Fantasy TV Programming game: Time travel series DIVERGENT POINT

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

The PIF Fantasy Programming game continues with Episode 4
DIVERGENT POINT (Amelia Earheart) Airdate 10/15/09
Original History: 1937-Aviatrix Amelia Earhart attempts to become the first female to fly around the world. An on board electrical problem forces her to ditch her Electra in the ocean where she is rescued by a yachting family. The following year she tries
a second attempt and succeeds. Earhart parlays her fame into eventually becoming Truman’s Vice-President and a fierce advocate of women’s rights.

Divergent Point: Instead of landing safely in Oakland, California, Earhart and her Electra vanish enroute to Howland Island never to be seen again.

Maxine (The supercomputer) discovers in the altered time line the yachting family were not present to discover the downed airplane. Searching Japanese records released decades after the war the team learns the yachting family had anchored at an island that was secretly being used as a Japanese military training base and were executed as spies.

Team: Saxon and Ross.

Mission: Saxon and Ross Keyhole back to 1937 Tahiti the night before the yachting family consisting of a father and young adult and son and daughter set sail for the journey that will take them to the uncharted island

Ross using her charms attempts to dissuade them from making the detour that will take them to the island. When this fails Ross and Saxon keyhole a week further into the future and attempt to prevent the families capture even as the Japanese are closing in on them.
Note: This is a Ross-centric episode.

Four weeks into the game its "won" its timeslot every week.

If you have a chance to stop by and vote it would be much appreciated.

Vote at this link.
http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/93910104/m/111101842

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Well done - I seriously thought this was real!

One thing, though. And please don't take this the wrong way. I guess I am just uncomfortable with the idea that our history is "wrong" and that the entire premise of the series is dedicated to changing the timeline away from it. I would propose flipflopping this, such that the idealized, happy history that these characters are familiar with is the one that will lead to Armageddon and *it* is the history that must be changed.

Your characters are dedicated to preventing major disasters (probably 9/11 would be one of these, for example), but what if the central premise was that they must ALLOW all of these things to happen, and sometimes even personally cause them? Look at Red Dwarf's "Tikka to Ride"...

Spoiler: RD

JFK's life is saved. You'd think that would be a good thing, right? But the new history was much worse than the old, so the crew must actually cause JFK's death. In fact the president actually shoots *himself* and thus fades out of existence...

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

Well done - I seriously thought this was real!

One thing, though. And please don't take this the wrong way. I guess I am just uncomfortable with the idea that our history is "wrong" and that the entire premise of the series is dedicated to changing the timeline away from it. I would propose flipflopping this, such that the idealized, happy history that these characters are familiar with is the one that will lead to Armageddon and *it* is the history that must be changed.

Your characters are dedicated to preventing major disasters (probably 9/11 would be one of these, for example), but what if the central premise was that they must ALLOW all of these things to happen, and sometimes even personally cause them? Look at Red Dwarf's "Tikka to Ride"...

Spoiler: RD

JFK's life is saved. You'd think that would be a good thing, right? But the new history was much worse than the old, so the crew must actually cause JFK's death. In fact the president actually shoots *himself* and thus fades out of existence...

Hi
Thank you for the suggestions. They have merits to them and they are somewhat touches on...in the episode in last weeks poll Dr. Ross must let several boyscout troop members die on Mt. St. Helens as they were "suppose" to and an a episode later has the team failing at Custer's Last Stand.

Overall though it would be "too dark" as the real networks say to have them ALLWAYS allow things to happen or actively cause things to occur where people died...in the end the main characters have to be heroes so to speak.

But thanks again. I do appreciate it.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

Last week in the PIF Programming fantasy game DIVERGENT POINT ranked in the top ten most watched shows of the week with 30 million viewers under the voting system. Thank for any who voted!

Episode 5-Airdate 10/22/09

DIVERGENT POINT (Mount St. Helens)
Original History: Mt. St. Helen erupts in Washington State in May 1980 burying Spirit Lake under an avalanche of volcanic ash and mud including an elderly resident who refused to leave.

Divergent Point: The Keyhole team are initially stumped at what the change in history is since St. Helens always erupted in their time line. Maxine discovers that a free sprit hippie moved by TV reports of the old man’s reluctance to leave journeyed to St. Helens to try and talk him out of it and was killed in the eruption. Further research reveals that had she lived she would have given birth to the man who would become Secretary of Defense during the time of the nuclear Armageddon. The team goes on high alert at the possibility that his absence may have been a contributing factor in yet unexplained nuclear war.

Team: Saxon, Freemont and Ross.

Mission: The trio Keyhole back to two days before the eruption with a three prong attack. Saxon will go to the elderly man’s lodge to try and talk him out staying. Freemont meets up with the Tricia Shelby, the hippie, in Seattle and tries to talk her out of going to Mt. St. Helens and Ross tangles with the Scout Leader leading a hike on the mountain.

Note: There is a powerful scene were Ross must accept the fact the scout leader and his troops deaths were part of the orginal history and despite every instinct and her conscience she must give up on her quest to talk them out of the hike.


If you have a moment and would like to cast a ratings vote please visit:

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/93910104/m/936108942

Thank you!

 

[Mistral]

This one sounds like it would be powerful.
Regarding the website/voting-they should simplify it. It's a pain to get on and get voting status. IMO. Said the lazy man.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

[
Overall though it would be "too dark" as the real networks say to have them ALLWAYS allow things to happen or actively cause things to occur where people died...in the end the main characters have to be heroes so to speak.

Too dark? That never stopped nuBSG before.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

This one sounds like it would be powerful.
Regarding the website/voting-they should simplify it. It's a pain to get on and get voting status. IMO. Said the lazy man.

Thanks Mistral.

Yeah, the voting thing has some kinks to work out. This is the first year of the competition so if it comes back next season hopefully they will have smoothed things out.

Thanks for your support.

 

[gastrof]

[
Overall though it would be "too dark" as the real networks say to have them ALLWAYS allow things to happen or actively cause things to occur where people died...in the end the main characters have to be heroes so to speak.

Too dark? That never stopped nuBSG before.

You're forgetting that nuBSG never ran on a major network in the US.

SyFy isn't a major network.

Don't know that it ran on any biggies in other countries either.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

in the episode in last weeks poll Dr. Ross must let several boyscout troop members die on Mt. St. Helens as they were "suppose" to and an a episode later has the team failing at Custer's Last Stand.

Overall though it would be "too dark" as the real networks say to have them ALLWAYS allow things to happen or actively cause things to occur where people died...in the end the main characters have to be heroes so to speak.

Point taken, but there can still be things they can prevent from happening but which *didn't* happen in our history. There's got to be a lot of things you can make up, for them to fix. You don't have to make the team's own history so sweet and light...

I mean, did 9/11 happen in their reality, for example? I find myself hoping that it did, if only for the fact that..hey, *we* had to live through it, why shouldn't they? Shit, I'm jealous of a set of fictional characters, how pathetic is that?

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

in the episode in last weeks poll Dr. Ross must let several boyscout troop members die on Mt. St. Helens as they were "suppose" to and an a episode later has the team failing at Custer's Last Stand.

Overall though it would be "too dark" as the real networks say to have them ALLWAYS allow things to happen or actively cause things to occur where people died...in the end the main characters have to be heroes so to speak.

Point taken, but there can still be things they can prevent from happening but which *didn't* happen in our history. There's got to be a lot of things you can make up, for them to fix. You don't have to make the team's own history so sweet and light...

I mean, did 9/11 happen in their reality, for example? I find myself hoping that it did, if only for the fact that..hey, *we* had to live through it, why shouldn't they? Shit, I'm jealous of a set of fictional characters, how pathetic is that?

Hey don't feel bad...that's what fiction is for.

9/11 well honestly I've been on the fence as to whether that happened in the DP universere or not. If it did then its off limits to fixing since it happened for them. We'll see. Thanks for your suggestions...I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

Week 5 of the Fantasy Programming game. DIVERGENT POINT continues to "win" its time slot in the game.

This weeks episode:
(Salem Witch Trials)
Original History: Anne Silversmith is among the women of the time to be convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to be hung, but she is saved while standing on the gallows by the timely arrival of Mother Amanda Winthrop, an outspoken opposition religious critic of the witch trials who convinced the local magistrates to grant a temporary stay of execution. Released from the gallows Winthrop and her congregation sprint Silversmith to safety in another colony.

Divergent Point: Mother Winthrop, a carriage driver, chooses a different route to Salem, and is stopped by a flooded river. She arrives too late to save Silversmith, whom Maxine determines would have been the great grandmother of General Marshall Drucker who successfully defended Washington DC during the War of 1812. The Keyhole team is shocked to learn with Drucker erased from history the British successfully invade Washington D.C., forcing President Madison to flee and commit the effrontery of burning the White House.

Team: Ross, Blanchard, Saxon and Freemont.

Mission: Blanchard whose age and appearance is a close match for Winthrop must impersonate Winthrop. Ross and several other members of the Keyhole team impersonate her followers. Blanchard pulls it off but at the untimely arrival of a Salem resident who had met the real Blanchard blows their cover. As the group attempts to escape Ross is injured and knocked unconscious. Discovering one of the Keyhole activation devices on her person the town is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ross is a witch and elect to hang her without a trial.

With Ross only seconds away from death Bannister suspends the rule about allowing any exposure in the past to future technology. He tells Saxon, “They want witches, give them witches.” Rushing the gallows Saxon opens the Keyhole in front of the stunned crowd who fall to their feet in terror and prayer. Saxon and Ross escape through the Keyhole. Back at the project they read historical accounts about two witches disappearing into thin air but the accounts were dismissed as part of the mass hysteria of the time.

Note 1: This is the first time Blanchard "Keyholes" and is the last major character to do so. As a result of this episode Blanchard’s constant antagonism towards the Keyhole group begins to wane as she becomes more involved.

Note 2: This is the only time we see Project Keyhole “Red Shirts” time travel to serve as Blanchard’s “followers”.

If you have a chance to cast a vote its much appreciated.
Votes can be cast here:

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/93910104/m/595105152

 

[Mistral]

This sounds interesting. I'm not a fan of that particular part of history but it sounds like a fun episode. God, you've got to get a network to pick this up.....

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

This sounds interesting. I'm not a fan of that particular part of history but it sounds like a fun episode. God, you've got to get a network to pick this up.....

Yeah, the Witch Trials were nuts...hard to believe things like that could happen.

Thanks for the good word on the show Mistral...I am looking at some way to adapt it from a Fantasy Programming game into something real. I appreciate the encouragement.

 

[sojourner]

You realize the nitpickers would have a field day with this? As you said in an early post, one death would have a ripple effect that would change the timeline in any number of ways. Changing specific events to match the records would do only that: match specific events. There would still be whole family lines that never existed in the timeline and hence the keyhole team could only approximate the events of their timeline. It would never be the same timeline they came from.

Ignoring all that, sounds like a fun show!

Question, what is the motive of the original saboteur? batshit crazy? quest for power? revenge? what did he gain by turning the world into an atomic pile?

Also, with each "correction" the team makes, shouldn't there be some noticeable change outside the keyhole facility? Maybe the type of devastation? Maybe switching from nuclear to bio-war to conventional arms? Maybe one of the changes they make results in a seeming paradise and some of the team members contemplate "going native"?

On 9/11 - switch it. In the Keyhole timeline it was much worse. The planes hit the buildings around 2pm when the buildings are full of people. The resulting disaster being bigger in scope caused the world to unite even stronger in retaliation leading to much quicker outcomes in the middle east and other hotspots. It basically became the rally point for the world to really come together and say "Enough!".

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

You realize the nitpickers would have a field day with this? As you said in an early post, one death would have a ripple effect that would change the timeline in any number of ways. Changing specific events to match the records would do only that: match specific events. There would still be whole family lines that never existed in the timeline and hence the keyhole team could only approximate the events of their timeline. It would never be the same timeline they came from.

Ignoring all that, sounds like a fun show!

Question, what is the motive of the original saboteur? batshit crazy? quest for power? revenge? what did he gain by turning the world into an atomic pile?

Also, with each "correction" the team makes, shouldn't there be some noticeable change outside the keyhole facility? Maybe the type of devastation? Maybe switching from nuclear to bio-war to conventional arms? Maybe one of the changes they make results in a seeming paradise and some of the team members contemplate "going native"?

On 9/11 - switch it. In the Keyhole timeline it was much worse. The planes hit the buildings around 2pm when the buildings are full of people. The resulting disaster being bigger in scope caused the world to unite even stronger in retaliation leading to much quicker outcomes in the middle east and other hotspots. It basically became the rally point for the world to really come together and say "Enough!".

What would time travel shows be without the nickpicking right? I do it myself all the time
The sabateur who was the co-head of the project jumped the gun on testing the time travel device....as a result it left him with two aneurysms in his brain threating to burst at any time...he gave himself a death sentance but instead of accepting responisbility for his own actins he blammed Bannister and the project. His certain death drove him insane and he decided to prove how dangerous time travel was. In his insanity drove him to his sabatoge of the project.

The corrections outside of the Project. That sir is a FANTASTIC IDEA! The paradise being created and half the team wants to leave things along and the other half want to continue to restore history. That is a GREAT plot. I have to write a back 13 order for the game and I'll have to spin that one in...and I'll for sure give you story credit. Thanks so much.

9/11-Still on the fence if I want to touch that subject. I keep going back and forth.

Thanks again!

 

[sojourner]

No worries. On the "going native" thing, A similar side plot was just used on Stargate: Universe during the first episode after the pilot. Though it was a very minor B plot in that episode, it will most likely be used again considering the nature of the show.

 

[Vendikarr]

You realize the nitpickers would have a field day with this? As you said in an early post, one death would have a ripple effect that would change the timeline in any number of ways. Changing specific events to match the records would do only that: match specific events. There would still be whole family lines that never existed in the timeline and hence the keyhole team could only approximate the events of their timeline. It would never be the same timeline they came from.

Ignoring all that, sounds like a fun show!

Question, what is the motive of the original saboteur? batshit crazy? quest for power? revenge? what did he gain by turning the world into an atomic pile?

Also, with each "correction" the team makes, shouldn't there be some noticeable change outside the keyhole facility? Maybe the type of devastation? Maybe switching from nuclear to bio-war to conventional arms? Maybe one of the changes they make results in a seeming paradise and some of the team members contemplate "going native"?

On 9/11 - switch it. In the Keyhole timeline it was much worse. The planes hit the buildings around 2pm when the buildings are full of people. The resulting disaster being bigger in scope caused the world to unite even stronger in retaliation leading to much quicker outcomes in the middle east and other hotspots. It basically became the rally point for the world to really come together and say "Enough!".

What would time travel shows be without the nickpicking right? I do it myself all the time
The sabateur who was the co-head of the project jumped the gun on testing the time travel device....as a result it left him with two aneurysms in his brain threating to burst at any time...he gave himself a death sentance but instead of accepting responisbility for his own actins he blammed Bannister and the project. His certain death drove him insane and he decided to prove how dangerous time travel was. In his insanity drove him to his sabatoge of the project.

The corrections outside of the Project. That sir is a FANTASTIC IDEA! The paradise being created and half the team wants to leave things along and the other half want to continue to restore history. That is a GREAT plot. I have to write a back 13 order for the game and I'll have to spin that one in...and I'll for sure give you story credit. Thanks so much.

9/11-Still on the fence if I want to touch that subject. I keep going back and forth.

Thanks again!

Another thought that could come up is that some people at home think it might be preferable to retreat into the past instead of being integrated into the new time line should the shields fail.

Star Trek TOS used this concept in the episode All Our Yesterdays.

This dispute coming to a head would be the perfect 'bottle' show series use to save budget money for a big episode.

This is something that can build in the background over a few episodes before it all comes to a head.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

You realize the nitpickers would have a field day with this? As you said in an early post, one death would have a ripple effect that would change the timeline in any number of ways. Changing specific events to match the records would do only that: match specific events. There would still be whole family lines that never existed in the timeline and hence the keyhole team could only approximate the events of their timeline. It would never be the same timeline they came from.

Ignoring all that, sounds like a fun show!

Question, what is the motive of the original saboteur? batshit crazy? quest for power? revenge? what did he gain by turning the world into an atomic pile?

Also, with each "correction" the team makes, shouldn't there be some noticeable change outside the keyhole facility? Maybe the type of devastation? Maybe switching from nuclear to bio-war to conventional arms? Maybe one of the changes they make results in a seeming paradise and some of the team members contemplate "going native"?

On 9/11 - switch it. In the Keyhole timeline it was much worse. The planes hit the buildings around 2pm when the buildings are full of people. The resulting disaster being bigger in scope caused the world to unite even stronger in retaliation leading to much quicker outcomes in the middle east and other hotspots. It basically became the rally point for the world to really come together and say "Enough!".

What would time travel shows be without the nickpicking right? I do it myself all the time
The sabateur who was the co-head of the project jumped the gun on testing the time travel device....as a result it left him with two aneurysms in his brain threating to burst at any time...he gave himself a death sentance but instead of accepting responisbility for his own actins he blammed Bannister and the project. His certain death drove him insane and he decided to prove how dangerous time travel was. In his insanity drove him to his sabatoge of the project.

The corrections outside of the Project. That sir is a FANTASTIC IDEA! The paradise being created and half the team wants to leave things along and the other half want to continue to restore history. That is a GREAT plot. I have to write a back 13 order for the game and I'll have to spin that one in...and I'll for sure give you story credit. Thanks so much.

9/11-Still on the fence if I want to touch that subject. I keep going back and forth.

Thanks again!

Another thought that could come up is that some people at home think it might be preferable to retreat into the past instead of being integrated into the new time line should the shields fail.

Star Trek TOS used this concept in the episode All Our Yesterdays.

This dispute coming to a head would be the perfect 'bottle' show series use to save budget money for a big episode.

This is something that can build in the background over a few episodes before it all comes to a head.

That's another really GOOD idea. Thank you Vend-I'll look to incorporate that into a later episodes of the programming game.

Fellow sci fi fans are very helpful in providing excellent ideas have to say.

Thanks to everyone who voted. It won top ratings spot for Thursday 10/29.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

Week 7 of the PIF Network Fantasy Programming Game Continues...so far DP continues to "win" its time slot and remains in the top five dramas of the game.

This week:

DIVERGENT POINT (Donner Party) Airdate 11/5/09
Original History: Persuaded by a mountain man that meets up with the wagon train The Donner Party wisely stopped for the winter rather than attempting to cross the Sierra Mountains...and waited until spring to attempt the difficult crossing. .

Divergent Point: Maxine discovers that due to the tampering in the time line the mountain man never existed and the Donner Party attempts the crossing and meet with disaster when they are snowed in resulting in the deaths of dozens of members or the wagon train and the survivors are forced to resort to cannibalism. Further complicating matters on top of the wagon train deaths they find out one of the descendants of a couple who died would have been the father of the woman who developed the AIDS vaccine in 2019.

Team: Saxon, Bannister, Jax and Ross.

Mission: Using Keyhole the group journeys to 1846 Saxon and Ross pose as a man and wife who join the wagon train at its inception and at every turn try and get the group to make the right decisions that prevent the doom of the expedition. Meanwhile Bannister & Freemont posing as mountain men/trappers and await the wagon at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas rallying the local native Americans to mount a non lethal attack to prevent the wagon train from entering the pass. As a last resort Jax is positioned at the pass and had rigged it with explosives to seal the pass from the wagon train.

If you have a moment to vote your support has been appreciated. Please visit:

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/93910104/m/615103352

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

The PIF FANTASY Programming game continues-So far DP has won its time slot since the start of the game.

Tonight:

DIVERGENT POINT (Katrina's Wrath) Airdate: Nov 12, 2009

Original History: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina the New Orleans levee system fails causing multiple deaths in New Orleans, LA.

Divergent Point: Everything is identical in the Divergent History until Maxine determines that one person who was originally saved because a Coast Guard Helicopter pilot bucked the system and returned against orders to make a final rescue now dies because the pilot doesn’t exist in the timeline thanks to Douglas corrupting the time line. The woman who now dies was the wife of the Chicago cop who apprehended the terrorist responsible for the Chicago Anthrax attack of 2013. As the cop had originally transferred to Chicago to follow his wife whose job reassigned her to Chicago…now the grieving widower does not go and is not there to stop the terrorist and save 1000 Americans from dying in the Anthrax attack.

Team: Saxon and Jax

Mission: The team must return to flooded New Orleans and commandeer a helicopter and perform their own rescue. Unfortunately for them the overworked from all the rescue mission helicopter develops mechanical failure. Jax manages to
Crash land the helicopter so that they survive but now Saxon, Jax and the woman must fight to stay alive amid the floods, fire and chaos of devastated New Orleans.

Note: This is the Jax-centric episode and has a very high budget.

Thanks for any previous votes in the game and if you have a chance please visit this link to vote:

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/93910104/m/524101552