9-1-1 is no stranger to outrageous emergencies — earthquakes, tsunamis, and yes, even the infamous “bee-nado.” But Season 9 is taking things to a whole new level. Literally.
The first full trailer for the upcoming season, premiering Thursday, October 9 at 8/7c on ABC, shows Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett) and Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) in spacesuits, apparently blasting off into orbit. The promo recaps the biggest disasters of seasons past before announcing, “They will go where no first responders have gone before.”
The Setup
The premiere episode, titled “Eat the Rich,” begins with the 118 dedicating the firehouse in memory of Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), who was killed off at the end of Season 8. But it doesn’t take long before the team is pulled into a high-stakes mission involving a billionaire tech mogul, played by Mark Consuelos, that somehow leads Athena and Hen into space.
Exactly how two Los Angeles first responders end up on a rocket remains unclear. The trailer shows the women walking down a corridor in full gear and strapped into seats before disaster strikes. Whether it’s an actual mission or a simulator gone wrong is still up for debate.
Following the Pattern — or Breaking It
Showrunner Tim Minear has admitted that season openers are designed to be big and sometimes over-the-top, often colliding with a more grounded storyline by the end. Last year’s swarm of bees tied directly into Athena’s case at an airport. This time, space could be the opener’s spectacle before the season pivots back to Earth.
Still, the choice raises eyebrows. While real-world civilian space flights have made headlines recently — even an all-female celebrity crew launched earlier this year — it’s an unexpected leap for a procedural built around firefighters and police.
From Bee-Nado to Blastoff
The show has always thrived on pushing boundaries, but 9-1-1 heading into orbit feels closer to a Fast & Furious plot twist than a first responder call. Whether the storyline pays off or lands as one of the series’ more polarizing openers, it’s already succeeded at sparking conversation.
One thing is certain: audiences will be watching to see if Athena and Hen truly make it to space — or if the show has another twist in store.
9-1-1 Season 9 premieres Thursday, October 9 at 8/7c on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.