In the penultimate episode of Season I (The Aftertime), an attempt is made on Cade Foster's life by the Gua, an advanced alien race intent on the full-scale invasion and conquest of Earth. The Gua succeed in killing him, but a woman warrior into the future comes back to save him, and thus Foster is blessed with a second chance to go on fighting for the future of the human race. Now he really is the 'twice-blessed' man whom Nostradamus predicted, and on which the Sci-Fi's channel's hit show "First Wave" is based.

"They're still trying to kill Foster all the time, though," Canadian- born Sebastian Spence laughs as he relaxes in his trailer on the set of "First Wave". "Every week you'll see the aliens try to eliminate him."

Born and raised in small-town St. John's, Newfoundland with his mother and sister, Spence acted in small parts in his mother's plays that she wrote especially for him. The acting bug bit, and he landed a role in the award-winning "The Boys Of St. Vincent" (1994).

Spence was already a familiar face to TV viewers with "Family Of Cops" ('95) and "Fast Track" ('97), and several guest-starring appearances on "The Outer Limits" (Paradise), "X-Files" (Home), and "Poltergeist: The Legacy" (The Devil's Lighthouse) before he got the role of Cade Foster in "First Wave". Spence believes he's delivered some of his best performances in "First Wave".

"I've booked a nine month period for shooting "First Wave" here in Vancouver," says Spence. "Dealing with the pressure of that is something new to me. Doing things to try to de-stress, stay calm and focus. Keep fresh as well, so I didn't get tired of saying, 'The aliens are here!'" he laughs. "Foster said that once a week. Before you know it, it becomes very flat."

"I'm tied up with "First Wave". The show has more attention now, and my schedule is much more hectic than Season I. Relationships are especially difficult while filming - not only my girlfriend but friends in general. The shoot runs almost nine months. If I'm not on the set, I'm home looking at the script and memorizing the dialogue. 12 out of 24 hours to travel to the set and home, and sleep. That's it. When I got the first script (of "First Wave"), I felt like the character of Cade Foster was really suited to what I like to do as an actor - action, romance, adventure and underdog," Spence says

Cade Foster is 'Subject 117', one of many humans who have become subjects in experiments being conducted by an alien race to collect data in preparation for invasion. The lost book of Nostradamus (found by Foster) predicts that the Earth will be destroyed in three terrifying waves; First wave - an invasionary force; Second wave - invasion from above; and Third wave - Armageddon.

Following the murder of his wife - and his subsequent framing for the crime - Foster becomes a fugitive, on the run from both the police and the aliens, who are astonished by his escape. Cade travels from town to town guided only by his friend Crazy Eddie (a genius computer hacker and Internet-publisher of the 'Paranoid Times') and the long-lost Book of Nostradamus, trying to convince people that the aliens have arrived.

In the series, Cade Foster found Eddie through the 'Paranoid Times'. Ironically, even though Crazy Eddie was a believer of paranormal phenomena and government conspiracies, he didn't believe Cade Foster. As time passed, the evidence mounted and Eddie was made to believe. Now he has stepped into the fight with Cade Foster to save the human race.

Vancouver-based actor Rob LaBelle (who plays Crazy Eddie) has his own views about his character. "I think that Crazy Eddie always had a purpose in life; trying to expose the great injustice in the world. He doesn't like humankind very much. I think that, in coming to him, Cade Foster provided Eddie with a very focused sense of purpose, because now the stakes are raised. It's about saving the world. Now it's about showing to mankind; 'There is something valuable in what I do'. It gives Eddie his mission in life. He would have gone more isolated if he hadn't met Foster. He definitely gave Eddie a second life."

"We could eventually call the show 'second wave' and 'third wave'. Three stages of invasion from above. Although the second wave has not necessary been launched. At some point, Cade Foster will be assembling a group of followers and may actually get some evidence of the aliens," LaBelle confides.

Rob LaBelle has made guest appearances in various TV shows; such as, "Quantum Leap" (Temptation Eyes), "The X-Files" (Ghost In The Machine), "Star Trek Voyager" (Faces, False Profits), "Profiler" (Unsoiled Sovereignty).

"I had a feeling of insanity right away, " the actor says with a quick laugh. "The role of Crazy Eddie mirrors my character in a way. I had a strong affinity from the beginning."

Now the Second Wave is about to launch. In his solitary journey throughout the first season of "First Wave", Cade Foster had to accept his role as the 'twice-blessed man' destined to thwart the alien plan to colonize Earth. In Season II, he must come to terms with the loss of his wife. To demonstrate that, he removes his wedding ring.

"The ring was a symbol of Foster's willingness to move on," Spence explains. "He isn't grieving for his wife anymore. I personally think the character still thinks of his wife. His whole journey started when the aliens killed her. It's a very strong character point, and it's a source of his determination. It gives the character a certain romanticism. If I was given a choice, I would have kept the ring on. So the character could always reflect on why he's on this journey," he says.

Living with the pressure of being a fugitive and of being the last hope of mankind has left its mark on Cade Foster. In Season II he's no longer a frightened, traumatized man. He's acclimated. He's changed. Season II is much more chaotic and mysterious, lots of angst and romance and (yes!) sex. "I'm not against bringing other actresses into the thing, you know," Spence grins.

Foster is also getting more comfortable with the role of the alien hunter. His perspective has changed. "It's not about revenge anymore," Spence ventures. "Season II is much darker. Foster has lost his patience. He's not delicate when he goes to deal with people who are ignorant about the aliens. He's more forceful and direct."

"I think Cade Foster is a challenge to play. He's got a lot of light and dark inside, which makes the character interesting. He's capable, he's credible, and he has compassion for humanity. It motivates him. Most of the roles I've gotten in my acting career have been good characters. This role is borderline dark for me. He has a dark past, but a kind of pure soul, like 'Batman', which is one of my favorite comic book characters."

"I think, as an actor, I find a kind of beauty in the gray zone." Spence pauses before adding; "I didn't have a pleasant childhood. I understand the good and bad people. I'd like to think there is a reason for it. I think that in today's age it's hard to be good all the time anyway."

Another key character of the show is Gua agent and assassin Joshua (played by Roger R. Cross). Joshua's reaction to Cade is baffling. In Season I, there were a number of situations where Joshua had Foster right in the palm of his hand. He could have terminated him at any time, but he didn't. There is some special chemistry between these two.

"Joshua is very curious about Cade Foster," Cross says. "What makes him tick, what makes this man fight with such determination after having been through so much? You have to truly get to know an enemy if you want to conquer him. So he gets to know Cade Foster and discovers more about him. Also, it's a respect thing, a warrior's respect. Battle, developing kinship, even if they are on opposite sides. They come to respect each other. Of course, now he's having this difficulty just killing anyone. Before (meeting Cade), it was just a job."

"You'll start seeing the conflict in season 2, because each time you'll see him (Joshua) helping Cade. Of course, he'll be more careful or his own people will find out. He's become more human like."

Cross is credited with performances in various episodes of "Highlander" (Little Tin God), "The Outer Limits" (Conversion, The Awakening), "The X-Files" (Fresh Bones, Pusher, Folie a Deux), "Star Gate SG-1" (played the recurring role of Captain Conner), as well as many TV and movie appearances, such as the new TV series "Cliffhangers" and "After Shock".

"There's a good possibility that, towards the end of this season, Joshua will become more than a bridge between humans and aliens. I think Joshua would like to find this bridge between them," the actor surmises. "First Wave is science fiction, of course, but it depicts humanity, how humans think, feel, and react."

"Although it's more difficult for him to get a hand on to approach, to help Foster, to be given more responsibility, as the things are going on. When he first came to the planet, he quickly studied the human race, how they speak, look. An easy race to conquer, he thinks. But as he gets to know them, he realizes they have a certain strength. He's just on the surface initially, but digging deeper he finds some of the same characteristics that he would probably see in his own race. It's all about finding ways to get a message across yet still remain within. Most people can't understand anything if it's too outside of themselves. You have to put it in terms that they can relate to. Then they can fully understand it. Open your eyes wide and see the big picture. It's interesting where we have gone in the show."

Rob LaBelle has a unique slant on television: "There are so many elements in serialized shows, connections, characters, government and stuff. You have to be watching week after week and re-watching the video tape to be able to understand what's going on. There's an ability in 'First Wave' just to come in and see it, as stand-alone episodes, without all the backstory, and yet there's also a serialized progression. It's always trying to achieve a delicate balance between those two styles of shows. It's great."

"We don't have a huge budget, so we're not about special effects and spectacular explosions. To me, the psychological battering Cade takes is much more interesting to see played out. And the stories are always human-based. It's very reality-based. "The X- Files" was always about whether the aliens are real or not real. With us, it' s 'No, no. It's real. They're here.' That, plus the human story -- the compassion, I think, is what separates us from a lot of the Sci-Fi shows out there," says Spence.

"First Wave" has a 66-episode deal with its broadcasters. Season I was produced in association with Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope (US), Pearson International (UK), and Vidatron (Canada). Sci-Fi Channel (USA Networks) came on-board to finance Seasons II & III giving it a better than average chance of success in the US. Season II is scheduled to commence broadcasting in January 2000 on Sci-Fi Channel and network TV.

"We expect Armageddon to come through our own wars, but I don't rule out the possibility of invasion from above. If I were Cade Foster, I would be willing to accept my fate. I think most of us would feel the need to accept the mantle of hero under those circumstances. You've got to fight the future!"
 
 

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