will be airing on Hulu and the app will be free to download. Why not give it a shot?

I may have wandered into the State of Syn panel, but I am so glad that I did.  This was one of those sleeper hit panels that everyone will be regretting they missed in a few months.  You can still listen in to the panel and stay tuned on their website for more updates!


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