What Could Have Been: My "Moonbase Alpha" Screenplay

So about twelve years ago I had a cute idea: Why not take a stab at writing a screenplay for an updated version of "Space:1999"? 

The first significant change I'd have to make would be to post-date the premise. Just as the future overtook us before we were blessed with flying cars, personal jetpacks, or underwater domed cities, 1999 dawned and departed without Luna being settled, much less wrested from orbit by some scientifically implausible catastrophe. So I decided to set the action in 2112, a nicely palindromic date with a certain resonance for libertarian classic rock fans.

My original story treatment, which was composed in early 1999, was called "Nemesis." Three years later, that title was slapped onto a particularly wretched piece of cinematic pseudo-Trek. Numerous other story elements -- such as the concept of "zero point" energy, and the discovery of the wreckage of an ancient spacecraft on the Moon -- have since found their way into prominent films, at least one of which has yet to be released.

By mid-2004, I had a finished version of a screenplay. It found its way into the hands of a fellow libertarian who was a film producer by profession. He had read the story treatment, and had a reader on his staff review the finished script.

"She really liked it," he told me. "I'm eager to read it myself, as soon as I finish my current project."

He finished the film, which was very successful. Then he died. I hadn't even known he was sick. Although we spoke on the phone on numerous occasions, I never got to meet him.

Anyhow, I've been sitting on this whimsical little screenplay for years now. Since then, other people have attempted to revive 1999 in some fashion -- either as a made-for-the-Web fan series (ala Star Trek: Phase II), or by digitally tweaking the original episodes. Gerry Anderson, for some reason, doesn't display any interest in revisiting his most successful series, in spite of the fact that there seems to be great interest in updating old series for cable or the big screen -- from Battlestar Galactica to Land of the Lost to  The Green Hornet.

1999 was an odd mixture of high concept, high-end production values, and dismal science. It was also one of the first large-budget hour-long programs to be broadcast in first-run syndication. A modest hit in the U.S., 1999 was very popular overseas. For obvious reasons, it's significant that George Lucas was a fan of the program, a fact that was apparent to me as a young teenager seeing Star Wars at a small theater in Ontario, Oregon.

The first season was uneven but occasionally very compelling. Its disastrous second season was produced by Fred Frieberger -- the Dr. Kevorkian of sci-fi television, who seemed to have a calling for shepherding television shows into oblivion: As executive producer, Frieberger euthanized Trek, The Wild, Wild, West, and The Six Million Dollar Man, in addition to Space:1999. 

For some reason, Frieberger decided to "Americanize" 1999 by taking a trippy, spooky, British sci-fi program and turn it into a kid's show that would have struck Sid and Marty Kroft as a bit too puerile. In its first season (or "series," to use the British convention), 1999 was often a peer competitor to Trek. The second season rarely made it into "Far Out Space Nuts" territory. 

Were this a world in which Reason still occupied her throne and virtue found immediate reward, Paramount would buy my script and assign J.J. Abrams to direct it. Alas, that world eludes us, so I'm just gonna serialize the damn thing here on my blog. 

FADE-IN

… to focus on an Eagle emblem. SLOW PULL-BACK reveals that it is embossed on the side of what appears to be an odd aircraft; as the PULL-BACK continues we see that it is in fact a roughly saucer-shaped spacecraft -- somewhat like Nikola Tesla's theoretical craft -- somewhere in the vicinity of the Moon.

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC

Lunar Farside
September 13, 1943

EXT. SPACE, NIGHT

Camera slowly pans in to the spacecraft's cockpit; through the window we see the pilot, JACOB BERGMAN, clad in a primitive pressure suit, busily working at his console. After pausing, he pulls out a small pouch, extracts a small leather-bound book and places it in mid-air in front of him. 

A mock-up of Tesla's flying saucer.

INT. SPACECRAFT

Camera angle shifts to POV behind the pilot as we see him don a yarmulke and prayer shawl. Reverently, he recites the "Shema" from his small Torah.

BERGMAN [In Hebrew]

“Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God – the Lord is One.”

A red light suddenly begins to blink insistently, joined by the urgent wail of an alarm. The ship starts to weave erratically as BERGMAN wrestles with the controls. Through the cockpit's windshield we now see the grim surface of the moon, approaching at a terrifying rate. It's clear that the astronaut is doomed.

                     BERGMAN

       

                    ….Miriam….

HARD CUT TO

EXT. SPACE/LUNAR SURFACE; SFX

We see BERGMAN's saucer-craft plummet and crash into the Moon's surface.

FADE OUT

FADE IN

EXT. LUNAR SURFACE – NIGHT

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC

Lunar Farside
January 10, 2110

EXT. LUNAR SURFACE

Two spacesuited figures NORDSTROM and STEINER, cross the darkened surface in a Moonbuggy.

                                                         

NORDSTROM

   ISA Control, Nordstrom here. We've located the suspected lithicite deposit.

 CONTROL

[Filtered] Copy that, Nordstrom. Proceed with caution.

NORDSTROM

Right.[To Steiner]How far away are we now?

STEINER

About half a click [gestures] - that way.

CROSS-FADE to the two astronauts as they bound over to a curious rock formation - a small crater partially occluded by a rocky overhang. Camera pans back - to show that the formation is actually the crash site of BERGMAN's saucer.

NORDSTROM

Steiner, have I lost my mind?

STEINER

I seem to have misplaced mine, too.

Camera focuses on the same Eagle symbol, in a SLOW PAN that shows a Nazi swastika as well. SLOW PULL-BACK to depict the entire unlikely tableau … then the entire darkened half of the Moon … then the Earth-Moon system …

FADE OUT

FADE IN

POV from high above the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. We zoom in to an outlying arm, to the distant outskirts of a young solar system.

POV shot zooms past Saturn, Jupiter, Mars - closing in on a warm, glowing body.

Shot changes to show a large planetoid arcing toward the primordial earth. The two bodies collide, causing an unfathomably huge detonation, and rupturing earth. A stream of planetary material flows outward, coalescing into a spherical body in near-earth orbit: The newly formed Moon.

PROFESSOR VICTOR BERGMAN [V.O..]

Astrophysicists have long believed that our sun has a companion called “Nemesis.”

CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE reveals that we have been watching a holographic simulation. Camera pulls back to reveal BERGMAN, late 40s, trim, casually dressed; he could be a rock-climber in his spare time.

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC identifies the scene as

Hayek University
Vienna, Austria
March 15, 2112

Addressing a class in a futuristic college auditorium, BERGMAN continues.

Liev Schreiber as Dr. Victor Bergman

BERGMAN

"Nemesis" is means "destroyer" - and the occasional near approach of our sun's unseen companion has been linked with episodes of violent destruction in our solar system.

The holographic program continues, illustrating BERGMAN's lecture. Among his students is SANDRA BENES – a pretty Asian girl, obviously younger than her classmates.

BERGMAN

Nemesis is believed to have caused a collision between earth and a large planetoid, resulting in the creation of our Moon. This in turn caused tidal effects that aided the emergence of life.

The simulation ends. BERGMAN descends from the dais with a distant look on his face.

CHANGE OF POV shows TED SIMMONDS enter the classroom. BERGMAN notices, but continues his lecture.

BERGMAN

Is Nemesis a bane, or a benefactor? Will it someday make another appearance and annihilate us? Is humanity itself merely an odd biochemical fluke - or are we somehow the point of these apparently random developments?

JARED [young student]

Professor Bergman, could this new planet you helped discover - Meta - somehow be connected to Nemesis?

A tremor of concern and disapproval ripples through the classroom.

JARED

It seems to be very earth-like, in spite of its distance from the sun, and some people on the nets claim that it's emitting signals that can't be of natural origin….

BERGMAN

Now, Jared, haven't I told the class not to rely on GlobeNet gossip as research? [A beat as the tension in the class subsides; Jared grins somewhat sheepishly.] My best guess - and it's conjecture at this point - [casts a glance at a disapproving Simmonds] is that Meta is somehow connected to Nemesis.

Ricky Gervais as Simmonds (yes, really).

SIMMONDS

[Huffily] Assuming, of course, that Nemesis, unlike Father Christmas, really exists.

BERGMAN's eyebrows momentarily knot in annoyance before he continues with an
air of mock geniality.

BERGMAN

Ah - yes, my friends, you may have noticed the august presence in our classroom of Commissioner Ted Simmonds of the International Space Authority. Dr. Simmonds is much better informed than I about such things as Nemesis.

SIMMONDS looks warily at BERGMAN as the professor continues.

BERGMAN

After all, the ancient Greeks taught that Nemesis was the punishment for hubris – the overbearing pride that goes before a fall.

SIMMONDS does a slow burn as the bell rings.

BERGMAN

I will be in my office tomorrow morning prior to leaving for Moonbase Alpha, and once I'm there you will be able to text-message me.

The class breaks up; SANDRA and SIMMONDS approach BERGMAN from different angles. SANDRA reaches him first and casts SIMMONDS a slightly reproachful look.

SIMMONDS

Victor, that was a most entertaining lecture … even if it was a bit speculative, even by your standards.

BERGMAN gives a look that says, "Whatever."

SIMMONDS

It does seem somewhat - um, ill-advised - to fuel adolescent curiosity about Meta…. How long do you think it will be before this Jared kid hits the nets to tell the entire cyber-community that the Nobel laureate who helped discover Meta has linked it with this Nemesis idea?

BERGMAN

Oh, I'm pretty sure it's all over the nets already. Jared has a cerebral implant, so my comments were probably uploaded to GlobeNet in real time.

SIMMONDS’ slow burn worsens as BERGMAN continues.

BERGMAN

Besides, how are we supposed to learn anything if we can only ask approved questions?

SIMMONDS

You've made no secret of your disdain for established channels, Victor. But you seem to keep your scruples in check when you need ISA's help – the occasional grant, perhaps, or an all-expenses trip to Moonbase Alpha...?

BERGMAN

Well, it's not as if I haven't paid my share of taxes. And it’s not as if consulting on the Meta probe was my idea, as you well know.

SIMMONDS is about to blow when SANDRA interjects.

SANDRA

Professor, I would like you to reconsider taking me along.

BERGMAN

Ah, Commissioner Simmonds – Miss Sandra Benes.

SIMMONDS

[curtly] How do you do? [To Bergman] Now, Victor –

BERGMAN

[interrupting]Sandra's father was Captain Samuel Benes.

SIMMONDS

[Silence for a beat]Oh… [extending his hand] Forgive me. Your father was a courageous man. I never had the pleasure of meeting him; his - the Argosy mission took place before my term. I consider myself honored to know his daughter.

SANDRA

Thank you, Commissioner. The pleasure is mine. [To Victor, using his given name, quietly] Victor, you know I could help you on Alpha. Why won't you let me go along?

BERGMAN

[Hesitantly] Sandra, there are some things about this mission that might be difficult for you….

SIMMONDS

[Butting in]Miss Benes, what the professor hasn't told you is that Alpha will shortly be under a new Commander - John KOENIG.

SANDRA is momentarily nonplussed - for reasons we

will learn later.

As SANDRA reacts –

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE/SFX, NIGHT

An ISA courier Eagle spacecraft, a vessel that looks a little like a hybrid of the space shuttle and the lunar lander is making its transit to the Moon.

INT. EAGLE SPACECRAFT

Nate Fillon as John Koenig

We focus on John KOENIG, early 40s, athletic, a little grim; he's reviewing a sheaf of "flimsies" with briefing materials.

     COCKPIT VOICE [filtered]

Commander Koenig, we have an incoming message from Alpha.

KOENIG

On screen.

The face of Alan CARTER - Australian, late 20s - materializes on the screen in front of KOENIG.

CARTER

Commander - it's good to see you.

KOENIG

Alan, it's been too long. Are we on schedule?

CARTER

[Ambivalently] That's … a complicated question, sir. The training is on schedule, and I'm told that the Meta probeship is ready for our launch window, and we're waiting for Dr Bergman to give us the updated flight data.

KOENIG

Right behind me, Alan. He took a later flight.

Chris Hemsworth as Alan Carter

KOENIG notices that CARTER is puzzled and a bit uneasy.

KOENIG

What is it, Alan?

CARTER

Sir, why all the secrecy? We need some time in the actual bird. You're a pilot, sir; you understand.

KOENIG stews for a bit; he's obviously chewing over the possibility of sharing something with CARTER, but he thinks better of it.

KOENIG

Alan, I'll bring you up to date as soon as I'm moonside. There is no way I'll allow you to take off for a mission in deep space without giving you adequate hands-on time in the probeship.

CARTER's skepticism mellows into the most guarded of optimism.

CARTER

Very good, commander. I'll see you on Alpha.

Moonbase Alpha, located in the crater Plato.

The screen goes blank, leaving KOENIG with a pensive look.

COCKPIT VOICE [V.O.]

Commander – orbital meterology just informed us of an aberrant solar flare – it registers about a Force Eight in magnitude.

KOENIG

That strong ... it could cause some trouble for navigation, but we should be all right. When will it hit?

COCKPIT VOICE

It should hit Lunar Farside in about ... ten minutes.

HARD-CUT to

EXT. LUNAR SURFACE, NIGHT

Camera pans over a grim, airless vista cloaked in shadow as a moonbuggy crawls across the surface.

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC

Lunar Farside
Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2

Two spacesuited figures - MATT HENSON and TOM SKINNER – ride the buggy to the edge of a large complex of domed buildings guarded by a laser field. HENSON operates a comlock control to lower the laser curtain; once inside the buggy proceeds, and the curtain is raised again.

HENSON

So how did they get you to pull this shift?

SKINNER

Same as you, I suppose – Our kind friends at Burtonhallow offered me triple scale. [He works a small sensor apparatus] I don't know what this theta-wave radiation business is all about, but we shouldn't be exposed to it long enough to do any harm.

                          
HENSON  

Yeah, we all know how valuable we are to the human resource department. [He works his own apparatus] And we know that our beloved employer knows how to make a nickel scream –

Just then, SKINNER's apparatus registers a spike of some kind.

SKINNER

Hey, whoa - there are your theta waves. [A beat] So - what are they, a new energy source? Did we just hit a lunar gusher?

HENSON is distracted; a close-up shows him suddenly transfixed in horror.

HENSON

I've got to get out of here.

SKINNER

Yeah, bud, I hear you. Just let me wrap up my readings here and we'll head back. I'll even buy you a pint.

HENSON

[Frantically] No, no, no - I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!

Suddenly frenzied, HENSON knocks SKINNER to the ground and begins bounding toward the laser barricade. Close-up on SKINNER's comlock (a small remote control-type device) as it falls from his toolbelt.

SKINNER

[Horrified] Hey, Henson, what are you doing? Stop – you’ll kill yourself! [Adjusting a communications control] Farside Central Command -- Skinner at Disposal Area Two. My partner's in trouble.[SKINNER struggles to his feet, desperately trying to reach HENSON. He doesn't realize that his comlock is missing.]

CENTRAL COMMAND

[Filtered] Say again, Area Two?

SKINNER

[Desperately] Matt, stop!

HENSON, heedless, continues his frantic dash toward the barrier.

SKINNER

Matt, use your comlock!

SKINNER reaches for his own comlock, only to realize that it isn't there. He looks up, horrified -

-- to see HENSON collide with the laser barrier. He is cast through the void head-over-heels, landing awkwardly in the dust. His faceplate strikes a jagged moonrock, creating a pebble-sized hole from which radiates a spiderweb fracture.

From HENSON's POV we see a network of fissures slowly spreading across the faceplate, as a hiss of escaping air grows to a crescendo. In a moment of sudden lucidity, the doomed astronaut - knowing what will shortly befall him - breathes heavily, then shuts his eyes and instant before -

CHANGE OF POV

HENSON's faceplate violently erupts, spewing his suit's atmosphere - along with a pink, bloody mist - into the pitiless vacuum.

SKINNER arrives an instant later; through his faceplate we see his horrified expression as Central Command’s Comm officer's filtered voice is heard in the background.

CENTRAL COMMAND [filtered]

Area Two, repeat your message - what's your status? Area Two, respond….

HARD-CUT to

INT. MOONBASE ALPHA emergency medical receiving area. Several ER medics hustle about as casualties begin to arrive. Some of them are deranged, others are clearly fatalities. A few are seriously burned.

Into this chaotic scene strides Dr. HELENA RUSSELL, an attractive but somewhat arid woman in her mid-40s. She at once visibly horrified and flawlessly professional. She is issuing instructions to Dr. BENJAMIN MATTHIAS.

DR. RUSSELL

Ben, you're in charge of triage. The radiation victims are top priority. Most of the vacuum exposure cases are DOAs.

RUSSELL's comlock buzzes.

VOICE [filtered]

Dr. Russell, there's another wave arriving.

RUSSELL

How many more?

VOICE

We're estimating between 40 and 50.

MATTHIAS

That would bring our total up to around seventy or so.

RUSSELL

[Prayerfully] Dear God. What happened out there? Was there a guidance system breakdown in the eagle fleet? A construction accident?

VOICE

No, doctor. They were all part of some project involving the farside disposal areas.

RUSSELL

[Livid] Why wasn't I informed?

Nobody can answer her question. She grabs a nearby orderly.

RUSSELL

I've got my hands full here. Get commander GORSKI – NOW!

ORDERLY

Yes, doctor.

RUSSELL turns back to her grim work.

CUT TO:

EXT. LANDING PAD as KOENIG's eagle touches down. A docking tube connects to the eagle.

INT. DOCKING AREA, DAY.

Commander PIOTR GORSKI, a muscular, bearded Russian in his late 50s is awaiting KOENIG's arrival.

GORSKI

Commander Koenig. Zhdraswitye -- welcome. [He hands KOENIG a comlock].

KOENIG

Piotr Ivanovich. [In Russian] It’s good to see you again, old friend.

GORSKI

Thank you, Commander - or should I say, Ivan Ivanovich. [They both smile] Please, this way… [he conducts Koenig to a nearby travel tube; they board and begin the trip to Main Mission].

GORSKI

          Nasty business going on in the Persian Gulf…

KOENIG

[Resigned] There’s been nasty business going on there for centuries. [A beat] Are they really going to war over this?

GORSKI

Hmmm…. As one of your American philosophers said so long ago – “Peace sells, but who’s buying?”

The two exchange wry, resigned smiles. KOENIG changes the subject.

KOENIG

[Tentatively] Piotr... there are some ramifications of this new propulsion system that leave me ... uneasy.

GORSKI

Me too, tovarich. [Confidentially] After what humanity’s been through for the last thirty years, many of my colleagues are ... unsettled by a power source with such dangerous implications. It’s devoted entirely to peaceful purposes ... but that’s what was said two about two centuries ago about atomic energy. And didn’t one of your American presidents once refer to nuclear missiles as ... “peacekeepers”?

KOENIG

[Ironically] “Peacekeepers”... [a beat as KOENIG notices a change in GORSKI’s demeanor] Piotr, what is it?

GORSKI

[Quietly urgent] Vanyka, I’ve learned some things that I can’t talk about here. Once you get access to the voiceprint-restricted Command database, you’ll be able to find it....

ORDERLY [V.O.]

Commander Gorski.

GORSKI

                      Go.

ORDERLY

We have a medical emergency. Doctor Russell needs to speak with you immediately.

At the mention of RUSSELL, KOENIG reacts. These two have a history of some kind.

GORSKI

Put her through.

RUSSELL

[Harried] Commander, we just received 68 casualties, including 45 dead on arrival.

GORSKI

[Horrified; curses, in Russian] What happened?

RUSSELL

[Ignoring the question] Half a dozen or so just might pull through, so I'm too busy right now to get all the details, but I need to know: Just who the hell authorized a mission to the farside disposal areas without running it by me?

GORSKI

Doctor Russell, that mission was arranged through the office of the ISA Commissioner.

RUSSELL

[Very sarcastically]I wasn't aware that Commissioner Simmonds was an MD. What's gotten into him? He's not the type I'd expect to run needless risks of this sort. I'd expect that kind of thing from the thrill-addicted rocket jockey Simmonds appointed to succeed you –

GORSKI shoots an anxious look at KOENIG, who leans toward GORSKI's open comlock.

KOENIG

Speaking on behalf of the rocket jockey community, Dr. Russell, let me say that we prefer to risk our own lives, not those of others.

RUSSELL

[Embarrassed beat] John - Commander Koenig....  I'm needed in surgery. I will contact you again shortly.

The comlock goes dark. KOENIG and GORSKI exchange a grim look.

KOENIG

Piotr, how can I help?

GORSKI

Vanyka, you don't formally assume command for another [checks his

wrist chronometer] sixteen hours. It’s my mess, John. [Raises his

hand as Koenig starts to object] No, tovarich - you get settled

in, get up to date on the Meta probe. This mess goes on my

record, not yours.

KOENIG

This should go on Simmonds' record. Bureaucrats always excel at shifting blame and hoarding credit, don't they?

GORSKI

[Smiling] Vanyka -- are you sure you're an American? You not only speak Russian, you talk like a Russian.

KOENIG gives his old friend a rueful smile as we --

FADE-OUT

FADE-IN
EXT. LUNAR SURFACE, NIGHT

Another eagle shuttle docks at a large facility

ON-SCREEN GRAPHIC identifies this as

ISA Archeological Site
Lunar Farside

A portal opens in the docking area to admit Dr. BERGMAN and SANDRA. BERGMAN looks around as if expecting a reception. As they walk to the security checkpoint, BERGMAN is intercepted by a technician.

BERGMAN

Sam, it's good to see you. Why are we so short-handed?

SAM

Dr. Bergman - there's been a horrible accident. Dozens of men - we don't know what's happened, but we may have lost dozens of men at the disposal areas.

BERGMAN

Disposal areas?…. [Thinks for an instant, and then understands - and is angry] Sam, were they sent to look for theta waves? Sam?

SAM

I - I don't know, doctor. All I know is that the ISA field office authorized some special tests, there was some kind of radiation spike, and the next thing we know the emergency channel is overloaded with casualty reports.

BERGMAN

[To Sandra] Radiation spike...?

SANDRA

Maybe this could this be some more of the renowned Koenig luck.

BERGMAN shoots SANDRA a disapproving look and strides off. After a moment, SANDRA - mildly ashamed, joins him.

FADE-OUT

FADE-IN

INT. MOONBASE – GYNASIUM, NIGHT. The modest-sized room has a wrestling/tumbling mat. An oval window in the distance displays the moonscape, with a view of the earth.

In a SERIES OF SHOTS we see CARTER, a stocky man built like a gymnast, wearing workout clothes, and doing calisthenics. We see him performing "dive-bomber” pushups, handstand pushups, jumping squats, and falling backward into a bridge. At the end of the montage, the door opens and KOENIG, dressed like CARTER, walks in.

CARTER

Commander, care to join me in some PT?

KOENIG

[Stretching] I'm sure I won't be able to keep up. [Falls to the mat and begins cranking out pushups at a jackhammer tempo]

CARTER

[Spoken as he's doing a wrestler's bridge]You're not fooling me, Commander. You don't look like you've put on more than five or ten pounds since your days as the fleet grappling champ.

KOENIG

[Grunting] Yeah, back when you were in diapers. [He flips to his back and mimics Carter's perfect bridging form; at this point they are lying in parallel; they crane their heads to look at each other].

CARTER

Not bad for someone who's outlived his warranty, Commander.

CARTER sags of his bridge, curls his legs to his stomach, rolls back and explodes to his feet in a perfectly executed "nip-up."

CARTER

Would you care to spar a couple of falls?

KOENIG sags out of his bridge, and shakes his head wearily as if to say, "I'm getting too old for this" - only to shoot Carter a "Why not?" look.

KOENIG

Well … don't expect too much, Alan.

The two move to the center of the mat and clinch in a head-and-arm tie-up. They briefly pummel. CARTER snaps KOENIG’s head down; when KOENIG straightens up a bit too high, CARTER shoots around the Commander's leading left leg for a low single-leg takedown. CARTER establishes side control and begins driving KOENIG over on his back. CARTER slips a little too far forward, permitting the Commander to propel himself from underneath, sit out, and escape. The two circle each other again, both of them breathing heavily and wearing smiles.

CARTER

You're a slippery one, Commander.

KOENIG

And you’re stronger than I expected. What have you been doing – taking hormone boosters?

CARTER

[Circling] Nah, just doing bodyweight calisthenics – although I do fiddle with the artificial gravity sometimes; working out in a multiple-G environment gives me a bit of an edge.

The smiles evaporate as they tie up again; now they're serious. This time KOENIG takes the initiative, lowering his level quickly and smoothly pulling CARTER into a fireman's carry. As they hit the mat, CARTER is clearly surprised - his facial expression says, "Huh?" as he finds himself on his side, writhing desperately to avoid a near-fall. He finds the right leverage, arches his back,and reverses KOENIG - only to find himself trapped in a crooked head scissors. With a frustrated grin he slaps the mat to concede. The men disengage, resting on the mats, breathing heavily.

CARTER

First fall to you, Commander. Want to go two more?

KOENIG

I don't think I have another left in me, Alan. It's been too long.

CARTER

Yeah, sure. Now that you've knocked the rust off you'd probably be even slicker. [Reaches out his hand] Thanks, Commander.

KOENIG

[Shaking CARTER’s hand] My pleasure - although my back might not agree tomorrow morning.

After getting up, the two wander over to a bench and rest, swigging from plastic water bottles.

CARTER

So, Commander, what's the big secret? We've been training for the Meta shot in the holo-simulator for over six months, but they've not let us anywhere near the ship.

KOENIG

The orders dictate that only Commissioner Simmonds can authorize a release of the mission specs. But we don't have time to wait until everything's been worked out in triplicate.

[A beat]

KOENIG

Alan, what do you know about the artifact discovered on Farside about two years ago?

CARTER

They clamped down on that pretty quickly, Commander. [A puzzled beat] Did this artifact have something to do with Meta? Is that why the ISA has placed such a high priority on a manned mission?

KOENIG

No; we have no reason to believe that the artifact has anything to do with Meta - or with any other extraterrestrial source.

By this time CARTER is very puzzled and a little frustrated.

CARTER

Commander, I don't understand. You're saying that the artifact is of human origin - meaning that some major earth power made an unrecorded moon mission?

KOENIG [Nodding]

Yes. World War II Germany.

[A long beat as Carter sits nonplussed].

CARTER

How is that possible?

KOENIG

They really did it. But as to why … Alan, this is where it gets really strange.

[KOENIG stands and strides over to the oval observation window, looking at the waning crescent earth]

KOENIG

For the past two generations, humanity has been doing its level best to destroy itself in pointless wars. And before that, hundreds of millions of people were killed through war and genocide….[Looking again at the earth] It sometimes seems as if every advance in human knowledge merely increases our ability to slaughter each other.

KOENIG goes back to sit next to Carter on the bench.

KOENIG

[Coming to a decision] Look, why don't you join me for an off-the-record trip of our own to Farside.

HARD CUT TO --

EXT. SPACE, NIGHT

KOENIG [V.O.]


To be continued.... 

Once we're there things will become clearer - sort of….

My Star Trek XII Screenplay -- Anybody Interested?

So... where to now, guys?

 Color me cynical, but I'm beginning to think that the very talented creative team currently in charge of the Star Trek franchise is paralyzed with indecision over the story for the next film. 

Every interview I've read on the subject is rhetorical vaporware -- a lot of gush and gibbering about "possibilities" and a great deal of empty enthusiasm. 

There's been some discussion of doing a Khan story -- something I think would be very worthwhile if handled correctly (and yes, I've got an idea that would make it work -- so J.J., if you're reading this, get in touch, OK?).

Just for goofs and giggles, I've written part of a screenplay for a second Trek feature set in the Abrams 'verse. In addition to the titular villain, I've bee tempted to throw in a certain notable Klingon antagonist. However, this would mean that the story would involve Kang and Kodos, which might be enough to trigger an apocalypse of some kind, or at least some interesting litigation. 

The excerpt below is a pre-credit teaser (which might work better if the opening credits were dispensed with, ala The Dark Knight -- a film name-checked by the Trek gang as one possible model for the next film). There's also a brief character bit before the main story kicks in. 

In the first film we saw the backstory of Kirk and Spock, but Bones got shortchanged -- something I'd like to remedy. Of course, since I'm posting this on the web, nothing of this kind will ever make it to the screen. But, hey -- I've still got that killer Khan idea....

 

 

Star Trek XII: The Sword of Kodos

FADE  IN –

…to a full-screen shot of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The camera PULLS IN to an area of the Sagittarius Arm slightly “above” the galactic plane and well out toward the edge of the disc. 

We continue the PULL-IN through nebulae and star systems, eventually passing through the outer planets and asteroid belt of a system orbiting a dim red star.

The camera comes to focus on a bleak, rocky world – large, sere landmasses broken up by relatively small oceans that appear gray and unhealthy. As we close in we see, from distant orbit, evidence of sophisticated civilization, and of recent warfare.

Inert, un-piloted spacecraft tumble unguided in ragged orbits; from a distance we can make out the tiny, lifeless forms of their crews.

A large space station – three spokes extending from a central core, each of which has a sombrero-shaped habitat unit at its end -- wheels drunkenly, its exterior lights sputtering; the outpost’s rotation reveals that a huge section has been destroyed, leaving one of the spokes looking like an amputated limb with a stump of serrated metal.

A cloud of metallic debris and other flotsam trails the station, along with the grotesque sight of scores of dead, frozen bodies, some of them partially clothed in environment suits. Clearly, whatever disaster struck the station and the other spacecraft happened very quickly.

We PAN to one side and see a large spacecraft that is clearly recognizable as a Federation starship. Not as sophisticated as the USS Enterprise, this vessel has the same basic configuration – a saucer section connected to an engineering hull and two warp nacelles. This is the USS Bonaventure, a forerunner to the Enterprise. It glides silently across the screen, gracefully changes its orbital aspect, and takes up a geosynchronous position over a large continent on the planet’s surface.

CAPTION

The Planet Tarsus IV – a key outpost at the edge of Federation Space.  The year: 2246. Stardate: 2271.1.

The camera TRACKS IN through the wispy cloud cover of Tarsus IV down to the continent we had seen earlier. There we see a colony of humans and humanoid aliens – from familiar varieties, such as Vulcans and Andorians, to more exotic and unfamiliar races. 

Their dwellings are functional, adorned with what we recognize as sophisticated communications and fabrication equipment, but timelessly Spartan and utilitarian. Many of the buildings – especially those that could serve as assembly spaces – have been destroyed. Rubble litters the streets, and thick smoke billows from the destroyed edifices.

The camera PANS the scene of desolation, and then FOCUSES on a sign announcing that the community is called “New Cochrane City.”

We FOCUS on a small group of colonists who have clearly survived some kind of crisis. Their clothes are ragged, their bodies are dirty, and they wear expressions of alertness mingled with repressed horror. Several are Vulcans. Humans of various ethnic backgrounds are seen.

In the middle we focus on two humans: One is LEONARD, a wiry young man in his mid-teens with a precocious sense of gravitas. The other is an older woman named MARY. They and the others are digging survivors, and victims, from the rubble.

A loud alert signal resonates through the village, and suddenly a large community viewscreen crackles to life, joined quickly by a chorus of smaller screens. We see a man in a military-appearing jumpsuit on the bridge of the Bonaventure. His name is Col. STANNARD.

STANNARD

Your attention is required. This is Colonel Stannard, speaking for and on behalf of the military administration of Tarsus Colony. Your Governor has instructed me to read the following message.

STANNARD then takes out a clipboard-style Padd and reads, in an officious tone of voice, the announcement.

STANNARD

"The revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV."

In a SERIES OF SHOTS we watch the reactions of the villagers as Stannard implacably recites the death order. Many display the “thousand-yard stare” of hopelessly traumatized victims. Others gaze on in defiant hatred. LEONARD and MARY look at each other in fear and determination.

"One big happy fleet"? Nope -- It's the bad guys aboard the Bonaventure.

VFX – Starship Bonaventure is shown in close-up; we see rotating phaser turrets lock, and torpedo tubes glow ominously.

CUT TO – Bridge of Bonaventure.

STANNARD

Your Excellency, we’re ready.

STANNARD moves aside and we see a large, muscular man – perhaps mid-40s or a little older – sitting in the Captain’s chair. He is Asian, austerely handsome. He effortlessly exudes authority and radiates intelligence. But nothing about him suggests mercy or benevolence. This is Governor KODOS, soon to become known as Kodos the Executioner.

Our villain: Chow Yun Fat IS "Kodos the Executioner."

 

KODOS

Proceed with the operation.

At the weapons station, an ensign – displaying just the slightest hesitation, initiates pre-programmed firing routines from the computer.

VFX – razor-thin streams of deadly energy leap from the Bonaventure and begin raking down the surface.

In New Cochrane City, the results of the barrage become immediately apparent: Huge swathes of land simply disintegrate, along with habitations, people, and anything else that happens to be in the path of the murderous streams emanating from the Bonaventure. We FOCUS on a small party of refugees, among them LEONARD and MARY, who are fleeing in terror from the onslaught.

LEONARD

Mom! This way!

With a strength born of desperation, LEONARD grabs MARY by the hand and drags her into a nearby cave. Once inside, he gestures to the others in the party, shouting at them to hurry. Among the faces we see are those of a Vulcan – his face a mask of serenity, despite his urgent body language – and those of a mother with a newborn infant.

VFX—BONAVENTURE, as the phaser barrage ends.

BRIDGE, Int.

STANNARD

Your Excellency, phase one is complete. Orbital assault on targeted population centers is complete.

KODOS

[Punching a button on the arm of his command chair] Hagar bay – commence with phase two.

HANGAR BAY OPERATOR

Yes, sir. Flights one and two are on their way.

VFX – An armada of 12 attack craft – shaped like standard Starfleet shuttles, but with visible weapons enhancements and a slightly sleeker design – emerges from the hangar bay at the aft of the Bonaventure in groups of six. Once clear of the ship, the two flights of six ships divide into four strike teams of three; two teams head to the western portion of the continent beneath the ship, the others head east.

VFX – We follow one strike team that attacks New Cochrane City from the air, assaulting it with high-yield photonic bombs. We QUICK-CUT to the CAVE, where we see LEONARD shielding MARY with his body.

EXT. NEW COCHRANE CITY – DAY

Three shuttle/assault craft land in the village square. Each of them decants a six-man strike team clad in full body armor, including helmets with visors and breathing apparatus. Each member of the assault team carries a large, intimidating phaser rifle. We TIGHT FOCUS briefly to see a peculiar emblem on each uniform: A balance-style scale with a large, ominous sword superimposed on it.

The teams move out in classic attack formation, kicking in doors to various habitations and vaporizing any suspected survivors.

One team – RED SQUADRON – is heading in the general direction of the survival cave; one of the troopers is shown monitoring a tricorder.

TROOPER

Lieutenant, indeterminate life signs, bearing 45 degrees planetary north.

SQUAD LEADER

[Speaking into a communicator] Red Squadron, fan out.

INT. CAVE

The survivors have heard the assault, and one of them is monitoring the approach of the death squad on his own tricorder. Nobody talks, even in a whisper; the silence grows suffocating. The footfalls of the death squad can be heard in the distance.

EXT. NEAR CAVE

A single stormtrooper wanders near the entrance established earlier; he is oblivious to its existence, but too close for comfort. We quick-cut to –

INT. CAVE

Some of the survivors are visibly near panic. Some close their eyes; others appear to be praying. One Vulcan is in a meditative posture, clearly anticipating the end. LEONARD spies a large farm implement that might be useful as a last-ditch weapon. As he reaches to it, the airless quiet is rent by the barely perceptible whimper of the newborn baby. Everybody freezes. The YOUNG MOTHER looks up in horror.

EXT. NEAR CAVE

The stormtrooper freezes, wheels about; he’s clearly heard the whimper, and is determined to find its origin. As he approaches, the survivors can hear his footsteps.

STORMTROOPER

Red Squad leader – I think I have something ….

INT. CAVE

We focus on the YOUNG MOTHER, who is frantically trying to calm her baby silently. We see the INFANT visibly prepared to let out a major shriek.

A QUICK CUT shows us the VILLAGER with a tricorder; the device indicates that the STORMTROOPER is approaching the survival cave.

CUT BACK to the YOUNG MOTHER as she closes her eyes, bites her lip, and then covers the INFANT’s mouth. She is visibly prepared to suffocate the child or break his neck in order to prevent their capture.

LEONARD moves quickly and silently over to the YOUNG MOTHER and grasps her arm with firm gentleness. His composure belies his youth as he speaks to her – in a voice only the two of them (and the audience) can hear.

LEONARD

No. We’ll survive – but not that way.

The YOUNG MOTHER relaxes her grip and, despite the desperate circumstances, gives LEONARD a grateful look.

LEONARD grasps his farm implement weapon and glides over to the cave entrance, prepared to make a desperate stand. Approaching footsteps and the sound of rustling vegetation indicate that the confrontation is mere seconds away.

EXT. NEAR CAVE

The STORMTROOPER is just inches from the camouflaged entrance when STANNARD’s voice crackles urgently from his communicator.

STANNARD

(Filtered) Attention, all units: Return to the ship immediately!

EXT. DAY

STORMTROOPER sprints back to the landing zone.

VFX – Assault Shuttles take off, streaking away to the Bonaventure.

HARD-CUT to –

INT. BONAVENTURE bridge, angle on viewscreen.

We see a large, more modern spacecraft, the Farragut -- obviously a Federation Starship of more recent vintage, closing fast on the Bonaventure. Twin beams of coherent energy leap from the starship’s phaser array, wiping out most of the Assault Shuttles. 

An instant later, four photo torpedoes streak away from the Farragut, colliding against the Bonaventure’s engineering section. We HARD-CUT to the Bonaventure’s bridge, focusing on a read-out reporting: WARP DRIVE DISABLED.

VOICE-OVER

Attention, Governor Kodos: This is David Garrovick, Captain of the Federation Starship Farragut. We have monitored your assault on unarmed civilian population centers. You are ordered to stand down, surrender yourself and top aides, and prepare to be boarded.

KODOS

[Unimpressed by the command] Helm, prepare a collision course. Weapons – prepare to fire ventral phase cannons on my mark.

VFX. – The Farragut approaches the Bonaventure; its phaser turrets pivot to lock on target and its torpedo tubes are hot.

My choice to play Capt. Garrovick: Idris Elba.

INT. FARRAGUT BRIDGE

CAPTAIN DAVID GARROVICK, an intense black man in his mid-30s, is receiving a briefing from his COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER. His NAVIGATOR looks up in alarm.

NAVIGATOR

Captain, the Bonaventure is on a collision course – full impulse!

GARROVICK

[Tautly] Shields at maximum! Evasive hard starboard! [Punches button on command chair] All decks, brace for collision!

INT. FARRAGUT BRIDGE

An emergency klaxon sounds insistently as crewmembers work feverishly to avoid disaster.

EXT. SPACE – SFX

As the Bonaventure careens toward the Farragut, the second ship peels off to the right in a maneuver that looks like a modified barrel roll. While the ships come within a whisper of colliding, their deflector shields intersect and overload each other in a violent cascade of radiant energy.

HARD-CUT to –

INT. FARRAGUT BRIDGE; angle on SCIENCE OFFICER

SCIENCE OFFICER

[Examining a display on his console] Sir, our shields are down!

HARD-CUT TO –

No, not THAT Kodos....

INT. BONAVENTURE BRIDGE, angle on KODOS

KODOS

[Emphatically, eagerly] Fire phase cannons!

EXT. SPACE VFX

Pulsing payloads of phased energy leap from turrets on the underside of the Bonaventure and collide with the Farragut, tearing huge holes in the vital sections of the starship. One of them uproots a warp nacelle at its connection to the engineering hull; another carves a huge divot from the engineering section itself, prompting a short-lived explosion, followed by torrential out-gassing and the ejection of several crewmembers into space.

CUT TO –

INT. FARRAGUT BRIDGE

GARROVICK

[Addressing intercraft] All hands, stand by for saucer separation! [To NAVIGATOR] Execute!

EXT. VFX –

The FARRAGUT’s saucer section detaches from the engineering section in a flare of explosive bolts; within an instant, the impulse engines activate and propel the saucer away from the crippled section as the latter explodes in a dramatic sunburst. We see the saucer assume a pursuit course after the BONAVENTURE. It closes in and unleashes a furious phaser barrage that peels away sections of the hull.

INT. BONAVENTURE BRIDGE; focus on KODOS and STANNARD

STANNARD

Excellency, should we return fire?

KODOS

[A very short beat] No … no. [To NAVIGATOR] Set course for Tarsus Prime, best possible speed. [To STANNARD] The Farragut will turn around and search for survivors. Without their stardrive section, they’re months away from the nearest Starfleet base. We’ll have time -- plenty of time….

EXT. SPACE VFX

The BONAVENTURE surges away in the direction of the red star; we CROSS-CUT to the FARRAGUT saucer section as it assumes an orbit around Tarsus IV.

CROSS-FADE TO –

INT. SURVIVAL CAVE 

LEONARD and MARY are tending to the wounded as best they can when they hear intruders at the cave opening. LEONARD wheels and grabs the farm implement; MARY ushers the survivors as far back into the shelter as they can go.

We PULL BACK to see that the intruders are a rescue party from the FARRAGUT, led by GARROVICK himself.

GARROVICK

[To LEONARD] Easy – take it easy. We’re from the Farragut. [A beat while he takes stock of the situation.] We’re in bad shape ourselves, but we’ll be able to care for you.

MEDICAL PERSONNEL arrive and begin treating the wounded; they are immediately drawn to the young mother and infant, the latter of whom is now squalling cathartically.

GARROVICK

[Gently, to LEONARD, recognizing him instinctively as the de facto leader] My name is Captain David Garrovick.

GEORGE 

My name is Leonard McCoy. [Gesturing to MARY] That’s my mother, Mary.

GARROVICK

Leonard … Mary. [A short, discomfited beat] As far as we can tell, you are the only ones still alive.

LEONARD

 (stunned, horrified)The only ones in New Cochrane City?

GARROVICK

[Quietly, grimly] No – the only ones on the planet.

OFF JANICE’S REACTION we FADE-OUT to OPENING CREDITS….

ON-SCREEN TITLE CARD: Eleven Years Later

FADE-IN

ESTABLISHING SHOT of the USS ENTERPRISE plying interstellar space, partially lit by the illumination of distant stars. As the “beauty pass” continues, our POV shifts to the forward part of the main saucer section, deck ten; we close in to, and then through, a porthole into the REC ROOM.

Several CREWMEMBERS are shown, some in duty uniforms, others in casual dress, enjoying various off-duty leisure activities. Some have obviously paired up. Others are simply blowing off steam. But there is an undercurrent of nervousness; as we pan the room, we soon see why: At a table, surrounded by a smiling, respectful throng, we see two figures playing 3-D CHESS. As the pan continues we see that they are CAPTAIN KIRK and MR. SPOCK.

Under the chess match, we hear the NARRATION of a CAPTAIN’S LOG ENTRY.

KIRK (v.o.)

Captain’s Log, stardate 2864.3. The Enterprise is near the end of a three-week surveying mission near the galactic rim in the Perseus Arm – an area previously explored only by unmanned probe drones. No other earth vessel has ventured this far, and we’ve yet to encounter any other intelligent species.

CLOSE-UP of SPOCK’S hand moving a rook.

SPOCK

Checkmate in three moves, Captain.

KIRK favors his First Officer with an annoyed, ironic smile.

KIRK

You play a very irritating game of chess, Mr. Spock.

KIRK’S eyes narrow as he studies the chessboard. Suddenly, impulsively, he reaches for a piece and moves it to the top level. SPOCK’S eyebrows knit together in puzzlement, then he cocks his head slightly; he is visibly calculating his next move. A slight buzz resonates from the onlookers as they realize that SPOCK might well be stumped – astonishing as it might seem. That buzz grows to a crescendo as SPOCK tips over his king, resigning from the game.

SPOCK

Captain, much as it grieves me to admit it, impulsive randomness sometimes has the advantage over logic. The game is yours.

KIRK

[Graciously, without so much as a hint of arrogance or mockery]

Thank you, Mr. Spock. I’ve learned a great deal from our previous matches … painful though some of them have been.

In the B.G. the door swooshes open, and DR. MCCOY strides into the room.

MCCOY

[Quietly, to be heard only by KIRK and SPOCK] Jim, if you’re quite finished getting your ass kicked --

KIRK

Actually, Bones, you just missed me checkmating Mr. Spock. He was kind enough to admit the superiority of – what was it again -- my impulsive, emotional approach.

SPOCK reacts via raised eyebrow as a friendly smirk settles into MCCOY’S features.

MCCOY

You mean – you actually beat this guy? He was doing polynomial equations in the womb and published his first paper on theoretical physics before he was potty-trained, and you – a mere human – beat him at chess?

SPOCK

[His words shaded with annoyance] Dr. McCoy, the Captain acknowledged that he benefited from my tutelage. He’s been an apt pupil –

MCCOY

But you said it was his "human impulsiveness" that beat you, right? He obviously didn’t learn that from you, did he, oh One Most Orderly and Serene?

In the b.g., the spectators are visibly enjoying themselves.

SPOCK

[Wearily] Doctor –

KIRK

Forgive me for interrupting, but – was there something you needed, Bones?

MCCOY

I didn’t mean to make a major issue of this, Jim, but I’m having some trouble with Specialist Rand.

SPOCK

[By way of necessary exposition] The Captain’s strategic aide?

MCCOY

[Nodding] Rand always seems too busy for routine medical and psych evaluations. She’s put off my staff with a steady stream of excuses, and when I talked to her directly she insisted that she was just too busy and would have to talk with the Captain. So here I am, talking with the Captain.

KIRK

[Puzzled]I’ve not assigned her any additional duties. She should be able to spare an hour or two and just get the exams over with.

MCCOY

Well, that’s what I’ve been saying, but –

The intercom beeps; we hear CHEKOV’S voice

CHEKOV

Bridge to captain.

KIRK

[Punching a control] Kirk here; what is it, Mr. Chekov?

CHEKOV

Sir, our scanners have picked up what appears to be a vessel of some kind. We’re too far to detect life signs yet, but – Captain, it is emitting a Federation transponder signal.

KIRK and SPOCK shoot each other a surprised glance.

KIRK

Can you make out the registry?

CHEKOV

If our records are correct, Captain, it’s the Bonaventure.

The mention of that name causes all conversation and activity to cease. MCCOY reacts with a look of startled concern not observed by his friends. KIRK shoots SPOCK another significant look.

KIRK

Thank you, Mr. Chekov – we’ll be right there. Sound General Quarters.

CHEKOV

Aye, sir.

A KLAXON sounds in the background, mingled with CHEKOV’S composed but insistent voice.

CHEKOV

All hands to battle stations. This is not a drill; repeat, this is not a drill.

Moving in tandem, KIRK and SPOCK walk to an, down the corridor, and enter a turbolift. The rest of the crowd dissipates as the crewmembers, with disciplined urgency, assume battle stations. Only MCCOY is left in the room, where he sits in stunned, puzzled silence.

VFX: The Enterprise gathers itself and charges into warp.

KIRK

[Log v.o.] Captain’s Log – supplemental. More than a decade has passed since the USS Bonaventure disappeared near Tarsus IV, where it had been used to carry out the slaughter of most of the colony’s population. Once a Starfleet vessel of exploration and peaceful contact, the Bonaventure was appropriated by Governor Kodos as an instrument of genocide. This happened years ago, hundreds of light years away – and Kodos has not been heard from again – until now. 

TO BE CONTINUED....