STAR TREK:CHALLENGER [cooperative]

[friedebarth]

The USS Alcyone was named after one of Jacque Cousteau's vessels, her class named after the constellation that Alcyone is part of - and the basic idea for the vessel is derived from the Archer Class seen in Star Trek: Vanguard.



STAR TREK: CHALLENGER

BACKSTORY

It is 2389. Deep Space Nine sends a routine mission into the Gamma Quadrant. The USS Defiant, under the command of Lt Cdr Azhan 982, discovers that the Founders have vanished.

The Federation is confused, but realise that a taskforce must be put together to enter the Gamma Quadrant, colonise it and assist the races previously subjugated by the Dominion in recovering.

Starfleet places the USS Challenger and her crew in that taskforce.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Zachary Levi as Captain Azhan

Captain Azhan 982 is a Hermat, one of a handful of his race to have joined Starfleet. He is the former XO of Deep Space Nine and is championed for command of the Challenger by General Kira - though some would disagree, claiming he is too young and naive for such an assignment.

Jeffrey Combs as Commander Wolfe

Commander Marcus Q. Wolfe is an octogenarian and a respected lecturer of Strategic Operations at Starfleet Academy who has never been given his own command - most at Starfleet Command think he's not command material and his old friend, Admiral Reinhardt, has had to pull strings to get him the position of First Officer on the Challenger.

Susan Sarandon as Doctor Tilan

Doctor Tilan Siana is Bajoran, with a history with both the Bajoran Militia and Starfleet and, later, the Federation Health Organisation and Medicins Sans Frontieres Intergalactique. As the Director of the taskforce's humanitarian mission, she often finds herself in conflict with Azhan and Wolfe.

Debra Jo Rupp as Chief Engineer Niska

Lt Commander Niska is a Ferengi female. A talented engineer charged with joining Starfleet by Grand Nagus Rom himself, she is more than capable and when charged with a repair will bet her superiors as to how long the repair will take her - as luck would have it, she usually wins the bet.

Jonathan Togo as Lieutenant Rossi

Lieutenant Federico Rossi is a twenty something Human male of Italian descent. He's the Senior Helmsman of the Challenger who has brought his family with him from his previous assignment on Deep Space Nine, a quiet man but an excellent pilot who will be thrust into the limelight with this mission.

Yvonne Strahovski as Lt Commander Ataan

Lt Commander Zarah Ataan was one of the first Cardassians to join Starfleet and now commands the USS Alcyone, a scout vessel which often works with the Challenger. Intelligent and attractive, there is no denying the romantic chemistry that exists between her and Captain Azhan.

Olga Kurylenko as Lt Commander Losano

Lt Commander Marika Losano is a Betazoid and the Chief Science Officer of the Challenger. She is both a talented and passionate scientist and the Second Officer of the Challenger.

THE TASKFORCE

USS Challenger NCC 71099, Galaxy Class - refit to function as part of the humanitarian mission with extended medical, cargo and dormitory facilities to accomodate partial planetside populations. General improvements undertaken to the Galaxy Class spaceframe include improvements in warp power, Mark III bio-neural computer systems, extensive weapons systems, accomodation for a vast variety of life forms and the experimental holographic comm array.

USS Alcyone NCC 83205, Pleiades Class is a small scout vessel with a crew of fourteen, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Zarah Ataan, designed to go very fast but with practically no scientific or medical facilities. The vessel routinely operates in tandem with the larger USS Challenger.

THE PILOT

It is 2390, about fourteen years after the end of DS9 and ten after Voyagers return, the USS Challenger, Galaxy Class, is one of several ships sent into the Gamma Quadrant to explore, colonise and provide humanitarian aide to species previously under the rule of the Dominion, who have simply vanished.

Starfleet place command of the Challenger in the hands of the brilliant Captain Azhan 982 (Zachary Levi) who, at 30, is one of the youngest Captains to grace Starfleet and one of the few members of his race, the Hermats, to have ventured away from their homeworld and Commander Marcus Wolfe (Jeffrey Combs) who at the age of 60 resents Starfleet for never having granted him a command of his own. Against these two military officers is thrown Doctor Tilan Siana (Susan Sarandon), a feisty Bajoran civilian who is both the ships Chief Medical Officer and the Director of the humanitarian mission in the Gamma Quadrant.

These three, their ship and their crew, will come across a planet ravaged by an environmental disaster of proportions previously unimagined and, amidst the chaos, find the promise of the secrets of the universe promised by the mysterious Shaleel. Will our heroes have the courage to reject the secrets of the universe?

Spoiler: Pilot Concept Breakdown

TEASER

Azhan commands the USS Defiant during a routine mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Rossi is at the Helm. The Defiant finds no sign of the Founders which puzzles the crew and Azhan relays this information back to Starfleet.

ACT ONE

Admiral Reinhardt meets with Wolfe after he finishes a lecture at Starfleet Academy. Reinhardt describes the mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Wolfe comments that he's been passed over for his own command many times. Reinhardt makes it very clear to Wolfe that he had to pull lots of strings to even get Wolfe considered for the position on the Challenger and that most of the admiralty don't consider Wolfe a fit for command - if he refuses this posting, he may never get a chance to gun for his own command again.

Tilan is brought into a meeting with the President of the Federation, the Directors of Medicins Sans Frontieres Intergalactique and the Federation Health Organisation. The President describes the humanitarian mission into the Gamma Quadrant, explains that Starfleet are using a seldom-used reactivation clause. reinstating her to the rank and priveleges of a full Commander and the the FHO and MSFI are putting her in charge of the humanitarian mission.

Later, we find out that Wolfe and Tilan are to travel together on a shuttle and rendezvous with the Challenger en-route to Deep Space Nine.

Captain Azhan is newly promoted and nervous about his command, which is docked with Deep Space Nine. General Kira says that she has faith in him and that she petitioned to get him command of the taskforce, something some disagree with because of his age.

She wishes him luck and he boards the Challenger where he is met by Wolfe who explains that the Captains of the Taskforce have gathered in the Observation Lounge. Azhan gives the six Captains a good luck speach and catches the eyes of a beautiful Cardassian woman, Lt Commander Ataan, before ordering the taskforce to get underway.

Azhan gives orders to Rossi at the helm as the Challenger departs from DS9 and leads the taskforce into the Gamma Quadrant.

ACT TWO

The action picks up ONE MONTH LATER with the Challenger cruising through space. Azhan is relaxing in his quarters when he is informed that they are being hailed by the USS Alcyone, Lt Commander Ataan's vessel. Azhan uses the experimental holographic communications system to talk with Ataan, who reveals that the Alcyone is en-route to a planet that is suffering some sort of major environmental and geo-physical cataclysm and she suggests that the Challenger join her.

Azhan agrees and has Rossi change course to rendezvous with the Alcyone.

[highlight]by tenmei[/highlight]

 

[tenmei]

I'd echo your thoughts in the other thread about people writing this a scene at a time - and we have the concept breakdown of how I imagined the pilot being broken down. I did imagine the pilot being one hour long - a mix between the pilots of Modern Trek and the pilots for Ye Olde Trek.

There were scenes I would stick back in were we to decide to aim for a two hour pilot episode which would mean that the first act in the post above would become the first two acts.

What I'd suggest we do before actually commencing writing the pilot is to finish off the breakdown - so we, at least, have some idea for people to work from when writing their scenes so two writers don't have radically different concepts during the writing progress.

 

[friedebarth]

True. And we have to think about the Sub Plot with the Chief Pretty Officer. Erm, I mean, Chief Petty Officer, just noticed that mistake, and it's to hilarious to drop out of the post

 

[tenmei]

See, I didn't know what that scrawl was when you described the character so I brought some of the ideas for his character into the character of Rossi when I did the amalgamation post in the other thread. Then again, Rossi is probably envisaged as too young to meet the criteria you mentioned - though I had an idea for his family arc that would have played out across two seasons.

In short, Rossi's wife would have been a Joined Trill and at some point between Rossi being on the Defiant in the Teaser and joining the crew of the Challenger in Act 1, she would have been pregnant and given birth to a baby son. At some point during the first season, she would have died - and Rossi would have spent the rest of the first season coming to terms with the death of his wife and being a single father to a one year old. However, during the second season the new host of the wife would have turned up - the new host was an expert in something that Challenger required - but the new host would have been a man. Of course, Rossi ends up falling in love with this new host too and, over the course of the rest of the season, we end up with Trek's first gay couple.

Also, at some point during the first season, Rossi would have had to take command of the ship when all of the senior officers above him (Azhan, Wolfe, Losano and Niska) are incapacitated in an aiccdent, held hostage or away on a shuttle (or a mix of the three) which was based on your ideas.

I'd be a bit concerned about trying to stick a sub-plot with a character in (whether it's Rossi or a new character) and think that could/should be saved for a future episode with the pilot episode letting the light shine on our Big 3 (Azhan, Wolfe and Tilan) with the other four (Niska, Losano, Rossi and Ataan) only appearing in a supporting capacity.

I think we need to set up the character you talked about before we thrust him into the limelight or else it could destroy our sense of him being a bit of an average joe like we want him to be.

 

[tenmei]

If we were ever looking for a visual reference for the Pleiades Class vessel, I think the ship that's being discussed in this thread (the Spirit Class) would make an excellent template for us to work from. She's an amazing design.

 

[friedebarth]

No, I don't mean ONLY for the pilot. I mean for every episode, sort of. Because Star Trek episodes all end without cliff-hangers in the main plot (except 2-part episodes, of course). I wouldn't want to change that habit, but this arc stretching over one season or even the whole series allows us to build cliff-hangers in a strong subplot.

As the Star Trek TNG crew said in the interviews (you know, the additional stuff on DVD) after season 2, Star Trek isn't "about space and fancy technology. Star Trek [...] is about families, about characters that develop themselves over years. About peacekeeping and good decisions. It's logic, but also emotional. It's [...] a science fiction daily soap. And finally there is the space and tech in there. But, you know, c'mon."

To put this right: I don't completely agree with him. But the great success of Star Trek has really come from the realism and the kind of similarities to today.

 

[tenmei]

Not sure what you're trying to say I've said. I meant that we would stretch Rossi's arc across several seasons - but it's also going to mean he doesn't necessarily get a whole lot of screentime in the pilot.

Another thought that I've had:

Ataan is a recurring presence (if we aim for a thirteen episode season, she's in five of those - including the finale) but the Alcyone is destroyed in the season finale (the same battle in which Rossi's wife dies) and Ataan has a slightly different role in a second season (as Challenger's Security Chief, perhaps, or command of a different ship).

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Do we know how we want the pilot to go, yet?

 

[tenmei]

I put a breakdown of the first act and a bit in the post that Friedebarth posted in the Writers Guide (first post in the thread).

Further breakdown is what we need to discuss.

I'd imagine, though, that Ataan calls in Challenger - the planet is sending out an extremely weak distress call and the Alcyone was just lucky that they picked it up, the Challenger would have had no chance of picking it up.

The planet is being wracked by massive seismic events, the population isn't tiny and some of them are being evacuated in smaller civilian ships but the Challenger's help is needed.

Tilan and Ataan end up taking charge of the relief efforts, beaming populations to the massive shuttlebays, dormitories and cargo bays of the Challenger whilst trying to figure out why the seismic events have suddenly occured.

Losano finds a specific point on the planet that isn't submitting to the seismic events and is their epicentre. Azhan and Wolfe beam down to investigate, discover the Shaleel Temple - and the awakening Shaleel.

It is the awakening of the Shaleel that is causing the seismic disruption. That would be the end of Act 2, I think.

Act 3 ends with the Shaleel offering Azhan, Wolfe and, now, Ataan and Tilan, knowledge of the entire universe.

Act 4 ends with them rejecting it, the Shaleel vanishing - or leaving - and the planet being declared uninhabitable and the Challenger deciding to find a planet to relocate everyone to.


This COULD lead into Episode 2 with the population of the planet still onboard and the Challenger crew (no Ataan in Episode 2, I think) finding them a new planet on which to live.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

I like the way the pilot works out, although, and I'm not sure if this was the intention, I doubt the Shaleel would just up and leave so easily.

 

[tenmei]

Agreed, we need to have a better reason for the Shaleel to leave. It could be something to do with the seismic shifts on the planet, if the Shaleel are drawing their energy from the seismic shifts, could destroying a power coupling not only stop the Shaleel but also stop the seismic shifts (albeit too late for the planet to be habitable in the long term).

So, Azhan would tear a cable out, look up at the Shaleel - "Infinite knowledge, huh? Bet you didn't see _that_ coming ..." or something of the type.

Maybe we don't actually meet the Shaleel but some sort of guardian hologram that has woken up after a period of near infinite dormancy? And maybe that's what they need to figure out in addition to rejecting the concept of near infinite and total knowledge.

Another concept I had was that perhaps Tilan would be the one who would consider accepting the offer of the Shaleel whilst Azhan, Wolfe and Ataan would all reject it. Of course, she'd have beneficial and humanitarian aims in mind with accepting the offer but she'd realise that it wasn't the right choice before she ultimately accepted.

 

[friedebarth]

Hello.

@Vix... ...Valeris, you could call yourself T'Pofkan: T(he) PO(ster) F(ormerly) K(nown) A(s) (vixe)N

@all: I like these ideas. All of them. Maybe, again, we could amalgamate them? So far, we probably did as much planning as the Great Bird of the Galaxy on TNG. Or, I mean, you did. I hardly contributed anything really

 

[tenmei]

Glad you like the thoughts, I'll pull it all together in one post - but does anyone else have any ideas they'd like to try and incorporate into the pilot.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Nothing really comes to mind that hasn't been covered all ready.

I did like the idea of the hologram causing all the problems and offering the Challenger crew the knowledge (almost like Portal 63 from The Last Outpost), as well as the crew not knowing that it is a hologram until after investigating.

I also liked the idea of Tilan potentially accepting but ultimately turning down the offer of all that knowledge.

(This is almost starting to sound like The Buried Age...)

 

[tenmei]

Is it? I have The Buried Age but I've never been able to get more than a few chapters into it, it doesn't really catch me.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

***SPOILERS***




Our story and TBA are very similar-Starfleet crew encounters ancient group of people willing to give them the secrets and knowledge required for interstellar peace and prosperity. Only, in TBA, the ancient species is afraid of what the Federation would do with the information, since the species once tried to do the same, and ended up wiping out all life in the universe. That experience has caused the species (called the Manraloth) to try and "reign in" the Federation.

 

[tenmei]

Perhaps a reference by one of our main characters regarding the Shaleel reminding them of the Manraloth would be in order, then?

 

[Dancing Doctor]

It could be. It would help to underscore the seriousness of the offer, and the potential consequences.

 

[tenmei]

I'll try and work up an outline for the pilot based on all of this over the next few days now I'm back in the UK with a decent computer to work from.

 

[tenmei]

Okay - here's a tentative pilot outline subject to everyones comments and approval:


TEASER

Azhan commands the USS Defiant during a routine mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Rossi is at the Helm. The Defiant finds no sign of the Founders which puzzles the crew and Azhan relays this information back to Starfleet.

ACT ONE

Admiral Reinhardt meets with Wolfe after he finishes a lecture at Starfleet Academy. Reinhardt describes the mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Wolfe comments that he's been passed over for his own command many times. Reinhardt makes it very clear to Wolfe that he had to pull lots of strings to even get Wolfe considered for the position on the Challenger and that most of the admiralty don't consider Wolfe a fit for command - if he refuses this posting, he may never get a chance to gun for his own command again.

Tilan is brought into a meeting with the President of the Federation, the Directors of Medicins Sans Frontieres Intergalactique and the Federation Health Organisation. The President describes the humanitarian mission into the Gamma Quadrant, explains that Starfleet are using a seldom-used reactivation clause. reinstating her to the rank and priveleges of a full Commander and the the FHO and MSFI are putting her in charge of the humanitarian mission.

Later, we find out that Wolfe and Tilan are to travel together on a shuttle and rendezvous with the Challenger en-route to Deep Space Nine.

Captain Azhan is newly promoted and nervous about his command, which is docked with Deep Space Nine. General Kira says that she has faith in him and that she petitioned to get him command of the taskforce, something some disagree with because of his age.

She wishes him luck and he boards the Challenger where he is met by Wolfe who explains that the Captains of the Taskforce have gathered in the Observation Lounge. Azhan gives the six Captains a good luck speach and catches the eyes of a beautiful Cardassian woman, Lt Commander Ataan, before ordering the taskforce to get underway.

Azhan gives orders to Rossi at the helm as the Challenger departs from DS9 and leads the taskforce into the Gamma Quadrant.

ACT TWO

The action picks up ONE MONTH LATER with the Challenger cruising through space. Azhan is relaxing in his quarters when he is informed that they are being hailed by the USS Alcyone, Lt Commander Ataan's vessel. Azhan uses the experimental holographic communications system to talk with Ataan, who reveals that the Alcyone is en-route to a planet that is suffering some sort of major environmental and geo-physical cataclysm and she suggests that the Challenger join her.

The planet is sending out an extremely weak distress call and the Alcyone was just lucky that they picked it up, the Challenger would have had no chance of picking it up.

The planet is being wracked by massive seismic events, the population isn't tiny and some of them are being evacuated in smaller civilian ships but the Challenger's help is needed.

Azhan agrees and has Rossi change course to rendezvous with the Alcyone.

Tilan and Ataan end up taking charge of the relief efforts, beaming populations to the massive shuttlebays, dormitories and cargo bays of the Challenger. The USS Hammersley, Nebula Class, is en-route to provide more backup under the command of Captain (to be named).

Meanwhile, Losano and her science team (paided by Niska) are trying to figure out why the seismic events have suddenly occured and they find a specific point on the planet that isn't submitting to the seismic events and is their epicentre. Azhan and Wolfe beam down to investigate, discover the Shaleel Temple - and what appears to be the awakening Shaleel.

It is the awakening of the Shaleel that is causing the seismic disruption.

ACT 3

As the evacuation of the planet continues (with Losano in command of the Challenger), Azhan and Wolfe come to realise that they are not confronting the Shaleel themselves but some sort of guardian hologram that has woken up after a period of near infinite dormancy.

And after abducting Ataan and Tilan (for whatever reason) these holograms, vanguards of the Shaleel, offer our four heroes the chance to be given infinite knowledge of the universe.

ACT 4

Tilan considers accepting the offer of the Shaleel whilst Azhan, Wolfe and Ataan all swiftly reject it. Of course, she'd have beneficial and humanitarian aims in mind with accepting the offer but she'd realise that it wasn't the right choice before she ultimately refused.

Wolfe mentions the similarities between these events and those experienced by Jean Luc Picard decades earlier (TBA).

Azhan and Wolfe work together and realise that if the Shaleel holographic vanguards are drawing their energy from the seismic shifts, destroying a power coupling not only stop the Shaleel but also stop the seismic shifts. Tilan points out that this would still be too late for the planet to be habitable in the long term and the population would need to be relocated.

Whilst Tilan distracts the Shaleel, Azhan tears a cable out, look up at the Shaleel - "Infinite knowledge, huh? Bet you didn't see _that_ coming ..." or something of the type as the hologram fades away and the seismic shifts decrease.

Later, on the bridge of the Challenger, with the Hammersley having now joined them, Losano confirms that the planet is now uninhabitable and Azhan and Tilan confirms that they'll be working with the Hammersley and the Alcyone to find a planet to relocate the aliens to.

Spoiler: Episode 2 Concept

Challenger is surveying planets on which the aliens could settle - but some of them don't want to leave the ship. And the latest planet they survey hides a mysterious secret that threatens the lives of everyone on the mighty Starfleet vessel (a plague is contracted by one of the survey team from a wild animal and it spreads through the ship).

The USS Alcyone does not feature in this episode.

I think I mention there being six other Captains in the first briefing - so that means there are six vessels, aside from the Challenger, in the taskforce sent into the Gamma Quadrant. We establish the Alycone and the Hammersley in the pilot - the other four are left for future episodes to mention but we may want to have some guidlines.

USS Challenger - Galaxy Class, Taskforce Flagship
USS Alcyone - Pleiades Class, Scout/Courier
USS Hammersley - Nebula Class

I'd suggest three Excelsior Class ships and an Intrepid Class vessel to flesh out the Taskforce. Challenger and Hammersley are the workhorses of the taskforce, with major spaces for medical facilities and cargo storage whilst the Pleiades (similar size to the Defiant and fast) can zip from place to place to transfer crew and do basic scouting of planets. The three Excelsiors would carry out the major exploration mission whilst the Intrepid Class is a general exploration and scouting vessel.