TLDR;
In 2054, on Planet Niflheim, Mickey, an expendable clone, navigates a life of repeated deaths and resurrections. He uncovers the dark side of cloning, political manipulation, and the exploitation of both humans and alien life. Ultimately, Mickey and his fellow crew members confront these injustices, leading to significant changes in their society.
- Mickey is an expendable clone used for dangerous tasks.
- Political and religious agendas exploit the expendable program.
- The crew encounters and communicates with native alien creatures.
- Clones and crew rebel against the corrupt system, leading to its downfall.
- The expendable program is terminated, and reforms are initiated.
Mickey's Cloned Existence [0:00]
In 2054 on Planet Niflheim, Mickey, an expendable clone, wakes up inside a crevasse. He is one of many clones used for dangerous tasks by a company that prints new bodies for him each time he dies, uploading his memories weekly. Cloning is banned on Earth but allowed in space for expendables like Mickey, who are sent on risky missions without concern for their lives. One day, Mickey is sent outside the spaceship under false pretenses to be exposed to radiation, and in another instance, scientists are more interested in taking samples from his dying body than saving him.
Mickey's Origin Story [1:11]
Four years prior on Earth, Mickey and his friend Timo get into debt with mafia boss Darius after their macaron store fails. To escape their debt, they apply for a colony expedition. Timo secures a spot as a pilot, while Mickey becomes an expendable. During a tour, Mickey learns that the printer uses organic waste to create new clones. He undergoes an initial scan and memory backup, reliving a traumatic memory of his mother's death in a car crash. He is then asked to prove his faith in the system by self-deletion, but he refuses.
Life on the Spaceship [2:49]
Life on the spaceship is harsh, with strict rationing and awful food. The expedition is led by former congressman Kenneth, who is manipulated by his wife Ylfa and a religious corporation. Mickey meets and falls in love with security agent Nasha. Kenneth bans "naughty intercourse" to conserve calories, but Mickey and Nasha secretly start a relationship. Crew members constantly ask Mickey about dying, which makes him uncomfortable. Eventually, the ship reaches Niflheim, and Mickey is sent out to gather viruses without a helmet, leading to multiple deaths as scientists try to find a vaccine.
First Contact and Initial Conflicts [4:11]
Thanks to Mickey's sacrifices, a vaccine is found, and humans can visit Niflheim without masks. Mickey joins the first exploration team and encounters worm-like creatures called "creepers" in a freezing cave. One team member dies during the encounter. Kenneth berates Mickey for not dying instead. Mickey's rations are halved, and his shifts are doubled. While collecting creeper samples, Mickey falls into a crevasse and is found by a mother creeper and her babies.
Multiples and the Law [5:35]
Mickey returns to the ship and discovers Mickey 18, a second clone, which is illegal. The issue of multiples arose on Earth when the cloning method was discovered. A sociopath named Alan secretly cloned himself to commit crimes and have an alibi, leading to debates about the ethics and legality of cloning. Kenneth introduces the expendable program, allowing only one expendable per planet and promising to kill any multiples.
Multiple Clones and Conflicts [6:40]
Seventeen wakes up to find Eighteen moving him to the cycler room. Eighteen is more violent than Seventeen. They fight, and Seventeen tries to negotiate, but Eighteen attempts to kill him. Timo interrupts them while selling a recreational chemical called oxyzofol. Eighteen attacks Timo, and Seventeen intervenes. Nasha and Zeke arrive, and Eighteen lies about the situation. Seventeen becomes jealous when Nasha leaves with Eighteen.
Dinner with Kenneth and Ylfa [7:56]
Mickey wins a private dinner with Kenneth and Ylfa, where he overeats. They discuss their plan for a pure-blood colony and want Kai to have babies. Mickey gets sick from experimental growth hormones in the meat. Kai helps him, and Mickey learns that Kai and Jennifer were in a relationship. Kai asks Mickey about dying, and he admits he hates it.
Love Triangle and the Plan to Kill Kenneth [9:13]
Nasha recognizes Mickey as Seventeen and shares oxyzofol with both clones. An argument ensues, but Nasha stops them and suggests they share chores and food. Kai walks in on them and leaves. Eighteen, angry about what happened during dinner, grabs Nasha's gun and plans to kill Kenneth.
Chaos at the Cafeteria [9:54]
Nasha confronts Kai, who wants to report the multiples. Their argument is interrupted when Eighteen and Seventeen run by. At the cafeteria, a creeper emerges from a rock, causing panic. Kenneth orders the creature to be sterilized and captured alive. Eighteen tries to shoot Kenneth but is stopped by Seventeen and Nasha. A second creeper attacks Kenneth.
Imprisonment and Darius' Demand [11:05]
Nasha and the clones are imprisoned. Seventeen shares his experience with the creepers, and Nasha reveals they saved him. Timo sneaks in with a letter from Darius, who demands a video of Mickey being killed with a chainsaw. Timo tries to manipulate Seventeen into sacrificing himself.
Escape and Revelation [11:56]
Eighteen offers to take Seventeen's place, but he attacks the guard to get oxyzofol. Nasha steals the guard's gun and tases Timo. They are caught by Zeke and arrested again. Seventeen realizes Nasha has always protected him. They discover that creepers surround the spaceship. Dorothy copies the sounds Mickey made, believing it's a language.
The Cycler Room and Kenneth's Cruelty [12:31]
Everyone is taken to the cycler room, where Ylfa cuts off a baby creeper's tail. Kenneth marks Eighteen to differentiate the clones and deletes their memory backup. Nasha defends the creepers as the native inhabitants. Kenneth plans to gas the creepers, but Ylfa suggests a competition: the clones must collect creeper tails, with the winner living and the loser dying.
Communication with the Creepers [13:36]
Dorothy gives the clones a translator. They find the mother creeper, who explains that humans killed her baby and demands a life in return. She threatens to kill all humans. On the spaceship, Kenneth and Ylfa see the clones communicating with the creepers. Seventeen signals Nasha to bring the baby creeper.
Confrontation and Sacrifice [14:40]
Nasha captures Ylfa and demands the baby creeper. Ylfa cuts Zeke's wrist, but Nasha catches the rope. Zeke announces that Ylfa and Kenneth have been abusive and will face the committee. The babies cover their mother, and Kenneth orders them to be shot. Eighteen appears and sacrifices himself to kill Kenneth with a bomb, satisfying the mother creeper's demand.
Aftermath and Reforms [15:32]
The crew is jailed. Ylfa is sent to a psych ward and self-deletes. Timo bites Darius' man and gets probation. Nasha runs for a position on the committee to reform the organization. Dorothy finishes the translator, and Mickey communicates with the creepers. Six months later, Mickey discovers Ylfa printing a new Kenneth. Nasha, as the new committee leader, ends the expendables program, and Mickey destroys the cycler.
