What Will We Learn About The Man of Steel From 'Krypton,' The New SyFy Series About Superman's Origins?

With Syfy greenlighting the pilot for Krypton, we're about to get the opportunity to see more than the bits and pieces of Superman's past that television shows, movies, and comic books have given us. As much as I love Superman, I'm excited for a show that explores Kal-El's origins.

From what I've read here and here, the show will introduce us to a twenty-something Seg-E,l who is the father of Jor-El. I imagine the show isn't starting with Jor-El to give it more room to grow in case the program becomes popular. In essence, this opens up the possibility of Seg-El's story being much like Clark Kent's story was on Smallville. To an extent, we get the beginning of the House of El, and I cannot wait until we get some answers to the following questions:

Which Krypton will we see?

As we all know, there have been many different versions of Krypton throughout the history of Superman. An article, published by the Hollywood Reporter in 2014, covers the various forms of the planet covered in the comics, but, as we know, Krypton varied in television and in the movies as well. It'll be interesting to see the one coming to television, especially since there are always changes from one adaptation to another.

Will we finally learn the real reason behind Krypton's radioactive core?

It was that core that ended up destroying Krypton, and thus, resulted in Kal-El being sent to Earth. I sincerely hope we discover why a planet, supposedly light years ahead of Earth in technology and advancements, needed a radioactive core to sustain itself. In addition, how did the destruction of Krypton sneak up on them so fast few Kryptonians had time to leave? These may seem like silly questions, but when you think about it, even if the Kryptonians were genetically programmed to follow policy, some of them, like Jor-El, were smart enough to realize what was happening.

Are Kryptonians human or immortal?

Over the years, television shows like Smallville and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman touched on how slowly Superman ages. Google "Superman's Age" or "Is Superman Immortal?", and you'll find forum after forum like this one, all discussing theories. So, hopefully, Krypton will give us some answers about the Kryptonian aging process.

In various adaptations, we've seen Jor-El appear to Superman through holograms and speak to him in the Fortress of Solitude in Smallville. Though Jor-El explains he is his memory and his will, that still doesn't explain how Jor-El knew things about the future, things that would happen in Clark's life. This is the Smallville version, of course, but it does make me question what capabilities the Kryptonians had. It also makes me wonder if the Kryptonians will know about what powers Earth would give them.

The more we learn about Superman's origins, the better we can understand the man behind the 'S' and the choices he makes. I think it's important that Krypton explores not just life on the planet but what leads up to the destruction of it. As much as we know Kal-El, there is still so much we don't know. So getting a front row seat to what life is like on his home planet can answer a lot of questions and help fill in the blanks. I just hope Syfy gives the show a chance and doesn't cancel it after one season.