concept: chronology & characters
tone poem represting the primordial earth, genesis of life
sounds like... start of wagner's ring cycle 'murky waters of the rhine', then some kinda thus spake zarathustra and outer space choir, some kinda gustav holst planets style music
twin cosmic serpents representing DNA skimming, swimming, slithering across ocean waters and forest floors, transforming and metamorphosing and reproducting, representing genes moving forward through time through individuals and species
reference points: flOw, flOwer, REZ area 5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
could be bronze age, could be iron age, analogous to 1000 AD
sounds like conan the barbarian score by basil poledouris
vignettes that tell the story of a ghenghis khan like character, only less of a conquerer and more of a philospher leader who began as an outcast and became a great leader on the steppes unifying the four corners of the world and dissemenating technologies and beliefs
steppes outcast, young
decides to tackle a sea of troubles to create a life of stability, in the process rises to become a great leader
great leader of the steppes, later in life
a comet hits the moon, creating distress and confusion, various religious leaders offer explanations, the great leader invites a theological debate, the resolution of which leads to the birth of scientific thinking
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
think of a modern, technological society sort of analogous to an alternate universe 20th century soviet union
now think of chuck yeager and the right stuff and all that
now maybe add a dash of that new star trek film? a lightness and a shininess, some lens flares
the great teacher
a few hundred years before the technological society there is a culture undergoing an industrial revolution and there is this figure, who memorably re-interpreted the story of the ghenghis character, who helped further a scientific perspective in culture, who helped synthesize and popularize a new understanding of evolution. during his lifetime, astronomers looked to the moon and were able to notice its deteriorating orbit and predict a cataclysmic event that might destroy life on the cradle world. this figure taught about the need to push beyond the limits of the cradle world, to look to the stars and find another planet. he wrote a story about the centuries-long construction of a cathedral sized mothership. this science fiction story motivated the culture
born into the aristocracy, conscripted into the army, disgusted by what he saw, became a well-read author seen as a threat by the establishement. as an older man became a philospher and advocate of non-violence. founded schools accepting boys and girls, rich and poor, teaching philosphy
his voice recordings of his books and essays were some of the first radio broadcasts in this world, and these broadcasts are considered essential, formative for this culture, and he is remembered as a great teacher
later in life he lived on a well-appointed train, travelling to the four corners of the world
his portrait and statues are in various places, his voice recordings can be found and were included in the planetary exploration mission, his train car is a little museum and can be explored
inspired by tolstoy, the tolstoy film 'the last station', plus tolstoy's book about non-violence and christianity 'the kingdom of heaven is within you'
plus a bit of jules verne and a bit of charles darwin
rocket engineer, space mother
a promsing student in one of the great teachers' schools, motivated by science and exploration, trained as a pilot and engineer, first woman in space, went on to contribute to rocket science, became adminsitrator and advocate for space program, planned the construction of the cathedral-sized motership(s) and oversaw most of its creation, founder of the pilot program
her portraits and statues are in various places, many of her philosophies inform the design of the motership and the policies of the explorers, could be her voice as the voice of the ship if that ends up being a thing
modelled after anoushka ansari, wealthy persian born, trained as electric engineer, became a business leader, motivated by science and space, was a space tourist
administrator
might be useful to have someone like this around, maybe he is running the pilot program
modelled after jude law's infinitely patient character in anna karenina
these are achievements from valve's team fortess 2. imagine these kinda icons for the events in The Past
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
pilot/explorer team of 7
commanding officer, top pilot
maybe co-runs the pilot program, more for the advanced set
engineer, pilot, mechanic
maybe second in command
pilot, one of 7?
could be 7 pilots sent on the mission, chosen from a pool of 30 or so
each pilot would ahve same stats, wouldn't speak much, but would have some kind of background?
pool of 30:
at least an equal gender mix, maybe more women than men, colonists gotta reproduce after all
range of races, representing the four corners of this world
range of backgrounds. some are second-born from high status families. some were conscripted into government service and showed an aptitude. some are volunteers
the training begins in early teens. the pilot program starts at 17. the pilots chosen for the mission are in their early 20s
hard to say how these characters will really come across! there are many constraints and priorities
doesn't hurt to flesh out ideas though