2025 continues to solidify its case for being one of the better years in recent history for science fiction projects. From a blockbuster perspective, Jurassic World: Rebirth breathes new life into one of Hollywood’s blue-blooded franchises, setting the stage for sequels sure to become box-office hits. Avatar: Fire and Ash is in the same boat, but it’s going to have a tough time reaching the top of any “Best Of” lists because of the not one but two critically acclaimed Predator films released this year. But no matter how many hit sci-fi movies come out, it’s going to be hard to compete with what’s coming out from the TV side of things.
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With Predator firing on all cylinders, the Alien franchise is following suit, dropping Noah Hawley’s series Alien: Earth, which sends the Xenomorph to a familiar setting. Vince Gilligan is giving Hawley a run for his money with Pluribus, a mysterious show that reimagines what the apocalypse can look like. However, both Alien: Earth and Pluribus are chasing the tail of another sci-fi show that most people aren’t able to watch just yet.
The War Between the Land and the Sea Isn’t Holding Back With Its Social Commentary
It’s no secret that the Doctor Who franchise is in a state of flux. Despite the Ncuti Gatwa era having so much potential, it failed to find its footing and concluded with arguably the most controversial regeneration of all time. The BBC’s partnership with Disney, which was supposed to take Doctor Who to new heights, clearly didn’t work out the way either party intended. Right at the buzzer, though, a new spinoff that was developed under the Disney umbrella has arrived to thunderous applause. In fact, it might just be the best sci-fi project of 2025 once it’s all said and done.
The War Between the Land and the Sea focuses on the first major public appearance of Homo Aqua, an aquatic species that has called Earth home much longer than humans. After enduring centuries of pollution, Homo Aqua comes to the surface and threatens humanity with violence unless specific demands are met. Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the leader of UNIT, puts together a response but has to throw it out the window when Homo Aqua decides that Barclay Pierre-Dupont, a lowly clerk, will speak for his people. Through two episodes, the drama is next level, and there’s no reason to believe it’s going to slow down before the end. If only more people could jump on the hype train.
Most of the World Can’t Watch The War Between the Land and the Sea Until 2026
Since The War Between the Land and the Sea is seemingly Disney’s Doctor Who swan song, it would be fair to assume that anyone could launch the Disney+ app right now and take in all of its sci-fi goodness. The only problem is that the BBC has the show under lock and key until next year. Disney has already announced that the show will release internationally sometime in 2026, but a specific date has yet to be set. That’s a shame, since all of the United Kingdom is already singing its praises, but it’s clearly a show worth waiting for.
Russell T Davies’ newest show will consist of only five episodes, fewer than the audience in the United States is used to. But that may be a blessing in disguise because a major complaint of sci-fi projects these days is that they stick around too long and lose their way. By keeping things tight, The War Between the Land and the Sea will deliver a worthwhile story that has no chance of going off the rails and, hopefully, renew interest in a franchise with no clear direction. Maybe the future of Doctor Who is spinoffs that don’t feature the last Time Lord. Stranger things have certainly happened.
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