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MOONBASE ALPHA

Pilot Episode

"Artefact / Maya"

Screenplay

by

Steven Johnson

Story

by

Steven Johnson

&

Simon Murphy

Based upon ‘Space: 1999’

by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson

Second Draft

November, 2004

ACT ONE

FADE IN

1. EXT. SPACE

An almost full moon hangs silently in inky darkness. As we watch the credits on screen, the blackness of space slowly recedes, gradually being replaced by the azure blue of an Earthly sky.

2. EXT. ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY

As the final credit fades, the camera pans down to reveal a sparkling ocean. A caption scrolls onto the screen:

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN OFF NAMIBIA, AFRICA,

MAY 29TH 2093.

Suddenly, a jet fighter thunders onto the screen from above, its flight pattern is erratic. Another, different, fighter appears, obviously in pursuit of the first.

CUT

3. INT. ALAN CARTER'S COCKPIT

CAPTAIN ALAN CARTER is one with his plane, his human form almost completely obliterated by the pressure suit and hi-tech helmet he is wearing. Today, though, he is fleeing for his life.

CARTER

(with an Australian accent)

I can't shake him! Jesus, this guy is good!

He throws his fighter through another series of crazy manoeuvres. His Heads-Up Display begins flashing and a repetitive beep resounds in his helmet earphones.

CARTER (CONT.)

The bastard's got a missile lock on me now! Powell, if you've any ideas, I could sure use 'em now! Do I need to remind you that I've already lost my wingman to this maniac?

USS POWELL RADIO VOICE (V.O.)

You are still inside Namibian airspace, Captain. I'm afraid you're on your own until you break into international waters.

CARTER

Gee, thanks for your concern, guys! Oh, the hell with this...

He slams on his airbrakes and pulls back hard on his column, almost causing the jet to stall. Alarms blare in his ears.

The enemy fighter zips overhead. CARTER'S plane now has the advantage.

CARTER

Powell, I now have a firing lock. Do I have permission to take out this son-of-a-bitch?

USS POWELL RADIO VOICE (V.O.)

Negative, Captain. Stand down. Repeat stand down, you are entering international airspace.

CARTER presses a button and a single missile streaks away from the belly of his jet. Seconds later, the enemy plane disintegrates in a swirling, amber rosette.

FADE OUT

4. EXT. SPACE - FADE IN

A lone Eagle transporter glides silently across the midnight ocean between Mars and its larger moon, Phobos. The camera begins to zoom in on the cockpit, its twin viewports glow a warm red. As the camera closes in, we can see the pilot and co-pilot in their seats, both wearing orange and white spacesuits, but no helmets.

The camera zooms through the left-hand window and we see that ALAN CARTER is the pilot. He is a handsome man in his early thirties with a shock of blond hair.

A caption fades in:

MARS - PHOBOS TRANSPORT,

MAY 27TH 2100.

5. INT. EAGLE TRANSPORTER - COCKPIT

ALAN CARTER smiles to his co-pilot, SERGEI PETROV, a typically Russian-looking man with black hair, tinged with grey, and a rugged, yet handsome face.

CARTER

Another glorious day in the history of science, shipping a bunch of nerdy eggheads to push around a few pebbles on a dead lump of rock.

PETROV (with a thick Russian accent)

You are too cynical, my friend.

(He jabs a thumb back towards the cargo area.)

It's eggheads like these that get all the girls.

(Both laugh.)

CARTER (suddenly serious)

You know, Sergei, it's almost seven years to the day that I was drummed out of the Corps?

PETROV

How can I forget? You've been like a wolverine with a sore head all week. I think seven years is long enough to forget, no?

CARTER

I lost a good friend and a career all in the same day, Sergei. Those kinds of things are kind of hard to put out of your mind, you know?

(He takes a deep breath)

God, I wish I was back home in Bermagui. My folks had a cattle ranch and when the old man didn't have me mucking out the cowsheds, I'd go surfing. Sure beats this hell-hole!

PETROV

I too miss home. Minsk in May. Beautiful.

Suddenly both men start singing “Memories” and end up in fits of hysterics.

Beeping from the console interrupts them.

CARTER

We’re almost there. Go tell our passengers to buckle up. Landings on Phobos are always a little tricky.

PETROV heads aft, leaving CARTER alone in the cockpit.

CUT

6. EXT. PHOBOS SURFACE

CARTER expertly pilots his Eagle onto the dusty surface of the tiny Martian moon. A cloud of dust erupts as the bulky craft’s landing engines ignite and it settles down gently onto Phobos.

CUT

7. INT. EAGLE TRANSPORTER - CARGO BAY

CARTER enters the bay from the cockpit, the sliding door that separates the two areas hissing quietly behind him. In the cargo bay are four scientists from Marsbase Alpha, two from the United American States (DOCTOR THOM FLANDERS, from the USA & DOCTOR SHEILA JEFFRIES, from Australia) and two from the Eurasian Union (PROFESSOR IAN MCDONOHUE, from the UK & DOCTOR JEAN RICARD, from France).

Both parties are arguing vociferously with one another and CARTER has to raise his voice to shut them up.

CARTER

Hey! HEY! (louder)

(he winks to PETROV, who smiles back while he works at the airlock console.)

Okay, who wants be first out of that goddamn airlock without a helmet?

(the argument subsides)

Thank you. What’s all this about?

The scientists stand before CARTER like a gaggle of unruly schoolchildren.

FLANDERS

It’s nothing, Captain. Just a minor difference of opinion, nothing more.

CARTER

Well, you’d better keep those ‘differences’ in check or I might just have to call this whole thing off and shuttle you all back to Marsbase. Got that? What the hell’s so important out there that you have to fight over it anyway?

(no reply)

Okay, you can go out and play.

FADE OUT

8. EXT. MOONBASE ALPHA – DAY – FADE IN

Sprawling over several square kilometres, Moonbase Alpha nestles in the lunar crater known as Plato. It is a major centre for off-world research and scientists from all over the world have access to its extensive laboratories and facilities.

A caption reads:

MOONBASE ALPHA,

SEPTEMBER 10TH 2100

Currently under the command of COMMANDER JOHN KOENIG, a naval officer for the United American States, he has only been in charge at Alpha for two months, replacing his predecessor, CAPTAIN DIMITRI GORSKI, of the Eurasian Union.

KOENIG is a tall, lean character with dark hair and chiselled features. His bright, friendly eyes conceal hidden depths and few people have ever got to the bottom of this complex man.

One of those people, though, is DIANA MORRIS. She is the head of the International Science Congress and is currently giving KOENIG a hard time over the comlink from her office in Boston, Massachusetts.

CUT

9. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - KOENIG’S OFFICE & COMMAND CENTRE

KOENIG sits behind his desk, a video monitor in front of him displays the lovely face of DIANA MORRIS.

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

Look, John, you tell Bergman that if he has any problems with his new staff, that he take it up with the political envoy. I have enough problems down here without having to nursemaid you Alphans as well!

KOENIG

I don’t think Victor needs a nursemaid, Diana. It’s just that his new assistant, MARSHALL, is a little, well, eager. He almost destroyed a whole section last week because of his rash stupidity.

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

If the man’s incompetent, get rid of him, John.

KOENIG

It’s not that simple, Diana, and you know it. The ISC grants equal rights to both the UAS and EU and positions up here are decided politically. It’s madness I tell you. (beat) All I want you to do is have a word with the EU Political Office at the ISC and see if we can get a replacement for Marshall. I have the safety of over three hundred people to worry about up here.

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

Alright, John, I’ll see what I can do. I always was a soft touch for you.

KOENIG

Thanks, Diana, I’m sure Victor will appreciate it. (beat) Now, what was it you called me for in the first place?

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

(smiling)

More work for Victor, I’m afraid. It seems that the team at Marsbase Alpha has found something on Phobos and it’s en route to you even as we speak.

KOENIG

Found something? That’s a bit vague, Diana. The scientists at Marsbase have excellent facilities. Why send it all the way here?

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

I can’t go into details on an unscrambled line, just have Victor ready for when it arrives in a day or so. He’ll also have another ‘assistant’ to worry about. Doctor Jean Ricard is accompanying the artefact.

KOENIG

Not the Jean Ricard? The man who developed Alpha’s nuclear power plants?

MORRIS (on viewscreen)

The same. I’m sure Victor will be happy to work with him.

KOENIG

Hardly! Ricard’s safety record is worse than Marshall’s. He’s lucky nobody has been killed under his charge. I’ll break the news to Bergman gently, but I can’t see him being very happy about it, especially not knowing what Ricard is bringing with him as well. Moonbase Alpha out.

KOENIG turns off the monitor and rubs his chin in thought for a moment. He leaves his office and enters the Command Centre, a wide, brightly-lit open plan section that houses several rows of computer terminals and is dominated by a huge display screen, which is currently showing a static image of the lunar surface.

He crosses the Command Centre, smiling at several of the technicians, and exits through a passageway on the far right.

CUT

10. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - CORRIDOR

As he walks down a long, straight corridor, an attractive, middle-aged woman jogs up behind him. It is DOCTOR HELENA RUSSELL, Alpha’s Chief Medical Officer. She has a large wad of papers under her arm and struggles to keep up with the fast-walking commander.

RUSSELL

Got a minute, John? I have the latest series of test results from the power plant staff.

KOENIG (brusquely)

Can’t it wait, Doctor?

RUSSELL (equally brusquely)

I suppose it could, but then by the time you get round to it, you might find half the power plant staff in the Medical Bay with radiation poisoning.

KOENIG

What?! The reactors aren’t leaking radiation! There are a hundred safeguards to prevent it.

RUSSELL

I know, John, but the figures speak for themselves. Here…

(She hands the papers to KOENIG)

I’d suggest that until further notice, nobody works in that section for more than an hour at a time.

KOENIG (rubs his forehead)

Okay, Helena, I’ll pass on your recommendation to Chief Reeves.

RUSSELL stops walking and lets KOENIG continue his journey. KOENIG leafs through the papers, shaking his head. He stops outside a Transit Tube Station and the large, round door slides open.

CUT

11. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - TRAVEL POD

He steps inside the Travel Pod and sits down in one of the half dozen comfortable seats.

KOENIG (leafing through papers)

Impossible. These figures can’t be right.

The Travel Pod stops and KOENIG exits, still carrying the papers.

12. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - CORRIDOR

KOENIG walks the short distance to the laboratory of VICTOR BERGMAN, Moonbase Alpha’s Chief Scientist and KOENIG’s closest friend. The large, double-doors to the lab area are closed and KOENIG must enter a security code into a panel by the door. The doors hiss open and he steps through.

13. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - MAIN RESEARCH LABORATORY & BERGMAN’S OFFICE

KOENIG enters the domain of PROFESSOR BERGMAN, a large complex of labs with several sections capable of being independently sealed. The facility as a whole lies well over a kilometre from the main body of the base and the Transit Tube is the only access.

KOENIG approaches BERGMAN, who is leaning over a microscope in true scientific style. He is a man of about sixty, with little hair and what there is left is grey. He has a kind face, with many laughter lines around his eyes. He is very popular.

KOENIG

Good morning, Victor.

BERGMAN

(standing upright and rubbing his eyes)

John! Great to see you! Coffee?

KOENIG

I’d love one.

The pair leave BERGMAN’s workstation and enter his office. BERGMAN pours KOENIG and himself a cup of strong, black coffee and he sits down at his desk, surveying the lab beyond his office through the large windows. KOENIG sits on the opposite side of the desk, plopping the papers down so they spread out in front of BERGMAN.

BERGMAN (smiling)

Trouble at t’mill?

KOENIG

You could say that. Where do you want me to start?

BERGMAN

Try the beginning.

KOENIG

(takes a swig from his coffee mug)

Okay. First off, I don’t think you’re going to get shot of Marshall any time soon.

BERGMAN

Swell. Next?

KOENIG

Doctor Jean Ricard, yes the Jean Ricard, is on his way from Marsbase Alpha with some super secret discovery and you are to afford him every courtesy.

BERGMAN

And what have you got to round off my day for me?

KOENIG

(points to the papers)

Helena says that the power plant is leaking radiation.

BERGMAN

(looks flustered)

What? Let me see.

(he picks up the loose leaves and begins thumbing through them)

Hmmm. It would seem that the good doctor is correct. I thought alarms and sirens and flashing lights were supposed to go off the instant the radiation levels even crept above normal?

KOENIG

They are. Luckily, we have the man who designed those systems coming here on the next bus.

(KOENIG rises from his chair)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have the chief of the power plant to see and break him the news that he has to change his entire staff’s shift pattern!

KOENIG exits and we CUT to:

14. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - CREW QUARTERS

SANDRA BENES and PAUL MORROW are clinched in a passionate embrace. She is short, with black hair cut in a tidy bob and deep, almond eyes. Her Asian roots are evident, yet she speaks with a clipped English accent. He is tall, moustached and, with his almost unkempt, sandy blond hair, could have been a male model in the 1970s. They part and stare longingly at one another.

BENES

Oh, Paul. I wish you didn’t have to go back. We have had so little time together.

MORROW

(speaking with a rich, Southern drawl)

Yeah, but my tour is up at the end of the week. We can always hook up when you get Earthside.

BENES

You know that won’t happen, Paul. I hate the ways things are happening on Earth. If only we could break away, go independent.

MORROW

You mean up here on Alpha? Go it alone? That sure sounds fine. You’re such a romantic, Sandy.

The pair clinch again and we CUT to:

15. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

KOENIG enters the Nuclear Power Plant cautiously, obviously recalling DOCTOR RUSSELL’s warnings about radiation. The plant is on the far side of Moonbase Alpha from the research labs, a distance of about three kilometres from BERGMAN’s office.

The plant is less spacious than other areas of Alpha, the majority of the section taken up by the nuclear reactors. The area is supposed to be so safe from radiation that no protective clothing is necessary.

KOENIG approaches a man who is reading a computer monitor. This is CHIEF PETER REEVES, Alpha’s officer in charge of the power plant.

KOENIG

Good morning, chief.

REEVES

(turns around, startled)

Good morning, sir. What brings you out here?

KOENIG

(rubbing his forehead)

Bad news, I’m afraid.

FADE OUT

ACT TWO

1. EXT. MOONBASE ALPHA – DAY – FADE IN

An Eagle transporter touches down on one of Moonbase Alpha’s five launch pads, its rocket jets spewing flame and roaring loudly.

A caption reads:

MOONBASE ALPHA,

SEPTEMBER 12TH 2100

CUT

2. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - TRANSIT TUBE

A Travel Pod zips down the transit tube from the launch pad and slows to a halt at the station on the Main Hub.

CUT

3. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - TRANSIT TUBE STATION CORRIDOR

The round door of the Travel Pod slides open and disgorges three men: ALAN CARTER, SERGEI PETROV and DOCTOR JEAN RICARD.

KOENIG greets them along with BERGMAN.

KOENIG

Alan! It’s so good to see you again!

(CARTER and KOENIG shake hands vigorously)

How long has it been? Five years?

CARTER

Six.

KOENIG

Six years! Jeez!

(a cough from BERGMAN)

Oh, sorry, this is Victor Bergman, our scientific chief of staff. Professor, Alan Carter…

PETROV

Captain Sergei Petrov, sir. Alan has told me a lot about you. I am honoured to finally meet the man who diffused the Gibraltar Siege.

KOENIG

(slightly taken aback)

Er, it was nothing really.

(whispers to CARTER)

Thanks a bunch!

RICARD steps forward, interrupting the informal gathering. His slight frame and hawkish face disguise a hidden strength. Although of an unimpressive stature, he possesses the presence of a man twice his size.

RICARD

(with a French accent)

Commander, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to get to Professor Bergman’s lab. I’m sure your people have delivered the artefact there from the hangar bay already. We have a lot of work to do.

KOENIG

(raises an eyebrow)

Of course, doctor. If you will follow Victor, I’m sure he will accommodate you.

BERGMAN leads RICARD back into the Transit Tube without a word. The tension between the two scientists is palpable.

KOENIG

I’m glad that’s out of the way. I just hope Ricard survives the day. So, Alan, what have you been up to since we last met?

CARTER

Not much. Milk runs around Mars for the most part. Not exactly a dignified end to an illustrious career, eh?

KOENIG

Life’s a bitch, Alan.

CUT

4. INT. MOONBASE ALPHA - MAIN RESEARCH LABORATORY & BERGMAN’S OFFICE

BERGMAN and RICARD are arguing. The members of staff in earshot cannot help but hear the two scientists and many smiling glances are exchanged.

They are standing beside the artefact that RICARD has accompanied from Mars. It is a large, silver and black globe. Deep grooves cover its entire, brushed metal surface, giving it the appearance of a huge, scratched ball-bearing.

BERGMAN is holding a hand scanner and this is the source of their argument.

RICARD

Mon dieu! I know that it is emitting graviton waves! I also scanned it at Marsbase with the very device you are holding. I was ordered to bring it here because they said you are the best. Perhaps I should take it to Earth and let the EU Science Division handle this, no?

BERGMAN

No, doctor. We can handle this whatever-it-is perfectly well.

(he s