Lights... Camera... ACTION!!: A Hollywood Quest

[overmind]

Alright then, this is another Mini-Series that also came from a discussion with @Carcer about the topic, and thanks to him sharing some of the videos about it. Frankly, this shocked me when I saw it because, while I do understand how petty some scientists can be when it comes to sharing the credit from their discoveries (The Tuberculosis Vaccine being a prime example), at the same time I never thought I would see such an example of childish bickering in the scientific community that would lead to the field of study in question to both gain and lose precious knowledge, with the aftermath being the set-back for research of at least two decades because of it.

And this came because of two men, not because of an entire group of scientists. Seriously the upmanship and pettiness involved makes the Montagues and the Capulets look like a children's brawl.

I think we can take a valuable lesson from here; how sometimes scientists, for all that we may wish it so, can't be as objective as they claim. How we should take discoveries with a pinch of salt and do research, and double research, perhaps even making sure that whatever is being done is not because of personal reasons. And of course, always make sure that the knowledge is never lost again like it was done here.

Thus, I give you:

TV Mini-Series Pitch:
The Bone Wars

GENRE: Drama/Comedy/Tragedy

SUBGENRE: Documentary/History

FORMAT: TV Mini-Series​

Set Up: The tale of the "Great Dinosaur Rush", the period where two scientists, Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, revolutionized the field of Paleontology, and brought forth some of the greatest discoveries of the age. Yet at the same time, brought forth an age of competitiveness between scientists, confused future endeavors with their notes, and destroyed priceless knowledge in their rush to be the first and best in their fields. A sobering reminder that Scientists are all too human in the end, with all the virtues and flaws that come with it.

Director: Buzz Kulik
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Episode Length: 45-50 Minutes

Spoiler: Main Characters

Othniel Charles Marsh: The son of a modest farming family. Always interested in studying science, he got the support of his wealthy uncle, George Peabody, to finance his education. He attended Phillips Academy and later enrolled at Yale University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale's Sheffield Scientific School, a Master in Chemistry, Mineralogy and Geology. He studied in Europe where He became an advocate of Darwin's theories, seeing natural selection as a key mechanism in evolutionary change. His personality was described as an obnoxious know-it-all. A brilliant scientist and a stubborn old goat, with many saying that "to get to know Marsh is like running into a pitchfork".

Played By: Michael Gambon
Alternate: Bob Hoskins

Edward Drinker Cope: He was the son of a prosperous shipping magnate. He was a bit of a spoiled brat growing up. His father sent him to the University of Pennsylvania in which he showed little to no interest, with even his handwriting being so terrible for the rest of his life. He did show an early interest in natural history. When seeing the constantly lowering grades of his son, his father bought him a farm so he could work it and make a stable income out of it. Cope However, decided to rent the farm to pursue his research and interests independently., with his father acquiescing.

Played By: John Lithgow
Alternate: Jeremy Irons

Spoiler: Episode I: The Foundations of Rivalry (1867–1872)

First Meeting and Early Collaboration

• 1867 - Berlin Meeting:
  • Cope and Marsh met for the first time in Berlin at a scientific conference. At this point, both were on amicable terms and exchanged ideas about their paleontological work. They recognized each other's potential, forming a temporary alliance based on mutual respect for each other's scientific endeavors.
• 1868 - New Jersey Fossil Site Incident:
  • The seeds of rivalry were planted when Cope introduced Marsh to a fossil site in New Jersey. Cope generously shared his discoveries of Hadrosaurus fossils with Marsh, hoping for collaborative work. Instead, Marsh secretly negotiated with the site owner to have future finds sent to him, excluding Cope. This betrayal marked the first significant rift between the two scientists.

The Elasmosaurus Incident

• 1870 - Elasmosaurus Misplacement:
  • Cope discovered and described Elasmosaurus platyurus, a marine reptile, but famously placed its skull on the wrong end of the vertebral column. When Marsh pointed out the mistake, it became a public embarrassment for Cope. This incident was not just a professional error but a personal blow, leading Cope to attempt buying all copies of the publication to prevent further damage to his reputation.

Scientific and Philosophical Differences

• Approaches to Paleontology:
  • Cope was known for his impulsive and ambitious nature, often rushing to publish new findings to outpace Marsh. His approach sometimes led to errors in interpretation but also demonstrated his extraordinary productivity, resulting in over 1,200 scientific papers and descriptions of over 1,000 species.
• Marsh's Methodical Nature:
  • In contrast, Marsh was meticulous, focusing on accuracy and detail. He was slower to publish, but his work often included comprehensive studies and descriptions. This difference in methodology fueled their rivalry, with each critiquing the other's approach.
• Evolutionary Views:
  • Cope's adherence to Neo-Lamarckism contrasted with Marsh's acceptance of Darwinian evolution. Cope believed that species acquired characteristics through use and disuse, which were then passed on to offspring. Marsh, however, focused on natural selection, examining fossil evidence to support evolutionary theory.

Spoiler: Episode II: The Bone Wars Begin (1873–1876)

Expansion into the American West

• Early Expeditions:
  • Both Cope and Marsh recognized the untapped potential of fossil-rich areas in the American West. They launched expeditions into the regions of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, seeking the plentiful dinosaur remains embedded in the Morrison Formation and other sites.
• Financial Backing:
  • Marsh had substantial financial backing, thanks to his connections with Yale and the Peabody family. This support enabled him to fund large teams and multiple expeditions. Cope, on the other hand, relied on his inheritance and personal funds, limiting his ability to compete with Marsh's well-resourced efforts.

Cosmo Bluff, Wyoming

• 1877 - Discovery of Como Bluff:
  • In March 1877, a letter from Arthur Lakes, a schoolteacher and geologist, reached Marsh, informing him of significant dinosaur fossils in Como Bluff, Wyoming. Marsh acted quickly, dispatching his field team to secure the site.
• Competition Intensifies:
  • Cope soon learned of the finds through Oramel Lucas, a railroad worker who discovered fossils at nearby Garden Park, Colorado. Cope's team hurried to excavate the area, initiating a series of confrontations between the two camps as they vied for control of these rich fossil deposits.

Tactics and Strategies

• Spying and Espionage:
  • Both Cope and Marsh employed spies to report on each other's activities. Marsh, for example, had informants within Cope's team, keeping him updated on Cope's discoveries and excavation sites. Cope reciprocated by planting informants to gather intelligence on Marsh's operations.
• Sabotage:
  • Reports of fossil theft, site tampering, and even physical altercations between workers were common. Some accounts suggest that Marsh's team used dynamite to destroy fossil sites after excavating them to prevent Cope from accessing additional specimens.
• Financial Manipulation:
  • Marsh leveraged his political connections to secure federal funding for his research through the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This move provided him with a significant advantage, while Cope struggled financially, relying on loans and selling parts of his collection to sustain his work.

Spoiler: Episode III: Peak of the Bone Wars (1877–1882)

Major Discoveries and Scientific Contributions
The intense competition between Cope and Marsh led to an unprecedented number of discoveries and descriptions of new species. Their contributions during this period fundamentally shaped the field of paleontology.

• Edward Drinker Cope's Discoveries:
  • Camarasaurus (1877): One of the first sauropod dinosaurs identified by Cope, contributing to the understanding of large herbivorous dinosaurs.
  • Coelophysis (1889): A small, agile theropod dinosaur that provided insights into early dinosaur evolution and predation.
  • Monoclonius (1876): A ceratopsian dinosaur, one of the earliest horned dinosaurs to be described.
  • Amphicoelias (1877): A sauropod dinosaur, once thought to be among the largest, though its actual size remains debated.
  • Dryptosaurus (1866): A theropod dinosaur from New Jersey, contributing to the understanding of North America's dinosaur fauna.
• Othniel Charles Marsh's Discoveries:
  • Apatosaurus (1877): A sauropod dinosaur, notable for its large size and distinctive neck and tail. It was initially confused with Brontosaurus, another dinosaur described by Marsh.
  • Stegosaurus (1877): An armored dinosaur known for its distinctive plates and spikes, which led to debates about their function (defense, thermoregulation, or display).
  • Triceratops (1889): A three-horned dinosaur that became one of the most famous and recognizable dinosaurs, contributing to Marsh's reputation.
  • Allosaurus (1877): A large theropod dinosaur, providing insights into the predatory behaviors and ecosystems of the Late Jurassic period.
  • Diplodocus (1878): A long-necked sauropod, known for its elongated body and whip-like tail, representing some of the longest land animals ever discovered.

Technological and Methodological Advancements

• Excavation Techniques:
  • The competition drove the development of advanced excavation techniques. Both paleontologists began using plaster to preserve delicate fossils during transportation, a method that became standard practice.
• Illustration and Documentation:
  • Detailed illustrations and descriptions of fossils were prioritized, with Cope and Marsh employing skilled artists and lithographers to produce accurate representations of their findings. These efforts contributed to the scientific rigor and accessibility of their work.
• Publication and Journals:
  • The rapid publication of findings was a hallmark of the Bone Wars. Cope and Marsh frequently published in journals such as the American Journal of Science and the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, often critiquing each other's work and defending their claims.

Spoiler: Episode IV: Conflicts and Consequences (1883–1889)

Escalation of Hostilities

• Personal Attacks:
  • The rivalry intensified with public attacks and accusations of incompetence and misconduct. Cope accused Marsh of plagiarism and unethical behavior, while Marsh questioned Cope's scientific accuracy and integrity.
• Public Scandals:
  • Cope sought to expose what he perceived as corruption within the USGS under Marsh's leadership. He accused Marsh of using government resources for personal gain, leading to congressional inquiries and public scrutiny.

Financial and Professional Challenges

• Cope's Financial Struggles:
  • Cope's financial situation deteriorated as he invested heavily in field expeditions and publishing his findings. His decision to sell parts of his fossil collection to museums and private collectors underscored the financial pressures he faced.
• Marsh's Political Maneuvering:
  • Marsh's connections with political figures and academic institutions allowed him to maintain a steady flow of funding. However, his management of USGS resources drew criticism, leading to increased oversight and questions about his ethics.

Impact on the Scientific Community

• Criticism from Peers:
  • The scientific community began to question the ethics and methods of both Cope and Marsh, expressing concerns about the potential damage to fossil sites and the impact on the reputation of paleontology as a field.
• Influence on Future Research:
  • Despite the rivalry, their discoveries laid the groundwork for future research, inspiring a new generation of paleontologists. The Bone Wars highlighted the importance of collaboration and ethical standards in scientific research.

Spoiler: Episode V: Decline and Resolution (1890–1897)

Diminishing Public Interest

• Shift in Focus:
  • As the controversy surrounding their rivalry became more widely known, public interest in the Bone Wars began to wane. The attention shifted towards more collaborative scientific endeavors and the broader implications of their discoveries.
• Lasting Contributions:
  • Despite the decline in public interest, Cope and Marsh continued to contribute to paleontology. Their work significantly expanded the understanding of dinosaur taxonomy and evolutionary biology, leaving a lasting legacy.

Final Years

• Cope's Continued Efforts:
  • Cope faced ongoing financial difficulties and health challenges, yet he remained active in research and publishing until his death in 1897. He continued to defend his theories and engage in scientific debates, leaving a prolific legacy of work.
• Marsh's Enduring Influence:
  • Marsh maintained his position and influence within the scientific community, despite the controversies that marked his career. His work on dinosaur classification continued to be highly regarded, and he remained a prominent figure until his death in 1899.

Legacy and Impact of the Bone Wars
Scientific Contributions

• Discovery of New Species:
  • The Bone Wars led to the identification and classification of over 142 new dinosaur species, significantly enriching the fossil record and advancing the understanding of prehistoric life.
• Advancements in Paleontology:
  • The rivalry spurred innovations in excavation, preservation, and documentation techniques, many of which became standard practice in paleontology.

Institutional Developments

• Establishment of Museums:
  • The competition contributed to the development of major institutions, including the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which became leading centers for paleontological research and education.

Cultural and Historical Influence

• Public Fascination with Dinosaurs:
  • The Bone Wars captured the public's imagination, contributing to the popularization of dinosaurs and paleontology. The rivalry was widely covered in newspapers and magazines, influencing public perception and sparking a lasting fascination with prehistoric life.
• Cautionary Tale of Scientific Rivalry:
  • The Bone Wars serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific rivalry and unethical practices. The conflict underscored the importance of collaboration, transparency, and integrity in scientific research.

The Negative Consequences and Damages
Environmental and Fossil Site Damage

• Destruction of Fossil Sites:
  • Both Cope and Marsh resorted to aggressive excavation methods, including the use of dynamite to unearth fossils quickly. This technique often caused irreparable damage to the fossil sites and led to the destruction of countless fossils. In their rush to outpace one another, delicate fossils were sometimes shattered or lost forever.
• Sabotage:
  • There are documented instances where workers from both camps destroyed fossil sites after removing valuable specimens to prevent their rival from finding anything at those locations. This practice not only reduced the scientific value of the sites but also made it impossible for future paleontologists to study them in a more careful and systematic manner.

Loss of Scientific Context

• Poor Documentation:
  • Due to the intense competition, both paleontologists often neglected to document the precise locations and stratigraphic context of their finds adequately. This lack of proper documentation made it difficult for other scientists to understand the geological and environmental conditions in which the fossils were found, limiting the broader scientific understanding of the ecosystems in which these ancient creatures lived.

Damage to Scientific Integrity and Collaboration

• Hasty Publications:
  • In their rush to be the first to describe new species, both Cope and Marsh made several mistakes in their scientific papers. They often published incomplete or inaccurate descriptions of fossils, leading to confusion in the classification and understanding of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Cope's infamous error with the Elasmosaurus, where he placed the skull on the wrong end of the skeleton, exemplifies the pitfalls of rushing scientific work.
• Duplicate Naming:
  • The speed at which both scientists were publishing led to numerous instances of the same species being described under different names by Cope and Marsh, a problem known as "synonymy." This created a tangled web of taxonomic confusion that took decades for subsequent paleontologists to resolve.
• Personal and Professional Attacks:
  • The rivalry between Cope and Marsh became highly public, with both men frequently attacking each other in scientific publications and the press. This public airing of grievances damaged the reputation of American paleontology in the eyes of the global scientific community and discouraged potential collaboration with European scientists.
• Undermining Colleagues:
  • Both men often sought to undermine each other's credibility by questioning their rival's scientific competence and ethics. Marsh, for example, frequently criticized Cope's work for being rushed and error-prone, while Cope accused Marsh of using his political connections to secure unfair advantages. This toxic environment discouraged open collaboration and mutual respect among scientists during this period.

Financial and Institutional Consequences

• Misuse of Resources:
  • Marsh, in particular, used his connections to secure funding from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other government sources. However, much of this funding was funneled into his personal research rather than broader scientific initiatives. This misuse of government resources led to public and congressional scrutiny, damaging the reputation of the USGS and raising concerns about the proper use of public funds in scientific research.
• Cope's Financial Ruin:
  • Cope, who lacked the same level of financial support as Marsh, eventually depleted his personal fortune in the pursuit of paleontological glory. His financial struggles became so severe that he was forced to sell parts of his fossil collection to keep funding his research. Despite his prolific output, Cope died in relative poverty, a stark contrast to his earlier life of wealth.

Long-Term Impact on Paleontology

• Legacy of Confusion and Misinformation:
  • The Bone Wars resulted in a significant number of misidentified and duplicate species names. Later paleontologists had to spend considerable time and effort sorting through the confusion, reclassifying species, and correcting the errors introduced by Cope and Marsh's hasty publications. This work continues to some extent even today, as new discoveries sometimes lead to further revisions of their findings.
• Missed Opportunities for Collaboration:
  • The intense rivalry discouraged cooperation among American paleontologists and with their European counterparts. This lack of collaboration may have delayed advancements in the field that could have been achieved through a more cooperative approach.
• Damage to Personal Reputations:
  • The aggressive tactics and public feuding between Cope and Marsh left a lasting mark on their personal and professional reputations. Both men were seen as brilliant but deeply flawed individuals, whose rivalry overshadowed their significant contributions to science. Their contentious relationship is often cited as a cautionary tale of how personal animosity can undermine scientific progress.
• Influence on Scientific Culture:
  • The Bone Wars set a precedent for competition over collaboration in the scientific community, particularly in the field of paleontology. While competition can drive innovation, the extreme nature of Cope and Marsh's rivalry highlighted the potential downsides, including unethical behavior and the sacrifice of scientific integrity.

Conclusion
The Bone Wars between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh remain a defining chapter in the history of paleontology. Despite their intense rivalry and personal animosity, their competitive spirit spurred significant advancements in the study of prehistoric life. However, their legacy is also marred by the substantial damage they caused—environmental destruction, scientific errors, financial waste, and the erosion of professional ethics. While their contributions to paleontology laid the foundation for modern research, the Bone Wars also serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked competition and the importance of maintaining ethical standards in scientific inquiry. Their story is a complex and enduring lesson on the dual-edged nature of ambition in the pursuit of knowledge.

A.N.: I'd like to give huge thanks to @Carcer for his aid in the research and the inspiration for this pitch. The story between these two men is full of so much comedy and tragedy that I can't, for the life of me, understand just why no one has tried making a movie, TV Show or even mini-series about it. Well, their loss is our gain I guess.

 

[Kaiser Chris]

Movie Pitch: The Greatest Worst Show Ever Made
Format: Movie
Genre: Biopic
Sub-Genre: Comedy

Premise: The film covers the story of events surrounding the infamous first season of MASH. The film's central protagonist and audience viewpoint character is Bruce O'Brian, but for the most part the film is an ensemble covering the main cast of MASH as they deal with the insanity that was season 1's production. For the most part it is heavily historically accurate, though with some small liberties for comedic effect to present a surreal experience so audiences will have similar sentiments to Bruce's feelings of being in the middle of the production.

The film starts with Bruce's audition process for Radar O'Reilly, with the first 10-20 minutes covering his life at the time and struggles with breaking into Hollywood. After the beginning, the story expands to cover the other main characters though Bruce remains the protagonist with a lot of drama coming from his early experience and relationships with the rest of cast and crew. From there the film follows a largely chronological sequence of the show's production with focus on the highlights of messiness such as the fire and writer's chaos. The end of the film wraps up most of the storylines and shows the premiere of MASH and America's strong reaction towards it along with the transferring of leadership of CBS to Lucille Ball.

Cast
Bruce O'Brian
Alan Ada
Loretta Swit
Wayne Rogers
William Christopher
McLean Stevenson
Larry Linville
Larry Gelbart

 

[overmind]

Shao Pai Long

Chris knew that he and his family were going to get LucasTV the moment it was announced. Not because for the chance to see Star Wars at any time they wished without needing to pay for movie tickets, nor because of the announcements for some of the coolest series he'd seen when they were shown in the promotion space (his younger sister still squeed over the chance to continue watching that Miraculous show), but it was something even more basic than that.

His father had simply said "We're getting it" and that was that. Chris wished he could say it was because he'd seen something in it that had resonated with everyone in the living room that day, but more than likely it was because of the $1.00 per month price for subscription that did it for him.

Not that he would complain, he wanted to watch Luke Cage.

And the experience, though chaotic at first, eventually settled into a pattern when everyone in the family recognized an unofficial schedule; he and his older brother preferred to watch the more mature series like Gundam, Pacific Rim and Luke Cage, his sister loved Miraculous and Atomic Betty, his mother enjoyed both Cupid and Lawyer's Dozen, and finally, his father loved just watching whatever he could see whenever he came home from work.

Hey, at $1.00 per year you're not complaining about what you get.

Still, Chris had to admit to a guilty pleasure whenever he turned on the TV to watch Macross. The series was good, no question about it, the designs were some of the coolest he'd ever seen, the fights had nearly the same impact as the ones in Gundam, and the transforming Veritechs from plans to robots? Freaking awesome! he could not, and he did not think he ever would, get enough of watching the transformation sequence of a Veritech fighter, and if he had the money he would have bought one of those like the rest of his friends at school.

No, the guilty aspect was watching at the series hoping that this was an episode that heavily featured Lin Minmei. Chris was not embarrassed (okay, perhaps he was a bit embarrassed) to say that she was the main reason that he watched the series at all. It had been during one of those days when he had the TV all to himself and had thought to see if there was anything interesting at the time, when he first saw her.

And he was entranced by both her looks and how she moved. He knew from experience, having to accompany her sister more than once on seeing her Miraculous "Anime" on how Lucasfilm's cartoons were just different from anything else that he'd seen before. In both looks and movements they always blew every other cartoon out of the water, almost as if they could jump right out of the screen and dance all around the living room.

But this time, it was like Minmei (as he soon learned her name was) had something special around her in every frame she was in, to the point that he could not take his eyes from her whenever she appeared on the screen, watching the rest of the episode just for the chance that she may appear again. But what truly sealed the deal for him, was when later on in the episode something truly magical happened, what enraptured him and kept him forever after watching each and every episode just for the chance to experience it once more...

She sang.

Shao Pai Long...Shao Pai Long...

The movements, the dancing, the colors, the music, it was all together...amazing. From that moment on, he watched the series religiously if only for the chance to hear her sing again. He came to love the show in time as well, but the main reason he watched it never changed. It was a guilty pleasure that he'd carried with him, though one that inadvertedly helped him break the ice whenever he went to school; he was not the only fan of the show there, and the talks around recess about which of the girls was the best was one of the highlights for the day. He'd met so many who agree with him about Lin Minmei's song and how amazing it was.

Enough for them to try something bold.

Chris was not sure who it was that suggested it at first, at times it seemed like something he would do, but at the same time he could not be completely sure as they had been in the zone that day when they had been complaining about how hard it was to wait or know when one of the episodes when the songs would show during the series. Sometimes needing to wait over three months just for the one chance. The suggestion to try and write to Lucasfilms had been greeted with laughs at first, until soon arguments started dropping in, each more serious than the last.

By the end of that recess, each had a mission; write a letter, then find someone else to do the same, ad nauseum.

It was a harrowing month to be sure. Making sure to write the letter was not the main problem, it was then having to find someone else that could also do it what would prove a challenge; convincing his mother was an exercise in futility that brought perhaps some of the most embarrassing moments in his life (to the point that he would bring those with him to the grave), he never tried asking his father (he would be too busy to even try anyways) and as for his siblings... his older brother was cool with it, but his sister, oh did he have to pay for her help through it all.

The waiting for the answer was the hardest part, one that kept him both in expectation and hopelessness, sometimes sleeping and others not. By the second week he was feeling exhausted, and by the third he was sure that there was not going to be any answer at all, and that perhaps he should just try to adjust to learn when the songs would once more make an appearance during the show.

That is until one of his friends from school called him to tell him the news; the answer was in the comics! One of the page adds in nearly all of the new editions where they announced the chance to have a soundtrack from the show, a limited offer to buy through mail!

And if he thought that the last month had been difficult, having to find any and all kind of chores and small jobs to be able to get the money on time was the most anxiety inducing period of time in his life. On the other hand, his relationship with his father actually improved when they had something to talk about that was in common between them. He actually showed pride at the fact that Chris was looking for his own money.

He tried to not let his smile show that much.

When he finally got his soundtrack though, he nearly drove everyone at home nuts when he played it at all times of the day, eventually having to compromise on when he could listen to it, but at the very least he now could hear his favorite songs as much as he liked. Not that it stopped him from watching Macross in order to see Minmei though, not when he found in that very add something that he hadn't noticed the first time around; the actress who'd voiced her was not the one who'd sang. That honor was reserved for someone else...

Mari Iijima.

He'd known that the song was clearly not English from the beginning, but it had not truly hit him until that moment that he'd been listening to a Japanese song. Not that it stopped him though, but it did expand his horizons when that very add also came with some information about her releasing a new album this year.

One talk later with his friends, the information about the album delivered, and they were once more going back to writing letters, once more trying to find more people who'll help them in their mission, and once more going back to working at odd jobs to get more money to buy said album when the time comes.

But hey, at least he'll keep his father's respect, along with a brand-new music album when all it's done.

Now, if only he could find a way to get an autograph...

A.N.: I've had the idea for having a fan of Macross be such a fan of Minmei that they become fans of the actual singer, thus creating a fanbase for her in the U.S. just because of that one role that she had in Japan (and Kawamori's decision to keep the Japanese songs instead of trying to use different ones).

 

[overmind]

I kind of wanted for us to do another movie that was also part of the Disney Classics, but also different in the same vein than "Snow White and the Huntsman", and frankly, "Ever After" fits all the boxes right then and there. It's a good movie in my opinion, and the historical fiction angle is one that I can clearly see perhaps being tried in different takes for the different Grimm Tales movies. Now, whether they then go for a darker tone, it will depend on the content creator.

And to be honest, I really can't wait for the day when we finally release our adaptations on the Grimm Tales. Disney is going to be shitting bricks on that day, when they finally realize that they don't have full control on whoever makes this kind of films, and that they can be just as good as their old classics.

At the same time, I also have to admit that for all that we've made good movies, we tend to follow a distinct patter, mostly that we don't have that many romance tales, and I really hope that we can at least give something for that genre in order to avoid being seen as unable to do anything with it.

Thus, I give you:

Movie Pitch:
Ever After: A Cinderella Story

GENRE: Romance/Drama/Comedy

SUBGENRE: Historical/Adventure/Fairy Tale

FORMAT: Movie​

Set Up: Based on the tale of Cinderella recollected by the Brothers Grimm. The tale begins with said brothers arriving at the home of a wealthy Grande Dame who speaks of the many legends surrounding the fable of the cinder girl before telling the "true" story of her ancestor, Danielle; With the sudden death of her loving father, Danielle is made a servant by her new stepmother. She also has two new stepsisters, one quite kind but the other one really horrid. Still, Danielle grows up to be a happy and strong-willed young lady, and one day her path crosses that of handsome Prince Henry, who has troubles of his own at home. Luckily the nice Leonardo da Vinci is on hand to help all round.

Director: Ron Howard
Composer: George Fenton

Spoiler: Main Characters

Danielle de Barbarac: She is the only child of the widowed Auguste de Barbarac and the late Nicole de Lancret. Although Danielle seems to have been born into a respectable position in society as a landowner and a lady, she is used by her stepmother, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, as a house slave. She is well-read, as evidenced by her love of books and quoting of Thomas More's book Utopia. She is fearless when it comes to saving people, however, she is less adept at standing up to her step-family, although she improves.

Played By: Meg Ryan
Alternate: Daryl Hannah

Prince Henry of France: He is the only child of King Francis I of France and Queen Marie, making him heir to the throne of France. At first, he seems arrogant, spoiled and inconsiderate, but this may be less his personality and more a result of his lack of direction in life. In general he seems to be less charming than one would expect, letting the opinions of others influence his actions. However, with Danielle's influence, he becomes more open-minded, assertive and kind.

Played By: Tom Hanks
Alternate: Matt Dillon

Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent: She is Danielle's stepmother. Her first husband was the late Baron of Ghent, and her second husband was the late Auguste de Barbarac. She has two daughters, Marguerite and Jacqueline. She is hard-working, ambitious, cruel, and proud. She values her "imperial blood" above all else, using it as an excuse to treat others like dirt. Indeed, she hates Danielle more for her "common" blood rather than for her looks, talents, or her relationship with the prince, but it is also implied that she may also hate Danielle for her father giving his dying declaration of love to his daughter instead of Rodmilla.

Played By: Jean Marsh
Alternate: Anjelica Huston

Marguerite de Ghent: She is the eldest and favorite daughter of Rodmilla de Ghent. Her father is the late Baron of Ghent. Marguerite is vain, cruel, and selfish. She never takes action and passively lets her mother dictate her life. The only exception to this is when she burns Danielle's book. She spares no expense when preparing for the ball, and she has no respect for any of her many expensive dresses, moodily throwing them on the floor and crumpling them as she pleases. She does not care for anyone but herself, even turning on her own mother when she thought it would benefit her.

Played By: Helen Hunt
Alternate: Joanne Whalley

Jacqueline de Ghent: She is the less-favored of Rodmilla de Ghent's two daughters. Her father is the late Baron of Ghent. She is a very kind-hearted, caring, gentle, but weak-willed person. She is friendly to Danielle but dares not to stand up to her bullying mother and sister. She is awkward, as shown when Jacqueline tries to impress the prince by stuffing her feather into the front of her clothes, and she is whiny, as seen when she moodily complains about her costume for the ball and when she complains that Marguerite gets to do everything. However, when pushed to the limit, she can be bold and cunning.

Played By: Brooker Shields
Alternate: Jennifer Connely

Spoiler: Supporting Characters

King Francis I of France: He is the King of France, married to Queen Marie and has one son, Prince Henry. he is insistent that Henry marries Princess Gabriella of Spain. When Henry refuses, Francis gives him a final chance; there will be a ball held, and if he can find someone to marry there then the engagement can be cancelled, but if not then Henry will have to marry Gabriella.

Played By: Timothy West

Queen Marie of France: She is the Queen of France through marriage to King Francis I of France. She is more sympathetic to Henry's desires, even telling Francis how whoever Henry marries should be someone he agrees with. She was tricked by Rodmilla into believing Danielle was already engaged, only finding out at the end, leaving the punishment in Danielle's hands.

Played By: Judy Parfitt

Leonardo da Vinci: He is the artist-in-residence at the royal court of France from 1512 onwards, although in his spare time, he is a scientist and inventor. He is regarded as a bit crazy by others because his inventions can be out-of-this-world, such as the shoes with which one can walk on water. He is kind, open-minded, and does not care much for class and appearances, leading the prince to get angry with him at one point.

Played By: Patrick Godfrey

Maurice: He is a servant of the Barbarac State. Maurice is bold and cunning. After Danielle rescues him from being sold to the Americas, he nearly stands up to Rodmilla (although he is the first to try), and after Danielle is locked into the pantry, Maurice sends for Leonardo da Vinci, who then frees her.

Played By: Walter Sparrow

Louise: She is a servant of the Barbarac State. Louise is sweet, sensitive, and brave. She is the servant who tends to cry, but also the servant who defends Danielle most often. Louise, along with Paulette, comforted Danielle after the death of her father. She is the one who alerted Danielle about the theft of her dress by Rodmilla and Marguerite.

Played By: Matyelok Gibbs

Paulette: She is a servant of the Barbarac State. Paulette is firm, jolly, and feisty. She is the servant who tends to be excited, and she is the one who insults Pierre le Pieu and wishes she could spit on him. Paulette, along with Louise, comforted Danielle after the death of her father. She along with the rest tried to stop Pierre le Pieu when he came to take Danielle.

Played By: Kate Lansbury

Pierre Le Pieu: He is a self-styled/entitled businessman who has a castle and a coat of arms. He is also shown to be a rather pompous and lecherous individual. Whenever Pierre was in the town market, he would often try to woo Danielle, much to her annoyance and disinterest. When Prince Henry rejected Danielle, Pierre and Rodmilla came to an agreement where they tried to sell her to him.

Played By: Michael Elphick

Spoiler: Minor Characters

Grand Dame: She is the great-great-granddaughter of Danielle de Barbarac and Prince Henry of France, and still lives in the royal palace.

Played By: Jeanne Moreau

Gustave: He is a commoner who is in his teens and has an apprenticeship with an artist. He and Danielle are childhood friends.

Played By: Jason Patric

Auguste de Barbarac: He is Danielle's father, a "Seigneur" who married Rodmilla to give his daughter a family before dying.

Played By: Jeroen Krabbé

Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm: They are brothers who have recollected different stories and folklore. They are summoned by the Grand Dame in order to hear the "true Tale" of Cinderella.

Wilhelm Grimm
Played By: Steve Guttenberg

Jacob Grimm
Played By: Jeff Goldblum

A.N.: One of my favorite parts of the film was the beginning with the Grimm Brothers, one of the most perfect examples for framing a story that I've ever seen (also, because I enjoy reading about the Grimm Brothers). I think we can make this movie around the second half of the 80s, since most of the younger actors will be perfect at around that period. I've kept the older actors fro OTL since I think they can still work in this decade.

 

[wabbitking]

Marvel Comics Pitch
I Hate Fairyland


Genre: Dark Comedy, fantasy.

​

Plot: Welcome to Fairyland. A world of Whimsy magic and wonders, but also the darkest of black hearted evils. Of the many laws and phenomena of Fairyland is the Guest's Quest. Every once in a while a child shall be summoned from the real world to roam and go through various traps, puzzles and side quests to find their key and return home. This usually takes about two shakes of a Boggelzig . Or about a day for those of you who left their fairyland conversion calendar at home. At most no more of then a week for those who really enjoy the scenic route.

Meet Gert.

She's been on her Quest for Twenty Seven years.

After years of being an adult in the body of a child. Years of never seeing her family or loved ones. years of getting into life and death battles and trudging through the most dangerous environments Fairyland has to offer. she's grown rather tired of Fairyland. In fact you could say she hates it. And she's wiling to do anything to get home.

Follow her adventures as she tries, fails and (maybe) eventually succeeds in her quest to leave Fairyland once and for all.

Spoiler: Characters

Gertrude AKA "Gert the Gruesome": Once a normal girl who was transported to fairyland. Though she hasn't physically aged a day since she got there, decades of dangerous adventures with no home or family has turned her into a violent, boorish alcoholic who prefers to solve problems with her axe and has little to no empathy about others plights. Behind her murderous and crass exterior she has deep fears of never getting home and what her life, body and family will be like when/if she returns. Her language is heavily peppered with Fairyland swearwords like " What the fluff, fluff you, Muffin Hugger, Son of a Biscuit and What the Spell.

Larrigon Wentsworth III AKA "Larry": A talking fly fairy and Gert's guide through Fairyland. Larry graduated at the top of his class and ha a bright future with the Guild of Guides. But his first Guest was Gertrude. Decades of following Gerturde around has transformed him into a depressed shadow of his former self. Always has a cigar and often seen binge drinking (though not as much as Gert). Uses a Fly sized revolved whenever he has to fight. And has a magic bowler hat of storage that Gert uses to carry her many weapons, tools and loot.

Cloudia: Queen of Fairyland, Cloudia has a cloud for hair and weather based powers. While she can be a condescending and snooty she genuinely cares about Fairyland. Gert's destructive actions across fairyland over the decades have drawn her ire and as the story begins she starts scheming to get rid of Gert once and for all. By the natural laws of Fairyland she can't harm Gert herself so she resorts to various mercenaries and magical means. Ultimately she ends up getting killed by Gert but is resurrected by Horribella as the evil "Dark Cloudia" who hates fairyland and seeks to bring about THE END.

Horribella: A witch hired by Cloudia to kill Gert. Which she tries to do with a Zombie Plauge. Afterwards she becomes a recurring side charecter. In the Climax she resurrects Cloudia as "Dark Cloudia" to bring about THE END and is her first victim.

Bill the Fairyland Devil; The Devil of Fairyland, Makes deals and tortures Gert in her brief stint in Fairyland Hell.

Duncan Dragon: A young boy in a dragon costume who's lifegoal until recently was to drink every slushie flavor at the local convenient store. He was accidently transported to Fairyland while using a outhouse after drinking to many slushies on Halloween night. Something about Fairyland and his costume is slowly giving him dragon based powers.

Happy: A cheerful and aptly named girl summoned to Fairyland by Cloudia to go on her Fairyland adventure. Once she leaves By Fairyland law Gert will no longer be considered a guest but a citizen and Cloudia can kill her personally. Wields Rainbow magic at a surprising level for someone whose been to fairyland for such a short time.

The Fairyland High council: A group of the most powerful beings in fairyland. they are charged with maintaining it's order, ensuring balance and maintaining the numerous rules society and Fairyland itself require to function. Have control freak tendencies. And tend to be sticklers for the rules.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I like the comic. I'd prefer for the original creator Skottie Young to do it. But mostly I'm pitching it because I think it'd be funny for Gert to eventually Interact with some Marvel characters like Deadpool.

 

[overmind]

Alright then, this idea came from talking with @Kaiser Chris about perhaps expanding the Tron Franchise beyond just a single movie. I initially was not so sure, but the possibilities were intriguing, not to mention that for all that I thought that Tron: Legacy was not that bad, in the end I thought that the franchise did deserve to move forwards, instead of just repeating the same plot over and over. Exploring more of the movie's themes on free will and purpose, not to mention being able to once more make great use of CGI and push the technology as far as it can once more.

Though most of the actors are coming back from the first movie, there are new as well, and I hope we can make this movie to be released in this decade, in order to make it one of those trilogies that span the 80s. I just like the idea of Tron being synonymous with the 80s. Can you imagine the amount of nostalgia this is going to generate when the 2000s arrive? Even better if it becomes one of the best franchises to come out of Lucasfilms as well.

I also think this is one of those movies that could benefit from having Zemeckis be the director. He is one of the few yet to have any movie directed, and if there's one thing we can always count with him, is pushing the Special Effects to their utmost limits, as well as to deliver and entertaining story along as well

Thus, I give you:

Movie Pitch:
Tron 2.0

GENRE: Action/Adventure/Science Fiction

SUBGENRE: Fantasy/Drama

FORMAT: Movie​

Set Up: The Sequel to Tron which released in 1981. Kevin Flynn, now the CEO of ENCOM, is preparing the newest development for the company; A Nationwide Internet that will connect all computers around the nation. However forces hidden to him are moving to crash and destroy his company. New technology titan, Innova Tech, under the aegis of Robert Manson, are preparing not only to steal the project, but have also found out the secrets of the Grid and Programs, and will stop at nothing to control it all. Unknown to both sides, a new development in the Grid will throw a wrench at their plans, as the birth of independent programs become a reality.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Composer: Gary Numan

Spoiler: Main Characters in the Real World

Kevin Flynn: He is the new CEO of ENCOM after the previous movie. With the company now working on the "Internet" Project to expand the Grid and find new areas to explore, Kevin is quite excited about the possibilities of what they may find out there. It soon becomes obvious however that things may not end as peaceful as he hopes. Finding another grip under the tyrannical rule of a User and his Programs, he vows to set them free, while at the same time finding hope in the discovery of an independent program not created by a User; Iso15, soon to be named "Isaiah".

Played By: Jeff Bridges

Robert A. Manson: He is the CEO of Innova Tech. He is a self-centered, misogynistic asshole, who always talks condescendingly to those who he outranks and has power over. He is insecure and tends to always put himself above others in small petty ways. after partnering with Flynn and ENCOM to finance their "Secret Project" he immediately made plans to steal the design and stab them in the back, making them take the fall for many of his company's crimes. He created Brother Beta as an AI to control his grid, but made it so that he was always looked by Programs that were to follow his every rule, and to never deviate from their programming.

Played By: Billy Crystal
Alternate: Crispin Glover

Spoiler: Main Characters in the Grid

Iso15/"Isaiah": He is an Independent Program, as in a program not created by a User. Due to this characteristic, instead of being limited by his programming, he can grow, change, evolve in any way he may choose to. He is snarky, sarcastic teen who's only desire is to escape the hell that is the Manson Grid. His interaction with both Flynn and Tron has him bond with them, inspiring him to finally take a stance against Brother Beta and the Manson Grid, risking his life to save them and convincing Brother Beta to make a stand against Manson. In the end, he becomes the new leader of the Grid.

Played By: Robert Downey Jr.
Alternate: Andrew McCarthy

Brother Beta: It is an artificial intelligence created by Innova Tech founder Robert Manson that was designed to rule its mainframe computer with an Iron Fist. However, unlike Master Control, it's constrained by both Manson following his every move, and by both MA3A and Byte making sure he never deviates from what the User desires. Brother Beta its taciturn, stoic and cold. A persona he built to protect himself, believing there is no other path but to follow the will of the User. It is not until he sees the determination of Isaiah, as well as his potential at not having any programming to follow, that he decides to make a stand and give him the control codes for the Manson Grid.

Played By: Christopher Lee
Alternate: Alan Rickman

Spoiler: Supporting Characters in the Real World

Alan Bradley: He is a computer programming working partner of Kevin Flynn at ENCOM, and later becomes one of the key members for the "Internet Project". During Manson's attempts at framing the company, he worked to keep it afloat, keep a connection with Flynn in the Grid, and find evidence that would exonerate them. When discovering that Manson was behind it all, he went against the Feds themselves to get at the evidence to prove his wrongdoing.

Played By: Bruce Boxleitner

Dr. Lora Baines: She is a research engineer at ENCOM, the ex-girlfriend of Kevin Flynn and then-current girlfriend of Alan Bradley. Another key member of the "Internet Project", though she was not given any assignments after the company was being investigated in order to keep her safe. She still decided to go undercover at Innova Tech, finding out their secrets, and playing a key role in allowing Brother Beta to snap out of Manson's control.

Played By: Cindy Morgan

Spoiler: Supporting Characters in the Grid

Tron: He is a security program created by Alan, with his likeness, to monitor communications between the MCP and the real world. After its defeat, he became one of the key Peacekeepers in the ENCOM Grid, as well as one of their better fighters. He was concerned that the "Internet Project" could bring danger to the Grid, but still followed Flynn's lead. After the discovery of the Manson Grid he joined in the fight to free it, facing against T-II a younger copy of himself, whom he defeated with the aid of Isaiah.

Played By: Bruce Boxleitner

Yori: She is an input/output program created by Baines, with her likeness, to take charge of the creation of digital simulations (such as the Solar Sailer) and assist with the de-rezzing procedure of the digitizing laser. After the defeat of Master Control, she was programmed to serve as an administrator of the ENCOM Grid, remaining behind while Tron and Flynn traveled, after which she coordinated its defense during the invasion of the Manson Grid.

Played By: Cindy Morgan

T-II: He is a Fighting program designed to follow orders from Byte and MA3A to either derezz disobedient programs, or to crush any and all resistance in the Manson Grid. T-II was a copy of Tron, acquired by Alan Stickler and given to Manson to work with. He was made younger, and designed with no memories and all the fighting experience to better serve its programming. Though technically faster and stronger than Tron, his lack of experience fighting pre-programmed enemies made it so that Isaiah aiding Tron caused his defeat.

Played By: Kyle MacLachlan
Alternate: Bruce Campbell

Spoiler: Minor Characters in the Real World

Miss Clark: She is the secretary of Robert Manson, a longsuffering assistant who has to deal with his boss sexist remarks as well as his condescending attitude every day. She eventually betrays him, aiding Lora and going to work for ENCOM.

Played By: Lori Loughlin

Charles Stockton: He is a programmer who was a "Friend" of Manson. Awkward and shy, he was easily manipulated by both Manson, and the Lora when she needed access to the labs. He was fired because of it, his friendship never mattering to Manson at all.

Played By: Anthony Edwards

Alex Stickler: He is a programmer from ENCOM who was blackmailed by Manson into revealing the secrets of the Grid, the "Internet Project" and Tron. He created the Dot program to mess with Manson, and to find a way to get from under his thumb.

Played By: Ted McGinley

Spoiler: Minor Characters in the Grid

Ma3a: She is a sadistic program in charge of imprisoning and "reprogramming" all dissidents to the Manson Grid. She was created by Charles with Miss Clark's appearance. She is slavishly devoted to the User's programming, and willing to follow any and all of its orders.

Played By: Lori Loughlin

Byte: He is a ruthless and zealot program in charge of propaganda inside the Manson Grid, making sure to keep any and all programs never asking any questions. He has Charles appearance, and is a true believer in the User always being right.

Played By: Anthony Edwards

Dot: He is a compassionate program created by Alex, who makes sure to protect and shelter any and all programs who may need help. He also gathers information about the Manson Grid to deliver to his User.

Played By: Ted McGinley

Spoiler: Act 1

The movie begins with Kevin in the Grid seeming to be fleeing from someone on the Light Cycle, though eventually he loses. However, instead of being derezzed, he appears just fine next to Tron. Both of them walk through an installation as they discuss the improvements made to the System, allowing for the Programs to have a "Backup" that would keep them from being needlessly derezzed, seeing how the Grid has increased population with the new creation of Programs, and hos their "new Project" would hopefully aid with that. We see the current situation of the Grid and programs from the previous time before Flynn returns to the real world once more.

Back in the Real World, Flynn goes about his day as the new CEO of ENCOM, meeting with his friends and Co-Workers, among them Alan and Lora (who are the only ones so far who know about the world inside the Mainframe) who he begins speaking about the improvements inside the Grid. They speak about their newest project; a new network that could connect the computers throughout their entire company, and from there it could expand at some point to go all over the world (Though Alan and Lori have reservations about it). Flynn is then reminded that he has a meeting with their new business partner, Robert Manson, since they do need the funding for the company to finish the project, it taking so much of their budget.

Turning to a new company, Innova Tech, where we see Robert Manson, a short, self-centered and overconfident man who tends to speak condescendingly to everyone around, giving orders to all around before meeting with Flynn. Both sides express their desire for cooperation, though Flynn is clearly reluctant and dubious about Manson's future plans. At the end, Flynn leaves conflicted, wondering if they should continue working with them. He takes a trip inside the Grid to decompress and speak with Tron, dealing with the pros and cons of opening the Grid, with Tron explaining some concerns the Programs had given him about it, the fear of another Master Control Program being out there still lingering.

Back with Manson, we see him in his labs speaking to some of his underlings, behaving in the same manner as seen, condescendingly, always putting himself above everyone and browbeating them into submission whenever they try to suggest something that is not part of his plans (and taking credit when something they do is right). It is revealed that through corporate espionage they have found the secrets from ENCOM, the travelling into the Grid, the plans and designs for the Internet and how Manson has already taken full control over his own Grid.

Looking into Manson's Grid, we see that it has become a truly Dystopic world, even more than the one under MCP in ENCOM, where all programs constantly monitor each other, not trusting anyone, thanks to the propaganda distributed by "Brother Beta", the AI in charge of the Grid along with its assistants, Ma3a and Byte. It's a Grid that in many ways resembles the most horrifying environment and ideology from Orwell's 1984, with Ma3a handling anyone who tries to escape or disagree, while Byte handles the propaganda inside, keeping everyone in line. With no Gladiatorial games like with Master Control, only "Public Derezzing" for those considered "Enemies of the Grid".

Among them, we see a young Program looking everywhere he goes, trying to appear inconspicuous as he tries to go about his day, and gathering small materials while escaping from the different monitoring devices, as he enters a hiding location where we see him working on a vehicle that is nearly complete. Taking the different devices he stole, he works them together, but authorities find him before he can put in the last one. They call him by name, Iso15, and are about to break in when he breaks through them inside the vehicle, a mix between a jet and a ship, as it begins sailing through the Grid. He is pursued before he presses a button, which allows him to travel outside of the Grid, into the Internet.

Iso15 arrives at the ENCOM Grid where he is met by Yori, who manages to calm him down from his escape.

Manson is furious when told of what just happened, as this Program may compromise his plans, having discovered the location of where it might have gone. He puts in motion the plan to take over ENCOM that had been on the works now, while at the same time preparing Brother Beta to finish the Internet as soon as possible to begin the takeover of their Grid. Flynn, who has been called into the Grid by Tron, is not aware, nor told of the situation on the outside world, as Manson had made deals with the Federal Government to raid ENCOM, so that they could get priority on the Internet Project. Flynn can't defend his company at the moment, and with no one mentioning about the Grid World, there is speculation that he might have fled for some crime he committed.

Flynn and Tron speak with Iso15, learning about the other Grid, how he managed to escape, how he does not want to go back. During the time speaking with him, and seeing him interact with the different programs, they soon find that Iso15 is something else, as unlike the other programs he does not have a function assigned to him, nor parameters to define him, but instead he can choose for himself what to do and how to do it, as well as improve on it as well. When asked, Iso15 is reluctant at first, but eventually confesses that he was not created by any User, he just appeared one day on his own. The discovery being shocking to all.

The discovery however it's overshadowed when Flynn discovers he cannot leave the Grid, something wrong is going on.

In the outside world, Manson is preparing for the takeover of ENCOM, while Alan and Lori both try to find a way to communicate with Flynn. They manage to modify and jury-rig one of Lora's old computers to speak with Flynn, barely being able to get the situation across, while Flynn tells them to stall for time while he finds what to do. Both Alan and Lora begin doing what they can to get the company to survive during this storm.

Spoiler: Act 2A

IN the Real-world Alan and Lora split up to try and get the job done faster. Alan remains in the jury-rigged computer in order to better communicate with Flynn, Tron and Iso15, keeping them on the loop while also working on a way to use the documents on hand to keep the feds at bay as long as possible. Lora goes for a much riskier approach, infiltrating Innova Tech in the guise of defecting from ENCOM or looking for a new job.

In the Grid, Yori remains keeping the city under control as well as to slow down any advances from the feds to try and find any information. Flynn, Tron and Iso15 use the latter's ship to return once more to his Grid, during the travel getting to know one another better. In Manson's Grid we see Brother Beta being informed of the situation on their Grid as well as the escape form one of their programs. Brother Beta is completely Stoic, speaking in a regal way, but almost uninterested in what's being said, telling them to continue their work, and to finish the Project. After they leave, we see him interact with Manson, giving an update, receiving new orders, and then once more the connection being severed. All the while Brother Beta remains Stoic and Cold.

Flynn, Tron and Iso15 arrive at Manson's Grid, but are discovered and shot down after a brief dogfight. They manage to escape and sneak into the city following Iso15, but now there is a manhunt for them. They see the situation as it is, with the oppression, mistrust, and the constant surveillance of the Grid, reminding them all to much of the actions of Master Control. The situation gets worse when they are forced to watch a public derezzing for one of the "Enemies of the Grid", which is done by Brother Beta's Executioner; T-II. While they manage to escape notice, Tron looks at the program, a sense of curiosity on his face.

Back on the real world, Lora is being given the tour by Miss Clark, Manson's secretary (and a dead ringer for MA3A) who explains about the company, the benefits, their goals, yet whenever they get to the subject of Manson, her smile becomes more fixed, saying platitudes in order to avoid saying anything incriminating or that may cost her job. Lora pushes to find out more, with Miss Clark slipping for a moment on her true feelings, but also implicating about Manson's distrusting and controlling nature.

As Miss Clark excuses herself for a moment to gather herself, Lora slips deeper into the building, looking for the labs, going through halls and nearly getting caught before finding the location where the communication between Manson and Brother beta takes place. She enters the code (which she finds written down in a simple post it note) and begins looking through the files. Discovering that Manson had nearly all their information and data, which is how he was able to leak info to the feds.

Iso15 leads the group to his hiding place, a sanctuary for those who are hiding from Brother Beta. There they find many programs, but also many others who were just like Iso15, just made on their own without any User input. They meet Dot, the leader of the Community, who had been trying to keep the entire area safe for all. They also discover that this is the Grid of Manson's company through the talks and the different images of the programs looking similar to workers Flynn saw when visiting.

After learning as much as they can from the programs (especially about the newest plans for the Internet), both Flynn and Tron begin planning on a strike on Brother Beta, thinking that in the end, if they can take out the Main Controller, then just like in their own Grid, they can free the rest of the Programs. Some of the other programs seem to agree, but Iso15 speaks against it, saying how they should run away instead of facing Brother Beta. Iso15 refuses to go, but before they leave he has a talk with Flynn, both revealing their past between each other, and bonding. Giving Iso15 a name with which to call him, "Isaiah".

Spoiler: Act 2B

Back in the real world, Lora is caught by one of the employees, a man named Charles Stockton (a dead ringer for Byte), who is basically one of Manson's bootlickers. Lora manages to bluff her way with a bit of flirting/intimidation to get him eating out of the palm of her hand, having him spill more information, and believing that she was going to join them anyways. Lora leaves the room, finding Miss Clark once more for the continued tour, before being taken to see Manson himself.

Alan, who has been struggling to form some sort of communication with Flynn is finally contacted, though the communication is scratchy and faulty. It barely lasts for some seconds before it's taken down, but it tells him that Manson is behind it all, and to look for evidence that they were set up. Alan begins making calls and gathering documentation, unaware that he's also being monitored and followed.

Tron and Flynn, along with a group of infiltrators begin to make their move into the Base for Brother Beta. Creating a distraction, they manage to infiltrate inside, eventually being discovered (after moving through many of the halls and rooms) by T-II, who fights against Tron while Flynn and the rest of the volunteer's movie ahead. Tron and T-II are evenly matched, perhaps a bit too evenly as Tron begins to notice that T-II's movements are very similar to his own during the fight.

Flynn and the group arrive to face Brother Beta, who is accompanied by both MA3A and Byte, both sides fighting each other. Flynn tries to get at Brother Beta, but he once more just is not faced, even when taken hostage by Flynn. MA3A and Byte don't care either, goading him to kill him, as it's revealed that Brother Beta, while the administrator and ruler of the Grid, is eventually replaceable as designed by the User. He was never more than the puppet in the end. At the same time, Tron is defeated by T-II, carried to the main room where everyone has been captured, and then revealed to be an actual copy of Tron.

Lora meets with Manson who acts as his irritable self, both sides playing word games with each other, until Manson reveals he knew the truth about her, how she infiltrated his labs ("Memo to Myself: Chuckie's fired") and above all, everything going on in her company thanks to his own inside man. Meanwhile, Alan 's home is suddenly raided and he's nearly caught. He has to run from the feds as he leaves everything behind at the home.

In Manson's Grid, Flynn, Tron and the rest are given a front row sight to the Internet being activated, the connection to ENCOM's Grid being created, where Yori sees it forming, and from where an entire army is sent to take it over.

Spoiler: Act 3

Manson takes Lora (now held by a couple of his guards) to the lab where he gloats about his plans to take over ENCOM's Grid, from there the entire process of the creation of the Internet to sell to the government, unaware that he will be the one controlling all the information behind the scenes.

At ENCOM's Grid Yori is leading the defense against the army of Brother Beta. Meanwhile, in Manson's Grid, Flynn, Tron and the rest are seeing their Grid be destroyed as the rest are being destroyed. Flynn tries to appeal to them, but MA3A and Byte laugh, since they are just programs and following their directives is what they were made to do, with even Brother Beta not contesting, nor denouncing them. There is a sense of defeatism around him that was not there before, now that it is clearly seen that the current actions taken were never his to begin with.

The gloating ends quickly when, from the window where they were watching the invasion, a ship is approaching quickly in a collision course, scattering them all around, revealing Isaiah inside and helping them escape. Both MA3A and Byte ordering their pursuit, with T-II at the head. Flynn and Tron thank Isaiah, and tell him they need to stop the invasion. Isaiah mentions that he sneaked around the Grid enough to know that they'd need to take down the Generator near the Internet's entrance.

Alan is nearly caught before a car stops in front of him, helping him escape. The driver identifies himself as Alex Stickler (a dead ringer for Dot), a worker at ENCOM, who was forced to work for Manson and give information about their secret projects. When asked why he's helping now, it's because he also created a program that was set to let him know when shit hit the fan, as he knew Manson would not leave him be in the end (Alan: How did you know that? Alex: have you met the man?!), so this is his way to making things right.

Alex tells him of how the many charges put against ENCOM are real charges that Manson hid about himself and his company, and the evidence was hidden in ENCOM's labs. If they can get it, then they can stop the investigation and bring Manson to justice... problem is, the labs and the entire building are being held under federal custody with agents everywhere. So, they'll have to get creative.

Tron, Isaiah and Flynn manage to crash into the generator, all splitting up, with Tron fighting T-II once more, this time with the aid of Isaiah, who uses his unpredictability to distract T-II enough to be defeated. Flynn manages to find the generator to shut it down, stopping the invasion, and Isaiah uses T-II's codes to send an entire message through the Grid to cause chaos through it, inciting riots, and making enough of a nuisance for them to once more face against MA3A and Byte.

Meanwhile, Alan and Alex call in a bomb threat on the building, forcing them all the agents to leave while they sneak in, then racing against time to get the files and evidence before the feds arrive, which they finally manage to do at the last moment. Lora manages to convince Clark to join with her to distract Manson while the Internet on his side shuts down, and before he can respond, she escape the guards' hold and breaks the machine in front, stopping him from communicating with both MA3A and Byte.

Flynn, Tron and Isaiah arrive at the base where they face MA3A, Byte and Brother Beta respectively, with Isaiah debating Brother Beta once more, restoring his hope, and making him willing to stand with him, using his access to shut down all the monitoring and restrictions imposed on the Grid, taking away the power of MA3A and Byte, who gloats that this only will stop them for little while before the User restores them. But when nothing happens, their faces fall.

Manson is arrested, complaining all the way, in Manson's Grid, Isaiah is made the new leader by Brother Beta, with T-II now ongoing treatment to deal with him being basically a "Child Soldier2 having known nothing but fighting since he was a copy of Tron with no memories nor knowledge beyond fighting. Alex is allowed to keep his job, welcoming Miss Clark to the ENCOM family.

Meanwhile, Flynn, Alan and Lora have to give an explanation to the Government about what just happened, in which Flynn reveals the existence of the Grid.

A.N.: I'd like to give a thanks to @Kaiser Chris for the idea, since the thought of continuing Tron had not crossed my mind until then. If everything goes right, then perhaps adding an Anime, or perhaps comic books, in order to expand the lore and the universe might not be a bad idea. Please let me know if you have any thoughts about it.

 

[Kaiser Chris]

Curbifornia

When you moved to California at the start of the 70s, you could never have possibly imagined you'd play a major role in changing the state's political trajectory and culture. Hell, you didn't even pay that much attention to the '68 election in spite of its importance, it was all kind of a blur as you were off in your own world of learning and dreaming of film. Even after making it big with MASH and Star Wars, you didn't really have any grand ambitions in the political realm, just wanting to make good films. However, an asshole governor trying to steal your land and the warning of Carrie's good Samaritan of a record producer turned Lieutenant Governor launched one of the biggest scandals since Watergate and turned your Goose into a semi-active conservative, a profile raised by an order of magnitudes with your adventures and the impact of Lucasfilms.

You don't think you could ever have the temperament to do politics full time, mainly because you didn't want to neglect your film career and most importantly your family. Still, it was undeniable that you had a major impact on California, and perhaps the greater US. Hopefully one that will be better as history looks back generations later. It's far from perfect, but you think you've made a decent influence.

Perhaps most important of your work was the resignation of Jerry Brown and the rise of Governor Mike Curb. A major part of why you chose to make George's middle name Michael was because you knew a lot of great Michael's in your life, and Mike Curb was no exception. He started off his term extremely well in cleaning up Sacramento of the rot which almost lead to the theft of your land. To the dismay of the GOP, it wasn't some sort of Democratic cabal that justified Watergate or some BS like that, rather it was a bi-partisan coalition of crooked legislators with 8 Republicans and 16 Democrats in the House and 4 Republicans and 4 Democrats in the Senate. Dubbed the "Terrible Thirty Two", these crooks would resign or be impeached over the last quarter of 1979 in a bi-partisan process under Curb's oversight. It was a very strong start to Mike's term as governor which made him respected by both sides of the aisle and had him be marked at a 81% approval rating at the start of the new decade.

From the many special elections, the Senate remained unchanged under democratic control of 24-16, but the Republicans made great strides in the House, winning a net 9 seats to close the gap considerably to a Democratic led 42-38. With the Hillsgate investigations dragging well into spring, there wasn't much for Mike to do as it was a presidential election year and everyone was in campaign mode. There were two major pieces of legislation that he started in order to leave his mark though.

The first was the creation of the California Film Commission. A part of the commerce department, it was a bureaucratic institution focused on doing everything they could to support Hollywood and keep as much of its production in-state. This was done mainly through production subsidies, coordinating with studios to film on public land, and tax credits for production expenses. It was commonly believed that this was somehow your pet bill, but honestly you were completely in the blank. It was honestly just common sense considering Hollywood was now worth billions in box office receipts alone and the studios made for a generous percentage of the state's GDP when combined. Not that you'll turn away such a gift.

The second and more personal legislation was a series of laws in response to Eddie's sentence for his intoxicated manslaughter. Three years for killing someone and crippling a kid made national headlines and Californians were pissed for yet another example of Hollywood favoritism along with many DUI victims coming out and sharing their own stories of seemingly getting slighted by the justice system. As such, intoxicated manslaughter, DUI and general vehicular manslaughter and negligence crimes were given harsher penalties along with a variety of small tax increases on liquor. You didn't request such, but Carrie was heavily grateful all the same.

The Reagan landslide brought its own coattails to Washington where Republicans were given a single seat in the State Senate to close the gap to 17-23 and another nine seats in the State Assembly, giving a comfortable 47-33 majority and flipping the house to the GOP for the first time since the 60s. It was a very strong mandate even if not a trifecta, and with Mike Curb there was plenty of room to work with.

---

The main focus for Mike would be leading the path in Drug Rehabilitation and Enforcement. Many considered it to be a non-issue that was a waste of government funds and resources considering the state of the economy, but Mike firmly believed that the drugs were going to ruin future generations and send America down a dark path, not to mention destroy city life and culture. You believe Mike to be true, and Carrie was firmly in devotion, hence one of the many reasons she chose Curb Records and in spite of her mixed voting record, had been one of Mike's biggest financial supporters.

As Governor, Mike flipped the script of the War on Drugs that Nixon had wrote at the start of the decade. Rather than painting everyone involved in drugs whatsoever as inherently evil and deserving of brutal and draconian punishment, Mike labelled those involved in drugs into two spaces. Victims and creators. The victims were anyone whose only crime was falling into the vice and using it, one bad choice leading to their early demise and the suffering of those around them, but one made through ignorance and pressure. The creators were villains who created the drugs and pushed its distribution, profiting off of the addiction of communities and using their newfound wealth to accumulate power and ruin the community. There was also a clear distinction between "Casual" distribution of a personal nature and "Organized" distribution with direct sale from the producers or as part of a larger organized network. Casual distributors were given misdemeanors and focused on correction, while victims whose only mistake was use were pushed more towards rehabilitation sentences to cleanse their bodies and develop better character and emerge with reintegration into society. Just as you said at the RNC, don't punish and hate the sick, but treat them with love and compassion. The new crime laws were implemented quickly and new strategies were being worked with the FBI and local law enforcement to better combat the cartels and gangs who produce drugs, a new phase of war with a laser focus on production instead of users. While the drug trade hasn't been erased, there has been a gradual and steady decline of production and usage across California with cartels choosing to redirect focus to the South and East Coast.

As for rehabilitation, it was a task that Republicans and Democrats were united upon, but there were divides on how the process was to go forth, most especially with money and how much responsibility was to be split between the state and cities as rural Californians didn't want to bear the burden of the city's woes. The debate would come to a swift conclusion in the aftermath of John Belushi's death. Dying of a cocaine overdose on March 5th, Belushi's passing was a true tragedy to art as the comedian was just reaching his prime and had made some brilliant work with Animal House and Blues Brothers. Much of Hollywood had been hurt by the passing and when you attended the Memorial service with Carrie and Robin, there were hundreds of actors who had come for support; though to Carrie's disgust it seemed that many A-listers weren't motivated to stop, just deal with their own addictions better. The general public was mortified and it gave Curb just enough push to pass his rehabilitation programs through, with most of it to be funded by federal support later that year. So far the programs are in their infancy, but tens of thousands of Californians are taking the first steps to recovery and the topic of drug abuse is now being discussed openly with compassion instead of the old days of shame and blissful ignorance, which is a good first step.

A very interesting and bold move that Mike did which really made him stand out among the GOP was the Defense of Equal Employment Act. The act was another Civil Rights bill, though this time instead of being about race, it was about sexual orientation, completing what the California Supreme Court started in 1979 and making it the law that gay individuals could not be discriminated against for their orientation in regards to employment, retention and hiring in the private sector. The State Supreme Court had already outlawed it within the public sector, and in '78 the Briggs Initiative to ban gay teachers from schools was strongly defeated with you and Carrie both proudly voting No against the proposition. A big portion of the No vote's success had been credited to Mike who rallied sympathetic Republicans against it and even getting Reagan to say he was against Briggs. Thanks to lobbying and personal outreach from the Log Cabin Republicans, Mike agreed to take the next step for Gay Rights, signing the DEEA in the fall of 1981, gaining support from half of the congressional Republicans in exchange for moving forward with tax cuts. This historic step made California the first state to protect sexual orientation in all employment, though DC had been the first overall in 1973. For now it seems that few states are eager to follow California, although Wisconsin did the same in 1982. You have to wonder if something big is in the motions.

With Reaganomics being practiced on Washington, the California GOP was eager to follow their beloved former Governor's example in Sacramento. However, here expectations met reality hard when the Republicans became split over the age old divide in fiscal conservatism, lower taxes versus a lower deficit. Tax warriors wanted to slash and burn taxes to free the people's wealth while deficit hawks wanted to keep the Brown taxes and cut the fat and rot off the state budget to pay off its debts. Months of debate ensued with neither half of the party finding defectors from the Democrats who stood united in maintaining the Brown fiscal consensus.

Once the Reagan Tax Cuts were passed, Republicans started to get more united and dialogue was started with moderate and conservative Democrats. The end result was a focus on personal income reform with new tax rates from the lowest tier of 3% to the highest paid tax bracket (You and Carrie) paying 10%. However in return for such major tax cuts, corporate income and sales tax remained the same, large cuts of local subsidies were to be planned over the decade, many tax deductions and loopholes were eliminated, and minor budget cuts paired with small tax increases and a major tobacco tax increase. This lead to a slight increase in the deficit, but proponents argue that the newly freed income will be a boost to economic stimulus. In either case, the '82 general elections saw the elimination of inheritance and gift taxes, which is something that you're happy about to further secure your kids futures.

At this stage it's way too early to tell if the tax cuts have had a huge effect on the state economy, but California fiscally seems to be doing pretty well. During the Great Recession, most of the economic slowdown saw California add jobs, though there were admittedly some nasty periods like the immediate aftermath of the Second Oil Shock and the Computer Crash of '82, that in particular affecting the Bay Area for the worse and pushing the local levels into deep blue. California had a maximum unemployment of 7.9% compared to the national peak of 11.5% and some counties such as LA, Orange and pre-Crash San Francisco were very dynamic with major increases of personal wealth in spite of stagflation. People debate California's secret formula to economic success, with the Blockbuster era success being claimed to be a major reason at least for SoCal, but during a time of a crapsack economy, California was performing at its best under immense pressure, and because of it some credit was given to Curb, though others claim that Jerry Brown would have done better.

---

In normal circumstances Mike would have run on a comfortable margin as a fairly popular and effective Governor along with the backing of Reagan and most of the RNC leaders. However, the Democrats did well in choosing the perfect counter with Tom Bradley. Tom was probably the most popular mayor in America, a statement proven by countless polls. He was probably the best Mayor LA had seen where aside from the Hollywood strikes, the city was entering a new golden age with the economy booming, opportunities arise on every corner, and crime at its lowest in decades. Tom was held up as a poster boy for how to be a big city mayor and he was looked to as a role model for aspiring Black politicians. Hell, if you lived in LA proper you would have probably voted for the man in '75 and '79. Thus it was no surprise that the Democrats overwhelmingly in favor of nominating Bradley, viewing him as the perfect counter to the most liked Governor since Earl Warren.

The general election was pretty tight between Mike and Tom with the polls showing the two evenly, but Bradley narrowly winning in most matchup polls. With few avenues of direct attack due to the sheer success of both men, they often pushed campaign ads for positive portrayals of their success and their ideal version of California. This was lampooned in an episode of Saturday Night Live where Gary Kroeger and Eddie Murphy tried to fight over Julia Louise-Dreyfus vote as the nicest guy. Eventually some differences propped up to be used as attack material with Bradley being in favor of gun control and Mike being labelled as a deficit enabler and budget vulture, but for the most part it was a feel good and character focused campaign by both camps. You gave a public endorsement to Mike and donated to his campaign, but wasn't active much due to spending time in Monaco and then focusing on family stuff afterwards.

Come election night, the gubernatorial race was one of the closest and most heated in the country with the ballot results reported by the news networks showing a frequent back and forth with each passing hour. For a while close to midnight it looked like Bradley could win, but then a surge of absentee ballots came in that evened the race. You were too tired to stay up, so you decided to hit the hay with results still undecided, and come morning Mary barged into your room and informed you that Mike had won.



It was a very narrow victory, just 13,070 votes between Mike and Bradley and Mike, though winning his own term as Governor, coming just shy of a clean majority. This was thanks to the split factor of third parties with American Independent, Libertarian and Peace and Freedom each tallying tens of thousands of votes in their strongest showings. Many Republicans felt that Mike had underperformed with conservatives and caused some protest defections to the Libertarians and American Independent, while California Democrats were absolutely livid with Peace and Freedom who they felt stole the election from Bradley since if every P&F vote (A very Progressive party) went to Bradley he'd win on a close but steady margin.

Another possible reason for the result was perhaps due to you even if you were very quiet compared to 1980. The reason was centered around your work with Project Lighthouse and the immigrants you brought to California. Over 600,000 Vietnamese and 100,000 Romanians. Almost all of them had become citizens by this year and they were by all reports very eager and proud to participate in their first free and fair elections. Over 500,000 Vietnamese and Romanian Americans voted, and 92% of them voted Republican. Hundreds of thousands of votes in favor of Mike Curb, and had Project Lighthouse not existed, that would have meant that Bradley would have won by as much as 4 or 5%.

Many Progressives when presented with the data cried foul in spite of being so heavily supportive of immigration reform and refugee aid. They thought that you had set up Project Lighthouse not as a humanitarian venture, but as a method of stuffing the ballot boxes with Republican votes. Indeed there was even a political cartoon from the Los Angeles Times making the rounds across the nation of a caricature of you dressed as Boss Tweed greeting refugees fresh off the boat and giving them Conscience of a Conservative and various Republican paraphernalia, directing them to a building labelled "O'Brian hall" with refugees exiting in patriotic clothes and placing Republican ballots in boxes.

It was plainly ridiculous considering you set up Lighthouse long before you became partisan and frankly didn't give a shit if those offered aid all voted Democrat, helping people live better lives was more important than politics. Thankfully most leading Democrats and the DNC condemned such rhetoric and said that refugee support was a noble venture no matter who was backing, but the sentiments were still there an "O'Brian Hall" became a new political term in vogue. It also didn't help that many in the RNC saw such a conspiracy as actually a good thing and Sunbelt Republicans started drafting new campaign strategies to target Asian and Latino immigrants to support their causes.

Back to the Governor's race, regardless of how close it was, it was an honest win and it couldn't be denied that Mike had put in the work to earn a second term. Bradley gave his congratulations the day after but promised his supporters that he'd be back come 1986 and would lead California into the next decade, a very likely prospect since Mike confirmed that he was not going to run for a third term, thus there would be no incumbency advantage and Republicans would play defense from seven and a half years of electoral fatigue.

The State legislature was interesting as some Democrats benefitted from Bradley's solid performance and the State Assembly was whittled down to a narrow 41-39 difference in favor of Republicans. At the same time, Republicans picked up two seats in the Senate, benefitting from Democrats being overstretched with defending 3/4s of seats for this cycle, and now the Senate was 19-21 in favor of Democrats. Each half of the State Congress was ruled by a party with one vote majorities. Thus the next two years would be a very interesting game for Sacramento.

---

With incumbent Senator Hayakawa being incredibly vulnerable and very unpopular in California, it opened what should have been a silent primary into a competitive one. Your office was flooded with lots of requests from the various campaigns for some sort of endorsement or donation, but none of them could reach you as you were too busy filming Return and were too consumed with Star Wars to care about the Senate race. By the time production was done, things were pretty much settled and the primary was about to take place.

It was a pretty stacked field all around with even Reagan's daughter being one of the leading candidates. At the start, the frontrunner appeared to be popular San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson who was seen as a conservative counterpart to Bradley, though a dynastic dark horse would rise through the polls in the form of Barry Goldwater Jr. Considering the infamy of Goldwater Sr. from the '64 election, lots of people were expecting him to be like father like son. Though just as Maureen Reagan was surprisingly more Liberal than her father, so too was Barry Jr. a different breed of conservative from his dad, being a cross between California Club Republican and Libertarian. Though perhaps it would be better to say he was different from his dad of 20 years ago as you met Barry briefly at the RNC and he seemed a more calm and open minded man as a firm Libertarian while being genuinely remorseful for how he handled Civil Rights back then.

Barry Jr. while not the most impressive of Congressmen, had a pretty decent record with him being hte author of the Privacy Act, one of the leading Sponsors of CARE in the House, and helping to shape the Artemis program and NASA's revitalization from Carter to Reagan. With this, Barry Jr. was somewhat hyped as a futurist and one of the leading young Republicans and he appeared to have better people skills and was more open to collaboration than his dad previously was. Though all that being said, what really helped Barry Jr. was him being the first to tap into "O'Brian hall". He recognized that Vietnamese and Romanian immigrants would be a key voting bloc, so his first actions were to perform direct outreach and hold rallies and town halls in many Little Saigons. Here his last name actually helped him as Barry Sr. was heavily admired by Vietnamese and Romanians for his hardline anti-Communism. This, combined with support from party establishment and some campaign blunders and gaffes from Pete Wilson and McCloskey, pushed Barry Jr to a close victory in the primaries.

On the Democratic side, they performed a 180 from their support of Bradley. Whereas Bradley was a widely popular and seasoned politician, the leading Democrat for the Senate race was a heavily controversial and polarizing political commentator, Gore Vidal. Winning through a plurality in a very contested and bloated primary field, Gore Vidal represented the Progressive backlash to Reaganism and the Republican Party's recent resurgence in California. Such a sentiment wasn't bad in and of itself, but Gore Vidal was a very opinionated and bitter man who held such strong beliefs that were so left of the overton window he made McGovern look like a Reaganite. He was unashamed in his aggressiveness and rhetoric, calling his campaign, "A War for Progress".

Whereas the gubernatorial campaign was a respectful and civic affair, the Senatorial election was a nasty mudslinging contest between both camps. With Gore being Public Enemy number one to many Conservative pundits, donations flooded to Barry Jr. to make him the most funded Senate campaign and William F. Buckley Jr. came to California to support an old family friend and the old Vidal-Buckley feud found a new chapter of heat and drama as they warred against each other in ads and even debates, with some joking that the race was another round of Vidal v. Buckley; though Mike shared that Barry Jr. was a bit uncomfortable and did his best to distance himself from the ultra conservatives and John Birchers to never lose his message.

While Vidal may have been radical, there were plenty of people who were into it, and thus while Barry Jr. held the lead, the gap could be crossed come election day. However, there were a series of blunders for Vidal that ensured Barry's victory. For one, Barry was proactive in trying to court the independents and made sure to make people aware of his bipartisan record while Vidal only focused on the Left and did his best to make conservatives angry. The Vidal campaign did their best to link Barry Jr. to his Dad's infamy, but the campaign ads came across as too mean spirited and bullying, with Barry bursting in their first debate, "Mr. Vidal, you are not facing Barry Goldwater Sr. you are facing Barry Goldwater Jr. I share the name, but I'm my own man, so either talk about my policies and character or go to Arizona and face off against my Dad". Considering Sr.'s connections in Washington, the aggressiveness also alienated many potential allies at the national level who kept their distance.

However, there were two critical mistakes that doomed Vidal. One was an infamous campaign rally in San Diego where he condemned not only Reagan's foreign policy, but US interventionism in general, lambasting the "Tragedy" of Romania by saying it was a war that America provoked into a bloody revolt of terror and incited the Soviets to come and crush Romania, just like how FDR encouraged Japan to attack America with the President knowing Pearl Harbor would happen and letting it happen. This instantly alienated California's large veteran and active service base and drew condemnation across the nation. Then there was a rather infamous Playboy interview where commenting on the ongoing drama of Napoleon negotiating to extradite Polanski back to the US, Vidal said he didn't give a damn and described Polanski's teenage victim as a hooker, and that just generated extreme scorn all around.

From these blunders and many more mistakes, Vidal became the most hated Senatorial candidate in the cycle, most Democrats abandoning support and endorsing Goldwater or some trying to promote Peace and Freedom as a spoiler. Any and all drama around Barry's heritage was completely forgotten as the party rallied behind him and while performing some attacks, presented himself as a respectable candidate and accomplished congressman. On election day, it was an undeniable landslide for Goldwater, winning the most votes of any Senate candidate to that point. Peace and Freedom won its most votes in any election with over 200,000 and made some inroads in local offices. Gore Vidal became shunned and would spend the rest of his life in academia, and the California Club gained a new member in the Senate.



Vidal's lunacy didn't ruin the Democrats as they won more local offices than Republicans and gained five House seats at the federal level, but many Democrats lambasted Vidal as sabotaging Bradley by proxy and putting a damper on what should have been major gains in a midterm year with two years of a rough national economy. You doubted Goldwater would be able to repeat such a landslide again, but such a decisive win along with Curb's re-election did cement California's new status as a Purple Swing state. For now, there's four more years of Curbifornia.

A/N: The election results for state legislature was done through RNG within reason. For at least the rest of the 80s, I think Sacramento is gonna be a seesaw for the State Assembly and Senate that can go either way, but neither party is going to have a powerful majority and both parties have their heavy factionalism to make interesting deals like the Equal Employment bill work on either spectrum depending on the mood.

Policies are based on Curb's positions, as a fiscal conservative yet social moderate to liberal which fits the California Club Republicans here. Curb's most definitive stances OTL were anti-drugs and pro-gay rights which is reflected here. Some moderate victories for conservatism, but Cali aint turning blood Red and neither will Curb try the extremes of Deukmejian or Wilson.

As Magoose said, Mike Curb is relected, but considering how massively successful movies are and the other bonuses to LA, Tom Bradley is very successful and heavily popular across party lines and as such it was a close race. Come '86, he might very well become Governor instead of losing in a landslide. As for Goldwater, his experience in science and technology committee and libertarian philosophies in a post-Hillsgate California make him more popular with the base, especially with the Vietnamese voters. OTL, Jerry Brown lost by a large margin, and his most likely replacements are either Carpenter who was most likely arrested for corruption from Hillsgate as he was arrested OTL, or Gore Vidal. And let me say, that Gore Vidal is super radical and would have alienated most swing voters in comparison to Goldwater Jr. who was a lot more moderate than his Dad and more of a chill libertarian, hence the landslide.

 

[overmind]

Atlas' Nod

- Extracted from The Rebirth of Atlas: Marvel's Experimental Return from YouTube Channel MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, 2010

Hey, all true believers! This is your friend MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, and welcome to my channel! Today, as selected by you in the poll, we're going to dive through history to the beginning of one of Marvel's greatest gambits, one of its most beloved lines of comics, and the return to its roots by recovering both the name and its proud experimental methods when it came to writing stories. I am talking of course of the "Atlas Line", and how the attempts at creating, and introducing it, had the dynamic duo working together again once more... and the bizarre resolution to!

Marvel's explosive growth during the latter 70s and early 80s was only matched by the near anarchy that developed among the upper echelons of the company. From the return of Jack Kirby to Marvel and the creation of the "Noir Line", Marvel had begun once more to re-invent itself once more, something that they were quite famous for doing so; one only needs to look at their Golden Age in the 40s, its experimental phase of the 50, and the Superhero renaissance of the 60s. Once more, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby led the charge by re-introducing "Pulp" as a genre and mixing it with the well-beloved heroes of the last two decades, in a way thumbing their nose at the Comic Codes Authority, while still technically working under it.

This however just fed an already existing conflict within Marvel. Long used to having Stan Lee as the head Editor, as well as following his dictates and ideas, when he decided to step down to head the Entertainment Division on Hollywood there was an inner struggle between different factions that, while allowing the work to continue, it stymied many of the artists and writers who were never sure when their work might be censored, what might be published or not, how much would they be paid, and just what exactly they could write about or not. The last one was a critical point of contention, as with Stan in charge they could usually think of fun ways to poke at the CCA, yet now they felt stifled in their creativity.

Different would-be Editors-In-Chief took control in short periods of time, yet never enough to create the sense of stability they had before. Their parent Company was useless as well, not caring on the daily day-to-day activities, nor the creative process, so long as they could keep on getting their profits in whatever way they could get.

The chaos was only escalating, many were already thinking of perhaps switching over to DC or going independent, with quite a few already doing so, and other let go when titles were cancelled for lack of proper direction.

It's in this situation where both Jack Kirby and Stan Lee came into play once more.

Jack was considered a legend, as he still is today, and commanded a massive amount of respect in the company. That he had collaborated with Stan in founding the "Noir Line" and was the main artist and writer for the Spider-Man Noir comic only increased his standing, to the point that when he spoke, people listened. Stan, despite his work with the current TV series for Marvel, had not been blind to the current situation in Marvel either. Both of them thus devised a plan that could very well save the company, bring stability back, allow for Stan to continue his work on Television ideas, and bring back the same freedom that the artists used to enjoy under his Aegis.

A small speech by Jack, a campaign lead by Stan hyping the benefits of controlling their own destiny, and by the turn of the new decade, Marvel now had a new owner, in Lucasfilms one that once more brought stability with the rise of new Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter. Many people nowadays remember him for both his generous benefits to creators and artists, as well as the many different titles that were created under his aegis in the company. Certainly, Stan Lee felt secure enough to return to his work, this time coordinating with DreamWorks and Sunrise Studios for how to use their properties.

Jim Shooter however had a ruthless and ambitious side as well, with many artists mentioning his draconian measures to keep productivity, and making sure that each one of them fulfill their quotas so as to never get behind on the deadlines. Indeed, many have mentioned that had it not been for the many generous benefits they received as compensation, as well as the freedom for their own projects, they would have probably left as well. Some did, but not as many as one would have expected.

And it was this side that was on full display when he proposed a return to the past, a return to the time when Marvel was trying to find its own identity, a return to bring back the old ideas and give a platform for those ideas in a brand-new line that could increase Marvel's profits even more. At this time, Shooter was known for greenlighting the "Eclipse Line" which was already becoming famous after the hit that was Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, and Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. Already more artists and company sponsored talent was were coming in to have more titles under it. Another line that could capture that same magic seemed like a sucker's bet to many.

Thus, Shooter got once more the Greenlight to begin his new "Atlas Line".

Atlas Shrugged

From an objective standpoint this was not an unknown territory for Marvel to work from, and Shooter probably saw it that way as well. One only needed to see Marvel's old experimental Age back when it was still Timely and then when it changed its name to Atlas; the former worked in both superheroes and funny stories involving animal mascots that usually gave birth to some of the first "gag comics", yet with the end of World War II and the return of the American GI, superhero interest dried out, with most of their regular audience now having outgrown the need for both make believe and comedy. At the time, it seemed that the company would just shut down if not outright collapse.

However, Martin Goodman, the publisher and founder of Timely Comics, was not yet ready to throw in the towel. Instead, Goodman's comic book line expanded into a wide variety of genres, among them horror, Westerns, humor, talking animal, drama, crime, war, jungle, romance, espionage, medieval adventures, Bible stories, sports comics, career women, models, etc. If there was a genre at the time, then Goodman made sure that his line of comic would be publishing it.

Thus it was that Timely Comics became Atlas, with Marvel entering its most experimental phase of its existence. At times working on one genre or more, but always trying to find the sweet spot-on what audiences wanted. They soon found that while there was a niche market for near any and all types, the stories that sold the most were the Horror and Romance novels, stories where many artists were allowed to give their imagination full control. It was not out of place to see stories of Millie the Model to be side by side with comics of Journey into Mystery, with a good helping of westerns like Kid Colt or the Outlaw Kid.

This period of time saw Atlas abandon nearly all their superhero lines, with only reprints of Namor the Sub-Mariner and Captain America making the rounds, with the latter getting some limited release for their Anti-Communist Adventures which would make an entire mess of their Canon Lore later in the future. In fact, at this time, there was hardly any future for Superhero in Marvel, with plans to further abandon them fully and letting that market go to the rival company of DC, with the possibility of both companies existing in an almost peaceful detente between them.

Then it all changed when Fredric Wertham attacked.

Seduction of the Innocents, though nowadays being recognized for the useless drivel, with research so spurious that it would even make a kindergartener look at it and say "this is fake", and made by a man that one can only wonder how could they trust him to be around children at all, was perhaps the most damaging piece of literature for comic books of its age. People at the time were seeing society change, they were scared and did not have answers, so when a kook comes over claiming that its clearly comic book violence, well, people have believed worse things.

[Scenes from different idiotic actions humanity has taken after believing whatever drivel they are fed]

Atlas sales collapsed with the formation of the CCA, and it was only through the actions of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, who once more brought superheroes back to life in a new and vibrant way, infusing them with personalities and flaws, bringing out the humanity in heroes, that the company made its final shift to the form that would define it for the rest of the decade and beyond. Though the sales with DC would ebb and flow, Marvel was once more a comic book company focused on heroes... at least for the moment.

Oh, one thing I should mention. Technically, Atlas had another rebirth, yet one that was just embarrassing when looking back at it. In 1974, Martin Goodman created another Comic Publishing Company named "Atlas/Seaboard" who actually tried to compete with Marvel! now, there are two sides to this story, and I'll let you choose which to believe; the first (and boring one) is that Goodman was just greedy for more profits, and with Marvel already focusing on the Superhero angle, he figured that another company that would explore different genres might just be able to tap into that market.

The second (and more interesting) story, is that Goodman felt slighted since, as his company, he expected his son, Chip Goodman, to be named the next Editor-In-Chief after his retirement... only for the heads to decide that Stan Lee would make for a better head of the company he spent nearly his entire life hyping up and creating stories for them to be able to become a competitor once more (obviously!). Martin was so incensed that he decided to form a new company with the old name, enticed different writers and artists from Marvel, and proceeded to mismanage them so badly that the company had to close its doors just barely a year after into its run.

Barely anyone noticed the rise and fall of "Atlas/Seaboard". Heck, I don't think you've even heard about it until now, right?

If there's interest for a more in-depth video about it, you can let me know in the comments down below. In the meantime, with the experimental age of Marvel done near two decades ago, Shooter felt that it was time to finally bring it back.

Shooter's Folly

By the middle of 83', Shooter had been given the go ahead to bring back Atlas in as much an explosive manner as before. If the Eclipse line had been the subtle and slow surprise for many of its future fans, then the Atlas line would be the shockwave that would rock the entire Marvel World. A bran new territory that would accommodate independent tales of any and all genre, not only superheroes, but tales that could go from comedy to gothic, from horror to fantasy, tales that would tap into different independent minded fans from all over the world.

However, Shooter had erred in two ways; first, he had overestimated Marvel's capabilities to work in new titles. Marvel's explosive growth, with both the Noir Line and the Eclipse Line had in many ways already stretched the manpower capabilities of the company, and that's without mentioning the amount of titles that were being pumped out for the Great lakes Continuity as well. In many ways, they were already paying overtime to many artists who were doing double the work, with the well of out-of-work or struggling artists running dry, or facing competition form a resurging Charlton Comics.

Hell, in the case of the Eclipse Line most of the new titles were from Independents who had come in with their new titles, and young interns who were still learning the ropes from existing artists.

And second, Shooter had underestimated the Independent Market in a big way. Most of the comics, graphic novels, and stories from independents, were already being heavily featured in all kinds of magazines, with the most prominent being Heavy Metal, and they had no interest in jumping ship to Marvel despite the Code's demise and newfound permission in the company... mostly because while Marvel may had been able to open up to more mature genres, it would still balk at many of the themes of outright sexuality and nudity that many of them involved in their works.

As one of Marvel's executives mentioned, "We do comics, we don't do porn!".

This did not mean that all independent comics had to show nudes in every issue, much less in every panel. Many were the independents who worked in funny gag comics, or at best in simply a more mature and serious take using different characters from myth, or by perhaps subverting the superhero genre in a way that would have clashed with both marvel and DC, titles that would have fit perfectly with the Atlas Line had they not been already being distributed by said rival magazines or themselves in some cases.

The main issue there, was the lack of trust and disdain that these independent creators would feel for Marvel, or any well-established comic company in general. These were the independents who had gone on their own because of their unique vision and prided themselves in being able to work freely without any directive coming from above. Not to mention how their direct sales to Comic Stores allowed them to get a good salary despite their independent nature, perhaps not as much as Marvel would have paid, but it wasn't too shabby either.

At the same time, most of them had been burned badly by either Marvel or DC at some point, with their creations being taken without being given the credit or royalties that they felt they deserved. Sure, Marvel may say that they had changed and were giving greater benefits and creator rights over their work, but why take the chance? What if they made something truly groundbreaking, but then have it be taken away once more by some legal trickery?

Yeah, they were not born yesterday, thank you very much.

Thus, as Shooter prepared the logistics needed for the printing of the titles, what he needed now... were the titles themselves. At first, he flirted with the idea of perhaps bringing the Star Wars comics, who have managed to bring much of the income to Marvel during the 70s (and still formed a cornerstone of their budget) into the line, only to suffer from resistance from much of the staff and the managers of the main Marvel continuity. Their contracts alone gave them a greater protection than most since their work was directly adapting the works of their parent company, and to transfer them to a different line would take both re-negotiation and assurances that there would be no changes.

Time that would delay the launching of Atlas. By the beginning of 84' the preparations were nearly complete, and yet they had to obtain a title, something so unforeseen that Shooter had to constantly work behind the scenes to avoid the dissolution of the idea. This had become more than just a simple initiative for him, as his name was now attached to it, it meant that it would forever haunt his career if something this big failed. There were already whispers and rumors around the company, making insinuations about his career, how he'd only lucked out, how his initiatives were either taking credit for others or just going with the flow, that he perhaps did not have what it took to lead Marvel in the end.

Shooter needed to make a choice, and when the chips came down, he swallowed his pride and called for the man who could very well turn the entire situation around.

Return of the Duck

It is now the middle of 84', and the situation has yet to improve. The Marvel line were moving steadily with the further development of The Great Lakes Avengers to join in the Great Lakes Continuity. The Eclipse Line had been joined by two new titles; the incredibly popular Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, and Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai, turning it into one of the most profitable as well as cementing it as a proper staple of the Marvel Company. In the background, the Atlas Line was ready to begin so long as they got their new titles, which they'd yet to receive.

And inside a meeting room, Jim Shooter and Stan Lee met with Jack Kirby and his guest. A former employee of Marvel, turned fierce independent creator, by the name of Steve Gerber.

You're probably wondering how Shooter got in this situation.

As mentioned before, with the Atlas Line still waiting for new titles, and Marvel with nothing to give, the answer lay with the independents, many of whom were unwilling to trust Marvel's word no matter how much they may claim that this time things would be different. In the end, what they lacked was the reputation necessary, and that's where both Jack Kirby and Stan lee came in to play.

Shooter had reached the point where he was not too proud to ask for help, and both Stan and Jack understood the problems that he was facing better than anyone, they understood where Marvel's weakness was, and convinced Shooter that nothing less than a grand gesture would be needed, something that would surely hit Marvel in its ego... and in its wallet. Shooter, with nothing left to lose at the time, went ahead with what they had planned.

Jack contacted Steve first in order to get to work on him, which was the hardest part of the plan. Steve Gerber, the creator of Howard the Duck had been unceremoniously let go from Marvel and denied the rights to his creation when leaving, ironically just before Marvel's buyout from Lucasfilms which would have granted him all he wanted. In the interim period Gerber had managed to get a reputation among the independent community for being against Marvel in all its forms, even going to battle for their rights in 78', and losing badly at that. Oddly enough, he still maintained a good working and personal relationship with Jack Kirby, and it was this that the latter was banking on to get the entire ball rolling.

Not much is recorded about what exactly was told in that meeting, and with Gerber's passing just this year we have no way of corroborating the apocryphal stories of it, what we do know is that at the very least, Gerber agreed to a single meeting with Shooter, both Jack and Stan serving as witnesses, as they discussed a new deal.

Stan Lee had been the one to suggest that if what they needed was the trust of the independents, then they needed to show that they were willing to play ball. Not only that, but the gesture needed to be seen, it had to be grand, and for that they would have to start with the one creator that was still in the memory of everyone. Gerber had connections to many of said independents, and if they could get him on their side, then at the very least it would get them to pay attention.

There are many versions of just how exactly they got to an agreement, the more widespread story, usually told by Stan Lee, has the entire situation be nearly as dramatic as it could be, with actual insults, near fights, and at one point Gerber nearly walking out before Jack Kirby had to physically grab him while Stan made sure to convince Shooter to give more than what he was expecting. Shooter's account however mentions a near simple meeting where both sides let know what they wanted, they haggled a bit, before both sides signing on the dotted line.

Me? Personally, I'd go for a middle ground, as many can attest that Gerber had no qualms about getting physical when the situation called for it.

But the results were just what Shooter needed; a new title for the Atlas Line, and the reputation of Gerber now serving as insurance to those who were still leery for Marvel. In exchange for Gerber coming back to marvel and writing a title for the Line, he was to be paid the royalties for the rights of Howard the Duck, acknowledged as its creator, and occasionally work on the title as well. Shooter however managed to demand a clause under which Gerber would have to meet the deadlines for the new title for at least two years. For this, Jack Kirby agreed to aid if only to bring the entire debacle to an end.

Thus, in September 1984, the first issue of Gerber and Kirby's Destroyer Duck hit the stands under the Atlas Line. Though originally a story that seemed to mock Marvel with its main character seeming to be on a mission of revenge against the company who kidnapped and abused "The Little Guy" (hinted to be Howard), the story went deeper into showing how it had all been a ploy by Interdimensional Aliens who had cloned Howard and had sent said clone to being a war between the Company and Destroyer Duck, only for both sides having to work together to defend against their invasion.

It was satirical, mocking, and so utterly Gerber that it stood out between many of the stories during the year, proving in many ways how Marvel was truly holding to its promise. But if Shooter expected the floodgates to open, then he was sorely disappointed, as a sort of impasse remained, where both sides now acted almost shy, waiting for the other to make the first movement. Marvel already felt that they had done enough to show they were willing to change, and most of the other independents beginning to believe, but also not sure just when to give the first step.

Atlas Rising

Ironically, the next title to join Atlas would come not because of lack of trust, but because of the need for funds around November 84'. Dave Stevens, a writer/artist who'd been working on Pacific Comics for a while now, and enjoying the great deal of freedom that came with it. For three years he'd worked before the company went bankrupt and had to close its doors, and under any other circumstances he'd just commiserate with his co-workers before trying to find a new job.

Yet this time around, things were different, as now there was a new option that was looking for titles and was willing to pay top dollar for it. He'd been suspicious of them at the beginning, but the grand gesture suggested by Stan Lee had mollified most of those. Besides, he had a solid case to say his work belonged to him, so if Marvel tried anything funny later on then he'd have solid evidence to fight back. With confidence in his posture, and with a new concept on hand, Stevens went in to Marvel, and Atlas gained its second title.

The Rocketeer, a comic that while aping somewhat the style of Superheroes, was more of a throwback to old pulp serials. Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot, though he aids people, in the end has very little heroic qualities, save for those who shine through during his most extenuating circumstances. With small mentions and expies of famous pulp heroes, the story expanded a rich world that was so similar yet different to the old time before and after the 40s. Stevens also made sure to speak with the veteran writers who'd been there during that period of time, and included their stories in the comic whenever he had the chance as well.

Like the Eclipse Line before it, Atlas was slowly gaining steam, yet it would be during New Year's Eve 1984, when Marvel would greet the new year with one of the most genre defining stories ever written, and the flagship title for the Atlas Line for the next two decades.

Now, I want you to picture this; it is late at night, with only a few guards and night shifters working when a delivery driver in one of his last jobs at the graveyard shift goes into Marvel for a late-night delivery. The man is tired, yet does not seem to care as he prepares to receive the signature and go home once more. As he looks around while the guard stumbles a bit with his pen he happens to look at one of the new issues of Atlas, wondering just what it's about. Asking and receiving the news, the man leaves, with no one being the wiser as to what would happen during the next few days.

The next day, James O'Barr went directly to Marvel and brought his drawings with him; a tale of sadness, tragedy, love, vengeance... a poignant protagonist sinking in the shadows with the promise of light still embedded in it, the minimalist style perfectly suited to its needs, and a tale so gripping that you could not stop reading it.

Thus it was that The Crow became the newest title in Atlas, and it took the entire country by storm. Once more, Marvel had crushed the competition, broke barriers, and brought one of the greatest titles ever to exist into the limelight. The Crow's tale of a man who is brought back to life to get vengeance for the death of his fiancée may have seemed at first like any other cookie cutter revenge tale, but O'Barr had imbued the characters with such pathos and personality that in the end, what drew you in was not the violence, but the story, interactions and inner struggle of Eric as he tries to find the light once more in a dark and lonely world.

And, as they say, once is an accident, twice is happenstance, three times becomes a pattern. The Crow made Atlas an option too impossible to ignore, the chances to strike it big, and the newfound trust Marvel had once more regained, making it so that a new deluge of independents to try their luck with the New House of Ideas.

[Scenes of different covers from the Atlas Line Comics]

The Atlas Line tale is not the same as the Eclipse nor Marvel Noir lines. It's a tale of a man reaching beyond its reach, of overconfidence nearly sinking the entire idea, and of still succeeding despite all the odds, mainly because of the acceptance of aid, overcoming one's ego, and luck... lots and lots of luck. If there's any lesson that can be taken from this ordeal is... never count your chicken before they hatch, and always be nice to the delivery man. You never know when they may have the right tool for what you need in the end.

Thanks for all your views, this has been MonkeeSeeMonkeeDoo, and come with us next time where we will be analyzing Toriyama's Art and the influence it had on Western Comics. Thank you all, have a great day, and Excelsior!

A.N.: Alright then. When I spoke with @Kaiser Chris about the chance for an Atlas Line for more independent comics, the idea remained stuck in my mind, and thus it became this. I always wanted to have Steve Gerber deal with Marvel in a way to avoid the unpleasantness that would come later on, so adding him to the team seemed a no brainer. Dave Stevens should be unemployed at the time where the line should be inaugurated, and when I saw that @Schehera Zade had made The Crow as a Marvel Pitch, well it all just seemed to line up.

 

[Kaiser Chris]

Video Game Pitch: Tron 1.5
Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment
Director: Bill Adams
Genre: Science Fiction​

A video game set within the Tron universe and the canon interquel between Tron and Tron 2.0, Tron 1.5 takes place within the Encom Grid, newly freed from master control. The game's opening cutscene shows Flynn revealing the existence of the Grid to Alan and Lora and inviting them inside. The two travel to the Grid where Flynn reveals the changes he's made with Tron since the downfall of Master Control and he'd like for Alan and Lora to test the games that he's been working on, where this time users and programs can fight without fear of derezzing thanks to Flynn's work on the regeneration.

Players can pick Flynn, Clu, Alan, Tron, Lora or Yori with Tron 1.5 being primarily a two-player game for players to face off against each other in games both based off the film and some new game modes. Gameplay can be chosen either in single stage fights or in a tournament comprising the different game modes. The Games are:

• Light Cycles: Players engage each other with light cycles and like the movie, race each other on a grid matrix with the goal being to force the other player to be derezzed by having them be crash into a wall created by the light cycle or the actual stages wall.
• Racketball: Similar to as introduced in the movie, each player stands on a disc platform with five layers to the disk. Players must use their rackets to toss an energy orb onto the cieling which will bounce off and target a players platform. If the platform is hit, the layer it was hit is erased, though players can catch the orb and send it back to the other side. The game continues until one person falls into the void.
• Disc Duel: Players face each other in a first person tennis style match with their duel discs, throwing them at each other to eliminate their opponent. Players can counter a disc by throwing it at a disc to knock the disc back.
• Pike Fencing: Players stand on a circular platform and duel against one another with stun pikes with the goal of knocking the other off the platform.
• Light Jet: Players race each other in Light Jets through an obstacle course to reach the finish line.

Video Game Pitch: Space Paranoids
Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment
Director: David Lavine
Genre: Science Fiction, War​

An adaptation of the in-universe game designed by Kevin Flynn, Space Paranoids is an Arcade shooter where player take control of a Light Tank fighting against an alien invasion. Space Paranoids is like Galaga in that the player fights against waves of enemies to clear each level, but main differences is Space Paranoids is a 3D first person shooter as players must navigate the tank in a labyrinth like environment with three different levels of elevation for the players to elevate in thanks to interspersed tower structures.

The main enemies are the famous Recognizer ship from Tron, turrets, and other enemy light tanks. Players in the tank will have 4HP and once they have been hit four times then they lose a life with three lives overall and a life being added every 100,000 points.

When players reach 999,000 points the remainder of the game will change with players no longer facing off against swarms of enemies but against a Boss tank called FLN. This represents the player facing off against Kevin Flynn from Tron as they have surpassed Flynn's record from the movie. FLN is a very difficult boss with high health and shots that use up 2HP if hit. The player can no longer receive extra lives from this point on and if they die during the FLN stage, then the game is over with no chance of inserting more coins to continue the game with players needing to start over from the very beginning of the game.

 

[overmind]

Just a few days ago I found these images from a supposedly unreleased Star Wars videogame from the 80s, a click-and-point adventure from what it looks, and I remembered that time when I made a pitch for a Star Wars videogame for a different thread. Looking back on it, I think it can also be done here, and it there should be no problem to modify it somewhat to have it fit better with the setting and the gameplay as the images suggest it should be.

I'm giving this game the name of that fucking abomination of a movie that Abrahms created since I truly hope that said name can be redeemed somewhat with this. Also, I don't think I'll feel comfortable using The Last Jedi with any other game, movie, etc., so this was the other option available.

Thus, I give you:

Videogame Pitch:
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker​

Set Up: Based on the Star Wars Franchise and set in between the second and third movie. The game has Luke Skywalker go on an adventure through different areas of the Galaxy as he looks for different components to build his new lightsaber as guided by The Force, moving to different locations where his aid is needed, all the while being pursued by the Empire and his father, Darth Vader.

Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment
Director: Hal Barwood
Genre: Point and Click, Adventure

Spoiler: Characters

Luke Skywalker: The hero of the franchise and a Jedi Knight-In-Training. During the game he is moving from planet to planet, letting the force guide him to the location where he can find the components to build his new lightsaber. He interacts with people, looking for clues in how to help in order to achieve the mission and leave before the Stormtroopers, or Darth Vader, can find him.

Yoda: He is Luke's Master who resides in Dagobah. He gives Luke his mission once he believes him to be ready, and can occasionally appear to give hints to the player if they feel stuck in a section for too long.

Darth Vader: He is Luke's father and a servant of the emperor. He usually appears in Luke's mission to capture him if he takes too long, though if he can be avoided then there is still a chance to escape.

Boba Fett: An occasional enemy that Luke can bump into if the conditions are right in each of the different planets. Though at times Luke will have to fight him, on others he can be bargained with if Luke has just the right amount of credits with him.

Spoiler: Gameplay

The game is set just after the second Star Wars movie. Luke Skywalker returns to Dagoba in order to resume his Jedi training, which is where Yoda tells hm of one of the steps needed to become one: Constructing one's own lightsaber. It's a tradition that has been passed by the Jedi through generations, with each lightsaber being unique to its own wielder. When Luke asks about how he can start constructing it Yoda explains that in order to do so he will have to open himself to the will of the Force, as it will guide him to the materials which he will need to begin construction. Luke thus meditates, and feels the force guiding him to different planets, yet in doing so he also opens himself to others who might be looking for him.

Luke will go to different planets in order to obtain different artifacts which he will use to construct his lightsaber at the end, and each of these planets will have their own dangers, be it monsters, criminals, gang members, stormtroopers, and even Darth Vader himself at one point. Each planet rising in difficulty as Luke is more and more exposed.

The final scene will happen when Luke has to search for the heart of the lightsaber, a Lightsaber Crystal, which because of its attunement to the force it can grant the lightsaber the connection between it and the Jedi who wields it. In order to obtain it Luke will open himself further until he finds the resonance through the Force, leading him to Dantooine, to the Crystal Cave, where he could find his Crystal, however, by doing so he has finally gained the attention of Darth Vader, who knowing where he is prepares himself as well as a battalion of Stormtroopers to go after him.

During the game Luke would have access to the Force' abilities: Force Push, Force Lift, perhaps using the Force to speed himself up for small amounts of time and also using the Force to form a barrier. Also, the objects he will collect throughout the game can be used (Hookshot, Blaster, a relic Forcefield Shield, some clockwork piece of armor) and all of them will be needed for the final planet where he will have to find the lightsaber Crystal before he is found by Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers in Dantooine.

The gameplay for this videogame will be similar to a point-and-click adventure game in the vein of the Indianan Jones and the Fate of Atlantis videogame. The player explores the game's static environments while interacting with sprite-based characters and objects; they may use the pointer to construct and give commands with a number of predetermined verbs such as "Pick up", "Use" and "Talk to". Conversations with non-playable characters unfold in a series of selectable questions and answers. Side-Quests will also be included, and the opportunity to explore different sections of the planet.

When Luke is meditating in order to find the objects which resonate with the Force there will be a minigame which determines how fast you find them, and the difficulty and Empire interference will depend on how long it takes to solve them, as that gives Darth Vader a greater chance to find Luke's future location faster.

The game levels will be as such:

Corellia: A planet in the inner Core, Corellia is a planet home to some of the best pilots that exist, and long has it chaffed under the tyranny of the Empire, which is why the emperor has set a garrison of Stormtroopers there in order to squash any ideas of rebellion. Luke must hide himself and not let himself be seen by the Stormtroopers or he will be immediately swarmed by them. Once he arrives at a certain point he will meet the leader for the Corellian Resistance, who asks for him help in destroying the Stormtrooper base, so that they may launch a rebellion against the Empire. Luke has to sneak into the base and set some explosive devices to take down the base.

Mar Sarka: A planet in the Outer Rims, it serves as a home to a large criminal underworld dominated by bounty hunters and crime lords. An ecumenopolis, the entire surface of Mar Sarka is covered in urban sprawl. Luke has to go through the different streets, trying to avoid getting into fights, as there will be a counter which when filled will cause the entire mission to fail. The mission in here is to rescue a group of people who are about to be sold as slaves. The moment the slaves are freed it becomes a race against time as they have to get to the spaceport as before the entire bounty hunters and criminals get to them (Bonus: Depending on the difficulty, Boba Fett may be there doing a job for Jabba).

Adunnis: A planet in the Outer Rims, it's a dusty, desert planet, once home to a large civilization, now all that are left is ruins of what the inhabitants once possessed. Luke has to move through the different ruins, finding different data slates which can possess the different codes to open the old, yet still operational, sliding doors. Luke will have to mostly fight the different lifeforms of the planet, which can vary between his size, and the size of a building, and keep respawning. This will be more of a puzzle level, which will take patience to solve. At the same time, some of the data slates will give information about the past of the civilization, perhaps some hint about the Clone Wars (Talk to George about this).

Ilos: A planet by the Middle of the Galaxy, Ilos is a city-planet who has heard the call of the rebellion, and has rallied the planets in his sector to rise up against the Empire. The Empire has launched a decapitating strike against Ilos, thinking that if the planet falls then the insurgency does as well. Luke will have to blast his way to the planet, and once there he will have to assist in fighting the different incursion, be it by fighting the Stormtroopers on the ground, or by manning the guns against the ships and fighters. This is a timed level, where Luke has to make sure that the planet doesn't fall for at least 20 to 30 minutes (There will be some cutscenes showing the Empire's Strikeforce reactions).

Dantooine: A planet near the Outer Rim, yet not that further in. it's a peaceful serene planet, one where no one would think there would be a treasure or anything useful, yet it is here where the Force guides Luke next in order to find the final piece: The Lightsaber Crystal which shall power the lightsaber. Luke here will have to sneak inside the caves and hide from the Stormtroopers and the greatest threat of them all: Darth Vader, as he will seek to confront Luke again and again. Here Luke can fight him, but only briefly as no matter what Vader will be stronger. In the end Luke has to survive until he finds the Lightsaber Crystal and manages to escape.

The final scene is of Luke in Dagoba with all the materials he's gathered, meditating as he levitates them, slowly pieces of the materials are taken off and reassembled into a new lightsaber, which Luke turns on.

A.N.: This is an old idea I had once in another thread for an early game using the title of that horrible movie, and trying to actually make it somewhat relevant by giving it to a game. Hal Barwood would go on to work for Lucasfilms in the 90s, but he is already looking for work in videogames due to his desire to work in his second passion. That we are now about one of the few videogame companies left should have him work for us sooner.