In the years before the BUGS II mission to Mars, a research institute serves as the final testing ground for the candidates who wish to be part of the historic voyage. This facility is where the mental and physical limits of hopeful astronauts are pushed to their breaking point, as only a select few can be chosen for the journey to the red planet. The prequel, Terraformars: A New Hope, unfolds entirely within this institute, focusing on the intense psychological warfare that erupts among the candidates. There are no alien cockroaches or battles on the Martian surface here; instead, the conflict is a desperate struggle for survival and a spot on the spacecraft, fought through deception, betrayal, and ruthless ambition.

The narrative follows a large and competitive group of men and women, each desperate to secure one of the fifteen coveted positions on the main film’s crew. As the screening process intensifies, the candidates turn on one another, engaging in mental battles where cheating and treachery become the primary tools for advancement. The story reveals the specific reasons why certain individuals, including Shokichi Komachi, Nanao Akita, and Ko Honda, ultimately prove themselves worthy—or ruthless enough—to be selected for the perilous mission that awaits them. The prequel also introduces several characters unique to this story, played by actors such as Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Ken Aoki, and Saki Takaoka, whose fates are decided within the institute's walls.

The primary narrative arc is the brutal selection process itself, a zero-sum game that exposes the true nature of each character long before they ever face the Terraformars. Directed by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi under the supervision of Takashi Miike, this prequel serves as a direct lead-in to the 2016 live-action film, answering the question of how that specific crew was assembled and setting the stage for the horrors they will soon encounter on Mars.