Spartacus (TV series)

Television series
German title	Spartacus
Original title	Spartacus
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Year (s)	2010-2013
length	50 minutes
Episodes	33 in 3 seasons ( list )
genre	Period film , story , drama
idea	Steven S. DeKnight
production	Robert G. Tapert , Sam Raimi , Steven S. DeKnight , Joshua Donen
music	Joseph LoDuca
First broadcast	January 22, 2010 (USA) on Starz
German-language first broadcast	December 15, 2010 on RTL Crime
occupation
synchronization

Spartacus is a television series on the American cable broadcaster Starz , which started on January 22, 2010. Based on the few established historical bases, she draws a fictional life story of the Thracian gladiator Spartacus (played by Andy Whitfield in the first season , then by Liam McIntyre ), who lived from 73 to 71 BC. Chr. One named after him slave uprising against the Roman Republic led. It deals with the earlier life of Spartacus, which has only survived in a few fragments, his ascent to one of Capua's best gladiators and the subsequent revolt against Rome. Producers of the series are Steven S. DeKnight , who is also principal screenwriter is Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi . Most episodes of the series (except for the sixth) were given an age rating of 18 and over in Germany because of the depiction of violence, explicit sexual content and rough language . Season 1, 2 and the prequel were even rejected by the FSK because of isolated episodes, i. H. the shortened KJ versions and the uncut SPIO / JK “no serious risk to young people” versions are sold on DVD and Blu-ray.

action

season 1

The first season is about how Spartacus goes from ally of the Romans to their prisoner a few decades before the end of the Roman Republic. Triggered by the broken word of the Roman commander Claudius Glaber, who was striving for fame, Spartacus, as a Thracian military leader allied with Rome in the war against the barbaric Geten , refuses to continue fighting for the Romans. Glaber orders the Thracians to fight with him against King Mithridates VI. to fight what the abandonment of the Thracian villages would mean. Spartacus resists, triggers a revolt of the Thracian soldiers against the Romans and is punished for it. Together with his wife Sura, he is captured by the Romans and both brought to Italy as slaves separately. As a punishment, Spartacus is said to be killed by four gladiators in the Capua arena . Contrary to expectations, however, he succeeds in defeating all opponents.

The gladiator master (lat .: lanista ) Batiatus , who secretly strives for higher social consecrations, becomes aware of him through the fight and acquires Spartacus to train him in his gladiator school in Capua. After initial difficulties, he becomes the darling of the population and pushes the Gauls Crixus , the best gladiator Capuas to date, from the throne. From now on Spartacus has to fight for his survival as a gladiator in the arena, while Batiatus promises to support him in the search for his missing wife Sura. But Batiatus cheats on Spartacus by killing his wife Sura in order to force him to continue fighting in the arena, giving rise to the gladiators' revolt initiated by Spartacus.

season 2

Spartacus and the escaped gladiators live hidden in the city's sewers. In addition to a group loyal to Spartacus, there was a Gauls group which Crixus chose to be their leader. While Spartacus strives for a higher goal, the liberation of all slaves, Crixus primarily drives the search for his lost love Naevia. In addition, Glaber , who has meanwhile risen to praetor of Rome, is doing everything in his power to capture Spartacus, whose struggle for freedom is increasingly becoming a burden on his political career. He is hindered by his colleague Publius Varinius and his allied Capuan Seppius, who are working towards his political overthrow. Crixus joins Spartacus' freedom struggle in exchange for helping to free Naevias. The group seeks a secret refuge on Vesuvius and begins deliberately with the liberation of slaves and fighters in order to train them for the fight against Rome. With the help of Ashur, among other things, Glaber succeeds in locating the gladiators' hideout and forcing them to fight a decisive battle. By means of a ruse, the previously besieged succeed in destroying Glaber's troops. Glaber falls in a duel with Spartacus.

season 3

Spartacus and the slaves, which have since grown into an army, live outside the city in cold and hunger. There is corruption and displeasure within their ranks. After Marcus Crassus was commissioned to provide the means for an army of 10,000 men, Spartacus and his people ambush a squad of messengers and intercept this message, whereupon they can provide and kill the previous military leaders. This move on the part of Spartacus, as foreseen by Crassus, gives him sole authority over the army and becomes emperor. At the same time Caesar arrives again in Rome and is sent on a special mission by Crassus. Mixed with other slaves, he sneaks into the city of Sinuessa , which has meanwhile been occupied by Spartacus, and creates unrest and quarrels between Crixus and Spartacus. While this is happening, Tiberius attacks Spartacus with a few men, who is able to fend off the attack with the help of pirates. The men of Tiberius flee, although he orders to hold the position. Crassus is very angry about this and decides to carry out a decimation of the unity of Tiberius, in which his son Tiberius must also take part. Tiberius' best friend dies and he himself has to move to the second camp of the train.

The situation in the city escalates when Naevia kills Gannicus' friend (a Roman) and also lures Crixus into killing the captured Romans (Spartacus pretended to be on a journey with the pirates), but Spartacus intervenes and dismisses Crixus as a consultant. Marcus Crassus, who realizes that he has to take care of his son more, sends his slave, whom he loves very much, to Tiberius. But he raped her in revenge on his father and forced her not to tell anyone. Crassus bribes the pirates, who then allow some Romans to invade the city and retake it. Spartacus is forced to move to the mountains with his followers, while Gannicus stays behind to buy them time. Caesar and Tiberius come into conflict with one another more and more often. After the public executions of the slaves captured by the Romans, Gannicus manages to escape with two other slaves. The joy of seeing Spartacus again is clouded by the realization that they cannot cross the mountain because Crassus had a wall built that makes it impossible to continue walking. Spartacus falls into a trap by Crassus again when he tries to kill him in his own tent, but manages to escape from it. Finally Spartacus and his army manage to overcome the wall and they can flee on. Crixus doesn't like running away from battles and has frequent arguments with Spartacus.

The conflict between Caesar and Tiberius comes to a head, which has to do with the fact that Caesar found out about the rape and threatens to tell Marcus, whose heart is broken due to the flight of his slave girl. Tiberius and some of his men then rape Caesar in order to have some leverage against him. This then obeys him. After Spartacus has made the plan to flee over the Alps and spread out there, Crixus wants to move against Rome, which Spartacus allows him. Crixus and those who follow him (including Agron) separate from Spartacus. Before Crixus leaves, he reconciles with Spartacus and says that he is like a brother to him. When Crixus defeats another force that has blocked the way shortly before Rome, Crassus and his army suddenly appear, defeat the Gaul's army and kill him. The Romans send Naevia to Spartacus to deliver the news of Crixus' defeat.

Spartacus sends two men to Crassus who pretend to be messengers from Pompey's army and ask him to come with them to the camp. He sends his son with them, who falls into the trap of Spartacus. The latter lets the companions of Tiberius compete against the former gladiators in front of his army as an audience. When Tiberius is about to fight Naevia, Spartacus receives a message from Crassus, who makes him a proposal: an exchange of 500 prisoners from Crixus' former army for his son. Spartacus agrees, but when they want to lead Tiberius away, the slave who was raped by him kills him. Caesar suggests taking them with you and handing them over to Marcus Crassus, because he loves them. The 500 men are released, including the injured Agron. Spartacus decides to go against Crassus' army, either to kill him or to die himself in battle. In the course of the battle, the rebel army is completely wiped out. Naevia coincides with most of the rebels. It comes to a single fight between Spartacus and Crassus. The former gladiator is pierced from behind by three Roman spears and seriously injured in the course of the fight. Crassus is briefly distracted, whereby Spartacus, with the help of Agron and Nasir, manages to escape into the mountains. Gannicus and all the other prisoners are crucified along the Via Appia from Rome to Capua. A short time later Spartacus succumbs to his wounds.

characters

Spartacus

Spartacus is a Thracian military leader who, as an ally of Rome in the fight against the Dacians, opposes his Roman commander Claudius Glaber and is consequently captured together with his wife Sura. Deported to Capua, he is said to be killed in the amphitheater there in a gladiatorial fight against four opponents at the same time. But he defeats his opponents and survives, whereupon he is sold as a slave to Batiatus and is to be trained as a gladiator himself.

Separated from his wife and unclear about her fate, Spartacus is driven by the hope that one day he will be able to free himself and Sura. For this he even submits to Quintus Lentulus Batiatus' greed for profit, the lord of the gladiator school, who in return for his devotion offers Spartacus the prospect of the liberation of his wife. Spartacus becomes Capua's first fighter, but Batiatus betrays him and gives orders to kill Spartacus' wife during a fake raid. When Spartacus learns the truth, this is the reason for him to start the gladiator revolt. He only manages to win his rival Crixus over at the literal last second by making it clear to him during a gladiatorial fight for life and death that he was secretly weakened by poison by Batiatus and Lucretia during a fight between the two, so that he lost and dies.

Since many men, regardless of Spartacus' status as the first fighter, are still loyal to Crixus and only obey his orders, Crixus' alliance with Spartacus is the start of a bloody massacre among Batiatus' soldiers and guests of the battle of Spartacus and Crixus. At the end of the massacre, Spartacus confronts Batiatus with the fact that he knows that he had his wife murdered and takes revenge on Batiatus by cutting his throat and killing him. Then he gives a speech to the gladiators, in which he makes it clear that he is tired of the cruel treatment of the slaves by their masters and wants to rise up with them against Rome. This is the beginning of a slave revolt that will continue into the second season.

In the second season, Spartacus tries above all to win more slaves for his revolt. At the same time, however, it is his goal to kill his enemy Glaber, as it was through the enslavement of his wife and her separation that he triggered the dire events that led to her death. At the end of the second season he succeeds and he kills Glaber, who is tasked with suppressing Spartacus' slave revolt, in a duel by ramming his sword through his mouth and into his neck. He himself leads the rebellion together with Agron, Gannicus, Crixus and Donar. In his last fight against Crassus he is badly wounded, but with the help of Agron and Nasir he escapes and later succumbs to his injuries.

Quintus Lentulus Batiatus

The Roman Batiatus is the master (lat .: dominus ) of the gladiator school (lat .: ludus ). Although not of high rank, he strives to rise to Capua's official career and to improve his social status. His worst rival is Solonius, the owner of a rival gladiator school. He and his wife Lucretia, who is the perfect partner for him, complement each other physically and emotionally. However, since he has been in financial difficulties, he has been under great pressure to succeed and hopes to be able to get out of the situation by buying Spartacus. Batiatus quickly realizes at Spartacus' first appearance in the arena that he is a talented fighter from whom he hopes to make a profit and an advantage over Solonius.

He is jovial and patronizing towards people and servants who are loyal to him and who help him to achieve his goals . However, he encounters people who stand in his way or by whom he feels offended with unbridled brutality and anger. So he has his opponents Ovidius and Solonius as well as the magistrate Calavius ​​murdered. With his knowledge of the murder of Licinia by Ilithyia, he also blackmailed her husband Glaber in order to secure his political support. In order to bind the stubborn Spartacus more closely to the Ludus, he promises to help him find his wife. As a result, he nourishes Spartacus' hopes for an early reunification, but in reality gives the order to kill Sura on the way to the Ludus. When Spartacus finds out the truth, he animates the other gladiators to rebellion and kills Batiatus.

Lucretia

Lucretia is Batiatus' wife. She strives for social advancement and desperately longs to finally be able to give Batiatus an heir. As a willing assistant to her husband, she resorts to deception and blackmail in order to achieve the common goals. She is critical of Spartacus because she considers him difficult to control and fears that he could pose a threat to the gladiator school. In addition, she secretly harbors a great desire for Spartacus' adversary Crixus, the first fighter in the arena in Capua, whom she has regularly brought into her private rooms against his will to satisfy her sexual desires in the absence of her husband. This desire brings her involuntarily on the opposite course to Glaber's wife Ilithyia, with whom Lucretia befriended during the first season and who also kept an eye on the gladiator without knowing their intimate relationship. Her jealousy makes her increasingly unscrupulous towards Ilithyia.

Lucretia finally manages to get pregnant with the help of Crixus. However, during the slave rebellion, she is badly wounded by him. Thanks to Ashur's help, she survives seriously injured, but loses her child in the process. The inhabitants of Capua see a sign of the gods in their survival and consider Lucretia from now on as the blessed, which in turn knows how to use this to their advantage. Cornered and abused by Ashur, Lucretia has to spin intrigues again to take her fate back into her own hands. So she manages that Glaber turns against Ashur and moves the pregnant Ilithyia to the birth of the child in the Ludus, where Lucretia finally reveals her plans for herself, Ilithyia and the child. She cuts the child out of the heavily pregnant Ilithyia at birth and then rushes down the gorge with the newborn.

Solonius

Formerly a close confidante and good friend of Batiatus, they eventually became rivals. Solonius 'and Batiatus' gladiator schools now compete with each other and they try to outdo and humiliate one another. It even goes so far that they try to assassinate each other. Solonius has a lot for Lucretia, but it is not reciprocal. Towards the end of the first season he is accused of the murder of the magistrate through an intrigue by Batiatus and beheaded as punishment in the arena of Capua in a fight against Spartacus without a chance for him.

Oenomaus (Drago)

Batiatus 'slave, formerly a very successful gladiator and now instructor of the gladiators in Batiatus' gladiator school. He used to be one of the best gladiators from the Batiatus family until he was seriously injured in a fight against the legendary Theokoles. After his injury, he became the trainer of the other gladiators, with the fact that he was the only one who survived a fight with Theokoles and thus received the respect of the other gladiators. He believes in the honor of the school and the house of Batiatus. Batiatus originally proposed to Oenomaus that he be made master of the gladiatorial school if his political ambitions were crowned with success. However, when Oenomaus learns that Batiatus killed Barca and the magistrate Calavius ​​and tried to arrange the death of Crixus, he breaks with his master and supports the rebellion in the gladiator school. He and Gannicus were once close like brothers. But when Gannicus and Drago's wife Melissa were once forced to have sex by Batiatus and then had a relationship (seen in the prequel "Gods of the Arena") and Drago learns about it through Ashur in the second season, he is very disappointed with his boyfriend breaks with this. Towards the end of the second season, Drago dies fighting for the slave rebellion of Spartacus and finally reconciles with Gannicus in death.

Crixus

The Gaul Crixus is Batiatus' best gladiator, love servant for Lucretia and the first fighter of Capua. He despises Spartacus and believes in the brotherhood of gladiators. He sees the gladiatorial existence as a great honor and a service for the city. However, he is seriously injured in a joint fight with Spartacus against the previously undefeated gladiator Theokoles. He loses his title to Spartacus, who dealt Theokoles the fatal blow, creating further tension between the two.

Crixus regularly has to provide love services for his mistress Lucretia, but secretly loves Naevia, Lucretia's body slave. Both secretly start an affair, but when Batiatus gives Naevia to Ashur, Crixus freaks out and tries to kill him. Naevia then sells the disappointed Lucretia to slave traders, has Crixus whipped and weakened by a poison so that he inevitably finds death in the fight against Spartacus. But Crixus has already joined Spartacus and together with him destroys the entire Ludus. In freedom, his only thought is the search for Naevia, which he can finally free from the mines. He is captured himself and is said to be killed in the Capuas arena together with Oenomaus in the fight against Gannicus. However, he is freed by Spartacus and reunited with Naevia. Since Naevia wants revenge for the cruel treatment as a slave, he stays with her at Spartacus' side and teaches her to fight. He becomes one of the leaders of the rebellion, but still has disputes with Spartacus due to his strong anti-Roman stance. He is later killed by Crassus' son Tiberius in a battle outside Rome, while Naevia has to watch.

Ilithyia

Glaber's wife Ilithyia is of high class and the daughter of Senator Albinius. She hates Spartacus and develops a close, selfish friendship with Lucretia, which is why she is a frequent guest at the ludus . In doing so, she developed a great sexual desire for Crixus. This unknowingly brings her into conflict with Lucretia, who keeps her affection for the gladiator a secret and becomes increasingly jealous of Ilithyia. She sets up a seemingly intimate meeting with Crixus for Ilithyia, but arranges it unnoticed so that Ilithyia instead sleeps with the hated Spartacus. Ilithyia is furious and in affect kills Licinia, the cousin of the rich Marcus Licinius Crassus . Lucretia helps her to cover up this, but it also makes her dependent, which she knows how to take advantage of.

During the gladiator rebellion, she leaves Batiatus' house at the last minute and orders her soldiers to close the gates so that no Roman, especially Lucretia, can escape the slaughter. In the second season, she and her husband move to Capua in Batiatus' old house. She is pregnant but tries to lose the child in order to be able to divorce Glaber freely and with the support of her father, and instead marry Varinius. However, Glaber gets behind their plans and takes the opportunity to kill Ilithyia's father while the rebels burn the arena down. In doing so, he makes a divorce impossible for her, although he is less concerned with her than with the unborn child. The only person she can still lean on seems to be Lucretia. Lucretia forcibly appropriates her newborn towards the end of the second season, with Ilithyia dying.

Gaius Claudius Glaber

Ilithyia's husband and legate of the Roman army is responsible for Spartacus' enslavement as a gladiator. He is an ambitious careerist who seeks to advance to higher office. His legion was part of the armed forces of Lucullus in his war against Mithridates . Glaber requested the help of Spartacus' Thracian tribe in the fight against the Dacians, allied with Mithridates. When he, following the urging of Ilithyia, turned against Mithridates with his army in search of personal glory, however, contrary to the orders of his general, he at the same time surrendered the allied Thracian villages to the Dacians. By disregarding the alliance treaty, he triggers the revolt of the Thracians under Spartacus. Glaber ended the uprising, but due to his failure, he was ordered back to Italy, where he also had the captured Spartacus and his wife kidnapped. There he tries to arrange Spartacus' death, whom he blames for his humiliation. He sells Spartacus to Batiatus and his wife Sura to a Syrian slave trader. Many months later, when Glaber learned that his wife Ilithyia Licinia had killed Marcus Licinius Crassus ' cousin , he was forced to grant Batiatus patronage for his political ambitions so as not to endanger his own political career in Rome.

In the second season he is assigned to put down the revolt of Spartacus and the rest of the slaves, which he clearly displeases because he actually has ambitions in Rome. His marriage to Ilithyia is also about to end and his father-in-law, who was never well disposed towards him, announces that he wants to dissolve it - also at Ilithyia's express request - which would also result in his political and social insignificance. When Spartacus burns down the arena of Capua with his men to free Crixus and Drago, the opportunity arises for him to kill his father-in-law, which he does without hesitation. Thereby he binds the pregnant Ilithyia back to himself. His feud with Spartacus is getting tougher and tougher and Glaber shows less and less scruples in order to achieve his goal and finally kill Spartacus or put down the slave revolt for good. At the end of the second season there is a final fight between the two, in which Glaber is killed by Spartacus.

Ashur

Ashur is a former gladiator of Syrian origin. His leg was crippled by Crixus in the arena, which is why he now serves Batiatus as an accountant and handyman in the household. In this function, he is allowed to move outside the gladiator school, which he in turn uses to do numerous auxiliary and procurement services for the gladiators for a fee. He is also responsible for arranging money bets. Because of his mobility problems, he mainly relies on his intelligence and intrigue, which means that he has no friends among the gladiators. His machinations cost Barca and Pietros their lives. His help is of inestimable value for Batiatus in the elimination of the magistrate Calavius ​​and his arch rival Solonius. He does not join Spartacus' uprising. Instead, he seeks his advantage in supporting the Romans in the fight against the escaped gladiators, first in the service of his long-time mistress Lucretia, and finally even on behalf of Glabers. He wins Glaber's trust, which gives him a lot of freedom. He hopes to be released for his services. But he falls victim to an intrigue of Lucretia, in revenge for the regular rapes he had forced her to. He loses Glaber's protection and falls in a duel against Naevia.

Varro

Varro is a Roman citizen who sells himself to the ludus due to debts in order to be able to support his family. For Spartacus he becomes a good friend and confidante at the same time. Spartacus is forced to kill Varro in an exhibition fight in honor of Numerius, the son of the magistrate Calavius. This was done through an intrigue of Ilithyias.

When Varro's wife Aurelia finds out, she does everything in her power to kill Spartacus. She begins to work in the ludus because she does not want to accept Spartacus' money that he wants to pay her for her living. When Aurelia learns that Spartacus was forced to kill Varro and regrets it bitterly, she forgives him. In freedom, Varros wife receives from Spartacus the necessary money and escort to come to her son and start a new life. However, she is intercepted by Glaber's men and severely damaged. The rebels succeed in freeing her, but she dies a short time later with a warning to Spartacus to stay away from her son.

Barca

Barca, nicknamed the "Beast of Carthage", is one of Batiatus' most successful gladiators. He therefore often served his master as a bodyguard and contract killer. Barca are trying to save enough money to buy freedom for themselves and their lover Pietros. For this, he makes bets with Ashur, among other things. However, when Ashur is unable to pay Barca a large amount due and is threatened by Barca, he makes false accusations that Batiatus falls out of favor and is murdered.

Mira

Mira is one of Lucretia's slaves in the house of Batiatus. Before Spartacus is supposed to sleep with the respected Roman Licinia, Mira is sent to him to sleep with him. However, he does not want this, but after Lucretia has sent her to him a second time, he lets her sleep in his cell when she is looking for Varro's wife Aurelia in return. Spartacus later saves the slave from being attacked by the guard Hector, which makes her fall in love with him, but the gladiator does not share these feelings. Finally, Spartacus convinces Mira to open the gate between the Ludus and Batiatus Villa and thus enable the breakout, but in return she demands that he sleep with her. In the second season, the two have a relationship, whereby Mira is never sure what Spartacus feels about her now. However, she develops into a fighter, helps raid the mines of Lucania and becomes an excellent archer. However, when she tries to kill Ilithyia, who is said to have been pregnant with Spartacu's child and whom Gannicus brought to the rebel camp, Spartacus ends the relationship. Shortly afterwards, Mira is killed in the battle against the Romans at the foot of Vesuvius.

Sura

Sura is Spartacus' wife and priestess of the Thracian gods. After her husband's rebellion against the Romans, she was kidnapped by Glaber and sold to a Syrian slave trader. Batiatus promises Spartacus to find her in return for his devotion and to bring her to the gladiator school. In fact, Batiatus gives the order to fake an attack and kill Sura in order to bind Spartacus to himself in the long term. When Spartacus finds out, he organizes the slave revolt and takes revenge by murdering Batiatus.

Gannicus

Gannicus is a former slave from the Batiatus house, who was given freedom a few years ago due to a great performance in the arena and Solonius operation. After a while, he returns to Capua because he has no more money and starts fighting in the arena again. Finally he is pressured by Glaber to finish off Spartacus for him. Although he initially considers Spartacus' fight to be a lost cause and believes it will lead to their deaths for everyone around him, he eventually joins Spartacus. Gannicus was once deeply friends with Drago when both were still gladiators for the House of Batiatus. However, after Drago learned that his wife and Gannicus were once forced to have sex by Batiatus and then had a relationship, he swore revenge for Gannicus. Gannicus is an excellent fighter and doesn't have to hide from Spartacus, Drago or Crixus. He becomes one of the leaders of the rebellion in the third season and has a relationship with the Germanic warrior Saxa. Later he takes the slave Sibyl as his lover. He is defeated in the last battle against Crassus and Caesar, taken prisoner and dies on the cross.

Naevia

Naevia is Lucretia's personal and loyal body slave. Since childhood she has been under the protection of Lucretia, who also protects her from attacks by other men. Naevia is the only slave in the Batiatus house who does not have to perform sexual services. She finally falls in love with Crixus, who has been courting her for a long time. Batiatus, however, gives Naevia a gift to Ashur, who has also wanted Naevia for years. When Crixus finds out, he freaks out and Lucretia learns in this way that her slave has a relationship with the gladiator she desires. This eventually leads to their banishment. She is first sold to a slave trader and passed from house to house until she finds herself doing forced labor in the mines. There she finds and frees Crixus after the rebellion in Batiatus' house. Crixus' offer to start a new life far away, she rejects, because now she too wants to see the Romans bleed for what has happened to her and wants to learn to defend herself. In the third season Naevia develops into a dangerous fighter and can successfully assert herself in the battles against the Romans. In Crixu's last battle, she has to watch her lover being beheaded by Tiberius. She is sent to the rebels as a symbol with Crixus 'head, but survives her trauma and later fights against the captured Tiberius, whom she leaves alive at Spartacus' request so that he can be exchanged for 500 prisoners. She is killed by Caesar in the final battle.

Agron

After a while he joins the gladiator school with his younger brother Duro and some other slaves. He respects and respects Spartacus and soon becomes friends with him. He also goes to great lengths to take care of and protect his younger brother. He and Crixus can't stand each other from the start, partly because Agron, as a Teuton, doesn't think much of Gauls. However, their relationship improves over time. During the uprising he becomes Spartacus' right-hand man, but as time goes on he pursues other goals than this, which occasionally leads to tension between the two. Even so, he is one of Spartacus' most loyal companions. In the third season, he becomes a leader. He has a relationship with the Syrian Nasir. He is captured and crucified in Crixu's final battle, but survives long enough to be sent back. Agron survived the last rebel battle with Nasir and flees across the Alps with the surviving slaves.

Nasir

Nasir appears for the first time in season two when the freed slaves raid a villa, kill the master, and free the slaves. Nasir, however, was loyal to his Dominus and first tried to kill Spartacus. Crixus and Agron then want to kill him, but Spartacus lets him train as a fighter. Only slowly does he gain the trust of the others, but helps Spartacus and Crixus to raid the mines of Lucania to free Naevia. After returning to the other part of the freed slaves, he meets Agron. Finally, in season three, he is one of Spartacus' closest confidants and an excellent fighter. He survived the final battle and flees over the mountains with the survivors and Agron.

production

The series was originally renewed for a second season on December 22, 2009, one month before the series premiere , but production was delayed because Spartacus actor Whitfield was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma . Season two production began after Whitfield temporarily beat cancer . But after a relapse, production of the series was interrupted again. Andy Whitfield finally died on September 11, 2011 of cancer.

On January 7, 2011, Starz President Chris Albrecht told journalists on the Television Critics Association press tour that the station had decided to stick with the series and produce a full second season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand . On the same day, Albrecht said in an interview that a new actor would be announced for the main role in the next few weeks. Starz announced on January 17, 2011 that Australian actor Liam McIntyre would play Spartacus from season two. After a short preparation period in New Zealand , shooting for the second season, entitled Spartacus: Vengeance (German: Spartacus: Retaliation ), began on April 4, 2011. The shooting lasted a total of until the end of October 2011. As early as February 2011, it was announced that Lesley-Ann Brandt had asked for her time off to pursue an unspecified other project. Her role as Naevia is played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson in the second season .

Starz announced the production of a third season on November 7, 2011. Under the title Spartacus: War of the Damned (Eng. War of the Damned ) another ten episodes were shot. As stated by Steven S. DeKnight in June 2012, it was the final season. The broadcast in the United States began on January 25, 2013.

Prequel

Due to the delay, the broadcaster Starz commissioned a six-episode prequel season entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (German: Spartacus: Götter der Arena ). This short season of just six episodes was originally planned as a brief flashback in the second episode of the second season. The prequel features new and returning cast members, including the roles of John Hannah as Batiatus and Lucy Lawless as Lucretia. Production began in New Zealand in the summer of 2010 . The prequel premiered on January 21, 2011 on Starz.

Cast and dubbing

The German synchronization was for a dialogue book by Marianne United and Lutz Riedel and the dialogue director of Riedel by the synchronous company Scalamedia in Berlin .

main actor

role	actor	Voice actor	Main role (episodes)	Supporting role (episodes)
Spartacus	Andy Whitfield	Tobias Kluckert	1.01-1.13
	Liam McIntyre		2.01-3.10
Crixus	Manu Bennett	Oliver Stritzel	1.01-3.08
Ilithyia	Viva Bianca	Anna Grisebach	1.01-2.10
Ashur	Nick E. Tarabay	Dennis Schmidt-Foss	1.01-2.10
Lucretia	Lucy Lawless	Susanne von Medvey	1.01-2.10
Drago / Oenomaus	Peter Mensah	Martin Keßler	1.01-2.10	3.10
Quintus Lentulus Batiatus	John Hannah	Udo Schenk	1.01-1.13
Agron	Dan fire bar	Julien Haggége	2.01-3.10	1.08-1.13
Mira	Katrina Law	Berenice Weichert	2.01-2.10	1.09-1.13
Gaius Claudius Glaber	Craig Parker	Florian Halm	2.01-2.10	1.01-1.02, 1.12
Naevia	Lesley-Ann Brandt	Marie Bierstedt		1.01-1.13
	Cynthia Addai-Robinson		2.03-3.10
Gannicus	Dustin Clare	Robin Kahnmeyer	2.05-3.10
Marcus Licinius Crassus	Simon Merrells	Torsten Michaelis	3.01-3.10
Tiberius Licinius Crassus	Christian Antidormi	Ricardo Richter	3.01-3.10
Julius Caesar	Todd Lasance	Norman Matt	3.02-3.10

supporting cast

role	actor	Voice actor	Supporting role (episodes)
Varro	Jai Courtney	Karlo Hackenberger	1.01-1.11
Sura	Erin Cummings	Victoria Storm	1.01–1.07, 1.11
Barcas	Antonio Te Maioha	Jaron Lowenberg	1.01–1.06
Magistrate Calavius	John Bach	Christian Rode	1.01–1.05
Marcus Decius Solonius	Craig Walsh Wrightson	Lutz Riedel	1.01–1.12
Licinia	Brooke Harman	Diana Borgwardt	1.08–1.10
Seppia	Hanna Mangan Lawrence	Jill Schulz	2.01-2.09
Nasir	Pana Hema Taylor	David Turba	2.02-3.10
Lugo	Barry Duffield	NN	2.07-3.10
Saxa	Ellen Hollman	Mareile Moeller	2.07-3.10
Kore	Jenna Lind	Julia Kaufmann	3.01-3.10
Laeta	Anna Hutchison	Esra Vural	3.02-3.10
Sibyl	Gwendoline Taylor	NN	3.02-3.10

Charisma

United States

In the USA, the series started on January 22, 2010 on the cable station Starz . The second season was broadcast in the US from January 27 to March 30, 2012. The third season, subtitled War of the Damned , is the last season and was from January 25, 2013 to April 12, 2013 broadcast on Starz.

German-speaking area

In Germany, RTL Group secured the pay-TV rights to the series, with ProSiebenSat.1 Media holding the free-TV rights . The German-language first broadcast of the first season was from December 15, 2010 to March 9, 2011 on Wednesdays on the pay TV broadcaster RTL Crime . While the fourth episode ran unabridged on television, it is only released on DVD in a modified version. The broadcast of the series on free TV began on April 20, 2012 with a double episode on ProSieben . Since some of the episodes were broadcast before 11 p.m., some episodes had to be shown cut-16 versions, but the uncut versions were repeated at night.

The broadcast of the second season on RTL Crime began on April 11 and ended on June 13, 2012. The broadcast of the third season on RTL Crime began on April 24, 2013 and ended on June 26, 2013. ProSieben started the third season on June 25, 2012 April 2014, on the night of May 9th, the season was completed.

International

The series has aired on TMN since January 25, 2010 in Canada . In the Netherlands , the broadcaster RTL 5 announced in its January 2010 newsletter that Spartacus: Blood and Sand would be launched in March 2010. In the United Kingdom , Bravo UK began broadcasting on May 25, 2010. The series has been shown on HBO Magyarország in Hungary since June 1, 2010 and on HBO Polska in Poland since June 19, 2010 . The series is also broadcast in many Latin American countries and in Ireland .

Episode list

→ Main article : Spartacus / episode list

Video games

In July 2012, Ubisoft announced the series-based video game Spartacus Legends , which was released in summer 2013 via download for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 .

Board games

The publisher Galeforce Nine and Heidelberger Spieleverlag distribute the board game for the series Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery , which received good international reviews, as well as an expansion Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf Expansion Set .

Awards (selection)

The series was honored at the Saturn Awards 2012 in the category Best DVD TV Series Release. Actress Lucy Lawless received a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress the year before.

Others

In 2012, the published US porn - Parody The Beginning: Spartacus MMXII who freely based on the series original. The sex industry recognized the blockbuster quality of the film in 2013 with three wins and numerous nominations at the AVN Award , the XBIZ Award , the XRCO Award and the NightMoves Awards. As actors are u. a. Andy San Dimas as Neavia , Gracie Glam as Milana , India Summer as Gaia , Jenna Presley as Sura , Tanya Tate as Ilithyia and Tommy Gunn as Crixus .

Web links

• Spartacus in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Official website of Starz
• Episode guide at Serienfans.TV

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Bernd Michael Krannich: "Spartacus: Blood and Sand": Starz with a new series at the end of January . Serial junkies . December 10, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
2. ↑ Interview: Steven S. DeKnight and Robert Tapert from Spartacus: Blood And Sand . Fanbolt.com . May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 7, 2010. 
3. ↑ Release certificate for episode 6 . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry, September 2011 (PDF; test number: 129 571 V).
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: Starz extends "Spartacus" even before the start of series production . Serial junkies . December 22, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
6. ↑ Spartacus Halts Production Of Season 2 . IGN . March 9, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
7. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: Spartacus: main actor Andy Whitfield has cancer . Serial junkies . March 9, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
8. ^ Nellie Andreeva: 'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield Is Cancer-Free & Ready To Return To The Starz Series . Deadline Hollywood . June 8, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
9. ↑ Christian Junklewitz: Spartacus: Andy Whitfield has conquered cancer . Serial junkies . June 8, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
10. ↑ Nellie Andreeva: 'Spartacus' Star Andy Whitfield's Cancer Is Back: Won't Return Next Season To Series . Deadline Hollywood . September 17, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
11. ↑ Christian Junklewitz: Spartacus: Season 2 is a done deal . Serial junkies . January 8, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
12. ↑ ^{a b} Bernd Michael Krannich: Liam McIntyre becomes the new Spartacus . Serial junkies . January 7, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
13. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: Spartacus: Lesley-Ann Brandt leaves the series . Serial junkies . February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Adam Arndt: Spartacus: Cynthia Addai-Robinson becomes the new Naevia . Serial junkies . May 2, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
15. ↑ Nellie Andreeva: Starz Renews 'Spartacus' For Third Season . Deadline Hollywood . November 7, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
16. ↑ Spartacus goes into the last round. Moviepilot.de, June 5, 2012, accessed July 8, 2012.
17. ↑ Spartacus returns in epic fashion with Spartacus: War of the Damned in January 2013! . 'starz'. June 17, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
18. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: Starz orders "Spartacus" prequel . Serial junkies . May 12, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
19. ^ April MacIntyre: Spartacus Prequel announced by Starz, Whitfield to star . Monsters and Critics . May 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 14, 2011. 
20. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: Starz shows Spartacus: Gods of the Arena in January . Serial junkies . October 29, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
21. ↑ ^{a b c} Spartacus: Blood and Sand . German dubbing files . Retrieved December 7, 2010.
22. ↑ James Hibberd: 'Spartacus: Vengeance' return date, poster, video revealed! - EXCLUSIVE . Entertainment Weekly . November 3, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
23. ↑ Amanda Kondolojy: 'Spartacus: War of the Damned' To Premiere on Starz January 25 ( English ) In: TV by the Numbers . November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
24. ↑ Starz Announces SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED as the Show's Final Season ( English ) June 4, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
25. ↑ Bernd Michael Krannich: ProSieben wants to bring Spartacus to free TV . Serial junkies . July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
26. ^ Christian Junklewitz: Spartacus: From December on RTL Crime . Serial junkies . October 19, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
27. ↑ Release certificate for episode 4 . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry, April 2012 (PDF; test number: 129 517-a V).
28. ↑ Timo Niemeier: ProSieben shows «Spartacus» from April . Oddsmeter.de . March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
29. ↑ Pro7 shows Spartacus - Blood and Sand cut . moviepilot.de . March 12, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
30. ↑ "Doc Idaho": Spartacus - from 16, Pro 7 . Schnittberichte.com . March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
31. ↑ 'Spartacus - War Of The Damned . In: RTLCrime.de . Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 6, 2013. 
32. ↑ Spartacus: Finally new episodes! ProSieben , accessed April 26, 2014 . 
33. ↑ Spartacus: Blood And Sand - Schedule . The Movie Network . Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 15, 2011. 
34. ^ Spartacus fights his way to UK pay TV . C21 Media . March 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 15, 2011. 
35. ↑ Tim Glanfield: Preview: Spartacus - Blood and Sand . Beehive City . April 27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 15, 2011. 
36. ↑ Spartacus: Vér és homok first . HBO Magyarország . Retrieved February 15, 2011.
37. ↑ Spartacus: Krew i piach, odc. 1 . HBO Polska . Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 15, 2011. 
38. ↑ Florian Inerle: Spartacus Legends - game for the TV series in progress . In: GamePro . IDG . July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
39. ↑ spartacusboardgame.com
40. ↑ Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery