Service Dogs | Season 1 - Episode 0

January 23, 2026

Episode 0 | The Setting

The history of the world of the Service Dogs mirrored ours up until the 18th or 19th century.

The point of divergence occurred when an alien race known as the Schkrung visited Earth and established trade relations that seemed mutually beneficial at first, but this turned out to be a debt trap. 

A century and a half later:

* The Schkrung Empire had total control of the Earth,

* As such, all the Earth's resources were now imperial property and were being extracted at an unsustainably high rate for trade on the galactic market,

* Labour from across the galaxy (living and artificial) was imported to the Earth to assist with the extraction,

* Schkrung colonial law replaced all human legal systems,

* A comprador class of humans was established with their allegiance solely to the Schkrung,

* Living standards improved disproportionately where a minority of humans lived in luxury while the vast majority lived in squalor,

…but eventually, sometime in the 20th century, the Schkrung Empire started to falter. 

* Their markets were saturated and their imperial expansionism created an insatiable, constant hunger for war-funding,

* Their economy was on the brink of collapse and poverty became the norm, first in the colonies, like Earth, but eventually in the Schkrung homeworld as well,

* Widespread civil unrest came next, and this was met with brutal state crackdowns,

* Thus, in addition to the war across the galaxy, the Empire was now fighting a war back home,

* Additionally, on Earth, persistent insurgent activity made the continuation of the Schkrung occupation highly unprofitable,

So finally, by the early 21st century, after more than two hundred years of occupation, the Earth had rid itself of the Schkrung.

Most alien invasion stories end like this but for this one, it's just the beginning. Find out why it's called Service Dogs in Episode One!