Another Life Season 2 Ending & [SPOILER] Future Explained

The finale of Another Life season 2 had a complicated ending that closed with various alien civilizations trying to contact Earth; here’s everything that happened – explained. The original Netflix series Another Life is a modern space opera that tells the story of the crew of the Salvare, an exploratory space vessel capable of FTL (faster-than-light) travel. While the first season pits the crew against the horrors of deep space, Another Life season 2 reveals more about the alien races that inhabit the show’s universe, which provides a clearer picture of humanity’s place among the stars.

Another Life’s season 2 finale begins with the Salvare using its makeshift neutrino gun to take out the Achaian ship that threatened to attack Earth. In retaliation, dozens of Achaian rings threaten to destroy Earth in 24 hours, unless humanity agrees to submit to their rule. In the end, the humans hatch a plan that not only sends the Achaians running out of our solar system, but causes countless new alien races to try and make contact with humanity.

Another Life’s crew of experts devised a plan in order to save humans from Achaian rule. Given the proposal’s complexity, this raises several questions both about how the plan actually worked and what the consequences of it might mean for Another Life season 3. Here is everything audiences need to know about the Another Life season 2 finale.

How The Achaians Were Defeated

The Achaians were defeated in a similar way to how Ultron was taken over by Arnim Zola in Marvel’s What If…? In Another Life season 2, the crew examines Achaian DNA, which reveals that the energy-based beings are actually an advanced alien AI made of code. Apart from the implication that these beings are not the actual Achaians and were just designed by the alien race, William (Samuel Anderson) realizes that the AI could be vulnerable to a human DNA-based computer virus. Salvare mission commander Niko Breckinridge (Katee Sackhoff) convinces a weakened Achaian to possess her body, promising to return the alien to its people. Niko’s husband Erik Wallace (Justin Chatwin) then uploads the virus into Niko’s soma modules, and Cas Isakovic (Elizabeth Faith Ludlow) brings Niko into the Achaian artifact on Earth. When the Achaian leaves Niko’s body and returns to its people in the artifact, the virus takes effect, the artifact collapses, and the Achaians leave – not dissimilar from Jeff Goldblum’s plan in Independence Day.

Who Are The Achaians, Really?

Another Life’s Achaians are much like the Borg from Star Trek, in that their goals are to assimilate other alien races in the universe. However, it’s also revealed that the “Achaians” that have become Earth’s enemies aren’t the true Achaians, but merely advanced AI technology that presumably took over their creators. Not much else is revealed about the true Achaians, and their true identity is one of the biggest mysteries left behind by the finale of Another Life season 2. However, if they’re capable of creating an entirely new AI race that commands wormhole-based space travel, quantum teleportation technology, and planet-destroying weapons, it stands to reason that the true Achaians are a highly advanced race, waiting to be discovered somewhere in deep space. On the other hand, the aggressiveness of this AI and its disdain for humanity’s basic organic functions and instincts could imply that the real Achaians were either destroyed or assimilated by their creations, like how the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica rebelled against their creators.

Salvare 2’s Crew: What Happens Next

Another Life season 2 ends not just with the Achaian AI’s defeat, but also with the revelation that there are countless other alien races in the universe, many of which have opened up wormholes in our solar system in order to thank humanity and say hello. Meanwhile, the crew’s spaceship has been repaired and upgraded for its next mission, and the new crew of the Salvare 2 will continue humanity’s quest for diplomatic contact and discovery. For now, it’s unclear whether or not Another Life season 3 will be released, or if the show will even be renewed. However, Netflix is likely to announce its plans for the next season in late 2021, similar to how it took 2 months for the streaming giant to announce Another Life season 2 after the pilot aired in 2019. Currently, Netflix’s 2022 lineup of new series content doesn’t include Another Life season 3, although this could change very soon.

In any case, if the third season pushes through, the Salvare 2 will most likely still be commanded by Niko Breckinridge (Katee Sackhoff), with Cas as her second, the ship’s AI William, and military veterans Dillon Conner (Kurt Yaeger) and Richard Ncube (Tongayi Chirisa). The Achaian-human hybrid AI Iara is likely to make a return as well, and so is William’s creator, software engineer Ursula Monroe (Rekha Sharma), who vowed to be with William till the end. As for Salvare’s doctor Zayn Petrossian (JayR Tenaco) and microbiologist Bernie Martinez (A.J. Rivera), it’s unclear whether or not the newlyweds will rejoin the dangerous deep space mission to discover new worlds and alien races. Moreover, considering the new capabilities of the Salvare 2 as well as the expanded mission of its crew, this modern Firefly-esque crew of explorers is also bound to welcome new scientific, military, and diplomatic experts who can help keep the ship and the mission to stay on track.

Earth’s Future: What’s Next

Another Life’s ending infers that a variety of alien races will be revealed in the third season, not just from the Salvare 2’s explorations, but from the new micro-wormholes in our solar system which were opened by alien civilizations trying to make contact with Earth. Annette Mackenzie (Catherine Lough Haggquist) will continue to run USIC with Nani Singh (Parveen Dosanjh) and Niko’s husband Erik. Their daughter Jana (Lina Renna) will still be in the care of Niko’s mom Ava (Kate Vernon). Moreover, as the Achaians left behind quantum teleportation technology in the destroyed artifact, this could lead to the Salvare 2 having a limited ability to instantaneously transport matter across light-years, pulling Another Life closer to its sci-fi movie and space opera roots.

Quantum teleportation would not only allow the Salvare 2’s crew to stay in touch with their families back on Earth, it could also give them a tactical advantage in almost any new and dangerous deep space situation, whether or not the Achaian AI is involved. Moreover, the alien civilizations that will make themselves known in Another Life season 3 are also likely to introduce new technologies, cultures, advantages, and challenges that will not only change Earth but also redefine our planet’s role in the known universe.

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