Based on 2 seasons, 20 episodes · through October 14, 2021
Another Life is a sci-fi drama about a spaceship commander who leads a mission to find the source of an alien artifact. The show features a highly diverse crew of young astronauts who face deep-space dangers while dealing with personal drama. Viewers will easily notice several strong social-justice and identity-focused elements throughout the seasons. These include a prominent non-binary main character who uses neopronouns, a polyamorous three-way relationship among crew members, and discussions about modern social issues. Traditional gender roles are reversed, as the female lead captains the dangerous mission while her husband stays home to care for their child.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Another Life.
Woke representation / casting
The series features a highly diverse cast selected to mirror progressive modern demographics. The ship's medic is a prominent non-binary character played by a non-binary actor, which receives major focus. The rest of the crew is made of young, racially diverse actors who often behave like emotional teenagers rather than professional astronauts. This casting pattern heavily prioritizes identity and representation over realistic military or space-program logic.
82%
Woke political dialogue
The dialogue includes explicit use of gender-neutral neopronouns like ze and hir when crew members speak to or about the non-binary medic. Characters also engage in discussions regarding personal choice, modern relationship boundaries, and personal identity. These elements introduce contemporary activist language into a futuristic setting.
68%
Identity-driven story themes
Queer and non-traditional relationship themes are highly prominent and drive multiple subplots. The show features a central romance between the non-binary medic Zayn and Bernie, a polyamorous throuple relationship among three crew members, and a casual mention of another male character having a husband back on Earth. These fluid relationship dynamics are treated as the emotional core of the ship.
85%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show actively undermines traditional Western social norms. It replaces professional, disciplined military structures with a highly emotional, bickering crew. Monogamy is bypassed in favor of polyamory, and traditional family structures are reversed by having the female lead run the mission while her husband stays home to perform domestic duties and care for their child.
70%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
The series faced strong backlash from conservative and traditional sci-fi fans on forums like NeoGAF, Metacritic, and Reddit. Viewers complained that Netflix shoehorned progressive identity politics, neopronouns, and polyamory into the show. Many argued that the focus on social issues and representation came at the expense of coherent plotting, logic, and scientific accuracy.
78%
Creator track record context
While creator Aaron Martin has a milder score of 27 from his past work on teen dramas, key members of the creative team have a stronger activist footprint. Executive producer Noreen Halpern has a high score of 65 for her open advocacy of gender equity and her production of queer-focused projects, while writer Romeo Candido holds a score of 60 for prioritizing diverse casting.
51%
Production
