First Look: The New Faces of Syfy's Defiance

Killing an Earth Republic officer with a letter opener is a sure way to lose your gig. When Syfy's Defiance returns June 19, badass Datak Tarr (Tony Curran) is out as mayor and E-Rep dandy Niles Pottinger (Jim Murray, inset) is in, after a seemingly bloodless coup. "Pottinger is incredibly complicated — the kind of guy you want to hate because he's just so despicable," says creator Kevin Murphy. "But then he does something really kind that melts your heart."

Also new this season is propaganda filmmaker Jessica Rainier (Anna Hopkins, right, with Grant Bowler), nicknamed "Berlin" in honor of Hitler's favorite documentarian, Leni Riefenstahl. "This new world is terrifying and dangerous, and Berlin is the voice of the disenfranchised people," says Murphy. "She has dedicated herself to bringing safety and protection back into everyone's lives." In a city like Defiance, that won't be easy.

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