The NBC superhero serial drama series Heroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various superhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The second season premiered on September 24, 2007, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2008. Within the seasons of Heroes are "volumes", which allow the writers to focus on shorter story arcs. The second season comprises a single volume of 11 episodes called Generations. The second season was designed to contain three volumes called Generations, Exodus, and Villains. Exodus was scrapped due to in part to viewer criticism (some fans thought that the show had too slow of a build-up) but mainly due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike; whilst Villains was carried over to the show's third season. As a result, the second season consisted of only 11 episodes, 13 fewer than were originally ordered by NBC. Originally, the second season of Heroes was to be followed in April and May 2008 by six stand-alone episodes of a new series, Heroes: Origins. The spin-off was intended as an alternative to a long mid-season hiatus, which led to a drop in ratings for Heroes in its first season. The project, which was later planned to be 12 episodes, was indefinitely postponed due to a decline in viewership and the strike and eventually cancelled. Plot "Generations" begins four months after the events of Kirby Plaza. The main plot arc of Generations deals with the Company and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company's founders, whose identities are revealed, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus. The heroes ultimately come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic. Cast Main characters Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli Jack Coleman as Noah Bennet Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet Noah Gray-Cabey as Micah Sanders Ali Larter as Niki Sanders Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder Suresh David Anders as Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei Kristen Bell as Elle Bishop Dania Ramirez as Maya Herrera Dana Davis as Monica Dawson James Kyson Lee as Ando Masahashi Zachary Quinto as Gabriel Gray/Sylar Recurring characters Episodes Reception The second season of Heroes was