Episode 1 – Genesis
“Genesis” is the pilot episode of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. It was directed by David Semel and written by Tim Kring. The episode focuses on several of the main characters discovering their superpowers for the first time, and attempting to find out more about them. Some cast members, including Greg Grunberg and Leonard Roberts, do not appear in this episode, and are introduced later in the season (scenes including Grunberg were originally included in this episode but were cut before it aired).
The episode features a solar eclipse, which would become a recurring element throughout the first season of Heroes. An eclipse forms part of the series’ logo, and also occurs in the season one finale, “How to Stop an Exploding Man“. As well, an image of the Earth eclipsing the Sun as viewed from an observation point away from the Earth, is used in the series’ title sequence.
When the total solar eclipse occurs in “Genesis“, it is witnessed directly by Peter, Claire, Hiro, and Niki, as well as indirectly by Isaac. It is implied that the event is seen simultaneously in New York, Texas, Nevada, Japan, and California, although this is impossible in the real world, as the umbra is at most a few hundred miles wide. However, series creator Tim Kring has said this is part of the plot. Early in the episode, Micah is making a pinhole camera through which to witness the eclipse.
The scenes involving Claire’s excursion into the train wreck and Mr. Bennet getting into Mohinder’s cab as Peter leaves were used again in Season 3′s namesake Chapter Eight, “Villains,” showing the events that happened before or during the two scenes, explaining what caused the train to crash. Similarly, one of the last episode of season 3, and volume 4, 1961 explains why Angela steals socks, something she did in this episode.
