The New Tomorrow
| Company type | Production company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Headquarters | New Zealand |
| Products | Television series (The New Tomorrow) |
The New Tomorrow is a television series from New Zealand, produced by Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group in collaboration with Channel 5. Developed by Raymond Thompson, it debuted on 17 September 2005 on Australia's Seven Network as a continuation of The Tribe. The narrative picks up following the final episode of The Tribe, although the precise timeline and links between the two remain unclear.
Premise
Following a virus that eradicates the adult population, children organize themselves into various tribes, each with distinct cultures and ideologies, resulting in ongoing conflicts. Differing from The Tribe, which emphasized survival within urban environments, The New Tomorrow focuses on tribes inhabiting rural and forested regions, notably the Ants, Barbs, and Privileged.
Main
- Sky (Nick Fenton) – An enigmatic figure who interacts with both The Ants and The Barbs but chooses not to align with any tribe; his background remains a mystery.
- Dan (Rafe Custance), The Ants – Originally devoted to The Ants yet harboring doubts about their doctrines; eventually transitions to The Barbs after completing an initiation.
- Omar (Trey Brown), The Ants – Fiercely protective of his tribe and wary of outsiders; opposes Dan's change in allegiance.
- Flame (Cameron Wakefield), The Privileged – Dominant leader and intimidator, experiencing internal conflict regarding his closest followers Harmony and Shadow.
- Zora (Felicity Milovanovich), The Barbs – Tribal chief intrigued by Sky's history.
- Jag (Joshua Rippon), The Barbs – Focused on safeguarding the tribe and suspicious of outsiders. (episodes 1–16)
- Harmony (Lara Custance), The Privileged – Flame’s principal advisor who secretly doubts his leadership.
- Faygar (Zoë Robins), The Ants – Spiritual leader and chief priestess overseeing the Ants' ancestral faith.
- Kwarli (Thomas Steventon), The Barbs – Promotes welfare beyond tribal boundaries, advocating for broader well-being.
- Cass (Paige Shand-Haami), The Ants – Tribal cook known for her nurturing disposition.
- Shadow (James Shaw), The Warps – Commander of The Privileged’s militia and Flame’s personal protector; a seasoned fighter marked by a battle scar. Discarded during a coup yet manages to escape. (episodes 1–24)
- Gwyn (Henrietta Steventon) – Former Discard turned Privileged operative assigned to infiltrate both The Barbs and Ants; uncovers her brother Dan’s presence within The Barbs.
- Erin (Arthur Caughley), The Barbs – Younger sibling of Leanne; characterized by mischievousness and occasional laziness.
- Leanne (Katie Alexander), The Barbs – Erin’s elder sister who is often exasperated by his behavior.
- Sal (Abbey-May Wakefield), The Ants – A six-year-old deeply devoted to caring for the tribe’s animals, including her pet pig named Star.
Recurring and guest
- Magdar (Imogen Cassin), of The Discards – A Discard serving under Gwyn after her induction into the Privileged. When Harmony threatens Gwyn’s status, Gwyn accuses Magdar of theft, resulting in her banishment to the Forbidden Zone. (episodes 4–6)
- Crusher (Marc Shaw), of The Warps – Initially selected by Shadow to gather intelligence on the Ants and Barbs for the Privileged but ultimately rejected by Flame. (episode 9)
- The Stranger (Jimmy Kwan), of The Birds – Youngest sibling of Sunni and Lord Attil; he steals items during a passball match and later takes Erin’s bicycle. Initially presumed mute when first encountered by Sky and Dan. (episodes 19–26)
- Sunni (Garrett Chin), of The Birds – Brother to Lord Attil and serves as a messenger for The Birds’ leader. (episodes 24–26)
Figures from history and mythology
Several notable personalities from The Tribe make appearances or are mentioned.
Bray
Regarded as a deity by The Ants, Bray played a pivotal role in The Tribe by striving to reestablish order. Early in Series 4, he was captured by the Technos. His influence endures through his son, who shares his name.
Zoot
Within Ants lore, Zoot embodies malevolence and is held accountable for historical disasters such as the advent of technology and the Great Wandering. His depiction is an amplified version drawn from The Tribe. Both The Bards and The Privileged acknowledge his notoriety.
Tribal groups
The New Tomorrow centers around three primary tribes—"The Ants," "The Barbs," and "The Privileged"—with a fourth tribe introduced later in the storyline.
The Ants
This agrarian tribe is led by High Priestess Faygar, who oversees their ancestor-based spiritual beliefs that portray Bray as benevolent and Zoot as malevolent. They await the return of 'The Ancestor.' Their signature facial markings consist of a black line beneath the eyes and a forehead emblem featuring one main line flanked by three smaller lines.
The Barbs
Residing within the forest, the Barbs are guided by warrior Zora and emphasize living in harmony with nature, venerating elements such as the sun, moon, and rain. Renowned for their hunting and tracking expertise, they dwell in wooden huts nestled deep in the woods. Their tribal identifiers include a five-pointed fan symbol on the forehead and colorful masks around their eyes; Leanne notably does not wear this mask.
The Privileged
Viewing themselves as superior beings, The Privileged pursue flawlessness in both appearance and behavior. They occupy subterranean tunnels beneath an old dam and are commanded by Flame. Their ranks include soldiers known as The Warps and enslaved individuals called The Discards, who labor in mines, plantations, or serve as personal attendants. Although decisions regarding group movements are intended to be communal, Flame frequently overrides this process by reassigning or discarding members unilaterally. Members of The Privileged don more elaborate attire than those in the Ants or Barbs tribes, while Discards are marked with a honeycomb pattern on their foreheads and wear gray clothing.
The Birds
First appearing in episode 24 of The New Tomorrow, the Birds are led by Lord Attil. His brother Sunni serves as a liaison to the Privileged camp. Sunni reveals that their tribe faces hostility from many others due to their practice of seizing resources from tribes unwilling to engage in trade.
Production
Aimed at children aged 8 to 12—significantly younger than the teenage demographic targeted by The Tribe—The New Tomorrow was developed by producers Harry Duffin and Raymond Thomson following Channel 5’s withdrawal of support from the original series. Their goal was to rekindle interest from Channel 5.
Although Cloud 9 often recasts actors across productions, no performers from The Tribe appeared on camera; however, some contributed behind the scenes—Caleb Ross managed sound foley effects while Vanessa Stacey served as vocal coach for younger cast members.
Plot summary
The opening episodes introduce two rival forest tribes: the warrior Barbs under Zora’s leadership and the tranquil farming Ants led by Faygar. Both groups fear machines and oppose the power-driven Privileged tribe commanded by Flame, aided by Harmony and warrior Shadow.
An amnesiac outsider named Sky integrates with the Barbs and forms strong bonds with them. Dan, originally an Ant member, decides to join the Barbs as well. Following a Privileged assault spearheaded by Flame that is thwarted by Sky, the Barbs and Ants unite under Sky’s command to bolster their defense.
Flame dispatches Gwyn—a former Discard who has ascended to Privileged status and happens to be Dan’s sister—as an infiltrator. Despite her brother’s presence, she remains loyal to Flame. Exploiting her intelligence-gathering efforts, Flame kidnaps Faygar and Sky; leadership of the allied tribes then passes to Zora.
Dissatisfied with Flame’s self-serving conduct, Harmony and Shadow conspire against him. A passball match determines their dispute; after a narrow defeat for The Privileged, Harmony deposes Flame but betrays Shadow by casting him out.
Faygar and Sky manage to escape captivity; Shadow vanishes—fans speculate he may have joined The Birds. Leadership of the united tribes is shared between Faygar and Zora. Flame is liberated but compelled to live among them as an equal. Sky and Dan discover a mute boy who becomes part of their group.
Harmony appoints Gwyn as her deputy; a close friendship develops between them. The enigmatic Bird tribe arrives seeking trade but departs following a tense encounter with Harmony, Zora, and Faygar. Harmony restores leadership to a changed Flame, who subsequently emancipates The Discards.
Later, The Birds return to reclaim the mute boy—revealed as Lord Attil’s brother’s protégé who only utters phrases related to his interests: "Only the Prototype" and "BROTHER!" With relations among all four tribes improved, Faygar expresses hope for future endeavors as they come together in celebration.
Links to The Tribe
Numerous links have been observed between The New Tomorrow and The Tribe:
- The Ants hold Bray in high esteem as an Ancestor who is prophesied to deliver them.
- They regard Zoot as a malevolent figure leading them astray.
- Since all individuals are younger than 13, it is hypothesized they might have been exposed to the virus linked to Ram's AI, although this remains unconfirmed.
- The Ants keep photographs of the Mall from The Tribe, which they consider a sacred location; Sky seems to recognize this place.
- It is theorized that Sky and several others could be descendants of characters from The Tribe.
- Characters such as Flame, Shadow, Harmony, and Omar were featured in early drafts for the sixth series of The Tribe and also appear in bonus material on the Series 5 DVD.
- Sky’s reference to "a boat drawing away and then a door" may allude to the conclusion of The Tribe series 5, where the Mall Rats flee by boat.
- An illustration within a cave shows two infants—Bray (child of Amber and Bray) and Brady (offspring of Trudy and Zoot).
Broadcast
- Australia – Seven Network, first aired on 17 September 2005
- United Kingdom – Channel 5, first broadcast on 2 October 2005