Editing Space: Above and Beyond (section)

== Cast and characters ==
[[File:Space - Above and Beyond cast.jpg|thumb|300px|Cast (from left to right): Cloke, de la Fuente, Weisser, Morrison, Rowland, Chapman.]]

=== Main: 58th Squadron aka Wildcards ===
* [[Kristen Cloke]] — Capt. Shane Vansen (USMC), [[Military call sign|callsign]] in the first episodes "[[Ace|Ace of Diamonds]]", later changed to "[[Queen (playing card)|Queen of Diamonds]]". The eldest of three daughters, Vansen was born to two career U.S. Marines. Her parents were executed at the hands of a patrol of Silicates during the A.I. War (she would later discover upon interrogating a Silicate that her home was invaded and her parents killed, as she and her sisters watched, due to a coin toss as the Silicates were adhering to their doctrine of "Take a chance"). She joined the Marine Corps to honor their memories and with ambitions to be one of the elite of the 127th Squadron, the "Angry Angels". A natural leader, solid [[tactician]], and outstanding pilot, she was quickly chosen by her peers to be in command of her squadron in the early days of the Chig War, and this choice was reflected in her being selected as 'honcho' by her superiors in missions thereafter. During the war, she would repeatedly encounter the Silicates and would demonstrate a cool head under pressure, even when facing the nightmares of her childhood. Reflecting her war record (having been wounded several times in combat, receiving repeated citations for achievement in battle as well as the continued respect of her peers and superiors), 1st Lt. Vansen was promoted to Captain in late 2063. She was close friends with all of her squadron, subconsciously slipping into the '[[Firstborn|big sister]]' role that she had been denied as she and her sisters had drifted apart in the aftermath of their parents' deaths.
* [[Morgan Weisser]] — 1st Lt. Nathan West (USMC), callsign "[[King (playing card)|King of Hearts]]", his Hammerhead is named "Above and Beyond". Arguably the heart of the 58th Squadron, Nathan West had never intended to become a U.S. Marine. His choice of career and by definition, lifestyle had been in the Tellus Colony program. He and his girlfriend, Kylen Celina, had worked long and hard to be selected for the program, with the kind of strong [[moral conviction]] of the truly adventurous. They had also been long-standing advocates of In Vitro rights. On the eve of their mission to Tellus, they were advised that one of them was being summarily replaced by an In Vitro, a political decision that had ironically robbed them of their dream of going to the stars together. Although Nathan tried to [[stowaway]] on the mission, he was unsuccessful. Kylen stayed on, handing a photo of them together, with a recorded message of "I believe in you" to Nathan. Having been advised that a USMC sentry might be stationed at Tellus, he joined the Marine Corps, and he was halfway through training when the news arrived that the Vesta & Tellus colonies had been preemptively attacked by the extraterrestrial species that came to be known as the "Chigs". After undergoing Accelerated Training, he and the rest of the nascent 58th Squadron participated in the "Battle of the Belt"; the Earth forces' first victory against the enemy. 1st Lt. West was credited with six confirmed kills in this space battle. Along with the other members of his Squadron, he was awarded a prestigious medal for this decisive victory.
* [[Rodney Rowland]] — 1st Lt. Cooper Hawkes (USMC, In Vitro), callsign "[[Jack (playing card)|Jack of Spades]]", his Hammerhead is named "Pag's Payback" after one his [[Friendship|pal]]s that was killed in battle. After being scheduled to be "erased" for asking a single question during his In Vitro training, Hawkes subdued one of his monitors and killed him while escaping the In Vitro training facility in [[Philadelphia]]. Hawkes lived on the streets until being arrested while chasing an In Vitro [[racist]] who had tried to hang him. The judge ordered him to serve in the U.S. Marines, where he found the only people he ever cared about: The Wild Cards. He bonded especially with his fellow soldier Mike "Pags" Pagodin, who was [[Killed in action|KIA]] in the early stages of the conflict with the Chigs, and Lt. Col. "T.C." McQueen, who became a [[father figure]] to him.
* [[Joel de la Fuente]] — 1st Lt. Paul Wang (USMC), callsign "[[Joker (playing card)|Joker]]". After growing up in [[poverty]] in his hometown of [[Chicago, Illinois]], Wang enlists and is assigned to the Wildcards. He is especially known for his [[sense of humor]], his attachment to the [[Chicago Cubs]] and [[Wrigley Field]], and his budding romance with Lt. Stroud (played by Melissa Bowen, who later married Joel de la Fuente in real-life).
* [[Lanei Chapman]] — 1st Lt. Vanessa Damphousse (USMC), callsign "[[Ace of hearts|Ace of Hearts]]". Originally from [[Upstate New York]], Damphousse graduated from [[Caltech]] with a degree in [[nuclear physics]]. She functions as the squad's technical expert. She is in a relationship with a previously married man, who is later revealed to have left her for her best friend. She is close to Paul Wang, with whom she becomes romantically involved towards the end of the series.
* [[James Morrison (actor)|James Morrison]] — Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius "T. C." McQueen (USMC, In Vitro) callsign "Queen 6". McQueen is the commander of the 58th [[Squadron (aviation)|Squadron]]. Prior to assuming this position, McQueen commanded the 127th Squadron, the "Angry Angels"; the unit was [[decimated]] during the first contact with the Chigs, leaving McQueen as the sole survivor. He is a veteran of the AI wars, during which he was captured and tortured. McQueen is divorced from his wife due to his inability to procreate naturally. McQueen has a strong bond with Lt. Hawkes, for whom he functions as a father figure.

=== Recurring ===
* [[Tucker Smallwood]] — Commodore Glen van Ross (USN)
* David Jean Thomas — General Alcott (USMC)
* [[David St. James]] — Admiral Broden (USN)
* [[Amanda Douge]] — Kylen Celina (Aero-Tech, Tellus colonist)
* [[Tasia Valenza]] — 1st Lt. Kelly Anne Winslow (USMC) callsign "[[Queen of spades|Queen of Spades]]"
* Edmund L. Shaff — "[[Chaplain]]" (USN)
* [[Bill Hunter (actor)|Bill Hunter]] — Secretary General Spencer Chardwell (UN)
* [[Robert Crow (actor)|Robert Crow]] — Officer Crow (Lt. Pruitt in last episode) (USN)
* [[Doug Hutchison]] — Elroy EL (AI)
* [[Ashlyn Gere|Kimberly Patton]] — Feliciti OH (AI)
* John Lendale Bennett — "[[Master-at-arms (United States Navy)|Master at Arms]]" (USN)
* Michael Mantell — Howard Sewell (Aero-Tech, member of the [[board of directors]])
* [[James Lesure]] — Lt. Charlie Stone (USMC)
* Melissa Bowen — [[LTJG]] Stroud (USN)
* [[Gennie Nevinson]], Loren Chase — Anne West
* Angus Grant, [[Marc Worden]] — Neil West (Private, USMC)
* Iva Franks-Singer — Sabrine EW (AI)

=== Guest stars ===
* [[Coolio]] — The Host (in episode "[[R&R (military)|R & R]]")
* [[Amanda Douge]] — Kylen Celina (in episodes "Pilot", "Choice or Chance", "...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best")
* [[David Duchovny]] (uncredited<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000141/ |title=David Duchovny|website=IMDb}}</ref>) — Alvin El 1543 aka "Handsome Alvin" (Silicate in episode "R & R")
* [[Dale Dye]], Capt., USMC (ret.) — Major Jack Colquitt (USMC) (in episode "Who Monitors the Birds?") 
* [[R. Lee Ermey]], GySgt., USMC (ret.) (uncredited) — Sergeant Major Frank Bougus (USMC) (in the pilot episode)
* [[Adam Goldberg]] — Sergeant 1st Class Louie Fox, [[7th Cavalry Regiment|Seventh Cavalry]], U.S. Army (in episode "Pearly")
* Steve Rankin — Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Thomas Butts, callsign "Kick Butts" (in episode "Raymond Butts")
* [[Harriet Sansom Harris]] — Ambassador Diane Hayden (Secretary General, UN)
* [[Richard Kind]] — Colonel Burke (in episode "Level of Necessity")
* [[Martin Jarvis (actor)|Martin Jarvis]] — Major Cyril MacKendrick ([[British Army]] - in episode "Pearly")
* Ronald G. Joseph — General Oliver Ranford (USMC) (in episode "Stardust")
* [[Gail O'Grady]] (uncredited) — Colonel Klingman (in episode "Stardust")
* Jennifer Balgobin — Communications Lieutenant Price (USN) (in episode "Sugar Dirt")