Spoiler Alert!

Revision 2.00

-1) Opening Credit Sequence. A series of approx. twelve 'sepiatone' photo-sketches are presented, each of which illustrates an event in the technological revolution of Man. These pictures are dated. Title credits also appear with the pictures.

The image sequence:

i) Kittyhawk Flier, 1903
ii) Goddard w/rocket, 1932 (I think)
iii) Los Alamos bomb tower detonation, 1944
iv) Sputnik I, 1957

v) Mercury Redstone Launch, 1962
vi) Apollo LEM w/flag on moon, 1969
vii) Voyager Saturn fly-by, 1980 (I think)
viii) Shuttle Endeavour w/Hubble in bay, 1993

ix) Interplanetary ships Trafalgar, Ticonderoga and space
station Serendip under construction in orbit, 2034
x) Trafalgar encounters ruined alien starsail, 2047
xi) Kalidasa's Tower under construction, 2119
xii) Daedalus almost completed in orbit near Kalidasa, 2194

1) A scene fades in as music begins, perhaps a lagoon-style "moon over water" exterior. Built over the water is a pier/veranda, looking both romatic and futuristic at the same time. Here are seen the story's two main characters, a young man with dark hair (call him Daniel; about 24 years old), neatly dressed in the black with silver- trim uniform of the starship officers. He proposes to his girl, Christine (a slim woman similar to the Sylvie Chantal character in TME/TMF, she is about 21); she joyfully but tearfully accepts the engagement gift: a silver and onyx necklace that bears the stylized likeness of three stars. This he fastens about her neck. As the pair gaze out over the water, one of the immense starships (in a low orbit, approx 8000 naut. miles up) passes overhead; the outlines of the edges of its immense sails are glittering in the sunlight of orbit as the ship recedes to the vanishing point. As the ship fades from view, the girl looks up at her fiance uncomfortably as he continues to watch the dwindling star of the ship. Approx. time of 45 seconds for this sequence.

2) As the pair walk back to the buildings [of a spaceport] another man in the uniform of the starship officers approachs. He is much older (about 60 years old) but other than his greyed hair and minimal facial wrinkling the man is remarkably well-preserved. This man looks at Christine sadly for a long moment before he hands Daniel a slip of paper and begins to walk silently away. This he reads (we don't see it yet); but his face bears for a moment a look of brief anguish. He gives the note to Christine, who reads it and reacts with a hand over her mouth as she begins to cry. Daniel walks away a few steps to collect his thoughts; Christine looks at him, then at the older man walking back to the buildings. She steps over to Daniel and upon seeing her, he takes her in his arms as she begins to cry in earnest. (The effect here is like that of an enlisted man going off to war). The note flutters to the ground and the scene closes on it as we read: 'Pilot Daniel Musgrave: Attend duty at once on orbit, starship Daedelus'. Approx 45 second sqeuence. Perhaps an effective closing shot here would be the note lying on the boardwalk with the great disc of the moon visible out over the water; the camera makes the moon its primary subject.

3) The camera continues to hold the moon several seconds longer; the moon appears to grow fractionally smaller and the fading colors of dusk turn to black. The camera begins to pan down and away from the moon, but as it does so we realize the exterior scene has changed. The gentle curve of the earth swings into view below the camera, and as this spacescape glides past the lens, the features of a space station come into view, distant yet quite expansive. (NOTE: You may recognize this as the final paragraph from Act 2, Sequence 1 of TME/TMF. I am interested in this scene dissolve in particular to see if it is going to work the way I want it to. This station is not nor need bear any resemblance to Serendip.)

[Note by CSR 4/28/95 -- "TME/TMF" refers to Time My Enemy, Time My Friend, my anime movie script. I'll reserve comments about it for now.]

Farther out in orbit, almost as a background to the station is the immense sailframe of the starship Daedalus (see diagram). Activity around the station includes many orbit 'tugs' moving the individual passenger and cargo pods away from the station's docking rings and moving out toward the ship. Dissolve to interior of station. Here we oboserve pilot Daniel, alone, as he reports in and through a short montage is shown being prepared forthe flight of the Daedalus. Scene time of 45 seconds or so. Cut to--

4) A short study of Christine on Earth as she sits beneath a tree deep in thought. She has the flame pendant in her hand, gazing at it hopelessly. In momentary angst she makes a sudden motion as if to cast the pendant away but stops herself, clutching it tightly. She then stands, looking briefly at that invisible point in the sky where the station orbits and starts walking. This cuts to her at a spaceport ticket counter, purchasing passage on the Daedalus. A dissolve to orbit once again where we observe Christine entering a passenger pod and the pod being towed to the ship. The scene shifts to show the interior of the pilot's habitat, a room visibly more elaborate than the passenger pod interior. Of particular prominence is a large digital elapsed time indicator in terran days and years with a current year of 2712 or so. There is also an indicator reading 'Earth<-->Orniske 25.77ly'. Daniel is being rigged into the pilot's habitat (intraveinous umbilicals attached, etc.) and a final cut shows the pilot's pod in tow to the head of the "train of pods" all of which are braced in and ride a few hundred meters behind the sailframe. Scene time of 60 seconds approx.

5) Daedalus in flight. Things to show are Daniel's conscious condition; he moves very languidly, even for zero-gravity...a side effect of the drugs used to dull his awareness to the vast amount of time that is passing. Also, the elapsed time display should show the years proceeding by very rapidly. As the years proceed away from the first 6 or 7 counts, no longer show any facial shots on Daniel. A short cut to show Christine frozen in her pod. A final pull-back shot of the Daedalus in flight, perhaps with a ghostly double-exposure of the elapsed time indicator as it approaches 41 years (2747). Scene time of 35 seconds. <>

6) Daedalus in orbit around planet Orniske. Exterior shot of modules being towed to Orniske orbital platform. Zoom into station. Station interior, Christine and the other passengers are being attended to by medics and customs people. Hold for a few moments on portal to pilot's pod. Several medics exit, then Daniel steps out. The people gathered about in the station's concourse all can't help but turn to look at the emerging pilot. Hold for a long (6-7 seconds) moment with upper-body shot of him. He has visibly changed into a 65 year-old though very well preserved man. Christine's and Daniel's eyes meet and he stands there, astonished for a moment as she runs lightly over to him, then slowly the brief joy fades from his features and he gently takes her b the shoulders and pushes her away a step. When she looks at him, her eyes brimming with tears, he cannot look back and turns his head and closes his eyes in anguish. A small noise causes him to look accross the concourse where one of the many groups of young men and women are gathered. In an almost fatherly fashion he gestures toward the group, entreating her to mingle with people her own age. Just before he walks away a glint of light sparkles off of the pendant still worn around her neck and catches his eye; he pauses a moment in memory of its meaning before walking silently away, leaving Christine staring vacantly at the floor. Fade to black. Scene time of 60 seconds. 2nd most important scene in film.

7) Scene fades in as Daniel is seen taking his few items of luggage to one of the regular passenger pod doors. His door has a display reading his name and passenger ID number. A wall clock/calendar can show that a few days have passed since the previous scene; it also displays the impending departure of the Daedalus for the return trip to Earth. He enters the pod and seals the door. Slow pan down the row of doors to another one marked with Christine's name and ID. This door opens, revealing her dressed in an appropriated pilot's uniform. She takes s hypospray (one of those subcutaneous injection devices used for vaccines, but this one in miniature) out of a breast pocket, concealing it in the palm of her hand. She then walks down the corridor toward the personnel quarters and keys the doorbell of the listed pilot for the Earth flight. He opens the door and smiles with surprise at the gorgeous female pilot; Christine quickly presses the hypo against his forearm and in a few seconds he is knocked unconscious by the sedative. Scene time of 45 seconds.

8) Daedalus in flight II. A quick cut from previous scene to exterior shot of ship in flight as it moves away from Orniske, then a brief exterior in deep space. Scene time of 30 seconds. Finale theme music starts at the beginning of this scene.

9) Daedalus in orbit of Earth, exterior zoom into Earth orbit station. Slight changes evident in station as eighty-plus years have passed since the ship was here previously. Pods being docked into station docking ring. Cut to interior. Daniel emerges from the doorway to his pod with his things and walks down the concourse to Christine's door and waits for the medics to do their routine. A few moments later the dazed form of the scheduled pilot appears, supported by two of the medics. Daniel stares wide-eyed for a moment before dropping his luggage and breaking into a run down the concourse. Scene time of 35 seconds.

10) Daniel and a lot of other people are gathered, waiting expectantly, as the medical team unseal the pilot's door and enter. Key shot: Christine's figure appears in the doorway, but her head and shoulders are in the shadow cast by the bukhead above the portal as it obscures the light from the concourse lamps. A sudden flash of light sparkles off of the pendant at her neck, making each of the stylized flames appear to actually be alive for the instant. She steps fully into the light, and we see that like Daniel, she has aged forty years, though her figure and features are in uncommonly good form. Her dark hair is shot through with wisps of grey, neatly trimmed to waist- length by the medics on arrival (and herself in flight, but that does not matter :). Daniel steps toward her in absolute amazement; it is he this time whose eyes fill with tears as he falls to his knees before her, sobbing, whereupon she gently presses his head against her legs and whispers (inaudibly) "I love you." This scene fades to white for a moment then the camera pulls back from the great disc of the moon as the exterior lakeside scene that was the site of Daniel's original marriage proposal. Daniel and Christine are here, he has his right arm around her shoulder; her head is resting against him. They silently regardi the nocturnal scene as the glittering outline of the Daedalus passes overhead as it moves out of orbit. Scene time of 1:10 seconds.

11) Roll credits. Total film time approx. 7:50, excluding credits.

Okay, that is how I envision the story based on two days of rapid thinking and typing. This is of course a reference outline and by no means should be taken to be the Final Word on the structure of the story. You may very well think I have included too much information: this is intentional! I want to say as much as I can in writing and let the production staff worry about condensing it all into frames of film.

Take care,

Scott