MOON  BASE  ONE Proposal for a One-Hour TV “Comedy/Drama” Series (essentially “M.A.S.H. on the Moon”)     ‘Space has always been and will always be a subject of fascination for human beings. There is no subject so enigmatic, so magical, so mysterious as space.’ Registered with Writer’s Guild of America #1115226 SUMMARY MOON BASE ONE is a TV series about a mining colony based on the lunar surface in the year 2020, where the colony supplies fuel for the Earth’s future fusion reactors, and an international crew of technicians, experts, scientists, and bureaucratic government officials inhabit the self-sustaining and isolated colony, with constant exchange of new and departing crew members.  This storyline is based on science-fact, and is already on the table for NASA and other space agencies to start whenever the technology becomes available.  Such interactions between the crew, isolated in a very hostile environment, would be reminiscent of another hit TV series, M.A.S.H.     MOON BASE ONE is a timely TV series whose innovative setting, intriguing international cast, will prove fertile ground for constant conflict between the crew members (and the Earth-based mission control people) as well as provide the basis for many dramatic and comedic episodes leading to a successful series. There is a built- in loyal audience for a realistic series grounded in science fact. Let MOON BASE ONE tap into the universal hope that there’s a better world out there just beyond our horizon. CONCEPT - WHY MOON BASE ONE WILL WORK When you look at that glowing orb off in a starry sky, one question always comes to mind – Did men really walk on the moon? The amazing answer is, yes, and they’re going to do it again. MOON BASE ONE is not a science fiction show full of Wookies, Vulcans, time warps, Evil Empires, Stargates and jumps to light speed. Twenty years from now, for the cost of the English Channel Tunnel linking England to France (“The Chunnel”) or the Alaskan Pipeline ($15 Billion), the experts agree that we will need to set up an International Moon Base to harvest the rich ores that will help fuel the future. The capital has yet to be raised, but it’s only a matter of time. As our natural fossil fuels continue to dwindle and the increased use of nuclear power creates its own negative environmental challenges, the single best answer to the world’s energy problem is controlled fusion reaction. Helium-3 can be used to provide massive amounts of energy while creating almost no dangerous waste by- products. At present, this technology is in its infancy and only very small deposits of Helium-3 exist here on Earth.   There are, however, massive amounts of Helium-3 throughout the surface of the moon, If a mining colony was established on the moon that could effectively extract and separate Helium-3 from the rocks, a single container that would fit neatly inside a Shuttle spacecraft cargo bay could be returned to Earth for processing in fusion reactors.  THIS RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF HELIUM-3 COULD THEORETICALLY PROVIDE ALL THE ENERGY NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES FOR A FULL YEAR. MOON BASE ONE is science fact just beyond our horizon and it will capture the audience’s imagination as we bring the near future to life in a new one hour dramatic TV series. There’s a growing audience out there fascinated by the prospect of affordable space travel in their lifetime. If you spoke about an orbiting space station to our parent’s generation, they would have said it was impossible in their lifetime. Yet the International Space Station has been inhabited by humans for the past four years. The technology exists today to create an enclosed lunar colony based on real scientific research and actual plans that NASA and other government space programs have already developed. The setting of MOON BASE ONE takes place at a lunar- based international mining colony that resembles a big, futuristic shopping mall. Real people in a fascinating environment with good stories have always been a winning combination to the growing worldwide TV audience. The construction of a new International Space Station has already begun and will continue for at least the next five to ten years.  Public interest in space ventures, therefore, will be at the forefront of national and international news for the immediate years to come and beyond. THE STORIES MOON BASE ONE is not a traditional science fiction space show. The dramatic tone for this series is essentially the same as E.R., LAW & ORDER, HILL STREET BLUES where hard core professionals struggle against enormous odds to maintain the status quo. Like these highly successful television programs, this historic series focuses on the interactions and relationships of larger than life men and women in an enclosed micro-community within a larger hostile environment. MOON BASE ONE portrays the trials and tribulations of the astronauts and many other personnel on the first U.S. /multi-national space program. There will be military- trained astronaut-pilots, scientists and astronomers; doctors and bureaucrats; as well as plumbers, truck drivers, miners and construction workers.  There will always be new characters arriving and departing on shuttle supply ships that will afford an endless opportunity to create new continuing storylines. Mission/ground control and politicians on Earth will continually try to control or manipulate the colony during their daily communication between the Moon and Earth, providing an endless supply of comedic and dramatic situations. We will examine current issues that continue on Earth and look at them through this unique portal. In an era of an Earth plagued by a greenhouse effect, a depleting ozone layer, polluted water, air and land, overpopulation and wars, people will happily grasp onto something that gives them hope for the future.  This hope is unquestionably directed towards the stars, whether it be in space stations, lunar colonies, Mars colonies, or across the solar system.

MOON BASE ONE

PRINCIPAL CAST

DAVE (American, early-40s) - The commander of the entire base.  A former test pilot
turned astronaut, Dave previously flew on a number of Shuttle missions and lives strictly
by the book, but knows when to bend the rules. He’s well respected in a dangerous
business and is ultimately responsible for the success of the base. He reports to an
Earth-based government coalition that often doesn’t understand the technical difficulties
and personnel problems he has to face on a daily basis.

ANNA (British, mid-30s) - Blond, beautiful, pale-skinned - She is the chief technical expert.
Anna never thought of becoming an astronaut until she married a space fanatic and, as a
joke, applied to NASA for an astronaut position alongside her husband. He was killed in a
training accident. Anna never fully accepted his death and thought of this assignment as
perhaps an opportunity to keep his memory alive.  She thinks of DAVE as an older brother.
He would like to change her mind.

CHARLES (French, early-30s) - He is a brilliant, arrogant, pig-headed
astronomer/scientist who has lived in awe of Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Steven
Hawking.  His superior abilities and talents got him into the astronaut corps. Charles
doesn’t acknowledge that the moon base is primarily a mining colony always attentive to
profit margins.  He tends to get into trouble with DAVE because he thinks scientific
research should be of primary importance on the base. Charles is also the principal rival
for Anna’s affections.

BONNIE (African American, mid-20s) – Dreadlocked, beautiful black skin - She is a
systems and material engineer who can fix any hardware problem on the Base.  She lives
to solve impossible problems. Bonnie is a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense self-made
woman. She’s got something to prove and has problems with authority figures. It often
puts her in conflict with DAVE.

SAM MISO (Asian, late-20s) – a short, athletic billionaire who partially financed and is the
main architect of the lunar Base. He continually wants to make improvements to increase
efficiency and profit margins. Sam’s basically a good guy but has a separate agenda. He
is the ultimate speculator and businessman, foreseeing Japanese hotels, theme parks,
golf courses, and eventually hosting the first Space Olympics.

VLADIMIR -(Russian, mid-30s) - ‘VLAD the friendly Impaler’ to his female admirers  –
chiseled features, soft green eyes - a death-defying, thrill-seeking, gum-chewing, vodka-
drinking, womanizing, charming, jet-jock test pilot. The Russian version of Tom Cruise in
TOP GUN.  He became a cosmonaut in the old Soviet Union because it was easier to get
women in bed. VLAD is a very talented pilot but unfortunately, has a tendency to push
things too far.  He usually pilots the Russian supply ships to the colony. Sometimes his
motives are suspect as a little of the Cold War rivalry is kept intact between he and DAVE.

JOHN (American, late 70s) - The last living fossil of the good ol’ boys from the American
Space Program’s early days. He was a pioneer -- a true explorer -- who was a part of the
original Apollo missions to the moon.  After retirement, John volunteered to be an ore-
carrying lunar truck driver. His dream is to be buried on the moon. John becomes the
‘elder statesman’ of the group, as his wisdom, knowledge and old-fashioned horse-
sense in fixing problems often surprises the younger brainiacs. He will get his wish about
being buried but not yet.


POSSIBLE STORYLINES/EPISODES

•        LUNAR TERRORISM: An industrialist is enraged at having lost the contract to build
Moon Base One and hires a mercenary to infiltrate the new Moon Base as a technician in
order to sabotage the sophisticated technology so that the Industrialist will be called in to
save the day.  DAVE uncovers the scheme just in time to avoid irreparable harm to Moon
Base One, and the mercenary ‘defects’ to save the colony all to the chagrin of the
industrialist.

•        ATTACK OF THE SPACE VIRUS:  A Moon Base One crewman finds a rock that clearly
originated from Mars.  The widespread theory that the Mars’ rocks discovered on Earth
centuries ago had a life-form imbedded in them proves too true and is, in fact, a deadly
virus that begins to spread throughout Moon Base mutating and affecting nearly everyone
– a lunar version of Legionnaires disease.   Panic ensues until ANNA discovers how to
mutate the virus into a benign form.

•        DEATH OF A FRIEND: A former astronaut colleague of DAVE’S joins the Moon Base
team. During astronaut training a procedural issue uncovered by DAVE prevented his
military academy rival, ROB, from rising through the ranks. ROB’S unfortunate and
accidental death on Moon Base One is captured by video, and implicates DAVE.  An
investigation ensues where we learn that ROB had a fatal disease and staged an
accident to implicate DAVE just out of spite.

•        THE GREAT SHUTTLE ROBBERY:  A brilliant but mad criminal mind develops a plot
to infiltrate Moon Base One by stealing the identity of an important scientist. Once on the
Moon Base, he holds the entire crew hostage and prepares to hijack the Cargo Shuttle
that will be returning to Earth with the processed fuel.  The Moon Base crew, led by a
heroic VLAD, and with no regard for their own lives, overwhelms the wanna-be hijacker.


•        THE HACKER GETS IN OVER HIS HEAD, LITERALLY:  A youthful computer hacker
capable of breaching sophisticated defense department files for a hobby, inadvertently
hacks a vital operating system necessarily for Shuttle operations on Moon Base One.  
Suddenly, lunar colony systems collapse and lives are endangered.  The only way the
crew is saved is by BONNIE convincing DAVE to power-off and reboot the entire Moon
Base, ala Jurassic Park, a very dangerous and untested procedure.

•        COCKROACHES ON THE MOON (or “The Meek Will Inherit the Moon”):  Even with the
strictest of security and cleanliness procedures, a single cockroach makes its way into
the luggage bin of a Shuttle bound for Moon Base One.  Upon arrival, the cockroach
makes its way outdoors where it is exposed to cosmic radiation, but the roach quickly
adapts and survives.  The pregnant cockroach lays its 400 eggs, etc., etc.  Cosmic
mutation enables the cockroaches to develop armor plating to accommodate the new
environment and the battle lines are drawn between man and bug as to who will inherit
the Moon Base.   What starts off with an almost comical search for a single cockroach,
turns into a life-and-death struggle between species.

•        BLUE COLLAR BLUES:  The blue collar workers 25 years from now are highly
intelligent, computer literate, travel-savvy individuals.  The natural stresses and strains on
their personal relationships with their significant others back home take its toll.  A
thoroughly taxed to the breaking point IRENA, videocoms from earth to demand a divorce
of FRED.  The distraught FRED illegally makes his way to the airlock, but is talked down
by his friend JOHN just short of his attempted suicide when suddenly his body explodes
from the lack of atmospheric pressure.

•        HEROISM AT ITS WORST:  SAM, a mining supervisor, has always felt deprived of his
just compensation.  In an effort to bolster his pay grade, SAM devises a plan whereby
deliberate sabotage will provide him his opportunity for heroics, recognition – and money.  
After SAM’S scheme comes off without a hitch, SAM’S loose lips sink his ship.