海的女儿

Plot

Neri, the protagonist, is a young girl who possesses an intimate connection with water, extraordinary strength, the capability to swim vast distances, and superhuman lung capacity. She resides in solitude on an otherwise desolate island. In the early stages of the first season, Neri befriends two Australian brothers, Jason and Brett Bates. Initially, this friendship is kept confidential due to Neri's apprehension of other humans. The Bates brothers reside within an intricate underwater research and environmental conservation facility known as ORCA, situated near Port Douglas, Queensland. The series commences with their relocation to ORCA, where their mother, Dr. Dianne Bates, is conducting research on whale song. A substantial portion of the series unfolds within ORCA, focusing on the activities of its inhabitants, many of whom are school-aged children, akin to Jason and Brett.

As the narrative unfolds, it is revealed that Neri arrived on Earth as a child aboard a spaceship alongside her father, though his untimely demise soon thereafter left her to fend for herself. Prior to encountering Jason and Brett, Neri's sole companion was a humpback whale, known as "jali" in her native tongue, which she names "Charley" and with whom she can communicate. Later in the series, Neri's inquisitiveness leads her to explore ORCA, while Dr. Bates' research on Charley's whale song aids in identifying Neri as the intended recipient of that song. Eventually, Dr. Bates and her assistant, Dr. Winston Seth, become entangled in Jason and Brett's quest to keep Neri's secret, while also conducting numerous tests on her to comprehend how she communicates with whales.

Concurrently, as the Bates family learns about Neri, a rival research organization, the UBRI Corporation, emerges. Under the leadership of Dr. Hellegren, UBRI discovers that a spacecraft has landed in the vicinity of ORCA and initiates their own search for any survivors. Simultaneously, they pursue projects that threaten the natural marine ecology surrounding ORCA. Ultimately, they embark on a project to construct the so-called "ORCA City," a sophisticated underwater development that threatens to annihilate much of the natural marine life on the seabed. In response, Dr. Bates' role evolves over the course of the series from cetologist to environmental advocate. This new role becomes more pronounced from the third season onwards, as UBRI representatives establish themselves onboard ORCA, and the series takes on a more serious tone.

As Neri delves deeper into her island and ORCA, she also begins to comprehend her greater purpose. This awakening is further intensified by encounters with others of her kind. In the second season, she discovers her sister, Mera, and the pair are offered the chance to return to their home planet. Mera takes the opportunity, but Neri remains, feeling she must uncover what her father was attempting to accomplish on Earth. In the third season, she gains access to the downed spacecraft that originally brought her to Earth. There, she encounters another of her people in suspended animation, Kal, the son of the vessel's pilot. Kal aids her in accessing the ship's memory core, where she finds the ship's log, revealing her father's mission to find a substance capable of revitalizing Earth's oceans. She dedicates her life to her father's cause, providing her with a profound sense of purpose that was previously lacking. Kal becomes envious of the strong bond between Neri and Jason Bates, and starts to detest Neri's friends on ORCA. In protest, Kal leaves the island, only to be captured by UBRI. UBRI deceives Kal into believing that males should lead, and he forms an alliance with Dr. Hellegren to steal the uncrainium pieces that Neri and Mera have hidden in their secret cave.

While the primary cast gains new motivations due to UBRI's arrival at ORCA and Kal's presence on the island, the secondary cast undergoes a significant transformation at the beginning of the third season. All the original children are replaced by a new crew, and more adults are added to the ORCA staff.

As Neri embarks on her father's mission, she becomes increasingly distant from her island. From the middle of the third season onwards, some episodes are primarily set on land. By the fourth season, certain episodes are set in Egypt, and her father's quest ultimately leads her back to "Ocean World," her home planet. The majority of the plots involving the secondary characters on ORCA are reduced in the final season to allow for a greater exploration of Neri's homeworld. Several new characters of Neri's species are introduced. Similarly, the threat posed by UBRI diminishes, replaced by a new organization, PRAXIS (Preventative Response And eXtraterritorial Intelligence Service), and rebels on the Ocean Planet. This group is committed to safeguarding against any threats posed by extraterrestrial life, and its agents come to believe that Neri and her people are a problem for Earth. Consequently, they pursue Neri and the Bates boys across the globe. Upon discovering a mysterious underwater pyramid in the ocean, Neri and the Bates boys enter it, gaining more insight into the Ocean Planet and Neri's mission on Earth.

As the rebellion in the Ocean World intensifies, Mera escapes to Earth and reunites with Neri. However, PRAXIS views the pyramid as a threat to Earth. Much of the final season is thus centered on PRAXIS' attempts to attack the pyramid, as well as a "Red Virus" spreading in the oceans of Neri's homeworld, the Ocean Plenet. Ultimately, in the series finale, Jason, Brett, and Neri successfully repel PRAXIS' efforts and the rebellion, saving Earth. Neri enters a new life as the princess of the Ocean World.

The Bates family, Winston, Neri, Charley, and the ORCA computer (H.E.L.E.N.) remain the only constant characters throughout the show's entire run—though the actor portraying Dr. Bates is replaced after the second season, and H.E.L.E.N. is "upgraded" in the fourth season.