| “ | If we're gonna survive up here, extreme measure will be required. Let this be a lesson to all federation stations. God rest your souls. May God help ours. | ” |
| — Alpha Station to Polaris [src] | ||
Polaris, also known as the 13th Station (formally known as Polaris Station), was a space station owned by Becca's company. It was used by Becca to conduct research on A.L.I.E. 2.0 for three years after she went onboard the space station, and for two years after the Nuclear Apocalypse. It was destroyed by Alpha Station on Unity Day in order to get the other stations to come into line and join the Ark.
History[]
Polaris crew watch the end of the world
Polaris Station is where Becca traveled to conduct her research on A.L.I.E. 2.0 after isolating A.L.I.E. in the mansion.
In October 1, 2054, Polaris was due to join the other twelve federation stations to form the Ark. However, upon discovering the nature of Becca's research on the station, Commander McAdams refused to begin docking maneuvers in fear of infecting the entire Ark mainframe with the second AI that Becca had created. Other stations threatened to stop docking maneuvers because Polaris has not started, and Alpha Station threatened them to comply with the docking or they would be blown out of the sky to send a clear message to the other space stations. Soon after, Polaris was destroyed by a missile launched from Alpha Station. Since then, Polaris was scrubbed from the Ark's history and considered a myth.
Moments before Polaris was blown up, Becca took the AI and launched down from the station in an escape-pod, becoming the sole survivor of Polaris' destruction. According to A.L.I.E. and Raven's trajectory calculations, debris from Polaris Station fell into the ocean.
Throughout the Series[]
The 13th Space Station is first mentioned by Finn in Unity Day, stating that it was destroyed in a conflict before the remaining stations decided to work together in order to obtain peace, something that wasn't talked about much on the Ark.
In Thirteen, Jaha is interested in finding out the truth about Polaris now that A.L.I.E. needs to find her second version and reveals what he knew as Chancellor, that the 13th Station, called "Polaris", was blown out of the sky. They hope to find the station Polaris, but A.L.I.E. and Raven's trajectory calculations show debris from Polaris fell into the ocean.
In Perverse Instantiation (Part 2), Clarke discovers A.L.I.E.'s kill switch in a manifestation of Becca's lab on Polaris within the City of Light, joined by Becca through the Flame. In an attempt to stop Clarke from pulling the kill switch, A.L.I.E. shows her the effects of the ongoing Second Nuclear Apocalypse through Polaris' window, but Clarke choses to pull the kill switch and terminate A.L.I.E. anyway.
In Anaconda, in a news report just before the Nuclear Apocalypse, Becca is mentioned to have been missing from the public eye for over a year and is suspected to potentially be aboard her space station Polaris.
Polaris Escape Pod[]
Polaris Escape Pod
When the Ark first formed, Polaris refused to join due to the unknown potential danger A.L.I.E. 2.0 presented. Becca refused to destroy A.L.I.E. 2.0 and injected herself with a serum before implanting A.L.I.E. 2.0 into her neck. She then escaped Polaris moments before the Ark blew the 13th Station out of the sky. The escape pod landed in the area that would later become Polis, named after her dropship with the letters "A" and "R" missing.
In Red Sky at Morning, A.L.I.E. uses the escape pod to transmit herself to the Go-Sci Ring in orbit.
In The Four Horsemen, the escape pod is knocked on its side by Ilian and his looters when they raid the temple to destroy all of the technology within.
In God Complex, Thelonious Jaha, Marcus Kane, Monty Green, Indra and Gaia discover the entrance to the Second Dawn Bunker which was hidden right beneath the escape pod while it was still standing. Gaia states that the Flamekeepers were taught that the phrase "salvation lies within" referred to the escape pod, having never realized that it meant the bunker beneath.
In Anaconda, Callie Cadogan, Reese Cadogan, and the other Second Dawn members sees Becca's escape pod land on Earth.
Crew[]
Appearances[]
| Season One | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| Pilot | Absent |
| Earth Skills | Absent |
| Earth Kills | Absent |
| Murphy's Law | Absent |
| Twilight's Last Gleaming | Absent |
| His Sister's Keeper | Absent |
| Contents Under Pressure | Absent |
| Day Trip | Absent |
| Unity Day | Mentioned |
| I Am Become Death | Absent |
| The Calm | Absent |
| We Are Grounders (Part 1) | Absent |
| We Are Grounders (Part 2) | Absent |
| Season Three | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| Wanheda (Part 1) | Absent |
| Wanheda (Part 2) | Absent |
| Ye Who Enter Here | Mentioned |
| Watch the Thrones | Absent |
| Hakeldama | Absent |
| Bitter Harvest | Mentioned |
| Thirteen | Appears |
| Terms and Conditions | Mentioned |
| Stealing Fire | Mentioned |
| Fallen | Absent |
| Nevermore | Absent |
| Demons | Absent |
| Join or Die | Absent |
| Red Sky at Morning | Absent |
| Perverse Instantiation (Part 1) | Absent |
| Perverse Instantiation (Part 2) | Appears |
| Season Four | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| Echoes | Absent |
| Heavy Lies the Crown | Absent |
| The Four Horsemen | Absent |
| A Lie Guarded | Absent |
| The Tinder Box | Absent |
| We Will Rise | Absent |
| Gimme Shelter | Absent |
| God Complex | Absent |
| DNR | Absent |
| Die All, Die Merrily | Absent |
| The Other Side | Absent |
| The Chosen | Absent |
| Praimfaya | Mentioned |
| Season Seven | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| From the Ashes | Mentioned |
| The Garden | Absent |
| False Gods | Absent |
| Hesperides | Absent |
| Welcome to Bardo | Absent |
| Nakara | Absent |
| The Queen's Gambit | Absent |
| Anaconda | Flashback |
| The Flock | Absent |
| A Little Sacrifice | Absent |
| Etherea | Absent |
| The Stranger | Absent |
| Blood Giant | Absent |
| A Sort of Homecoming | Absent |
| The Dying of the Light | Absent |
| The Last War | Absent |
Notes and Trivia[]
- The existence of a 13th station was first mentioned by Finn Collins.
- Polaris links both Sky People and Grounder origin stories.
- Becca was the sole survivor of Polaris' destruction.
- She took an escape pod just as the station was blown to bits. The pod had "Polaris" written on it, but over the years the "ar" wore off. Presumably, the leftover "Polis" inspired the name for the Grounder capital city.
- Becca traveled down to Earth wearing an orange spacesuit with the label "Commander". It is presumed the Grounder title Commander was inspired by the label.
