Post A Reply
my profile
|
directory
login
|
search
|
faq
|
forum home
»
Flare Sci-Fi Forums
»
Sci-Fi
»
Designs, Artwork, & Creativity
»
Ares
» Post A Reply
Post A Reply
Login Name:
Password:
Message:
HTML is enabled.
UBB Code™ is enabled.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by OnToMars: [QB] What do you think? James Cameron to produce, Aaron Sorkin to write. :) [b]Premise[/b] The show begins with the catastrophe of losing four astronauts on an EVA mission on Mars. This mission is Ares VII is the third manned mission to Mars to employ twenty-four people, with a previous four employing six each. The program has come under fire recently for costing too much money and not being a worthwhile cause (a carbon copy of the same type of criticism NASA has always faced) and there is pressure to cancel it. A major public failure is the last thing that NASA needs. It is on the verge of expanding the Mars base yet again, this time into a permanently staffed and fully-fledged research station. In addition to that, there are also plans to finally approve a civilian funded and operated station. But this will also be delayed terminally if the government decides to prevent it. NASA must do something to make up for this loss and restore public, media, and governmental confidence, and without delaying the program. The answer lies in Benjamin Stewart. Stewart was the second person to set foot on the surface of Mars on the first Mars mission, Ares I. After returning from the first mission in 2023, he entered NASA management, serving as the Director of the Mars Exploration Office. In that position, for the past thirteen years, he has directed and furthered Mars exploration. Like John Young before him, he has remained on active astronaut status, in the slim hopes of flying again. But where Young didn't, Stewart will. Congress will allow the next Mars mission, Ares VIII, to proceed on schedule on the condition that Stewart commands it. But if a similar disaster befalls this mission, then there will be no stopping Congress from canceling the program. The series follows the mission of Ares VIII and its various discoveries, adventures, and close calls. There will be twenty-four crew members and five or six main characters among these. The rest will be cast in the beginning of the series and be exposed at various points throughout the show. Though a research station may seem like a boring place to set an hour long show, it has two things going for it: the fact that its set on Mars, and the reservoir of accumulated stories from isolated research stations and expeditions that have ever taken place. With twenty or so other characters to draw upon, there are plenty of opportunities for character exploration. Though it may appear that we are confined to simply twenty-four people in one location cut off from all resources from Earth, it is not the case. In television, it has already been done to have a main character separate from the others in a different location and under different circumstances. Another major focus of the show would be NASA and the NASA Administrator, Janice Hancock and the struggles to make the base expansion and civilian station a certainty. Discussed so far have been the linear possibilities of the show's premise. But there is nothing preventing the shows writers from exploring tangents of the show that have little to do with the usual focus of the show. Possibilities include flashback episodes which feature Benjamin Stewart during the Ares I mission and some drama that afflicted it, including major points, such as the landing and first steps. The flashback concept could be taken even farther back and show Stewart as a shuttle astronaut. If done skillfully and tactfully, the writers could present the problems that infect the space program today (without angering NASA too much). Another possibility would be to depict a conflict of a family in which the Ares VIII mission plays an unusual prominence and in the course of this, expose the viewpoint of the general public through this. Along a more lighthearted vain, there can be completely absurd spoofs upon other examples of science fiction, such as Star Trek or the X-Files. These would have nothing to do with the main plot or incur any consequences in the 'reality'of Ares VIII, but would still be entertaining and enjoyable. The merit behind this idea comes from its innovation when taken as a whole. But when any of the individual pieces are looked at, all of the elements that make it innovative have been tried before, with some success, in other series and genres. The show could take on a serious or a comical tone, be ultra realistic or be absurd. [b]Arc Outline[/b] There will be two and a half years of series time from the end of the pilot for the original cast to operate under the premise of being on Ares VIII before the crew would have to return home. During this time, such issues as human relations in confined environments, the reaction of people living in such an environment, exploring with humans versus robots, emergencies and the danger of being so far away from safe haven, the possible discovery of life on another planet, ethical issues concerning terraforming, can all be explored. Most likely, they will be done in largely stand-alone episodes, with continuing subplots exploring the personal relationships between the different crewmembers. At the end of the two and a half years, the mission of Ares VIII can be considered such a success and political winds alter to such an extent that it is decided to expand the base into a permanently staffed facility at the end of Ares VIII. Command of the facility is offered to Benjamin Stewart and the crewmembers of Ares VIII are also offered to crewmembers first, so they are given the option of staying or returning to Earth. Any minor character actor who wishes to stay on the show can at this point, or leave the show at the end of the two and a half years. A major theme covering many episodes would be the crewmembers changing attitudes towards being on Mars. It could be established early on that some characters would most likely stay or go home at the conclusion of the two and a half years. Then, depending upon the attitudes of the actors and actresses themselves and whether they would want to stay or not, storylines involving their shifts in opinions of the characters would play a large role in the continuing arc. Besides the stand-alone topics of terraforming, exploration, etc. is the overall arc of the danger of cancellation and the struggling of the program against political forces. During the course of the series, a new president could be elected and he supports the base by expanding it ahead of schedule. But this is a blessing in disguise as he has ulterior motives for doing so, and wants the Mars program to do something that it can't or won't do. Stewart and the program is then caught in the position as being the recipient of much more support than they ever had before, but only if they do something they can't or won't fulfill. If they refuse (and they somehow must be given the option of refusing) out of integrity, then it places the program in danger and can produce any number of political consequences. One possibility for this is the creation of the Space Force, the dissolution of NASA and Space Command and integration of their functions into a new branch of the uniformed services. The president would support the creation of the Space Force, where NASA would be opposed to it. Though NASA would have political reasons to oppose it, Stewart and (possibly) Hancock would oppose it because of the belief that the Space Force is too military of an organization to conduct what is supposed to be peaceful exploration (the Space Force would actually be more similar to the Coast Guard and be placed under the Department of Transportation). If this were to be the crisis, then the outcome would be that the Space Force is created, and that operation of the base is transferred. Stewart would keep command (though the possibility of him being ousted could be used as a plot), and the drama of the operation of the base being transferred could be the overriding plot for several episodes. A stand-alone plot could feature the Space Force trying to impose a police force upon the civilian colony. In addition to this, many plots dealing with the dynamics of the Space Force could be explored after its introduction into the series. [/QB][/QUOTE]
Instant Graemlins
Instant UBB Code™
What is UBB Code™?
Options
Disable Graemlins in this post.
*** Click here to review this topic. ***
© 1999-2024 Charles Capps
Powered by UBB.classic™ 6.7.3