The 100 season 5 trailer: 8 questions we need answered

The trailer for the fifth season of The 100 finally dropped, and it raised eight questions that the new season desperately needs to answer.

It’s been nearly a year since season 4 of The 100 came to a close, and fans have patiently awaited any hints as to what’s in store for the fifth season of the show. The official full-length trailer finally dropped on Tuesday, and it contained plenty of clues as to what the new season will focus on.

But while the latest trailer offered some long-anticipated answers, it also raised some serious questions. Here are eight questions that we’d like answers to before season 5 is done.

1. How did Clarke survive the aftermath of the Death Wave?

We know that Clarke was able to live through the Death Wave due to her Nightblood transfusion, but it looks like she spent several months after that wandering an uninhabitable planet. Without any way of growing or hunting food, it seems unlikely that she would have lived through the months following the nuclear apocalypse.

So how did Clarke survive prior to finding the inhabitable valley (and Madi)? She would have needed plenty of supplies to care for herself, especially if she was traveling a scorched planet for extended periods of time. It should be interesting to see how Clarke managed it. We know she always has a plan, but this probably required some real effort on her part.

2. How did the crew on the Ark fare during their six years in space?

Six years is a long time to spend in small quarters, surrounded by the same people each day. The shot of the group on the Ark glumly eating food from Monty’s algae garden leaves our favorite characters looking demoralized. And such frustrations are likely to lead to conflict among the group of friends.

With the obstacles they’ll need to overcome in order to survive, it should be interesting to see what comes of characters like Raven, Bellamy, Monty and Murphy. The trailer hints that Murphy’s morals have improved, so maybe the other characters have rubbed off on him a bit. It’ll also be worth seeing how living in space affects Echo and Emori, characters who have lived on the ground their whole lives.

3. Where did Madi come from?

Clarke found Madi sometime during her years alone on Earth, but where did the young Nightblood come from? Viewers were led to believe that Ontari had wiped out the majority of the remaining Nightbloods, leaving only Luna to carry on that legacy. Once Luna was killed, it seemed certain that the Grounders would need to consider a new way to choose their leaders.

Since none of the Grounder clans mention another Nightblood during seasons 3 and 4, it’s reasonable to assume that they had no knowledge of Madi’s existence. But that would mean that Madi came from elsewhere, opening the possibility that other civilizations had been living on the ground at the same time as the Grounders.

4. How many survived in the bunker, and at what cost?

During the new trailer, Octavia struggles to maintain authority over her people. It seems like extreme measures may need to be taken in order to convince the Grounder clans to obey her orders. Jaha tells her to “make them listen,” and then the clips cut to Octavia engaged in a bloody battle, presumably with those questioning her rule.

On top of this, Kane states that “saving [their] people is about more than keeping them alive.” He and Abby seem to be struggling with the actions that have kept them alive during their years underground, and it makes you wonder whether they’ve had to resort to the same archaic laws they were forced to enforce on the Ark.

Given Octavia’s views on those rules, that would be quite ironic. It could also be the only method to keep the majority alive.

5. Who are the people on the prison ship, and what are their motives?

The trailer shows several clips of a new crew, presumably the one from the prison ship that lands in front of Clarke and Madi at the end of season 4. This crew appears to take commands from Charmaine, a new female lead played by Ivana Milicevic. And she seems determined to go to war over the remaining livable land.

One of her crewmen, played by Jordan Bolger, asks if it must come to more fighting. She insists that it’s worth it, so we know that they’ll be trying to take the land from Octavia’s camp.

It’s worth asking where this group originated though, and how they managed to escape the effects of the Death Wave. Did they flee to space, like Bellamy and Raven? Or were they already residing on the prison ship in space? If so, that could mean that they themselves were imprisoned for some crimes.

I’d also love to know how this group will go to war over the valley, considering we’ve only seen a small number of them in the trailer. There is mention of an army, but it seems unlikely they’d have that much backup on a small prison craft. So where will they get the numbers to fight? Or will they simply be using advanced technology to wipe out the competition?

6. Why did one section of land survive while the rest of the world turned to ash?

The characters are so concentrated on determining who will claim the section of land that survived the nuclear wave, but no one seems to be questioning how that land remained intact. Clarke tells Bellamy and Raven to “aim for the one spot of green” to find her, but why has that ground alone remained fertile?

The writers will need to dive deeper into the world-building to explain this mystery, and it could even tie into the Nightblood storyline. Whatever the explanation is, uncovering the science behind this phenomenon could be the key to keeping all of the survivors alive. Let’s just hope Raven and Clarke realize that before it’s too late.

7. What decision will Gaia have to make?

Toward the end of the latest preview, Indra and Gaia appear to be having a difficult discussion. Indra tells Gaia that “real warriors hate war,” right before the trailer shows Gaia in tears. She quickly tells her mother that “the decision is [hers] to make.” Then the trailer takes us elsewhere.

It’s doubtful that these clips would be included if they weren’t important, so viewers can only assume that Gaia will play a larger role in the new season. What that role entails is still up for debate.

It’s possible that Gaia will struggle to accept Octavia’s position as Commander once she realizes that Madi is the last remaining Nightblood. It was once her job to preserve the traditions of the Commanders, so her devout beliefs in this calling might return once she realizes those traditions aren’t extinct.

8. Will there be another war?

The characters on The 100 spent entire seasons attempting to achieve peace, only accomplishing this when the world came to an end. Tensions seem to be high in the new season, particularly given the fact that there’s only one section of livable land left. The new female antagonist seems hellbent on claiming it, as does Octavia.

As usual, it looks as though Bellamy and Clarke will be the only people capable of preventing an all-out showdown. And while Bellamy seems determined to ensure the group doesn’t “go back to the ground and make the same mistakes,” Clarke seems less willing to part with her new home. She’ll also go to any lengths to protect Madi, who she now considers family.

Season 5 of The 100 will premiere April 24 on The CW.

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