Veritas: The Quest

Veritas: The Quest
Created by	Patrick Massett John Zinman
Starring	Alex Carter Ryan Merriman Cobie Smulders Eric Balfour Cynthia Martells Arnold Vosloo
Composer	John Nordstrom
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producers	Patrick Massett Neil Meron Craig Zadan John Zinman
Producers	Iain Paterson I.C. Rapoport
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Massett/Zinman Productions Storyline Entertainment Touchstone Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	January 27 (2003-01-27) – March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10)

Veritas: The Quest is a television program that aired in 2003, following a rebellious but intelligent teenager, Nikko Zond, as he discovers that his father Solomon's profession is much more mystical and adventurous than he previously thought. Solomon and his team (dubbed "Veritas," Latin for "truth") search for the answers to some of the world's mysteries, a quest began because of the mysterious disappearance of Nikko's mother during an archaeological dig. Thus begins Nikko's fantastical journey into an Indiana Jones-style adventure with his father and his colleagues in trying to follow in his mother's footsteps to discover what strange secrets she was uncovering. The series was cancelled in the United States by ABC with only four episodes being aired. All thirteen produced episodes aired on Sci Fi Channel in the United Kingdom, on Rai 2 and Rai 4 in Italy, and Canal Sony (formerly known as Sony Entertainment Television).

This was the first program where Cobie Smulders had a series regular role, and notable guest stars included Liz Vassey, Carlo Rota, Roger Rees, and Eli Wallach.

Plot

The main protagonist of the series is Nikko Zond, a young teen, whose father is involved in many different archaeological expeditions ranging from Antarctica to harsh deserts. Nikko is at first reluctant to participate in many of the adventures, but throughout the series, it would appear that there is a hidden destiny for Nikko.

In the episode "Skulls", a mysterious figure (Conrad Dunn) appears out of nowhere, whom only Nikko can see, and guides Nikko. The episode ends with a crystal skull that is central to the plot of the episode modelled to reveal what someone would look like with skin and muscle added to that skull. The image formed matches the mysterious man who helped Nikko.

In the episode "Eternal," Nikko is poisoned and the only cure is for him to drink water that heals, and assures eternal life. While it is unknown if he gained eternal life or not, he did heal.

In the final episode, he suffered from hallucinations that led him to find a fragment of an artifact called the "Ring of Truth". Before the episode ends, he has another hallucination that reveals that the fragment of the "Ring" also joins with another fragment that his father had acquired earlier in the series. The episode ends with Nikko displaying telekinetic powers: when he reaches for his soda, it slides across the table into his hand.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Reunion"	Bryan Spicer	Patrick Massett & John Zinman	January 27, 2003 (2003-01-27)
2	"Antarctica"	Perry Lang	Patrick Massett & John Zinman	February 3, 2003 (2003-02-03)
3	"Skulls"	Adam Nimoy	Patrick Massett & John Zinman	February 10, 2003 (2003-02-10)
4	"Heist"	Rick Kolbe	Rick Kellard	March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10)
5	"The Wheel Of Dharma"	R. W. Goodwin	Stephanie Bloch-Chambers & Julie Bean	Unaired
6	"Sangraal"	Perry Lang	Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.	Unaired
7	"Mummy Virus"	Vern Gillum	Rick Kellard & Thania St. John	Unaired
8	"Name Of God"	Michael Nankin	Brad Falchuk	Unaired
9	"Devil's Child"	Thomas J. Wright	Thania St. John	Unaired
10	"Avalon"	Dwight Little	I. C. Rapoport	Unaired
11	"The Lost Codex"	Tom Wright	Gabrielle Stanton & Harry Werksman, Jr.	Unaired
12	"Eternal"	Fred Gerber	Thania St. John & Chad Hodge	Unaired
13	"Helmholtz Resonance"	Larry Shaw	Patrick Massett & John Zinman	Unaired

External links

• Veritas: The Quest at IMDb
• Veritas: The Quest at TV Guide
• Veritas: The Quest at AllMovie