episode #19 - Invasion

Air Date: 6/28/96 writer: Tracy Torme Directed by Richard Compton

A pivotal and scary episode: the Sliders arrive on an Earth mostly devoid of people and there are signs of looting. There's also the word "Kromaggs" written in various graffiti. A strange man warns them that Earth has been conquered by a hostile, eye-eating invasion force of Kromaggs - but these are not really aliens. Right after, they spot a manta-ray-shaped flying ship hovering over them. Implausibly, Quinn brings the ship crashing down with his timer. It seems the two devices operate on the same frequency. Quinn & Arturo explore the inside of the downed ship, finding a dead humanoid creature. Soon after, they are all chased by a couple of live humanoids - these resemble hairless (except for mohawks) apes, though they also have human characteristics. The Sliders escape via a slide to a French-dominated San Francisco, but their safety is short-lived. Arturo took a device from the downed ship and this serves as a homing device. The Kromaggs follow the Sliders to this current Earth and this time are ready for Quinn's timer; the Sliders are all knocked out and taken to yet another Earth, a barren world which never developed life. The Kromaggs have set up a prison base there and the interrogations begin...
It turns out that the Kromaggs control sliding technology and originate from an Earth where it was Kromaggs, evolved from a probable killer ape species, that were the dominant lifeform, not humans. After they discovered sliding technology about a generation ago, they found that almost all other Earths were dominated by humans. This revelation caused the inner-fighting among Kromaggs to halt; they united in a world government with the intention of conquering all Earths which are ruled by humans. The Sliders pose a serious problem for the Kromagg Dynasty: they are the first humans they have encountered which also possess sliding technology (or so they say). The Kromaggs intend to gain as much information about how this happened, including tracing events back to Earth Prime. So, in this sense, it's lucky that the Sliders do not possess their Earth's coordinates. The Kromaggs try all manner of questioning and tricks, such as bringing a version of Rembrandt's father in to speak to his 'son' (though this father makes a stupid mistake). There is also a human slave of the Kromaggs, Mary (Una Damon), who may either be the group's downfall or their means of escape.

This was an extremely effective episode, both for the frightening, chilling aspects and for the new ideas on sliding and alternate Earths. The script throws in this odd man giving the Sliders a warning in the beginning and it's revealed that he probably escaped from an insane asylum during the invasion. This just adds to the scary lunacy of the story - just because he's crazy doesn't mean he's wrong. The Kromaggs rival such other TV villains and nemesis as The Borg (Star Trek TNG) for providing an instant sensation as the ultimate antagonists. As in many cases, they are probably never better than in their first appearance here: grotesque, truly alien (even though from an Earth), hideously intelligent and too formidable. There is the expected ominous epilogue, a twist, including the disclosure that one of the Sliders have a tracking device implanted in them. In all, it shows that the Sliders appear to be no match for the Kromaggs and this bodes ill for the future. BoG's Score: 8 out of 10

Earths Depicted:
---------------- #38: an Earth already conquered by the Kromaggs, possibly days before
---------------- #39: San Francisco and possibly the continent governed by the French
---------------- #40: a barren Earth where no life began, designated Earth #113 by the Kromagg Dynasty

Sliding Trivia: the prisoner in the cell next to the Sliders on Earth #113 is played by Jason Gaffney, who played Conrad Bennish in several previous episodes; however, he is credited as simply the "prisoner" and the Sliders do not seem to recognize him (maybe the lack of eyes..?)