Colonizing Mars might seem like a far-future sci-fi fantasy, but National Geographic’s half-documentary, half-scripted drama Mars posits that perhaps it’s not too far off. The hybrid series is back for a second season on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Nov. 12, and while the second season leans heavier into the soapy, scripted drama, the urgency of scientists’ latest warnings about climate change make it more topical than ever.
One thing we learn in the series is that even embarking on the seven-month journey requires years of rigorous training — and there’s no guarantee of a return trip back.
“When they go up there,
are signing a will. They know there’s a very good chance that they could die, and they could not come back,” star Jihae told IGN and a small group of reporters during a visit to the series’ Budapest, Hungary set in the summer of 2017. “That’s quite a sacrifice.”
