Why was Kendall Malone's DNA pivotal to the main plot of Orphan Black? Key details from the thriller's third season, revealed 

Kendall Malone, played by Alison Steadman, is revealed as the “original” genetic source of the clones in Orphan Black. She is Siobhan's biological mother, and this ties her directly to Sarah Manning and the Clone Club. This is the reason why Kendall Malone's DNA is crucial for the plot of Orphan Black.

Years ago, Malone was found to have a rare genetic anomaly. She had both male and female cell lines, making her a chimaera. This made her DNA perfect for the cloning program, with female clones originating from her female genome and male ones from male genomes.

So, both clone lines, including Sarah, Cosima, Helena, Alison, and the Castors like Rudy and Mark, all come from Kendall’s DNA. It made institutions like Dyad, the military, and other shady organizations fight for her genomes, as possessing over Jendall means controlling the future of cloning.

Why was Kendall Malone's DNA pivotal to the main plot of Orphan Black?

As mentioned, Kendall is a genetic original, with both male and female genomes in her cell lines. She initially doesn't trust Dyad for the scientific exploitation she has experienced, but Cosima convinces her, making her realise how her DNA isn't just a commodity but a reason her "daughters" exist. Therefore, by agreeing to offer her DNA, she becomes the antidote to the clones' illness, a life-threatening condition.

Sarah, Mrs. S, and Cosima dedicate themselves to keeping her safe from Dyad, Castor, and Neolution, who see her as a reward and a tool to gain control and power. In season 3, they managed to eliminate them while arranging a safehouse for Kendall, making her survive.

Therefore, this shows how important her survival and DNA are for keeping the plot moving ahead interestingly. This was an intentional choice of the show's writer, cementing her narrative into season 4, where she remains. The central focus of the entire clone conspiracy.

She goes from being a shocking revelation to a living lifeline. Her survival is meant to escalate the conflict and overall stakes in season 4 when protecting her has become crucial than ever.

Orphan Black: A brief about the show's premise

Orphan Black is a sci-fi thriller that centres on Sarah Manning, who discovers that be is one of many clones. She has multiple identical women living separate lives and dealing with individual struggles. This shocking discovery starts to come to the surface when she witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her. Manning was then pulled into larger conspiracies with an organisation researching and performing cloning experiments.

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Two main projects are revealed: Project Leda, consisting of the female clones, and Project Castor, consisting of the male ones. Both are tied to the sinister Dyad Institute and military interests. Therefore, when Kendall is revealed to be the original DNA of both male and female genomes and not Sarah, the show takes a turn.

However, in later episodes of Orphan Black, Kendall is murdered by Neolutionists, while she destroys all the genetic samples taken from her body before that.

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