At 11:31 AM -0500 15/3/2004, David McMillan wrote:
> Within the year-4200 world of SM4200, there's a popular anime called
> "Queen Serenity and her Senshi". It's supposedly based on the "real-
> life" world of Crystal Tokyo; but there've been hints in the SM4200
> story that it's anything but accurate. For example, in season 1 of the
> anime, the senshi were apparently fighting Zentraedi; in season 2, it's
> Queen Ryoko and her Space Pirates. There's a "Sailor Asteroid" in the
> storyline somewhere. And so on. It's obviously pretty horrific; but a
> number of the 4200 characters are big fans of it anyway.
Which explains a few things about the 4200 world.
Heh. But if you didn't know much about the "real" history of things,
would it seem so bad?
Okay, I admit it. It _would_ seem so bad.
One wonders, though... are the scriptwriters working from any source
material at all, or are they just making this all up as they go? Given
the public adoration Serenity and CT are seen with by the 4200
population, the former seems more likely. But is downright frightening.
See below ...
> What follows ... is a complete episode from the third season of "Queen
> Serenity and her Senshi." It's in script format because, well, that
> really seemed the most appropriate in this case. And if anything, it's
> more horrific than I expected. Or, to put it another way, writing it
> was a blast. :)
You, MacSpawn, are an evil, evil man.
And I suppose I must be too, because I ENJOYED THIS! ARRGH!
<monty-python>
No, no. "Waaah!"
</monty-python>
> A disclaimer would be out of place within the script, so let me add it
> here: This story is (very loosely) based on "Sailor Moon", which was
> created by Naoko Takeuchi, not me.
And all those cameo characters belong to somebody else, too. (:)
Umm ... what you said.
>
> Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kano Hirokichi
> Teleplay . . . . . Segawa Eri & Kano Hirokichi
> Executive Producer . . . . . . Fumihiko Sadako
<choke> I'm not sure about the first two names, but THIS one I
recognize. Oh, you brainfscker....
Hah. I wondered if anyone would pick that up.
And now we know where the script-writers get their source material, hmm?
(But who'da thought that, er, Sadako had a sense of humour?)
> Another instant, and the two are followed by Prince Elios on a third
> hover-board. He is also seven, with bright blond hair in a mullet.
Mullet! KIIIILLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!
That ... was pretty much the reaction I was aiming for, yes ...
> 3 INT. SAILOR JUPITER'S QUARTERS
> Sailor Jupiter is standing over a hot stove, delicately adding a
> pinch of spice to something purple in a pot. Suddenly Usagi, Kakyu
> and Elios roar past her window, one at a time. She looks up.
Well, Miyo must be happy. Although I notice you're leaving out any
physical descriptions.
Most characters can be assumed to look more or less like their Crystal
Tokyo counterparts.
> 4 INT. SAILOR MARS' QUARTERS
> Mars is still in bed, sprawled out in an ungainly pose. There are a
> number of bottles on the bedside table, most of them suspiciously
> empty. With a sudden blast of sound, the three kids shoot past,
> waking Mars.
Itsuko, OTOH, is going to strangle you with your own intestines.
No. But there's a distinct possibility that she may strange Sadako with
her own intestines. I haven't decided yet when Itsuko will "find out",
but it'll happen eventually...
Heh, heh, heh.
> QUEEN SERENITY
> Make sure that all three hover-boards are locked
> away for the next month. Princess Usagi should
> be old enough to know how reckless a stunt that
> was. Endangering Kakyu and Elios just makes it
> worse.
> (beat)
> Oh, and no dessert for Usagi for a week, either.
"stepped" withdrawal shot from the Palace, zooming out to show CT, then
Japan, then Earth, as an agonized "NNNOOOOOOOO" echoes throughout space.
Damn. Wish I'd thought of that ...
> 12 INT. SAILOR MERCURY'S LABORATORY
> Yaten enters the laboratory without knocking. His eyes widen, and
> he ducks frantically. An instant later, a massive energy beam
> strikes a target right behind where he was standing.
BWAHAHAHAAA!
She really should learn to lock the door.
Hey, he didn't knock. Rude people deserve ouchies. Right?
> SAILOR MERCURY (O/S)
> Oh, sorry!
>
> CAPTAIN YATEN
> (standing up and brushing himself down,
> poker-faced)
> Quite all right, Sailor Mercury.
I like this guy already.
I was pretty mean to the Starlights, but at least I made them polite ...
> They look around, suddenly aware of the Viper engine-sounds. All
> three hurry to the window and look out. As they reach it, the Viper
> moves slowly into view. Sailor Mercury is visible in the cockpit.
> The Viper starts to accelerate forward, still ascending, and
> vanishes into the sky.
Huh! Is this a Battlestar Galactica Viper? (Speaking of, have you
guys downundah seen the new SciFi remake, yet?)
Yes, and yes. (Beth mentioned the vipers back in chapter 2, so I had to
fit them in.)
> 18 INT. VIPER COCKPIT
The 'ping'ing sound is louder inside the Viper. Mercury studies her
controls.
SAILOR MERCURY
Yes ... a definite source. I've got you now ...
No no no, that's "I have you now," in full Vader Voice.
Hmm. Am I the only one here who finds the concept of a Sith Ami both
disturbing and oddly enticing at the same time?
Only if she can wear the helmet. Kinky!
> Suddenly her face registers shock. Ominous, dramatic music.
>
> SAILOR MERCURY
> Oh, dear!
"I left my experimental Q-Bomb counting down back in the lab!"
"Oh, well. Captain Yaten will find it. One way or another."
> PRINCE ELIOS
> (comforting)
> Don't worry, oneesan. Queen Ryoko is dead. She
> can't hurt us any more.
> (beat; then, indignantly:)
> But still ... the asteroid belt! That's *our*
> dem-- ... dem-- ...
>
> PRINCESS KAKYU
> Demesne?
ITYM "turf," but that wouldn't be princely. (:)
Not quite self-important enough. Besides, kids love big words.
(Or, well, I did ...)
> They face each other and reach out one hand to one other, so that
> their fingers are almost touching.
>
> ELIOS AND KAKYU
> (together)
> STAR TWINS POWER ... MAKE-UP!
MEANWHILE, at the HALL of JUSTICE-- er, um. Never mind.
Heh.
> 32 TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE -- STOCK SHOT
> Stock transformation sequence. A vortex of energy surrounds the
> two, sweeping them up and merging them together, then fading away to
> reveal the slender, androgynous form of Sailor Asteroid.
Well, now, *that's* different. I find myself intrigued.
Mm. Sailor Asteroid did actually end up being a fairly interesting
character, despite my best efforts. When I had to give him/her some
history later on (especially in Usagi's flashbacks), that was pretty
much the one point where I let things get semiserious for a while ...
purely because I'd gotten interested.
(Anyway, getting to create tantalising back-story -- without having to
bother filling in any details -- makes it all worthwhile.)
> SAILOR ASTEROID
> CereCere ... launch!
CereCere? Oy. How *do* you pronounce that?
Got me. Ask Naoko Takeuchi. (She was one of the "real" asteroid senshi
in the manga.)
> She tip-toes across to the hangar in a very exaggerated I'm-being-
> sneaky way. Inside, she heads for the Star Pegasus, a towering,
> vaguely horse-shaped mecha. The chest plates open as she approaches
> it, and a ladder descends silently. Usagi is just beginning to
> climb when:
>
> QUEEN SERENITY (O/S)
> And *where* do you think you're going, young
> lady?
>
> Usagi looks around to see the Queen standing in the stairwell
> door. Captains Yaten and Seiya are just behind her.
>
> PRINCESS USAGI
> Oh ... drats.
Snerk. Nice way to squeeze Helios in there, too.
Well, plus actually having the character Elios ...
> 49 EXT. SPACE -- PALACE OF SKULLS
> Start from a close-up on the palace; then pull back, and back, to
> finally reveal the vast shape of the royal command carrier, the
> Endymion, gliding majestically toward the palace.
Oh, *there* he is. You know, Mamoru really deserves better treatment.
But it seems to be his fate to get screwed over in animation.
Yeah. Wanna know the really awful thing? Back when I was writing
chapter 9, and Endymion actually got to *appear* in the story, I decided
at the outset to give him a decent part ... and then I just kept
*forgetting* to include him in scenes! Honest to God. Don't know
why, but he's just so ... easy to overlook. Poor guy.
That said, I cackled like a loon for a good ten minutes when I realised
that Serenity's *ship* was named Endymion.
> SHADOW
> I am Gendo ... the Death Phantom.
Gendo Ikari, then character who left such a mark in the collective
human subconscious that he's *still* typcast as a total bastard, even
two thousand years later.
Are you *proud* of this animated terror you've created, Anno?
Do you know, I think he might be?
> SAILOR MARS
> If we form the Omega Senshi, we could overpower
> the web.
<beats head against desk> Dear ghod, is there NO trope they won't
squeeze into this series!?!
I didn't have anyone in powered armour ...
(Darn. Never thought if it in time.)
> 70-75 MONTAGE
> 2. Usagi cowers in the throne room of the Palace of Skulls. Sailor
> Asteroid stands over her, grim and terrifying. In the background,
> seated on her throne, head thrown back, Queen Ryoko laughs wildly.
>
> 3. The ruins of Station Epsilon. Finally defeated, Sailor Asteroid
> falls at the feet of Sailor Jupiter. There is a sudden glow and
> s/he separates, becoming two weeping children, clutching each other.
> As Jupiter stares in shock, Princess Usagi steps timidly toward
> them.
You realize, of course, you've now made SA too interesting to just
leave sitting around gathering dust in the prop box.
Yeah. Shame, really.
> 4. The courtyard before the palace in Crystal Tokyo, during the
> attack of the Proton Warriors. Usagi, Kakyu and Elios crouch at the
> feet of Sailor Mercury, who is holding off the combined attacks of
> all five Warriors with her Caduceus Shield.
So, I wonder what Saturn's glaive does, then?
Not sure. None of the Outers made it into QSAHS at all. Just because.
> 5. The bridge of the Endymion. On the viewscreen, the combined
> armada of Crystal Tokyo and the Alpha Fleet thunder in toward the
> doomed Palace of Skulls. In the foreground, their backs toward us,
> watching the screen, are Princess Usagi, between Kakyu and Elios.
> The three are holding hands.
Darn it, stop making these oneshot ACCs so darn interesting!
Heh. It's nice to have a pseudo-continuity for this whole play-within-
a-play thing, though.
> They all turn to look. The bridge bunny adjusts the controls, and
> the viewscreen zooms in to show Usagi heading for the defense web.
>
> SAILOR JUPITER
> No!
>
> SAILOR MARS
> She'll be killed!
>
> QUEEN SERENITY
> Usagi --!
>
> SAILOR VENUS
> No, wait! There's a chance. She's small ... if
> she can just move fast enough ...
>
> They watch, tense.
What, no tractor beams? (:)
Too easy.
> 81 EXT. SPACE -- PALACE OF SKULLS
> Usagi nears the perimeter of the defense web. Crawling, ever-
> shifting arcs of energy are everywhere. It seems impossible to
> avoid them all. At the last instant, Usagi suddenly ducks to the
> left, then sharply cuts upward and to the right, between two strands
> of energy, and enters the web.
Wesley Crusher? Who's Wesley Crusher? (:)
Hey, if you're going to do a Chibi-Usa Saves The Day episode, you may as
well go the whole hog!
> 94 INT. SHADOW CONTROL ROOM
> Gendo is studying an indecipherable computer display on a monitor
> labelled "MIND PROBE". He looks up, startled, as the alarm sounds.
Yeah, but did he GET anything?
... A headache?
Sorry, but you'll just have to tune in in 2000 years and watch the next
episode.
> 104 EXT. SPACE -- STOCK SHOT
> The four Vipers loop around the Endymion. As they do, the Endymion
> begins to reconfigure itself. With whines of power and solid
> metallic clunking sounds, the front section tilts up, the rear
> section separating and reshaping itself. One by one, the Vipers
> slot themselves into place in the transforming ship.
>
> SAILOR VENUS
> Sailor Venus -- lock!
>
> SAILOR JUPITER
> Sailor Jupiter -- lock!
>
> SAILOR MERCURY
> Sailor Mercury -- lock!
Hold on, isn't Mercury's Viper still on the other side of the shield?
Ooopsie.
Not necessarily. I never said how far from the palace she'd left it, so
we're allowed to assume that it was outside the web. Same situation for
CereCere, actually.
> SAILOR MARS
> Sailor Mars -- lock!
>
> ALL FOUR
> (together)
> Senshi Power!
Unite into Voltr-- er, SenshiTron!
Yeah, but the "Omega Senshi" has more class.
(I toyed with naming its scepter "Grospoliner", but decided that
enough was enough.)
> The Endymion, and the docked vipers, have become a giant humanoid
> figure -- yes, a female one -- floating in space.
"...we're the Spaceballs...."
"Look! It's MegaMaid!"
I chickened out of saying whether it was wearing a short skirt ...
> 106 INT. CONTROL COCKPIT -- STOCK SHOT
> The cockpit of the giant figure. Queen Serenity is in the pilot's
> seat. (Everyone else on the bridge earlier has mysteriously -- and
> conveniently -- vanished.)
Of course.
Hey, otherwise they couldn't use stock footage!
> QUEEN SERENITY
> Omega Retribution Strike!
Any named attack with "Omega" in it is always kickass.
Or cheesy. Or both.
> 113 INT. ESCAPE POD
> A small, dimly-lit pod. Outside the front window, the stars wheel
> and spin crazily. Gendo is seated at the controls.
>
> GENDO
> Curse you, Serenity!
>
> Outside, the stars steady as he brings the pod under control.
>
> GENDO
> That was the least powerful of my bases! You've
> set me back by a few days -- no more. And when
> I return ...
>
> Again, the sinister laugh.
And Vader Breathing noises.
Errrr, yes, Vader at the end of A New Hope was somewhat in my mind ...
Thanks for the C&C!
Cheers,
Angus