A primer on Nova Prime: the world 'After Earth'

MANILA, Philippines - A post-apocalyptic, primal world confronts Jaden Smith (“The Karate Kid”) and Will Smith (“Men in Black” trilogy) in Columbia Pictures' futuristic action adventure “After Earth.”

In the film, a crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

A Dying Earth

Kitai Raige lives on Nova Prime, mankind’s new home. One day, he will be – he must be – a great Ranger, like his father before him.

Cypher Raige, Kitai’s father, is the Prime Commander of the United Ranger Corps and one of the greatest leaders in the history of Nova Prime. He is widely credited with saving the humans of Nova Prime from the planet’s fiercest alien threats: The Skrel and their vicious creations, the Ursa.

Starting in the 21st Century, Earth’s environment became increasingly uninhabitable. Massive seismic activity caused frequent earthquakes of alarming intensity; tectonic plates shifted, creating enormous volcanoes and violent collisions between continents; clean water became scarce and the atmospheric composition changed, resulting in deadly temperature fluctuations and air too toxic for human lungs to breathe.

By 2025 AD, it was clear that mankind would need to leave Earth, if there were any chance of survival. The governments of the world convened and mandated the construction of 10 spaceships, or “arks,” that could sustain human life on a quest to find a new inhabitable planet in another galaxy. The destruction of Earth came faster than any had imagined, however, and only six arks were completed in time for launch. Each ark could house only 125,000 – just .0000625% of the human population – but enough to start a new society. Upon leaving Earth, calendars were changed from AD to AE, reflecting our new life “After Earth.”

Before leaving for good, a message was set up for any future visitors expecting to find suitable resources on the planet – letting them know that they are approaching the most dangerous place in the universe: Earth.

A New Life in Nova Prime

When forced to leave Earth, the last of the human race embarked on a journey through space. After 100 years of travel at speeds faster than light, they arrived at Nova Prime and built a new civilization from the ground up.

In the year 222 AE, humans on Nova Prime formed a tripartite government composed of three branches: The United Ranger Corps, The Primus, and The Savant. Without a balance between these representatives, society would crumble.

The Primus is a philosophical leader who sees the downfall of Earth as proof of the evils of technology and rejects science, advising instead based on the deep, spiritual links that bind all on Nova Prime. The Savant, on the other hand, leads through the promotion of scientific discovery, believing that technology and human achievement are the keys to humanity’s survival.

The United Ranger Corps was formed with a single mission: Preserve Humanity. In the last days of humanity’s eviction from Earth, the governments of every nation selected 1,000 of their best and brightest—tacticians, pilots, soldiers and the like—to form a first-response team capable of keeping order through the growing number of natural disasters and international catastrophes. The U.N.-sanctioned group was titled The United Ranger Corps, or “Rangers” for short. The Rangers quickly became the new standard for military service, saving countless lives in the process.

Aspiring Rangers like Kitai must undergo intense training to prove themselves both physically and mentally. For Kitai, becoming a Ranger would prove his worth—not only to himself, but to his father.

The cutlass is a Ranger’s greatest weapon; an extension of the strength that comes from within. Lightweight and handheld, the cutlass is both versatile and elegant, and blends seamlessly into a Ranger’s lifesuit, making it essential for attack, self-defense and survival conditions. Every Ranger memorizes the series of quick finger inputs necessary to activate the hundreds of smart fibers that form numerous weapon configurations from both ends of the handle. The C-40 combat model has a total of 22 configurations, including short blade, spear, long blade, sickle, dagger and more.

The Threats

Our peaceful existence was a brief one. Now, threats loom over us, every single day of our lives.

Just 143 years after landing on Nova Prime (in 243 AE), humanity weathered an attack from The Skrel: an alien species that had long considered Nova Prime their holy ground. To them, humans are vermin infesting their sacred land. We endured this first onslaught; we won—but this was only the beginning.

The Skrel had underestimated mankind in their early attacks. But, through the centuries, the enemy’s weapons became more advanced. In the war of 576AE, they finally released their ultimate weapon: The Ursa. A nightmare of a creature—bred for warfare, and genetically engineered for one reason: to hunt and kill humans. Ursa prey on the pheromones humans secrete when they’re scared. They can sense humans’ fear. Many thought the Ursa unbeatable and awaited mankind’s inevitable demise—but a solution arose, and brought them hope.

Just as it seemed nothing could stop the Ursa, Cypher Raige inadvertently uncovered their weakness: without fear, humans are invisible to the Ursa. In an unprecedented show of self-control and discipline, Raige eliminated his fear and defeated the Ursa. This act of restraint became known as “Ghosting,” and lifted Raige to new heights of fame. There are only seven Ghosts in existence. They are anomalies.

Opening across the Philippines on June 5, “After Earth” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.