Alien Cargo

Alien Cargo

Company type	Television film
Industry	Film, Television
Founded	1999 (1999)
Founder	Mark Haber (director), Carla Jean Wagner (screenwriter)
Products	Science fiction television film

Alien Cargo is a 1999 American science fiction television film helmed by director Mark Haber, with a screenplay by Carla Jean Wagner. The cast features Jason London, Missy Crider, Elizabeth Alexander, and Alan Dale. The narrative centers on a cargo spacecraft encountering an extraterrestrial entity that unleashes latent malevolent tendencies within organic beings. Its initial broadcast occurred on UPN on January 28, 1999.

Plot

Following an extended period in hyper-sleep aboard the cargo vessel Solar System Shipping Vessel No.17 (SSS-17), crew members Chris McNiel and Theta Kaplan awaken nearly ten months past their expected revival due to a severe malfunction onboard. The ship has sustained significant damage, is critically low on fuel, and has deviated from the ecliptic. They infer that the initial crew shift likely succumbed to fatal internal conflict under unclear conditions. With only nine hours left of life-support capacity, they examine the ship’s records and uncover a space probe containing an enigmatic substance.

As the substance appears to induce psychotic episodes, tensions escalate between McNiel and Kaplan, leading to violent confrontations. Concurrently, a nearby deep-space research vessel monitoring a comet considers launching a rescue operation.

Kaplan deduces that the biological agent becomes inactive at reduced temperatures and hypothesizes it triggers psychosis. Following guidance from the ship’s computer, she administers an experimental medication aimed at neutralizing the infection. After treating McNiel, they convince the research vessel to attempt a rescue by transferring unaffected sleepers before life-support expires.

They later realize that the medication’s effect is only temporary and that both remain infected. To prevent further contamination, McNiel and Kaplan decide to remain aboard SSS-17 as it sets course toward the sun. While awaiting their fate, they dismantle the probe and discover it contains the blue contaminant. The probe was launched from Earth and likely spread the virus into space unintentionally, infecting an alien species which retaliated by sending it back.

Cast

• Jason London as Christopher 'Chris' McNiel
• Missy Crider as Theta Kaplan
• Simon Westaway as Adam Iberra, SSS17 First Watch
• Elizabeth Alexander as Rojean Page, Explorer Dolphin
• Alan Dale as Eichhorn, Explorer Dolphin
• Warwick Young as Omer Janowitz, SSS17 First Watch
• David Ross Paterson as Warren Schiedell, SSS Group Manager (credited as David Paterson)
• Kevin Copeland as Hunt Ballard, SSS17 Sleeper
• Diana Glenn as Leilani Griffin, SSS17 Sleeper
• Theresa Wong as Yvonne Hagan, SSS17 Sleeper
• Jennifer Congram as Voice of Shoshoni, SSS Communication Central
• Julian Garner as Titan Miner
• Helen Houard as Eli Follette, SSS17 Sleeper
• Rebecca Riggs as Meryl Leonardi, SSS17 Sleeper
• Sean Dennehy as Rupert O'Day, SSS17 Sleeper

External links

• Alien Cargo at IMDb
• Alien Cargo at Rotten Tomatoes