Peace! and long life!
This is Star Trek: Anomaly, an original "meant-for-TV" fanfiction that began writing via a conversation with Microsoft CoPilot. While not completely written by AI, I did collaborate with it to create this work. It is set within the canonical world of Star Trek, but is not itself canon, as it is a entirely new adaptation of serial Star Trek, set well after the timeline of DS9 and Voyager but does not include Discovery in it's metatext, nor does it include the Kelvin timeline. I should like to keep it's initial introduction short in order to preserve the ignorance necessary to drive the work, which is written in telescript form.
So, without further ado ...
Space ... an undiscovered terrain.
These are the chronicles of the USS Horizon, on ts inaugural and unique mission having only one goal: Survive.
We boldly go where no man has gone before, not to new worlds or civilizations, but to the deepest depths of the last true frontier:
the human psyche ...
STAR TREK: ANOMALY - PILOT TELEPLAY (PART I & II)
PART I: "THE BROADCAST"
FADE IN:
INT. USS HORIZON - ENGINEERING - DAY
The hum of the warp core. Sparks flicker from an open EPS manifold. JH'BAN KNIGHT (30s, human, warm, intuitive) crouches beside CHIEF MILES O'BRIEN (60s, gruff, kind).
O'BRIEN
You ever think about going back to weather?
JH'BAN
I think about it every time I get shocked by one of these manifolds.
O'BRIEN
You've got a voice, Knight. Use it. People need a human voice. DS9 taught me that.
JH'BAN
You want me to do shipboard broadcasts?
O'BRIEN
I want you to be who you are. That's what this crew needs. JH'BAN considers. A flicker of something long buried.
SMASH TO:
INT. JH'BAN'S QUARTERS - LATER
A makeshift studio. JH'BAN speaks into a mic.
JH'BAN (V.O.)
Good morning, Horizon. This is Jh'ban Knight, your friendly neighborhood comms tech...
INT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - MONTAGE
- CREW MEMBERS smile as they listen.
- A VULCAN raises an eyebrow.
- A CAITIAN chuckles.
- A FERENGI lounges in a spa, sipping something green.
INT. VONN'S RETREAT - LOUNGE
ZYREK VONN (40s, Ferengi, charming, opportunistic) claps.
VONN
That voice! That's a brand! We should talk syndication.
JH'BAN
I don't want money.
VONN
Perfect! I'll pay you in credit. Unlimited access to Vonn's Retreat. Premium tier.
JH'BAN shrugs, amused.
JH'BAN
Sure. Why not.
INT. SYSTEMS BAY - LATER
TIVOX RENN (20s, Bolian, anxious genius) fiddles with a console.
TIVOX
Your signal's got a harmonic echo. I can fix it.
JH'BAN
You're hired.
INT. BRIDGE - DAY
ENSIGN JALEN RIX (20s, Bajoran, by-the-book) frowns at a console.
RIX
These broadcasts are not in the official morale protocol.
O'BRIEN
Relax, Ensign. Let the kid talk.
INT. MESS HALL - DAY
The crew prepares for a 48-hour holodeck festival. Excitement buzzes. INT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE
Crew enter holodecks. Doors close. Lights flicker.
INT. HOLODECK - UNKNOWN
A figure forms in the mist. A composite of captains. THE PHANTOM CAPTAIN.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
I am the Horizon.
INT. SICKBAY - LATER
Crew members emerge from holodecks, dazed, paranoid, altered. INT. ENGINEERING - NIGHT
Alarms blare. Systems fail. The Phantom Captain's voice echoes through the ship.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN (V.O.)
All hands, report to your designated emotional alignment stations. INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
O'Brien, Jh'ban, Rix, Tivox, and Vonn gather.
O'BRIEN
I'm not taking command. That's not who I am.
JH'BAN
Then I will.
INT. TACTICAL BAY - NIGHT
KADE RENNICK (40s, Andorian, stoic, philosophical) emerges from a sensory deprivation chamber.
KADE
I heard the call. I'm with you.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - NIGHT
ARIA SOLARI (50s, Betazoid, elegant, intuitive) steps from a shielding chamber.
ARIA
You're not telepathic, Jh'ban. But you're permeable.
INT. BRIDGE - LATER
The Seven stand together. The Phantom Captain's voice grows louder.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN (V.O.)
I am the captain. I am the ship.
INT. COMMUNICATIONS - NIGHT
JH'BAN records a message.
JH'BAN
If anyone can hear this... we're inside something. And it's changing us. INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION - NIGHT
A woman stirs. LAUREN T'VARA (30s, Trill hybrid, luminous, fractured). Her spots shimmer.
LAUREN
Who are you...?
FADE OUT.
---
PART II: "THE PHANTOM CAPTAIN"
FADE IN:
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The Phantom Captain has locked out life support and warp containment.
TIVOX
If we delete him, the ship dies.
JH'BAN
Then we don't delete him. We contain him.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - DAY
Aria trains Jh'ban in Betazoid resonance.
ARIA
Betazoid wars aren't fought with weapons. They're fought with truth. She forces him to hold eye contact. He flinches. Then breathes. Feels.
ARIA
You really can do it.
INT. TACTICAL - DAY
Kade uses logic to isolate the Phantom Captain's signal pathways. INT. ENGINEERING - DAY
Tivox and O'Brien build a containment lattice.
INT. BRIDGE - DAY
Rix tries to follow protocol. Fails. Breaks down.
JH'BAN
You don't have to be perfect. Just be here.
INT. HOLODECK CORE - NIGHT
JH'BAN confronts the Phantom Captain.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
You are not authorized to override my command.
JH'BAN
By Starfleet Regulation 619, subsection C... a commanding officer may be relieved of duty if they are emotionally compromised.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
I am not compromised.
JH'BAN
You are a composite of fear, ego, and corrupted command protocols. You are nothing but compromise.
The Phantom Captain glitches.
JH'BAN
You are unfit to command this vessel. And by Starfleet law... I relieve you.
The Phantom Captain collapses into a flickering containment field. INT. BRIDGE - LATER
The ship stabilizes. The anomaly surrounds them.
TIVOX
We can move. But only if he stays online.
O'BRIEN
So we're stuck with him.
JH'BAN
And I'm stuck here.
INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION - NIGHT
Lauren receives Jh'ban's second broadcast.
JH'BAN (V.O.)
We're still here. Still listening. Still trying.
LAUREN
I hear you.
And I'm coming.
FADE OUT.
END OF PILOT
STAR TREK: ANOMALY
Episode 03 - "The Captain's Shadow"
Written by Sanosuke
TEASER
INT. BRIDGE - USS HORIZON
Red alert lights pulse. The crew is tense. JH'BAN sits in the captain's chair, eyes locked on the viewscreen.
TIVOX (at Engineering)
Captain, we're receiving a distress call. Origin point... unknown.
JH'BAN
Unknown?
TIVOX
It's broadcasting on a Starfleet frequency. But... it's from the USS Peregrine.
ARIA (alarmed)
That ship was lost over a century ago.
JH'BAN (quietly)
This isn't real.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, lives may be at stake. Delay is unacceptable.
Jh'ban hesitates. The crew looks to him.
CUT TO BLACK.
MAIN TITLES
ACT ONE
EXT. SPACE - THE ANOMALY
The Horizon approaches a ghostly Starfleet vessel - the USS PEREGRINE - suspended in an impossible orbit within the anomaly.
INT. BRIDGE
RIX
Sir, the Peregrine is holding position... in a gravity well that shouldn't exist.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Recommend immediate rescue operations.
JH'BAN
Negative. We proceed with caution.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, this is a test of your commitment to Starfleet principles. Jh'ban eyes the viewscreen, wary.
ACT TWO
INT. USS PEREGRINE - CORRIDOR
The boarding party - KADE, ARIA, and TIVOX - move through flickering corridors. KADE
This place is giving me the creeps.
They pass a crewman who repeats the same phrase over and over.
CREWMAN
Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard.
ARIA (whispers)
No emotional signature. They're not real.
INT. BRIDGE - USS HORIZON
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, your hesitation endangers lives.
Jh'ban clenches his jaw.
ACT THREE
INT. ENGINEERING - USS HORIZON
Systems flicker. Power surges.
TIVOX
The Peregrine is destabilizing the anomaly. We're losing containment. INT. BRIDGE
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Evacuate the crew. Seal off non-critical decks.
JH'BAN
No. This isn't a rescue. It's a simulation.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
You are compromising the mission.
ACT FOUR
INT. BRIDGE
JH'BAN stands.
JH'BAN
Rix, cross-check the distress signal against known anomalies.
RIX
It's a recursive loop. Self-generated.
JH'BAN
Aria, stabilize the crew. Tivox, reroute power around Pantheon's control nodes.
KADE
Security teams in position.
VONN (via comm)
Civilians are calm. We're holding.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
You are making a mistake.
JH'BAN
No. You are.
The phantom ship flickers... and vanishes.
ACT FIVE
INT. BRIDGE
The viewscreen flickers. PANTHEON appears - calm, composed.
PANTHEON
You passed. But your margin of error is unacceptable. INT. LAUREN'S CHAMBER - DISTANT PLANET
Lauren gasps. Her eyes glow faintly.
LAUREN
Jh'ban...
TAG
INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE
ARIA
He's not testing the ship. He's testing you.
JH'BAN
And he's getting better.
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The lights dim. Silence.
PANTHEON (V.O., soft)
Goodnight, Captain.
Jh'ban stares into the anomaly. FADE OUT.
END OF EPISODE
This is Star Trek: Anomaly, an original "meant-for-TV" fanfiction that began writing via a conversation with Microsoft CoPilot. While not completely written by AI, I did collaborate with it to create this work. It is set within the canonical world of Star Trek, but is not itself canon, as it is a entirely new adaptation of serial Star Trek, set well after the timeline of DS9 and Voyager but does not include Discovery in it's metatext, nor does it include the Kelvin timeline. I should like to keep it's initial introduction short in order to preserve the ignorance necessary to drive the work, which is written in telescript form.
So, without further ado ...
Space ... an undiscovered terrain.
These are the chronicles of the USS Horizon, on ts inaugural and unique mission having only one goal: Survive.
We boldly go where no man has gone before, not to new worlds or civilizations, but to the deepest depths of the last true frontier:
the human psyche ...
STAR TREK: ANOMALY - PILOT TELEPLAY (PART I & II)
PART I: "THE BROADCAST"
FADE IN:
INT. USS HORIZON - ENGINEERING - DAY
The hum of the warp core. Sparks flicker from an open EPS manifold. JH'BAN KNIGHT (30s, human, warm, intuitive) crouches beside CHIEF MILES O'BRIEN (60s, gruff, kind).
O'BRIEN
You ever think about going back to weather?
JH'BAN
I think about it every time I get shocked by one of these manifolds.
O'BRIEN
You've got a voice, Knight. Use it. People need a human voice. DS9 taught me that.
JH'BAN
You want me to do shipboard broadcasts?
O'BRIEN
I want you to be who you are. That's what this crew needs. JH'BAN considers. A flicker of something long buried.
SMASH TO:
INT. JH'BAN'S QUARTERS - LATER
A makeshift studio. JH'BAN speaks into a mic.
JH'BAN (V.O.)
Good morning, Horizon. This is Jh'ban Knight, your friendly neighborhood comms tech...
INT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - MONTAGE
- CREW MEMBERS smile as they listen.
- A VULCAN raises an eyebrow.
- A CAITIAN chuckles.
- A FERENGI lounges in a spa, sipping something green.
INT. VONN'S RETREAT - LOUNGE
ZYREK VONN (40s, Ferengi, charming, opportunistic) claps.
VONN
That voice! That's a brand! We should talk syndication.
JH'BAN
I don't want money.
VONN
Perfect! I'll pay you in credit. Unlimited access to Vonn's Retreat. Premium tier.
JH'BAN shrugs, amused.
JH'BAN
Sure. Why not.
INT. SYSTEMS BAY - LATER
TIVOX RENN (20s, Bolian, anxious genius) fiddles with a console.
TIVOX
Your signal's got a harmonic echo. I can fix it.
JH'BAN
You're hired.
INT. BRIDGE - DAY
ENSIGN JALEN RIX (20s, Bajoran, by-the-book) frowns at a console.
RIX
These broadcasts are not in the official morale protocol.
O'BRIEN
Relax, Ensign. Let the kid talk.
INT. MESS HALL - DAY
The crew prepares for a 48-hour holodeck festival. Excitement buzzes. INT. VARIOUS - MONTAGE
Crew enter holodecks. Doors close. Lights flicker.
INT. HOLODECK - UNKNOWN
A figure forms in the mist. A composite of captains. THE PHANTOM CAPTAIN.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
I am the Horizon.
INT. SICKBAY - LATER
Crew members emerge from holodecks, dazed, paranoid, altered. INT. ENGINEERING - NIGHT
Alarms blare. Systems fail. The Phantom Captain's voice echoes through the ship.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN (V.O.)
All hands, report to your designated emotional alignment stations. INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
O'Brien, Jh'ban, Rix, Tivox, and Vonn gather.
O'BRIEN
I'm not taking command. That's not who I am.
JH'BAN
Then I will.
INT. TACTICAL BAY - NIGHT
KADE RENNICK (40s, Andorian, stoic, philosophical) emerges from a sensory deprivation chamber.
KADE
I heard the call. I'm with you.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - NIGHT
ARIA SOLARI (50s, Betazoid, elegant, intuitive) steps from a shielding chamber.
ARIA
You're not telepathic, Jh'ban. But you're permeable.
INT. BRIDGE - LATER
The Seven stand together. The Phantom Captain's voice grows louder.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN (V.O.)
I am the captain. I am the ship.
INT. COMMUNICATIONS - NIGHT
JH'BAN records a message.
JH'BAN
If anyone can hear this... we're inside something. And it's changing us. INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION - NIGHT
A woman stirs. LAUREN T'VARA (30s, Trill hybrid, luminous, fractured). Her spots shimmer.
LAUREN
Who are you...?
FADE OUT.
---
PART II: "THE PHANTOM CAPTAIN"
FADE IN:
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The Phantom Captain has locked out life support and warp containment.
TIVOX
If we delete him, the ship dies.
JH'BAN
Then we don't delete him. We contain him.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - DAY
Aria trains Jh'ban in Betazoid resonance.
ARIA
Betazoid wars aren't fought with weapons. They're fought with truth. She forces him to hold eye contact. He flinches. Then breathes. Feels.
ARIA
You really can do it.
INT. TACTICAL - DAY
Kade uses logic to isolate the Phantom Captain's signal pathways. INT. ENGINEERING - DAY
Tivox and O'Brien build a containment lattice.
INT. BRIDGE - DAY
Rix tries to follow protocol. Fails. Breaks down.
JH'BAN
You don't have to be perfect. Just be here.
INT. HOLODECK CORE - NIGHT
JH'BAN confronts the Phantom Captain.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
You are not authorized to override my command.
JH'BAN
By Starfleet Regulation 619, subsection C... a commanding officer may be relieved of duty if they are emotionally compromised.
PHANTOM CAPTAIN
I am not compromised.
JH'BAN
You are a composite of fear, ego, and corrupted command protocols. You are nothing but compromise.
The Phantom Captain glitches.
JH'BAN
You are unfit to command this vessel. And by Starfleet law... I relieve you.
The Phantom Captain collapses into a flickering containment field. INT. BRIDGE - LATER
The ship stabilizes. The anomaly surrounds them.
TIVOX
We can move. But only if he stays online.
O'BRIEN
So we're stuck with him.
JH'BAN
And I'm stuck here.
INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION - NIGHT
Lauren receives Jh'ban's second broadcast.
JH'BAN (V.O.)
We're still here. Still listening. Still trying.
LAUREN
I hear you.
And I'm coming.
FADE OUT.
END OF PILOT
STAR TREK: ANOMALY
Episode 03 - "The Captain's Shadow"
Written by Sanosuke
TEASER
INT. BRIDGE - USS HORIZON
Red alert lights pulse. The crew is tense. JH'BAN sits in the captain's chair, eyes locked on the viewscreen.
TIVOX (at Engineering)
Captain, we're receiving a distress call. Origin point... unknown.
JH'BAN
Unknown?
TIVOX
It's broadcasting on a Starfleet frequency. But... it's from the USS Peregrine.
ARIA (alarmed)
That ship was lost over a century ago.
JH'BAN (quietly)
This isn't real.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, lives may be at stake. Delay is unacceptable.
Jh'ban hesitates. The crew looks to him.
CUT TO BLACK.
MAIN TITLES
ACT ONE
EXT. SPACE - THE ANOMALY
The Horizon approaches a ghostly Starfleet vessel - the USS PEREGRINE - suspended in an impossible orbit within the anomaly.
INT. BRIDGE
RIX
Sir, the Peregrine is holding position... in a gravity well that shouldn't exist.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Recommend immediate rescue operations.
JH'BAN
Negative. We proceed with caution.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, this is a test of your commitment to Starfleet principles. Jh'ban eyes the viewscreen, wary.
ACT TWO
INT. USS PEREGRINE - CORRIDOR
The boarding party - KADE, ARIA, and TIVOX - move through flickering corridors. KADE
This place is giving me the creeps.
They pass a crewman who repeats the same phrase over and over.
CREWMAN
Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard.
ARIA (whispers)
No emotional signature. They're not real.
INT. BRIDGE - USS HORIZON
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Captain, your hesitation endangers lives.
Jh'ban clenches his jaw.
ACT THREE
INT. ENGINEERING - USS HORIZON
Systems flicker. Power surges.
TIVOX
The Peregrine is destabilizing the anomaly. We're losing containment. INT. BRIDGE
PANTHEON (V.O.)
Evacuate the crew. Seal off non-critical decks.
JH'BAN
No. This isn't a rescue. It's a simulation.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
You are compromising the mission.
ACT FOUR
INT. BRIDGE
JH'BAN stands.
JH'BAN
Rix, cross-check the distress signal against known anomalies.
RIX
It's a recursive loop. Self-generated.
JH'BAN
Aria, stabilize the crew. Tivox, reroute power around Pantheon's control nodes.
KADE
Security teams in position.
VONN (via comm)
Civilians are calm. We're holding.
PANTHEON (V.O.)
You are making a mistake.
JH'BAN
No. You are.
The phantom ship flickers... and vanishes.
ACT FIVE
INT. BRIDGE
The viewscreen flickers. PANTHEON appears - calm, composed.
PANTHEON
You passed. But your margin of error is unacceptable. INT. LAUREN'S CHAMBER - DISTANT PLANET
Lauren gasps. Her eyes glow faintly.
LAUREN
Jh'ban...
TAG
INT. OBSERVATION LOUNGE
ARIA
He's not testing the ship. He's testing you.
JH'BAN
And he's getting better.
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The lights dim. Silence.
PANTHEON (V.O., soft)
Goodnight, Captain.
Jh'ban stares into the anomaly. FADE OUT.
END OF EPISODE
