It’s time to expand your mind beyond this galaxy - that’s right we’ve got gays in space! In peril! Imagine being stranded on an alien planet that’s equally beautiful and terrifying. Danger lurks around every corner, the journey to safety is marked by the bruises you bear, and survival is priority #1. That’s the INTENSE vibe given in the epic (formerly HBO Max) Max show Scavengers Reign.

Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, adapted from their 8-minute short from 2016, this 12-episode saga is brimming with incredible animation from artists with magical imaginations. This show checks off so much and I won’t stop recommending it until I can talk freely about the gray gross alien with someone (you’ll have a lot to say too when you watch).

Crash landing from escape pods onto an untamed planet called Vesta, Scavengers Reign follows three perspectives/groups navigating their way to their downed freighter ship (The Demeter). These characters learn to adapt to the planet’s wicked wildlife, understanding more about their new environment as much as they learn about themselves.

Varying ages, skin colors, personalities, and motivations help bring the characters from this awesome show to feel real. And the stakes couldn’t be higher, you really feel fully immersed in their cosmic misadventures. Every close encounter, even death (episode 9 had someone twisted to death by a giant venus-flytrap monster), every barely-won fight- the show keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Leave it to Levi and Azi

One of the main heroes in this story is Azi Narene. She crash-landed without any humans and is a self-diagnosed loner - but she’s not alone. A ‘LEVI’ unit makes its way toward the monster-covered planet with her and begins its dutiful work as a mindless robot. It begins following directions like any standard robot in a sci-fi show, but then something super unexpected happens.

LEVI the robot begins to merge with part of the planet’s mutant-like ooze, changing its mainframe into one that has emotion. One that shudders from physical touch and can react to Azi with its own opinions. The situation could be creepy, like when LEVI tells Azi she will not tolerate being turned off again because the feeling is so empty. 

Two standout performances stem from Search Party’s Alia Shawkat and Loki’s Wunmi Mosaku, giving life (literally) to LEVI and Azi, respectively. Their fun dynamic is magnified by the planet’s non-stop threats, LEVI’s growing curiosity, and Azi’s ingenuity with a stressful amount of limited supplies.

Also just want to say, that a robot gaining sentience is definitely queer-coded. Finding life beyond your society’s standards, carving your own path, and becoming something more (like a chill caterpillar into a hot butterfly) is a quintessential queer experience. I count LEVI as queer, why not?

All Eyes on Azi

One character that’s explicitly queer is Azi. Behind her rough exterior (can you blame her? She’s trying to survive on a planet with a back-talking sentient Robot), Azi shows extreme perseverance. She stays calm, compassionate, and cool- three essential C’s that I admire in a true icon. That’s what we want to see in a queer character. Her old flame is on the main ship that has landed, waiting to be unfrozen from her cryosleep. When the journey home gets dicey, involving some bounty hunters with no intention of rescuing Azi’s girl or the others asleep on the ship, Azi truly blossoms.

LEVI had slowly been breaking down Azi’s walls, bringing out a compassionate side which totally contrasts the tough energy she had since landing. It’s when her girl’s life is in danger that she revs things up to 6th gear (I recently learned stick shift!). The motivation to save her loved one is great and made more refreshing in a wild battle that culminates with most of the cryo-pods being damaged beyond repair. Is her maybe-girlfriend safe, or did she race all this way just to lose her by a second?

No Spoilers! Go Watch!

Negating spoilers (text me if you really want to know!) Azi's mission to get to the fallen ship wasn’t her only journey. It wasn’t some Love, Simon BS either. What I'm saying is, Azi personifies bravery, commitment to friends, and resilience. I think she’s an incredible character to admire and the LGBTQIA+ community is lucky to have a scavenger like her!

Check out Scavengers Reign on Netflix (it's a Max original but as of 6/2/24 it's also on Netflix) and use the hashtag #ScavengersReign to see some wild artwork from the show. It is stunning, throw it on mute while you work if you can. My friend called it “space ASMR meets lo-fi energy plus Pixar’s Strange World.” And if you’re not Gen Z and don’t understand that youthful explanation, just think Alien meets Avatar.

Finally, we live in a gross time where executives can pull the plug on any media with just their opinion. So if you love the show like I do, and want to support the animation industry, sound off online about why you’re so into the series!