Arkadia

The Ark formally known as Ark Station and as the United Ark Federation was a space station, the orbital home for the humans whose ancestors escaped the Nuclear Apocalypse on Earth 97 years before the events of the series. The Ark was one of the main locations during the first season of the show. After that, no one lived there and the Government & Science section of the Ark was left in orbit. At one point in the Ark’s early history, the “blight” happened. People on the Ark had to choose between cannibalism or starving to death. Those who chose to eat had to watch those who chose not to eat slowly die. According to Abby Griffin, “their guilt nearly destroyed them.” Those who went through the blight, became known as the Blight Generation. Afterwards, the Ark started floating their dead. Over the years, the Ark was further expanded with thousands of satellites harvested from orbit. However, resource were still scarce, especially as the population rose. In order to ensure the survival of the human race, strict steps were taken, including limiting couples to one child and punishing all crimes committed by adults with death. Nonetheless, by 2149, the Ark’s original population of about 400 had grown to 2,659. The Ark was intended to sustain survivors for 200 years. After which, it was believed Earth would be survivable and the inhabitants could return to the ground. However, less than a century after unification, life support on the Ark was failing. By 2148, even the best repair estimates had the work taking longer than the system could keep the population alive. As a means of lessening the load on the system and testing the survivability of Earth, a hundred juvenile delinquents, known as the 100, were sent to the ground in a dropship. Not knowing if the 100 survived and still facing inadequate life support, the Ark was forced to cull 320 volunteers, bringing the population to 2,237. After learning that Earth was survivable, the Council prepared for Project Exodus. However, there were only enough dropships for 700 residents, leading to a mutiny that left the Ark crippled. The survivors then separated the Ark into the original 12 stations and used the thrusters to bring them to the ground, leaving only the Go-Sci Ring in space.