The Triangle (miniseries)
Encyclopedia
The Triangle is a three part US-British-German science fiction
miniseries
concerning the Bermuda Triangle
, which first aired on Sci-Fi Channel
in the US December 5 - December 7, 2005. It was written by Dean Devlin
, Bryan Singer
and Rockne S. O'Bannon
, directed by Craig R. Baxley
, and produced by special effects experts Volker Engel and Marc Weigert
, together with Kelly Van Horn, for Devlin's and Singer's production companies Electric Entertainment
and Bad Hat Harry Productions
, the BBC
, and Engel's and Weigert's production company Uncharted Territory
.
, a meteorologist, and an oceanographer to discover the secret of the Bermuda Triangle
, a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean
where a number of aircraft
and surface vessels
have disappeared in mysterious circumstances. Ultimately the team, with the help of a Greenpeace
survivor and the tycoon, find out the truth about a high-tech underwater facility from the Navy (and its relation with the Philadelphia Experiment
), and close the Triangle, destroying it forever. Their efforts also make it so the Triangle never existed and everyone who was taken is returned and they end up living their lives as though they were never taken. In the new Triangle-less timeline
the only ones who know the Bermuda Triangle existed is the team that destroyed it.
)
Shipping tycoon Eric Benirall has lost numerous ships in the Bermuda Triangle. Benirall is the architect of a historic expedition. He brings together a team of disparate experts by making them an offer they can't refuse - US$ 5 million each to solve the mystery of the Triangle - but his intentions might not be all that they appear. Stan eventually figures out the truth after seeing a man that looks just like Eric but with darker hair and a mustache in his reflection in a window with him: he has a twin brother named Winston who was taken by the Triangle and he wants to find him. In the first timeline he leads them to the Secretary of the Navy who is apparently a friend of his and the Secretary reveals what is believed to be the truth to them. In the second timeline when Howard traveled back in time several hours with the knowledge of the truth he kicks them out when Winston is mentioned. Ultimately he comes to his senses and leads a methane tanker out into the middle of the Triangle to stop the Navy. His efforts buy the others the time they need and the Triangle is destroyed. In the new timeline he apparently remembers the truth as he sends everyone the $5 million he promised. Also, he has his brother back.
Howard Gregory Thomas (Eric Stoltz
)
Howard Thomas is a reporter for a supermarket tabloid and an "expert" on the Bermuda Triangle. He is a hardcore cynic and a walking encyclopedia of fringe knowledge. Howard is recruited by Benirall to be the team's "ultimate arbiter", applying his experience with debunking the "paranormal
" as a litmus test for the rest of the team's theories. With a young daughter and an ex-wife (Shannon Esra
) to whom he can barely afford to pay alimony, his personal life might be in even worse shape than his career. He is somewhat of the story's true hero as when he notices all is lost he follows Stan into the triangle and ends up in the past to change things. His efforts allow them to get where they need to be faster and the Triangle is destroyed. In the new timeline he is still with his wife but they are having marital problems and are probably headed for a divorce. This time he decides to work it out with her and presumably succeeds.
Stan Lathem (Bruce Davison
)
Stan Lathem is a man with genuine psychic abilities, but he has been reduced to hawking self-promotional tapes at New Age fairs to make a living. Low-key but deeply emotional, Stan is attuned to an entire invisible world filled with clues to the Triangle's origins. His intuition complements the rest of the team's literal and scientific approaches to discovery. In the first timeline he survives a Triangle effect in which a bridge he, Howard and a scientist who is with them are crossing is erased from existence; but in the second, when he (by mistake) and Howard (on purpose) are transported back to that point, he dies as Howard tries to save the scientist first and doesn't get to him in time. He is revived in the new timeline when the Triangle is destroyed.
Bruce Geller (Michael E. Rodgers
)
Australia
n native Bruce Geller is a thrill-seeking (and often reckless) professor
of meteorology
who has an often questionable moral fiber. Initially, he joins Benirall's team purely for the money, and he starts by looking for the fastest and easiest way to collect the $5 million payoff. He has a childlike enthusiasm for discovery, however, and his passion for the task at hand soon reveals itself. He is the one that ultimately discovers the truth about the Triangle and after it is destroyed ends up in a timeline where he has an injured leg and is married with children. The injury to his leg was the result of a bad stunt, even though the same stunt had worked in the previous timeline.
Emily Myredith Patterson (Catherine Bell
)
Deep ocean resource engineer Emily Patterson has recently been fired from an off-shore drilling company, for not backing off from safety concerns that would have shut down their operations. She is a smart woman with strong convictions, but, despite her multiple degrees and expert knowledge of oceanography (among other subjects), its financial need that drives her to accept Benirall's far-fetched proposal. She keeps encountering visions of her mother from another timeline and in one sits down to dinner with her and asks why she gave her up for adoption. In that timeline her mother had almost given her up but didn't and explains that at that time she was simply unable to take care of her. She learns her mother's name and calls her once everything is over; however her mother does not know her. It is also shown in the new timeline where she has a boyfriend as well.
Meeno Paloma (Lou Diamond Phillips
)
Meeno Paloma is a sailor, the sole survivor of a Triangle event that killed the crews of two ships. He returns from his ordeal to a loving family, but one that is not quite as he remembers it. Confronted with a son he doesn't know and smaller details that aren't as they should be, Meeno is increasingly tormented by the possibility that either his memory has been damaged... or that he has somehow rejoined a world in which he doesn't belong. He seems to keep switching between two timelines: one where he has one son and one where he has two. Ultimately he goes to Howard for help and joins the group's efforts to stop the US Navy from accidentally creating the Triangle. He suggests they do things the "Greenpeace
way" and drive his cigarette boat out to where the Navy is attempting to close the Triangle not realizing they are creating it. The first attempt fails and the Triangle is created but the second time around Howard gathers him and everyone sooner and they make it to the Naval Base although Meeno's boat is destroyed by the Navy and captured. The attempt works and in the new timeline created from the Triangle's destruction he has two sons not just one anymore.
for Outstanding Special Visual Effects and a Saturn Award
for Best Television Presentation, and was nominated for four other awards.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
concerning the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
, which first aired on Sci-Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in the US December 5 - December 7, 2005. It was written by Dean Devlin
Dean Devlin
Dean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
, Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
and Rockne S. O'Bannon
Rockne S. O'Bannon
Rockne S. O'Bannon is a television producer and writer. He is the creator of the science fiction movie Alien Nation, television shows seaQuest DSV, The Triangle and Farscape. He is married with one daughter and two sons - all three children adopted from Russia. He resides in California,...
, directed by Craig R. Baxley
Craig R. Baxley
Craig Redding Baxley is an American actor, director and stunt performer. He is best known for his work in the action and thriller genres....
, and produced by special effects experts Volker Engel and Marc Weigert
Marc Weigert
Marc Weigert is a film producer and film/TV visual effects artist.-Early career:Weigert was born in Bad Harzburg, Germany. While in Christian-von-Dohm-Gymnasium, a grammar school in Goslar, Germany, he developed an interest in filmmaking. He moved on to study directing and producing from 1991-1994...
, together with Kelly Van Horn, for Devlin's and Singer's production companies Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment is a full-service film, television and new media production company, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin , and led by Devlin along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan.-Company Biography:On December 7, 2008, TNT debuted “Leverage,”...
and Bad Hat Harry Productions
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and Engel's and Weigert's production company Uncharted Territory
Uncharted Territory, LLC
Uncharted Territory, LLC is a film production company based in Los Angeles, California. UT was founded in 1999 by academy award winning visual effects supervisor and producer Volker Engel and Emmy award winning VFX supervisor and producer Marc Weigert...
.
Plot
A shipping company employs four people: a reporter, a psychicPsychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, a meteorologist, and an oceanographer to discover the secret of the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
, a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
where a number of aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
and surface vessels
Surface ship
A surface ship is any type of naval ship that is confined to the surface of the sea. The term is primarily used to mean any modern vessel type that is not a submarine; although a "surface ship" may range in size from a cutter to an aircraft carrier, the weapons and tactics have some commonality,...
have disappeared in mysterious circumstances. Ultimately the team, with the help of a Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
survivor and the tycoon, find out the truth about a high-tech underwater facility from the Navy (and its relation with the Philadelphia Experiment
Philadelphia Experiment
The Philadelphia Experiment is the name of an alleged naval military experiment said to have been carried out at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA sometime around October 28, 1943. It is alleged that the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldridge was to be rendered...
), and close the Triangle, destroying it forever. Their efforts also make it so the Triangle never existed and everyone who was taken is returned and they end up living their lives as though they were never taken. In the new Triangle-less timeline
Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
the only ones who know the Bermuda Triangle existed is the team that destroyed it.
Cast
Eric Benirall (Sam NeillSam Neill
Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
)
Shipping tycoon Eric Benirall has lost numerous ships in the Bermuda Triangle. Benirall is the architect of a historic expedition. He brings together a team of disparate experts by making them an offer they can't refuse - US$ 5 million each to solve the mystery of the Triangle - but his intentions might not be all that they appear. Stan eventually figures out the truth after seeing a man that looks just like Eric but with darker hair and a mustache in his reflection in a window with him: he has a twin brother named Winston who was taken by the Triangle and he wants to find him. In the first timeline he leads them to the Secretary of the Navy who is apparently a friend of his and the Secretary reveals what is believed to be the truth to them. In the second timeline when Howard traveled back in time several hours with the knowledge of the truth he kicks them out when Winston is mentioned. Ultimately he comes to his senses and leads a methane tanker out into the middle of the Triangle to stop the Navy. His efforts buy the others the time they need and the Triangle is destroyed. In the new timeline he apparently remembers the truth as he sends everyone the $5 million he promised. Also, he has his brother back.
Howard Gregory Thomas (Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
)
Howard Thomas is a reporter for a supermarket tabloid and an "expert" on the Bermuda Triangle. He is a hardcore cynic and a walking encyclopedia of fringe knowledge. Howard is recruited by Benirall to be the team's "ultimate arbiter", applying his experience with debunking the "paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
" as a litmus test for the rest of the team's theories. With a young daughter and an ex-wife (Shannon Esra
Shannon Esra
-Early career:Esra had her first "taste" of acting at age 4, narrating a nursery school Purim concert. She later did impersonations of Elvis Presley at local talent contests....
) to whom he can barely afford to pay alimony, his personal life might be in even worse shape than his career. He is somewhat of the story's true hero as when he notices all is lost he follows Stan into the triangle and ends up in the past to change things. His efforts allow them to get where they need to be faster and the Triangle is destroyed. In the new timeline he is still with his wife but they are having marital problems and are probably headed for a divorce. This time he decides to work it out with her and presumably succeeds.
Stan Lathem (Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
)
Stan Lathem is a man with genuine psychic abilities, but he has been reduced to hawking self-promotional tapes at New Age fairs to make a living. Low-key but deeply emotional, Stan is attuned to an entire invisible world filled with clues to the Triangle's origins. His intuition complements the rest of the team's literal and scientific approaches to discovery. In the first timeline he survives a Triangle effect in which a bridge he, Howard and a scientist who is with them are crossing is erased from existence; but in the second, when he (by mistake) and Howard (on purpose) are transported back to that point, he dies as Howard tries to save the scientist first and doesn't get to him in time. He is revived in the new timeline when the Triangle is destroyed.
Bruce Geller (Michael E. Rodgers
Michael E. Rodgers
Michael E. Rodgers is a Scottish film, television and theater actor.He began his film career with a role in Gia with Angelina Jolie. Shortly thereafter, he went to work with Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Minnie Driver in feature film Uncorked and renowned director Allison Anders in Sugar Town...
)
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n native Bruce Geller is a thrill-seeking (and often reckless) professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
who has an often questionable moral fiber. Initially, he joins Benirall's team purely for the money, and he starts by looking for the fastest and easiest way to collect the $5 million payoff. He has a childlike enthusiasm for discovery, however, and his passion for the task at hand soon reveals itself. He is the one that ultimately discovers the truth about the Triangle and after it is destroyed ends up in a timeline where he has an injured leg and is married with children. The injury to his leg was the result of a bad stunt, even though the same stunt had worked in the previous timeline.
Emily Myredith Patterson (Catherine Bell
Catherine Bell
Catherine Lisa Bell is an American actress known for her role of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie of the television show JAG from 1997 to 2005...
)
Deep ocean resource engineer Emily Patterson has recently been fired from an off-shore drilling company, for not backing off from safety concerns that would have shut down their operations. She is a smart woman with strong convictions, but, despite her multiple degrees and expert knowledge of oceanography (among other subjects), its financial need that drives her to accept Benirall's far-fetched proposal. She keeps encountering visions of her mother from another timeline and in one sits down to dinner with her and asks why she gave her up for adoption. In that timeline her mother had almost given her up but didn't and explains that at that time she was simply unable to take care of her. She learns her mother's name and calls her once everything is over; however her mother does not know her. It is also shown in the new timeline where she has a boyfriend as well.
Meeno Paloma (Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
)
Meeno Paloma is a sailor, the sole survivor of a Triangle event that killed the crews of two ships. He returns from his ordeal to a loving family, but one that is not quite as he remembers it. Confronted with a son he doesn't know and smaller details that aren't as they should be, Meeno is increasingly tormented by the possibility that either his memory has been damaged... or that he has somehow rejoined a world in which he doesn't belong. He seems to keep switching between two timelines: one where he has one son and one where he has two. Ultimately he goes to Howard for help and joins the group's efforts to stop the US Navy from accidentally creating the Triangle. He suggests they do things the "Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
way" and drive his cigarette boat out to where the Navy is attempting to close the Triangle not realizing they are creating it. The first attempt fails and the Triangle is created but the second time around Howard gathers him and everyone sooner and they make it to the Naval Base although Meeno's boat is destroyed by the Navy and captured. The attempt works and in the new timeline created from the Triangle's destruction he has two sons not just one anymore.
Awards
The Triangle won an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Special Visual Effects and a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Television Presentation, and was nominated for four other awards.