Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies star in "Colony"

Based on just about every piece of science fiction I've ever seen or read, I've concluded that the idea of aliens ever making contact with us here on Earth does not appeal to me. The Earthling-alien relationship seldom proves to be a propitious one for us lowly humans.

The freshman season of "Colony" did nothing to sway me on that mindset, though in all fairness, the invaders from space are hardly the only ones doing the damage in the series; in fact, we hardly ever see them. There was a lot to unravel last season, and likely even more to delve into when season 2 of "Colony" premieres Thursday, Jan. 12, on USA Network.

Though aliens are at the root of all of the troubles we see in the series, "Colony" actually presents a much deeper story of family, human nature and the concept of occupation and colonization -- something we've seen time and again throughout history.

The dystopian series opens in the near future, less than a year after an invading extraterrestrial force has taken control of Los Angeles. We assume the occupation is worldwide, but for the whole season we're limited to the now walled-in compound -- or "Bloc," as they're called -- of central L.A. For the majority of the season, we don't even get a glimpse of the aliens, referred to as "Hosts." What we do see is the often brutal human collaborators who have chosen to join the Hosts in order to get the most out of the new world order. A proxy government is in place, and the population is kept in line by militarized police, all of whom answer to the Hosts.

Josh Holloway of "Lost" fame leads the cast alongside "The Walking Dead's" Sarah Wayne Callies. Holloway plays Will Bowman, a former FBI agent now working as a mechanic under the new regime. Before the occupation, Will had a happy marriage with his wife, Katie (Callies) and home life with their three kids, but when the Hosts invaded and threw up their massive walls, middle child Charlie (Jacob Buster, "Christmas for a Dollar," 2013) was separated from the rest of the family.

Will's illegal attempt in the pilot to get to Santa Monica and find his son gets him arrested and taken before Proxy Governor Snyder (Peter Jacobson, "House"), who sees potential in Will. Snyder agrees to help Will find Charlie, in exchange for his help infiltrating and crushing the growing resistance movement. To greatly complicate matters, we learn that Katie is secretly involved in the Resistance. She's also a major source of support to her sister Maddie (Amanda Righetti, "The Mentalist"), whose young son suffers from diabetes -- a disease deemed unworthy of treatment under the new regime. It's Katie who goes to great (and illegal) lengths to secure the insulin he needs.

Throughout nearly the whole first season, we get no visual proof of Charlie, the Hosts or the world beyond L.A., though we do get a glimpse of the first two in the finale, and it's been confirmed by the cast and showrunners that season 2 takes the story beyond the L.A. Bloc.

Amanda Righetti as seen in "Colony"

"The world is going to open up a lot this year," revealed co-creator Ryan Condal at San Diego Comic-Con. "We're going to see into Santa Monica, and we're also going to see outside the Colony. There's a story that takes place outside the walls."

The season was neatly bookended with Will's sojourn to Santa Monica: in the premiere, it's by illegal (and ultimately, unsuccessful) means, and in the finale it's above board, with a transit pass given to him by Snyder.

For sci-fi fans who spent season 1 asking, "Where the heck are all the aliens already?" your patience is about to be rewarded: "The aliens were not a big part of the first season, but definitely the second season, there's a lot more science fiction," affirmed co-creator Carlton Cuse at Comic-Con. He expanded on this in an IGN interview:

"We tend to really keep the focus on the personal story, but that said, there's going to be lots of action in the second season. There are spaceships and some science fiction technology in there, and there's some interesting reveals. You're going to learn a lot more about the state of the world and why these aliens are here and what's going on, but it's all going to be against the backdrop of a very personal story."

That's great news, since, despite all that the Bowmans went through last season, the series has barely scratched the surface of the invasion and what it's all about. By all accounts, the upcoming season is going to answer a lot of questions and give a much broader look at an America -- and perhaps world -- under occupation.

Season 2 of "Colony" premieres Thursday, Jan. 12, on USA Network.