Syfy’s limited event series Ascension soared during its first night premiere, taking 1.8 million viewers aboard ship including 882K Adults 25-54 and 772 Adults 18-49 on Monday, December 15 from 9-10:25PM (ET/PT).

Syfy boasts three of the top 10 ad supported cable scripted series launches among Adults 25-54 this year – Ascension, Dominion and Helix.

Socially, Ascension achieved Syfy’s highest number of tweets for a scripted series premiere behind only the 2013 season one debut of Defiance.

Ascension is an ambitious original drama following a covert U.S. space mission launched in the 1960s that sent 600 men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world.  Halfway into their journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

The series stars Brandon P. Bell (Hollywood Heights) as the confident and capable First Officer Aaron Gault, Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town, The Bridge) as the eponymous ship’s captain William Denninger and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Viondra Denniger, the Captain’s beautiful, manipulative and dangerous wife (who also serves as the ship’s Chief Steward).

Ascension also stars Al Sapienza as Councilman Rose, Tiffany Lonsdale as Chief Astronomer Emily Vanderhaus, Andrea Roth as the ship’s head doctor Juliet Bryce, Jacqueline Byers as her daughter Nora Bryce, PJ Boudousque as Nora’s love interest James Toback, Ryan Robbins as Safety Officer (and Emily’s husband) Duke Vanderhaus and Gil Bellows as Harris Enzmann, the son of the Ascension mission’s founder.

Ascension continues tonight with “Night 2” at 9/8c on Syfy.

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