Culture 4 min read By Morgan Griffin
Christie Burke on The Ark Season 3: Loss, Clones, and Garnet's Identity Crisis
In an exclusive interview, The Ark star Christie Burke discusses the emotional toll of James Brice's apparent death, the creative freedom behind playing multiple clones, and Captain Garnet's deepening existential crisis in Season 3.
The third season of SYFY's space drama «The Ark» has pushed Captain Sharon Garnet to her limits, and for actress Christie Burke, the challenges extended well beyond the script. In an exclusive interview, Burke opened up about the emotional weight of the season's early episodes, the surprising creative freedom she was given to develop multiple clone characters, and the philosophical questions driving her character's journey.
The season premiere delivered a devastating blow with the apparent death of James Brice, Garnet's trusted second-in-command on Ark One. While the show later revealed that Brice was miraculously saved by a creature within the caves on Ross-128, the loss hit hard for both the character and the actress. Burke explained that she didn't just lose her character's No. 2 — she lost her own No. 2 on set. The parallel between Garnet's professional grief and Burke's personal experience added a layer of authenticity to the performance that viewers could feel through the screen.
Despite the heavy emotional material, Burke described the season as deeply rewarding. She praised the way the show has evolved, noting that this season feels like the series has truly arrived. According to Burke, one of her favorite aspects has been watching the entire crew get their own moments to shine. She specifically highlighted Episode 7, in which Sanji, played by Shalini Peiris, takes center stage to save the day. For Burke, seeing her co-stars blossom and receive their own intricate storylines has been a highlight of the season.
But the most fascinating challenge came from playing multiple clones of Garnet. Burke revealed that the clones were not fully written into the scripts as distinct characters. Instead, she and her acting coach, Bethany Caputo, created them from scratch. The production team simply told her they needed a lot of clones and encouraged her to invent characters. The only direction she received about one clone, named Jill, was that she was married to an elite billionaire. From there, Burke built an entire persona — someone who is secretive, appears somewhat dim, and is girly and sexual. She drew on her experience playing Southern characters to give Jill a distinctive voice. Burke created so many clone variations that she had backups in case some didn't work, and she credits the show's creators, Jonathan Glasner and Dean Devlin, for trusting her talent and giving the cast full control.
Beyond the clones, Garnet is grappling with a profound identity crisis in Season 3. The revelation about the Gen 3 issue has forced her to confront childhood trauma tied to her inability to save her sister, Denise. Burke explained that in earlier seasons, Garnet saved people as a way of coping with that trauma. Now, learning she might have been able to save her sister has shattered her sense of self. As a leader, Garnet is questioning everything — including whether her feelings for Ian are genuine or the result of programming. Burke described the mental game her character is playing: Garnet wonders if she can even trust something as simple as her favorite color, or whether that too was programmed. The actress finds these philosophical questions compelling, noting that science fiction is at its best when it explores deep questions about free will and human nature.
Garnet's mission to heal her childhood wound involves working with Sanji to recreate a cure that could save the other Gen 3s. Burke confirmed that some of these questions will be answered in the coming episodes, teasing that the best is still to come. For fans of «The Ark», the remainder of Season 3 promises to deliver both resolution and new mysteries as Garnet continues to navigate the blurred lines between destiny, programming, and her own choices.
