There are no good guys: Here’s all we know about ‘The 100’ prequel

It’s always a sad affair when a series ends, even if it’s been on for multiple years. Given how sudden the cancellation axe can swing for the most beloved show, a series ending on its own terms is a blessing. 

The CW’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama The 100 will end its run with the seventh season in 2020. The series was popular for the network, even if they all cried out in pain with the death of beloved character Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and the controversy surrounding it.

The 2014 series follows the titular “100”, a group of juvenile delinquents on a spaceship known as the Ark that orbits the Earth following a nuclear apocalypse. Led by Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), the group lands on Earth to see if it ‘s inhabitable and gets involved in the subsequent system that sprang up in the aftermath of the event. The 100 is based on the eponymous book series by Kass Morgan.

Even though The 100 is definitely ending next year, a prequel series is currently in development over at The CW. Here’s what fans need to know.

Backdoor pilot in The 100’s final season

Like fellow spinoffs Legends of Tomorrow and The Originals, The 100’s prequel will be introduced via a backdoor pilot: one of the episodes of The 100’s final season will be dedicated to its world and characters.

Formation of the Grounder civilization

There are several factions within the world of The 100: the Sky People’s ancestors went to space on the Ark, while the Grounders descend from those who remained on Earth and developed immunity to the irradiated planet. The synopsis for the prequel series makes it clear it will focus on the origins of Grounder society:

“Set 97 years before the events of the original series, the prequel show starts with the end of the world, a nuclear apocalypse that wipes out most of the human population on Earth. The epic adventure follows a band of survivors on the ground as they learn to cope in a dangerous world while fighting to create a new and better society from the ashes of what came before.”

Immediate aftermath of nuclear apocalypse

This series takes almost a century before The 100 S1, when a nuclear apocalypse devastated earth. A rough parallel is Fear the Walking Dead spinning off from The Walking Dead: audiences want to see why the world ended up the way it is and how people dealt with it at a moment of trauma.

We don’t know what kind of characters to expect in the new prequel. No one has been cast yet as far as we know, and breakdowns are being kept under wraps. It would be fascinating to explore clear ancestors to Grounder The 100 characters we know and love.

Same behind-the-scenes talent

The 100 creator and showrunner Jason Rothenberg will create and act as showrunner for the sequel series. Rothenberg will also serve as an executive producer with Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo. It’s unknown if Rothenberg will keep the same writers room going into the prequel series. 

In the works for years

The CW loves spinoffs. Just look at the Arrowverse or their numerous desperate attempts at a Supernatural spinoff in order to understand how much the network loves the strategy. While The 100’s prequel was only recently announced, rumors have swirled for years about it, so diehard fans aren’t surprised in the least.

Questions answered

The hundred Sky People, especially Clarke, serve as point-of-view characters for the audience as we learn about the society that grew from the ashes of postapocalyptic Earth. That means they don’t know all the history that happened during those 97 years the Sky People were in space.

For fans who love world-building and solved mysteries, the prequel provides a golden opportunity. Perhaps we’ll learn about the connection between Bill Cadogan (John Pyper-Ferguson) and the Second Dawn cult to the Elgius Mission. We definitely need to see how Becca Pramheda (Erica Cerra) became Grounder Jesus. (Here’s hoping she’ll appear in the prequel series).

Received knowledge from The 100 might just receive fleshing-out in the prequel, and seeing these origin stories will ideally answer the many questions we have.