01x01 - Rise

[bunniefuu]

-[mysterious music playing]
-[creatures calling]

[creature 1 grunts lowly]

[creature 2 squawks]

[creature 3 vocalizes]

[creatures continue vocalizing,
chittering]

[footsteps running]

-[twigs snapping]
-[leaves rustling]

[suspenseful music playing]

[creature screeching]

[majestic music playing]

[Morgan Freeman] Earth,

sixty-six million years ago.

During the great reign of the dinosaurs.

[dinosaurs calling, grunting]

Majestic creatures.

[hoofs thud]

Giants and monsters

that can often seem
more imagined than real.

[grunts]

[screeches]

Including…

[screeches loudly]

…this Pachycephalosaurus.

[screeching continues]

He's an old alpha male,

eager to get back to his harem of females.

[screeches]

But something's caught their attention.

[tense music playing]

A rival male.

[screeching]

If the alpha doesn't get there,
he may lose them to the intruder.

[screeches]

There's just one problem.

There's a herd of giants in his way.

[dinosaurs grunting]

[screeches]

[dinosaurs continue grunting]

But holding on to his family

is all that matters.

[screeches]

[intense music playing]

He'll risk his life to reach them.

-[tail thuds]
-[screeches in pain]

[grunting]

[Pachycephalosaurus chitters]

He may have survived the crossing,

but the battle has just begun.

[screeches]

The trespasser is younger,
stronger, and more aggressive.

-[ominous music playing]
-[trespasser screeches]

[screeching threateningly]

And he won't surrender these females…

[screeches]

…without a fight.

[suspenseful music playing]

[screeches]

Their four-inch-thick skulls
are designed for a brutal style of combat.

[screeching]

[skulls thud]

[males grunting
and screeching aggressively]

-[skulls thud]
-[both grunting]

[grunting]

[grunting]

Neither side is backing down.

[skulls thud]

[grunts weakly]

This time,

the alpha is hurt.

[screeches in pain]

[chitters]

Dazed and fading fast,
his hold on his family is slipping away.

[screeching weakly]

[roars]

Sensing his weakness,

the intruder prepares
for a finishing blow.

[Tyrannosaurus rex chomps]

[herd screeches fearfully]

-[Tyrannosaurus rex growling]
-[Pachycephalosaurus wailing]

[skull cracks]

[majestic music playing]

But in the world of Tyrannosaurus rex…

[growling]

…the only battle that counts
is for survival.

This is the age of the dinosaurs.

[music fades out]

[opening theme music playing]

[rocks crumbling]

[distant roaring]

[roaring]

[music fades out]

[slow, steady breathing]

This is the story of the dinosaurs

as it has never been told before.

[wistful music playing]

It takes place in a world lost to time.

Long before the infamous asteroid.

[dramatic music playing]

Millions and millions
of years in the past.

On a planet that looks nothing
like it does today.

Where extraordinary beasts clash…

[roaring]

…and struggle to survive.

And where Earth's violent forces…

[grunting]

…determine their fates.

The story begins 235 million years ago…

in an era known as the Triassic…

where a twist of evolution
will change the course of history.

[mysterious music playing]

The supercontinent of Pangaea.

A single immense landmass
that stretches from pole to pole.

[music intensifies eerily]

Its vast desert interior

is more like the surface of Mars…

than planet Earth.

Temperatures here are brutally hot.

[melodic music playing]

In some places,
it hasn't rained in thousands of years.

But there is something
far worse than the heat.

[eerie music playing]

Sandstorms.

[dramatic orchestral music playing]

Few creatures can survive
in a world this extreme.

[music fades out]

But not all of Pangaea
is a desert wasteland.

Along its fringes,

the warm, lush coastlines
are the perfect place

for life to thrive.

This is a time long before
the age of the dinosaurs.

It is the age of the ancient reptiles.

[dark music playing]

Like Tanystropheus…

a six-meter-long nightmare
that st*lks the shallow sea.

[growls]

And Rhynchosaurs,

one of the most successful reptiles
in all of Pangaea.

[bark-like grunting]

To each other…

-[grunts aggressively]
-…they're brutes and bullies.

[all grunting]

[grunts]

[low growl]

But to this reptile,

they're just the terrified locals.

-[suspenseful music playing]
-[reptile growling]

Luperosuchus,

the four-meter-long apex predator
of his time.

-[Luperosuchus growling]
-[Rhynchosaurs barking]

But he's not here for the Rhynchosaurs.

He's sniffed out an easier target.

[growls lowly]

A clutch of eggs.

[uplifting music playing]

Very special eggs.

Because growing inside them
are the very first of their kind.

[egg cracking]

[creature squeaks]

A baby Marasuchus.

[squeaks]

[squeaks]

She weighs no more than a mouse.

[both squeaking]

But she makes up for it,

because she has a set of skills

that sets her apart
from the ancient reptiles.

[squeaking continues]

Including the remarkable ability

to stand on two legs, not just four.

[epic orchestral music playing]

She also has advanced lungs
and lighter bones.

[tense music playing]

Adaptations that give
these little hatchlings

an invaluable gift.

-[babies squeaking]
-[Luperosuchus growls]

They are born to run.

-[growling]
-[suspenseful music playing]

[squeaking]

And in this day and age, they need to.

[Luperosuchus growls]

Their only hope
is to find a place to hide.

[squeaking frantically]

Easier said than done
when you've hatched into hell.

[squeaking desperately]

All her siblings are gone.

The survival of her bloodline
is now hanging by a thread.

[growls menacingly]

[chitters]

But thanks to her,

it's still intact.

Which is vital

because her descendants

are the dinosaurs.

[epic orchestral music playing]

One year later,
Marasuchus is now fully grown.

[chittering]

But when you're the size of a pigeon
in a land of monsters,

you're still just prey.

[chitters]

Now, Marasuchus must make it
through another night.

It's critical,

because if this dinosaur-in-the-making
doesn't survive,

her family tree could be cut down
before it even takes root.

[chittering]

[intriguing music playing]

-She's picked up a scent.
-[sniffs]

Something worthy of her bloodline.

[creature vocalizes in distance]

[insects buzzing]

A Rhynchosaur carcass.

[tense music playing]

[chittering]

[tense music building]

[low growling]

But it's already been claimed…

[growling]

…by her old nemesis,

Luperosuchus.

This is his k*ll.

And he does not intend to share.

But as night approaches…

temperatures start to drop.

[mysterious music playing]

The colder it gets,
the drowsier the giant reptile becomes.

[Luperosuchus breathing slowly]

Meanwhile, the warmer-blooded Marasuchus
has a feathery fuzz that keeps her cozy.

The perfect attire for a daring heist.

[intriguing music playing]

[Luperosuchus continues breathing slowly]

[twig snaps]

[Luperosuchus startles]

[growls]

-[suspenseful music playing]
-[chittering]

[growls lowly]

[chitters]

[intriguing music continues]

[chitters]

If she plays it right…

she may just get
her moonlit dinner for one.

A feast

fit for a dinosaur.

Marasuchus has great potential.

She's adaptable,
with traits that make her special.

But if the dinosaurs
are to challenge the ancient reptiles,

it will take more than skills.

-It will take a powerful ally.
-[Luperosuchus growling]

[thunder crashing]

The Earth itself.

A million years later…

in the far north of Pangaea,

the darkest forces of nature
are awakening.

A series of volcanic eruptions

is creating a catastrophe.

One that will alter the fate
of the dinosaurs.

[dramatic music playing]

But the danger is not the lava.

It's a gas.

Carbon dioxide.

Filling the skies and warming the planet.

The rising temperatures

cause a massive surge
in ocean evaporation.

[thunder crashing]

Huge storm clouds descend
on the continent of Pangaea.

[thunder crashing]

[thunder crashing]

But this will be no ordinary rainfall.

[thunder crashing]

[raindrops sizzling]

It sweeps across the globe…

carving vast rivers

into the once dry continent.

Known as the Carnian Pluvial Event…

this series of storms
will be the longest downpour in history,

lasting more than a million years.

[uplifting music playing]

When the rains finally do subside,

Pangaea emerges transformed.

A world reborn.

What were endless deserts are now forests.

New lands that will help set the course
for the rise of the dinosaurs.

[creatures calling distantly]

But first, the reptile empire must falter.

The air in these woods is thick
with the smell of tree resin.

Nature is unforgiving here.

[resin squelching]

The once prosperous plant-eating reptiles

are on the decline.

[Rhynchosaur panting weakly]

Not only is this Rhynchosaur alone…

[moans]

…she's starving.

In this new world of towering trees…

the low-lying plants
that once allowed her species to thrive…

have all but disappeared.

She won't survive
if she can't reach her food.

[grunting weakly]

[moaning]

And she has
a more immediate problem than hunger.

[creature growls menacingly]

[ominous music playing]

A relative of the fearsome Luperosuchus.

For these reptilian carnivores,

this is a time of great opportunity.

Unlike the nimble Marasuchus, she's slow…

[groans]

…weak,

vulnerable.

[groans]

[bleak music playing]

The Rhynchosaurs were once
among the most successful

of the plant-eating reptiles.

Now, their extinction
is just a matter of time.

[labored breathing]

[melancholy string music playing]

As the kingdom of the ancient reptiles
begins to fracture…

[reptiles growling]

…another kind of animal is on the rise.

[small creature squeaks]

The dinosaurs.

And in this changing world,
they must be adaptable.

They must evolve.

They must improve over time.

And transform in ways
that will help them survive.

Finally, 12 million years
after the demise of the Rhynchosaurs,

the dinosaurs can begin
to come out of the shadows.

[creatures chittering,
calling in distance]

As the end of the Triassic draws near,

vast forests still dominate the land,

now more vibrant than ever.

And the dinosaurs
are reaping the benefits.

Like Plateosaurus,

a dinosaur trailblazer.

[squeaks]

[gentle music playing]

[vocalizes]

This little one

and her siblings
are embarking on a mission

to explore their new world

with almost no regard
for the dangers it may hold.

[all squeaking]

They may not look
any bigger than little Marasuchus…

but when they grow up,

they grow up bigger.

[low grunting]

Much bigger.

[majestic music playing]

They are the first dinosaurs
to become gigantic.

Over seven meters long,
they've come a long way

since their tiny ancestors
ran for their lives.

[vocalizes]

And unlike the Rhynchosaurs,

these giants can easily reach
the higher vegetation.

[squeaks]

They even have a trick

for reaching
the most tender shoots of all.

[leaves rustling]

[chittering]

Excessive, maybe.

[chittering]

But worth it.

Because an adult Plateosaurus

must eat 25 kilos of plants each day.

And to wash down that much food

requires a lot of water.

[majestic music playing]

[grunts softly]

[grunts]

It's an easy life.

[babies chittering]

But in the age of the early dinosaurs,

even a giant like Plateosaurus
must be careful…

[tense music playing]

…because there is another dinosaur
on the rise.

A newcomer with a taste for blood.

[chittering]

[squawks]

Procompsognathus.

A carnivore with razor-sharp teeth
and k*ller claws.

[vocalizing aggressively]

[grunts]

His descendants
will one day include Tyrannosaurus rex.

But for now, this angry predator…

[squawks aggressively]

…is only the size of a turkey.

[continues squawking aggressively]

-[lighthearted music playing]
-[grunts]

While the matchup
between these two dinosaurs

may be a little lopsided…

[Procompsognathus squawking]

…it won't stay that way.

-[Procompsognathus squawking]
-[Plateosaurus growling]

Over time, a fierce rivalry will grow
between two great dinosaur clans.

The herbivores

and the carnivores.

[squawks]

[chittering]

But for the time being…

all dinosaurs are facing
a much greater threat than each other.

[ominous music playing]

In the water and on land,

the ancient reptiles
remain top of the food chain.

[dinosaurs grunting]

[footsteps running]

[squawks]

The dinosaurs are growing
as a force in the world,

but their rise is slow.

The planet still belongs to the reptiles.

For the dinosaurs to truly challenge them,

it will take millions of years.

[intriguing music playing]

Shaped by Earth's dynamic forces,

they grow fiercer,

more powerful,

more advanced.

By the end of the Triassic,

the dinosaurs are ready
to flex their muscle.

But there are new creatures
also vying for domination.

And in the mountains of Pangaea,

some of them have taken to the air.

[squawking]

Pterosaurs.

Flying reptiles
with a wingspan of two meters.

[squawks]

And they are in total command
of the Triassic skies.

[majestic music playing]

These jagged peaks

are their mating grounds.

And this male has spotted a female.

First, eject the competition.

[squawking aggressively]

Now, it's time for the courtship to begin.

-[lighthearted music playing]
-[male vocalizing]

During these rituals,

the Pterosaurs are focused
entirely on each other,

not their surroundings.

Which can be costly

because dinosaurs dwell in these canyons.

[ominous music playing]

The largest member of the carnivore clan…

[growling lowly]

…Liliensternus.

Twice as long as a grizzly bear,
with claws that can tear through flesh.

And with her finely-tuned sense of smell,

she doesn't miss a thing.

[sniffing]

[male Pterosaur continues vocalizing]

[growls, sniffs]

[male Pterosaur continues vocalizing]

Dozens of eyes are circling above.

Even with her camouflage,
one wrong move could blow her cover.

[growling]

[suspenseful music playing]

[continues vocalizing]

[huffing]

[vocalizing]

-[female Pterosaur screeches]
-[Liliensternus roaring]

[male Pterosaur squawking desperately]

[dramatic music playing]

This moment marks a new chapter
in the rise of the dinosaurs.

[roars]

At last, they are a force to be feared.

[grunts]

But the commotion of her attack
has attracted another predator.

-[ominous music playing]
-[growling]

The ancient reptiles have terrorized
the dinosaurs from the beginning.

But that ends now.

Liliensternus won't be skulking
back to the shadows.

[both growling]

She can hold her ground.

[both growling]

The trouble is,

here at the end of the Triassic,

the ground itself

is about to throw
the entire dinosaur story into chaos.

[foreboding music playing]

[grunts softly]

[music building forcefully]

[music fades out]

[closing theme music playing]

[music fades out]