'Krypton': Seg Faces a New Challenge in "The Word of Rao" Preview

Syfy has released a new promo for "The Word of Rao", the upcoming fourth episode of Krypton.

The promo shows the series' ensemble being faced with a new series of challenges, although it's not clear exactly what the circumstances are. Lyta Zod (Georgina Campbell) appears to be seized by Black Zero, possibly due to the unfortunate fallout of this week's Rankless initiative.

Additionally, Seg (Cameron Cuffe) appears to be put in the crosshairs of Black Zero in some way, as he is approched by one of the group's mysterious leaders. The leader, played by Arrow alum Colin Salmon, was introduced via hologram in tonight's episode, and fans will surely be eager to see what role he ends up playing.

So far in the series, little is known about Black Zero. The main antagonists of the corrupt theocracy run by the Voice of Rao, the group are hardly the hope-fueled revolutionaries promised by Seg-El's opening monologue in the pilot. Instead, as has been rightly pointed out by Daron Vex, the terrorist who made an attempt on the life of the Voice of Rao in the pilot was just one of a number of attackers, many of whom have targeted civilian targets.

How exactly Black Zero will evolve over the course of this next episode, and what complicated role they will play in Seg's hero's journey, will certainly be something fans are eager to see.

"It's much more grounded and personal stakes -- it's way more character-driven." Cuffe told reporters during a set visit last year. "There is no freak of the week....No one sees there parents get murdered and thinks, 'I must become the symbol of the night.' It's not that at all. It's people who are thrown into a situation that is deeply over their head, and like all great science fiction, it's not about the aliens or the monsters or the robots or the technology. It's always about the people. And I think we get a really strong focus on that."

And in the process, the series will continue to shift expectations about its titular planet, particularly through the ongoing threat of Brainiac (Blake Ritson), and the idea that Superman's future hangs in the balance depending on the series' events.

"There is time travel involved and there is a conspiracy to ensure that Superman is never born," executive producer Damien Kindler told ComicBook.com last year. "It's a big swing because we really wanted to change people's preconceptions about what Krypton is and its fate. Because otherwise I can totally understand the feeling of, 'Well if it blows up, why do I care?' We're going to turn that on its head immediately."

Krypton airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Syfy.