The characters on The 100 have faced some extreme challenges. The descendants of those who survived the destruction on Earth grew up on a space station called The Ark, with limited resources and death as the punishment for even the most petty of crimes. Forced to earth to see if it was habitable, they’ve dealt with everything from hostile survivors on land to murder within their own ranks. And that was just in the first two seasons.
In season 3, the survivors of The Ark, dubbed Skaikru, were systematically taken over by an artificial intelligence called A.L.I.E. who manipulated their actions while storing their conscious minds in The City of Light. Nearly everyone was under A.L.I.E.’s control when Clarke discovered the truth. In her own misguided, mechanical way, A.L.I.E. was trying to save them from the impending nuclear meltdown by storing their minds, minus their painful memories. In the end, Clarke chose free will and shut A.L.I.E. down, bringing everyone’s consciousness back to their bodies.
EW released new photos from the upcoming fourth season of The 100 [below]. Meanwhile, showrunner Jason Rothenberg explained the fallout of Clarke’s decision – when the meltdown happens, no one will survive. He said:
“If you can’t stop the end of the world, how can you find hope? Some people will cling to their loved ones, some people will fight to their last breath, and some people are just done fighting.”
One of the photos accompanying this quote shows Clarke and Bellamy, both are leaders of the Sky People and both fighters to the end. It seems likely that they are among those who will never stop looking for a solution. Whether or not the same will be true for all of their friends remains to be seen. After all, The City of Light was something of a utopia. Many will probably not be happy about their forceful removal. Not to mention that The Grounders, those who have always lived on earth, will apparently consider the Sky People are to blame for bringing technology back to the planet.
The second photo shows new character Ilian (Chai Romruen), one of The Grounders. Typically The Grounders have been suspicious of Skaikru when they first meet, and it seems like Ilian will be no exception. As Romruen explains:
“He was forced to do some horrible things while being driven by A.L.I.E. He’s dedicated to making sure that never happens again.”
Sounds like things will not be getting easier for the survivors anytime soon.
The 100 season 4 premieres with ‘Echoes’ February 1 at 9pm on The CW.
