The Terror: An Arctic Expedition Doomed Beyond Redemption

The Terror is an anthology drama series based on the 2007 bestselling novel by Dan Simmons. The series' first season begins with the Royal Navy's polar explorer ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror having recently left Beechey Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, heading south toward King William Island into uncharted territory, seeking to find and confirm the existence and navigability of the fabled Northwest Passage. The ships are soon frozen and trapped in the ice, and those aboard must survive the harsh weather conditions and each other, while being stalked by an elusive menace.

The show is based on an actual expedition into the arctic. In 1845, explorer Sir John Franklin set sail from England with two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, in search of a Northwest Passage across what is now Canada's Arctic. The ships and crew were last seen by Inuit on King William Island and never returned to England. Their apparent disappearance prompted a massive search that continued unsuccessfully for nearly 170 years.

On 12 September 2016, the Arctic Research Foundation announced that the wreck of Terror had been found in Nunavut's Terror Bay, off the southwest coast of King William Island. The wreck was discovered 92 km (57 mi) south of the location where the ship was reported abandoned, and some 50 km (31 mi) from the wreck of HMS Erebus, discovered in 2014.

The Terror is a series that shows how pride and the quest for fame can bling and distort your perception of reality. Facing a situation that grows worse by the day, an extremely well equipped fleet becomes stripped of all of its prepped resources during an expedition to the arctic.

Internal politics stemming from relationships and careers from home dictate the behavior of how senior and junior officers interact, plan, and make decisions ultimately determining the fate of the entire crew.

The Expedition is lead by Sir John Franklin. Sir John's past is slowly revealed through flashbacks and conversations between the crew. Sometime before the Franklin Expedition, Sir John had led a prior expedition to the Arctic on foot. The expedition however ended in failure, with numerous men dying from starvation or the cold and Sir John himself only surviving by eating his shoes and scraps of wildlife. Despite this failure however he was appointed to the governorship of Van Diemen's Land. Later however he was dismissed from office, allegedly due to a rival "playing politics" against him.

Following his dismissal Sir John lived in disgrace and failed to achieve in notable posts until he was offered leadership of the latest expedition to the Arctic. Surprised and thankful to be offered this position due to his age (Sir John was 59 years old when he was offered leadership) Sir John viewed the expedition as his last chance at redemption and towards reestablishing a good reputation. Thus Sir John sought to succeed by any cost necessary, as the success of the expedition was his only chance to rebuild his reputation.

Each senior officer with the intention of building a reputation for the history books continues to push the expedition forward while the odds continue to build against them at each step.

The only officer with enough wit to oppose the continuation of the expedition is Captain Francis Crozier. Despite Crozier's skills in sailing however he has found it difficult to advance in the Royal Navy due to his Irish heritage. During the expedition his repeated advice to halt or delay the journey due to safety issues is rejected by Sir John, who feels success is his only way to regain respect and reputation amongst his peers.

The ships have rations to last 3-4 years, a seemingly impressive amount of food however, the seals in some prove to be improper leading to spoilage and the pipes prove to have lead poisoning the men as well. The daily diet centered on salt beef and pork, as well as porridge. Canned soups and vegetables provided some variety, as well as vinegar, mustard, and pepper upon request. The ships packed over 8,000 cans. Some contained potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and mixed vegetables. A number of live cattle were on board at the outset of the expedition. Marinades were made of a mix of cabbage, onions and nuts. Pemmican – finely grated meat mixed with fat – was sometimes served with currants or sugar.

First the ships get stuck in the ice, and while well equipped with dynamite, it proves no match against the harsh and brutal winter nature has in store for them. As the odds of the long winter easing become increasingly slim, along with dwindling rations, the crews are forced to disembark and trek south to safety. To make things worse, they are hunted by a mythical beast called “The Tuunbaq.” Off the northwest tip of King William Island, Nunavut. The ships were trapped by ice in September 1846. According to Crozier and Fitzjames, the ships were abandoned on 22 April 1848. This is four years after the start of the expedition.

The Tuunbaq is first mentioned by the Netsilik Hunter while speaking to Sir James Clark Ross and his translator regarding the fate Sir John Franklin's expedition. The hunter explains the Tuunbaq was always pursuing members of the expedition and how it came "from the shamans". The hunter describes the creature as "the thing that eats on two legs and four" and "the thing made of muscles and spells" much to the confusion of the two men. The Tuunbaq, while present in the series is a fictional addition to the actual expedition. After the death of Sir John at the hands of the Tuunbaq, Crozier becomes the expedition's commander, after which he immediately makes plans to abandon the expedition in order to return the men safely to Canada.

After going missing for years multiple expeditions were sent to locate the crews. During a search expedition in 1854, Arctic explorer John Rae heard Inuit accounts of lost and starving Qallunaat (white men) being spotted 4 years earlier – accounts that included reports of cannibalism. Rae acquired undeniable evidence from Inuit: a silver plate, pieces of cutlery (some with initials identifying as belonging to officers), and Franklin’s medal of the Royal Hanoverian Order presented to him at his knighting. Rae returned to England with his information before another winter closed in.