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1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" and I'll assign you the basis of some tv show idea. (Science fiction show, medical drama, criminal procedure, etc...)
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
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havocthecat gave me the prompt "battlemechs" over a week ago. I am slow. (And I still haven't gotten everyone casted, but that's what the all-mighty flist is for, right?)
I started out thinking that I totally didn't want to make this "live-action Gundam". Then I thought Front Mission, but didn't want it on Earth, but in space. So THEN Ishamelessly stole was inspired by Supreme Commander. But didn't want that crazy-epic scale, because you can't make good TV out of watching an RTS. And I didn't just want land battles, so back in space we go, and put this onto a ship.
Which is leaving me with Nadesico, but without the parody. Um, which is very almost Gundam. *headdesk*
(I think you can also tell I've had far too much practice at writing LARPs and character sheets for casts of up to 50. Because I feel as if I'm doing "Centauri Redux" here. And this comment probably made sense to approximately 4 people.)
[Casting this thing was a chore and a half. I ended up throwing up my hands and casting voice actors, since I know voice actors/seiyuu so much better than live-action. Also a point of contention: Dear Hollywood, plz to be having more Japanese-descent actors. Finding one who fit the criteria I needed is far more difficult than it has any right to be. (I was THIS CLOSE to casting Romi Park, except she's Korean. Damn my OCD!)]
Oathkeepers is an ensemble show. One of the things I tried to do is avoid an obvious "good faction" and "bad faction". Most of the characters I tried to make good but flawed people who just happen to be on different sides. There are a few out-and-out "bad guys", but overall I tried for characters who are not "I am EVIL for the sake of being EVIL", but have conflict simply because of irreconcilable ideologies.
n years ago (where n = BIGNUM), the UAC broke off from the Imperium, founded by political dissidents who did not agree with what they saw as essentially a dictator-state. These dissidents hijacked great colony ships and fled beyond the then-known reaches of space and settled their own society. Centuries later, both had expanded to the point where they once again came in contact with each other. Territory squabbles have broken out here and there across "borders" for hundreds of years since then. Some with the Imperium trying to reclaim territory, some when the UAC get it into their heads to try to screw over their old enemies. Sometimes, though, there's an uneasy peace that lasts for a few years before it all blows up again.
Further separating the two are ideological differences over body-modification policies. Some felt introduction of biological systems and grafts into the body were more acceptable/pure than cyberware/nanotech. Others joined because of a stance on cloning. Further development down that path has led to the appearance of highly-evolved ESP-like abilities in the population of the UAC. Most citizens in the Imperium have some amount of cybernetic systems within their bodies.
Mechs (giant battle robots) are the general method of combat other than ship-to-ship. Rather than having separate units for aero/astro combat and ground combat, militaries have generally decided that having one group that can do both is worth the extra cost. Furthermore, giant mechanical robots are extremely useful for various other operations, especially on long deployments far away from ports. For example, mechs are often used to do ship repair out in the field. Infantries, however, have not completely been eliminated.
Imperium
Emperor Lei, head of the Imperium, played by [Chow Yun Fat] (recurring)
Lei's not a bad guy. He honestly tries to be a good ruler to his people, having been drilled in the concept of nobliese oblige since he was a boy. On the other hand, he's a cunning and ruthless diplomat and military leader. Has a few sons and daughters, all of whom are vying for the throne, since the Imperial family does not believe in succession by birth order, but by merit. Lei's been careful to not show any favoritism, so as far as anyone else knows, it's still anybody's game.
Lei Xiang, Secretary of Defense for the Imperium, played by [Michelle Yeoh] (recurring)
First daughter of the Emperor, Xiang is as cunning as her father but opts for a "talk-first" strategy, which is an interesting quality for a Defense secretary. As such, it was her policy to include diplomats on every ship bigger than a cruiser, especially those on border patrol.
Xiang is also the visible figure in government making deals with various corporations for contracts, especially those in the ship building, mech building, and information systems industries.
Admiral Lei Bei, of the 348th Fleet, played by [Ming Lo] (recurring)
Second son of the Emperor, Bei is Captain Grey's CO. He often butts heads with his older sister, Xiang, often over policy, because his people are the ones getting killed when diplomacy breaks down.
Imperial Battleship Telemachus
Captain Andrea Grey, captain of the Telemachus, played by [Torri Higgenson]
The tough-as-nails, take-no-shit-from-anyone captain of the battleship Telemachus. Andrea was born and raised a Navy brat, so it made perfect sense that she followed in her parents' footsteps. She lost her parents and most of her family in a UAC attack seven years ago on Malakahra, with the sole exception of her younger brother, Corrin, who was at the Imperial Naval Academy at the time.
She tries to be a good officer and keep her personal feelings for the UAC out of any diplomatic incidents with them, but it's always there, just boiling below the surface. This is somewhat exacerbated by the fact that the Telemachus is assigned to deep-space patrol duty, right on the borders of Imperial territory. So far, her dedication to duty is overriding the burning desire for revenge, but at night, she's afraid of what a full-fledged war would do to her soul, and more importantly, her crew.
Commander Bradley Young, XO of the Telemachus, played by [Christopher Judge]
Andrea Grey's right-hand man. He's served with her for years, including when she heard of the attack on her home that killed her family. Bradley is generally seen as being the cool reason to her drive, balancing each other out, but he's more than capable of being just as angry and driven as she.
He has his own family, wife and children, back in the Core, but due to his duties, he doesn't see them often, which makes him sometimes wonder if this makes him a bad father. On the other hand, he's sort of been adopted by the crew of the Telemachus, who pretty much see him as the unofficial "Dad", thanks to his willingness to sit and listen and talk with people about pretty much anything.
Petty Officer Julie Pritchett, navigation and comm officer of the Telemachus, played by [Natalie Moralas]
This is Julie's first tour on the Telemachus. She's slightly desperate to prove that she's a loyal Imperial and rather defensive about it, because it was fairly well publicized that her uncle was arrested as a political dissident. As a result, she has a tendency to overwork herself and has perfectionist tendencies.
Quite honestly, what she needs desperately is a friend who can make her take a step back and breathe before she sends herself into a nervous breakdown or worse.
Janus, Telemachus AI, played by [Michael Shanks]
The AI behind the Telemachus, Janus technically runs all major operations for the ship, from navigation to piloting. At the same time, he has his own personality, and shows up to wander around the ship as a hologram. Despite his lack of physical form, by Imperial law, he is classified as a sentient being and awarded full rights. (The Imperium has a rather specific view on artificial intelligence, due to the prevalence of cyberware in the populace. The measure of a non-human is very blurry indeed) Janus acts as Captain Grey's confidant and advisor for many things, having encyclopedic knowledge, although he still has his moments of being to driven by logic. Frequently works with Theresa on cyberspace issues.
Dr. David Bishop, Telemachus CMO, played by [Richard T. Jones]
David comes off as gruff, most of the time, but pretty much everyone onboard knows that he's just a big teddy bear. He just cares too damn much, and takes every death as a personal failure. He rules his infirmity with an iron fist, and will go head-to-head with Captain Grey on medical matters if need be. He's headstrong and stubborn at the times he needs to be, and sometimes more than that.
Sarah Reed, diplomatic liaison assigned to the Telemachus, played by [Gina Bellman]
Recently assigned to the Telemachus, to follow the policy outlined by Secretary Lei. Sarah's not entirely happy to be there. Oh, she doesn't mind being assigned out to the borders of Imperial territory, because that comes with the job. No, the problem is that she and Captain Grey do not exactly see eye-to-eye on all matters. She's read the woman's file, she knows what happened and she's certainly sympathetic. But Grey sometimes makes it really damn hard to do her job. The really frustrating thing is that Grey's perfectly polite and can be downright conversational at other times.
Sarah's pretty sure she's never met a more infuriating woman.
Commander Theresa Shaw, leader of the Telemachus hacker squad, played by [Claudia Black]
CO of the Telemachus Intelligence division, colloquially known as the "hacker squad". Theresa is laconic and appears half-asleep most of the time. However, the second something happens to her agents or her security system, she becomes a force of nature. In cyberspace, she's manic and driven, and pray to whatever higher power you believe in if you get in her way. Theresa is one of the best in the business for a reason.
One of her protegees is out in the field currently, although no one on the ship is stupid enough to ask where Theresa's information comes from.
Lt. Commander Corrin Grey, squadron leader, played by [Kavan Smith]
Younger brother of Andrea Grey, Corrin serves under his sister as a mech pilot and squadron leader. He suspects his sister requested him as crew, but he doesn't resent it at all. In fact, due to what happened to their parents and younger siblings, he's terrified his sister will one day be consumed by the quest for revenge and throw her life away. He also feels guilty because he wasn't there when it happened. As a result, Corrin's a bit overprotective, of both his sister and anyone else whom he considers "clan", which pretty much includes everyone on the Telemachus.
Sub-Lt. Jarred Benjamin, pilot, played by [Aldis Hodge]
Young, cocky, but a damn good pilot. Graduated from the Imperial Academy a few years ago, and has served under Lt. Commander Grey ever since. Jarred has a big family back in the Core, but he's the only Naval officer of the lot. They've been known to send him care packages, though, which when they come in, make him the most popular man in the crew for about a day. (His grandmother's cookies are that good.)
Has a bit of friendly competition going on with Haru, whom he may or may not have a crush on.
Lt. Haru Mori, pilot, played by [TBD]
The other pilot in Corrin Grey's squadron. She's laid-back to the point where some people are mistaken that she's a pushover. They would be wrong. Scarily brilliant, which she uses to her amusement at destroying the stereotype of mech pilots being dumb jocks. That being said, Haru's a mech jockey through and through and delights in giving Jarred a run for his money.
United Aesirian Commonwealth
Jessica Wright. President, played by [Jessica Sheen] (recurring)
Elected president of the UAC, currently serving her first term, but Jessica's been in the politics game for years. Her father was in politics, a Planetary representative, and she was groomed to inherit his legacy from the time she spoke her first word. She rode to office on her silver tongue, beating out other Party members who thought that they could ride to glory on lackadaisical records. But she's worried that her dreams of war drums is her latent precognition and not just paranoia.
Sheng Hua, aide, played by [Zhang Ziyi] (recurring)
Officially the President's aide, she also doubles as the President's bodyguard and personal assassin. She was handpicked by Jessica for the position, ostensibly because of their long working history. Not too many know how long that history is, nor how deep. She's possibly the most dangerous person in the entire UAC, and President Wright's holding the leash.
Marshal Piotr Marakov, head of Defense, played by [David Nykl] (recurring)
Ex-husband of Erica Rodriguez. Piotr doesn't entirely blame himself for the failure of that marriage, but he knows both of them cared much more for their jobs than for each other. Both can be bull-headed at times. When they were on the same page, it was a thing to behold. However, more often than not, they were fighting each other, which were also legendary.
Piotr's not exactly gunning for a war, but he's not stupid. If those Imperial bastards want a fight, he'll make sure they get one, and the UAC won't lose.
UCS Vesperia
General John Summers, commander of Vesperia, played by [Keith David]
Slightly distant from his crew, John is prone to brooding interspersed with moments of frantic activity. The only reason he says he's not an alcoholic is because his father was, and damned if he's going to be like his old man. (Which is why he sometimes has, well, opinions on St. Clair's coping habits.) John is keenly aware of what dangers can lurk at the borders of UAC territory. It's not just the damn Imperials, but the pirates and dregs of society as well. His old man lost his leg and half his crew to pirates doing the same job John himself is doing now. Sure they were able to regrow it, but the man was never the same afterwards.
John fears that the time on the edge will change him. So he distances himself from his crew, whom he genuinely does care for, as a precaution.
Colonel Solomon West, Intelligence Officer, played by [Ben Browder]
Solomon's been in the Intelligence business a long time. In fact, he's been at it ever since he was a boy, since genetics and bioengineering gave him the gift of mild psonics: he can detect surface thoughts of other people. As a boy, it nearly drove him mad, because he couldn't tune out the noise. However, years of training has made him able to control the talent at will, and propelled him through the ranks of UAC Intelligence.
Solomon tries to be fairly outgoing and cheerful, in order to put people at ease around him. He knows his talent makes people nervous around him if they know, and hides his hurt behind a smile. But only fools would dismiss him as harmless, because he can be a ruthless bastard when he has to. Which is generally when any of "his people" are in danger.
Dr. Erica Rodriguez, CMO of the Vesperia, played by [TBD]
Erica has been assigned to the Vesperia for years, and is fairly comfortable with the crew. She's also very familiar with everyone's excuses to get out of the infirmary, and has perfected the Look that can get even the General to shut up and stay in bed. Unlike a lot of other people in her profession, she doesn't mind being assigned to the long deployments, having nothing really left back in more populated areas.
The only irritating thing is that she's technically working for her ex-husband, Piotr Marakov. Official meetings are strained at best, and both would much rather avoid them all together. Unfortunately, the military being what it is, that's not entirely possible.
Stephen St. Clair, chief diplomatic liaison on Vesperia, played by [Rick Gomez]
Stephen will tell you he's been doing this diplomat thing for way too long. He swears he's not an alcoholic, but he will admit he does enjoy his liquor a bit too much. But he would never dare to do something as unprofessional as go to a meeting drunk. His own sense of personal pride demands that much. It's just that he's seen too many situations go to hell when they could have been avoided with words, and the memories still haunt him at night. The worst was an attack on Malakahra, a small world just in the borders of Imperial territory, seven years ago. He'd begged and pleaded with those in power at the time that the strike wasn't the right answer, but he'd been overruled.
Afterword, he quit working in the Hub and asked to be assigned out to the borders.
He's trying to remember that his job's still worth it at times.
Sergeant Tony Foster, Chief Engineering Officer on Vesperia, played by [Ryan Robbins]
Tony hates pirates and smugglers with a passion, ever since one of his younger cousins was kidnapped by slavers. He personally hired an investigator to find her, but after months of fruitless searching, he had to accept that Allison was dead. (He hopes she's dead, because he'd never forgive himself for giving up, even after he emptied his bank account, if she were out there waiting for someone to save her.) Ever since, he requested assignments off on the borders, where those who believe themselves outside the law fester like an open sore on the galaxy.
Tony's not a mech pilot, but he tells himself he's the next best thing to it, because he's the one that makes sure the pilots can do their jobs. He keeps the mechs and the Vesperia running in prime condition, and he's damn proud of it.
Major Samantha Black, pilot, squadron leader, played by [Lena Headey]
Orphaned at a young age and subsequently raised in one of the UAC's soldier creches. (One of the UAC's policies is to give promising wards of the state pre-pubescent genetic/hormone treatment and shuffle them off to the military. These facilities are known as the soldier creches.) As a result, the military is practically all Sam knows. This is not to say she is strictly by-the-book. For someone who was raised to be a mech pilot, she's remarkably unconventional in her tactics.
Outside the battlefield, though, she's about as socially awkward as you'd expect. Her squad alternately finds this endearing or exasperating, depending on the day.
Lt. Karen Gatz, pilot, played by [Jamie Ray Newman]
Karen comes from a old money family, but she rebelled against her parents and joined the military. They still haven't exactly forgiven her for that. On the other hand, she's the happiest she's been all her life. And not just because she gets to blow shit up, although that's very nice too. Compared to how she grew up, military life is downright freeing in comparison. She actually expects her parents to write her out of the will one of these days; she's just surprised she hasn't been disowned yet.
Karen's usually the one to pull Vincent out of his mopey moods, because although she tries, the Major's just too socially inept to get through to him.
Corporal Vincent Kusak, pilot, played by [Karl Urban]
Vincent's not exactly used to this whole "mech pilot" thing. He entered pilot training in an attempt to get his estranged father, an extremely well-respected pilot himself, to accept him. This has not happened yet. As a result, Vincent tries hard, and is a good pilot, but is prone to bouts of bitterness over the fact that he believes he'll never be good enough. Thankfully, Karen's usually around to smack him upside the head when this occurs.
The Underworld
Nicholas Cooper, crime boss, played by [Cliff Simon]
Leader of the Cooperative. As near as anyone can tell, he's a man with no past, or at least the money to cover it up. No one's sure where he came from, but suddenly what appeared to be a small operation started chewing through the competition. Nicholas is the kind of man who'll hand you a drink with a smile and tell you to put your feet up, while signaling his wife to stab you in the back. He not only knows every trick in the book, but he's written the sequel. What's even scarier is that he's loyal to only two people: himself, and Naomi.
Naomi Cooper, played by [Amanda Tapping]
Nicholas's wife, second in command of the Cooperative, and just as ruthless as her husband. Her past is also just as unknown. She's arguably the reason the Co-op runs so many lucrative businesses, both on the black market and not. Not only that, but half the time, she's more intimidating than her husband. The only other person she's loyal to is Nicholas, and heaven help you if you even joke about threatening him.
Jacob Santos, captain of the Seventh Son, played by [Mark Dacascos]
Smuggler, pirate, independent businessman. Whatever you want to call him, Jacob Santos is a man who operates on the other side of the law for both factions. He hates the lack of free speech in the Imperium, but also hates how the UAC treats clones as slave labor, and he hates how both of them are practically identical in all but name. (Choose your poison: dictatorship or single-party state) He pictures himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, helping those on the fringe of both territories. Santos something of an oddball in the underworld, since he refuses to carry drugs or slaves, but still has been known to pick up contracts from the Cooperative. His name really isn't "Jacob Santos", but he's keeping his mouth shut on his past.
Alice, pilot/first mate on the Seventh Son, played by [Ellen Muth]
Alice, no do not ask for her family name, she does not want to talk about it, was born on one of the fringe planets in UAC territory. Her parents were poor, and as the youngest daughter, she was viewed as superfluous. And despite the laws saying that only clones could be slaves, no one was going to care when her parents sold her to a slaver offering enough money to feed the rest of the family for a month. Thankfully, the slaver in question got into a fire-fight at a bar before he completed the shipment, with one Jacob Santos, then working as the bartender.
Santos got the slaver's ship, which he renamed, and offered to take Alice home. She refused and instead latched herself onto his side as the man clearly needed someone to keep him from getting killed, which is good, because she's usually the voice of reason to his more-hairbrained schemes.
Caroline "Gin" Hwang, mechanic/pilot on the Seventh Son, played by [Grace Park]
Call her "Gin", like the drink, because she hates her first name. Gin got picked up by the Seventh Son not long after Alice. She was working as a mechanic on Mitima (in Imperial territory) and fixed the engine problem in record time. Santos had asked half-jokingly if she wanted a job, and as dead-end as Mitima was, Gin took him up on it. Not that either of them regret it in the least. Gin's pretty close-mouthed about her past and how she ended up on Mitima, but Alice doesn't care and Santos is not dumb enough to ask.
Gin's also the one that keeps the two mechs the Seventh Son has in prime condition, and woe betide the person to attempts to harm any of them.
Fayth, courier, played by [Beth Riesgraf]
Deep-cover Imperium Intelligence agent. Real name Jill Redfield. Yes, she thinks her cover-name is stupid, but it actually gives her cred with the runner crowd, so she grins and bears it. Legitimate business to drugs, if you give it to her, she'll make sure it gets where it needs to go. Fayth is known to be one of the best in the business, and one of the few with her own private mech that doubles as a one-man ship (highly modified and, most importantly, fast). The bonus of this is that no one really thinks twice of the courier going wherever, but there's always the chance she'll get caught. Fayth's main contact is Theresa Shaw, whom she generally contacts through secure connections in cyberspace, not face-to-face.
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
havocthecat gave me the prompt "battlemechs" over a week ago. I am slow. (And I still haven't gotten everyone casted, but that's what the all-mighty flist is for, right?)I started out thinking that I totally didn't want to make this "live-action Gundam". Then I thought Front Mission, but didn't want it on Earth, but in space. So THEN I
Which is leaving me with Nadesico, but without the parody. Um, which is very almost Gundam. *headdesk*
(I think you can also tell I've had far too much practice at writing LARPs and character sheets for casts of up to 50. Because I feel as if I'm doing "Centauri Redux" here. And this comment probably made sense to approximately 4 people.)
[Casting this thing was a chore and a half. I ended up throwing up my hands and casting voice actors, since I know voice actors/seiyuu so much better than live-action. Also a point of contention: Dear Hollywood, plz to be having more Japanese-descent actors. Finding one who fit the criteria I needed is far more difficult than it has any right to be. (I was THIS CLOSE to casting Romi Park, except she's Korean. Damn my OCD!)]
Oathkeepers is an ensemble show. One of the things I tried to do is avoid an obvious "good faction" and "bad faction". Most of the characters I tried to make good but flawed people who just happen to be on different sides. There are a few out-and-out "bad guys", but overall I tried for characters who are not "I am EVIL for the sake of being EVIL", but have conflict simply because of irreconcilable ideologies.
n years ago (where n = BIGNUM), the UAC broke off from the Imperium, founded by political dissidents who did not agree with what they saw as essentially a dictator-state. These dissidents hijacked great colony ships and fled beyond the then-known reaches of space and settled their own society. Centuries later, both had expanded to the point where they once again came in contact with each other. Territory squabbles have broken out here and there across "borders" for hundreds of years since then. Some with the Imperium trying to reclaim territory, some when the UAC get it into their heads to try to screw over their old enemies. Sometimes, though, there's an uneasy peace that lasts for a few years before it all blows up again.
Further separating the two are ideological differences over body-modification policies. Some felt introduction of biological systems and grafts into the body were more acceptable/pure than cyberware/nanotech. Others joined because of a stance on cloning. Further development down that path has led to the appearance of highly-evolved ESP-like abilities in the population of the UAC. Most citizens in the Imperium have some amount of cybernetic systems within their bodies.
Mechs (giant battle robots) are the general method of combat other than ship-to-ship. Rather than having separate units for aero/astro combat and ground combat, militaries have generally decided that having one group that can do both is worth the extra cost. Furthermore, giant mechanical robots are extremely useful for various other operations, especially on long deployments far away from ports. For example, mechs are often used to do ship repair out in the field. Infantries, however, have not completely been eliminated.
Imperium
Emperor Lei, head of the Imperium, played by [Chow Yun Fat] (recurring)
Lei's not a bad guy. He honestly tries to be a good ruler to his people, having been drilled in the concept of nobliese oblige since he was a boy. On the other hand, he's a cunning and ruthless diplomat and military leader. Has a few sons and daughters, all of whom are vying for the throne, since the Imperial family does not believe in succession by birth order, but by merit. Lei's been careful to not show any favoritism, so as far as anyone else knows, it's still anybody's game.
Lei Xiang, Secretary of Defense for the Imperium, played by [Michelle Yeoh] (recurring)
First daughter of the Emperor, Xiang is as cunning as her father but opts for a "talk-first" strategy, which is an interesting quality for a Defense secretary. As such, it was her policy to include diplomats on every ship bigger than a cruiser, especially those on border patrol.
Xiang is also the visible figure in government making deals with various corporations for contracts, especially those in the ship building, mech building, and information systems industries.
Admiral Lei Bei, of the 348th Fleet, played by [Ming Lo] (recurring)
Second son of the Emperor, Bei is Captain Grey's CO. He often butts heads with his older sister, Xiang, often over policy, because his people are the ones getting killed when diplomacy breaks down.
Imperial Battleship Telemachus
Captain Andrea Grey, captain of the Telemachus, played by [Torri Higgenson]
The tough-as-nails, take-no-shit-from-anyone captain of the battleship Telemachus. Andrea was born and raised a Navy brat, so it made perfect sense that she followed in her parents' footsteps. She lost her parents and most of her family in a UAC attack seven years ago on Malakahra, with the sole exception of her younger brother, Corrin, who was at the Imperial Naval Academy at the time.
She tries to be a good officer and keep her personal feelings for the UAC out of any diplomatic incidents with them, but it's always there, just boiling below the surface. This is somewhat exacerbated by the fact that the Telemachus is assigned to deep-space patrol duty, right on the borders of Imperial territory. So far, her dedication to duty is overriding the burning desire for revenge, but at night, she's afraid of what a full-fledged war would do to her soul, and more importantly, her crew.
Commander Bradley Young, XO of the Telemachus, played by [Christopher Judge]
Andrea Grey's right-hand man. He's served with her for years, including when she heard of the attack on her home that killed her family. Bradley is generally seen as being the cool reason to her drive, balancing each other out, but he's more than capable of being just as angry and driven as she.
He has his own family, wife and children, back in the Core, but due to his duties, he doesn't see them often, which makes him sometimes wonder if this makes him a bad father. On the other hand, he's sort of been adopted by the crew of the Telemachus, who pretty much see him as the unofficial "Dad", thanks to his willingness to sit and listen and talk with people about pretty much anything.
Petty Officer Julie Pritchett, navigation and comm officer of the Telemachus, played by [Natalie Moralas]
This is Julie's first tour on the Telemachus. She's slightly desperate to prove that she's a loyal Imperial and rather defensive about it, because it was fairly well publicized that her uncle was arrested as a political dissident. As a result, she has a tendency to overwork herself and has perfectionist tendencies.
Quite honestly, what she needs desperately is a friend who can make her take a step back and breathe before she sends herself into a nervous breakdown or worse.
Janus, Telemachus AI, played by [Michael Shanks]
The AI behind the Telemachus, Janus technically runs all major operations for the ship, from navigation to piloting. At the same time, he has his own personality, and shows up to wander around the ship as a hologram. Despite his lack of physical form, by Imperial law, he is classified as a sentient being and awarded full rights. (The Imperium has a rather specific view on artificial intelligence, due to the prevalence of cyberware in the populace. The measure of a non-human is very blurry indeed) Janus acts as Captain Grey's confidant and advisor for many things, having encyclopedic knowledge, although he still has his moments of being to driven by logic. Frequently works with Theresa on cyberspace issues.
Dr. David Bishop, Telemachus CMO, played by [Richard T. Jones]
David comes off as gruff, most of the time, but pretty much everyone onboard knows that he's just a big teddy bear. He just cares too damn much, and takes every death as a personal failure. He rules his infirmity with an iron fist, and will go head-to-head with Captain Grey on medical matters if need be. He's headstrong and stubborn at the times he needs to be, and sometimes more than that.
Sarah Reed, diplomatic liaison assigned to the Telemachus, played by [Gina Bellman]
Recently assigned to the Telemachus, to follow the policy outlined by Secretary Lei. Sarah's not entirely happy to be there. Oh, she doesn't mind being assigned out to the borders of Imperial territory, because that comes with the job. No, the problem is that she and Captain Grey do not exactly see eye-to-eye on all matters. She's read the woman's file, she knows what happened and she's certainly sympathetic. But Grey sometimes makes it really damn hard to do her job. The really frustrating thing is that Grey's perfectly polite and can be downright conversational at other times.
Sarah's pretty sure she's never met a more infuriating woman.
Commander Theresa Shaw, leader of the Telemachus hacker squad, played by [Claudia Black]
CO of the Telemachus Intelligence division, colloquially known as the "hacker squad". Theresa is laconic and appears half-asleep most of the time. However, the second something happens to her agents or her security system, she becomes a force of nature. In cyberspace, she's manic and driven, and pray to whatever higher power you believe in if you get in her way. Theresa is one of the best in the business for a reason.
One of her protegees is out in the field currently, although no one on the ship is stupid enough to ask where Theresa's information comes from.
Lt. Commander Corrin Grey, squadron leader, played by [Kavan Smith]
Younger brother of Andrea Grey, Corrin serves under his sister as a mech pilot and squadron leader. He suspects his sister requested him as crew, but he doesn't resent it at all. In fact, due to what happened to their parents and younger siblings, he's terrified his sister will one day be consumed by the quest for revenge and throw her life away. He also feels guilty because he wasn't there when it happened. As a result, Corrin's a bit overprotective, of both his sister and anyone else whom he considers "clan", which pretty much includes everyone on the Telemachus.
Sub-Lt. Jarred Benjamin, pilot, played by [Aldis Hodge]
Young, cocky, but a damn good pilot. Graduated from the Imperial Academy a few years ago, and has served under Lt. Commander Grey ever since. Jarred has a big family back in the Core, but he's the only Naval officer of the lot. They've been known to send him care packages, though, which when they come in, make him the most popular man in the crew for about a day. (His grandmother's cookies are that good.)
Has a bit of friendly competition going on with Haru, whom he may or may not have a crush on.
Lt. Haru Mori, pilot, played by [TBD]
The other pilot in Corrin Grey's squadron. She's laid-back to the point where some people are mistaken that she's a pushover. They would be wrong. Scarily brilliant, which she uses to her amusement at destroying the stereotype of mech pilots being dumb jocks. That being said, Haru's a mech jockey through and through and delights in giving Jarred a run for his money.
United Aesirian Commonwealth
Jessica Wright. President, played by [Jessica Sheen] (recurring)
Elected president of the UAC, currently serving her first term, but Jessica's been in the politics game for years. Her father was in politics, a Planetary representative, and she was groomed to inherit his legacy from the time she spoke her first word. She rode to office on her silver tongue, beating out other Party members who thought that they could ride to glory on lackadaisical records. But she's worried that her dreams of war drums is her latent precognition and not just paranoia.
Sheng Hua, aide, played by [Zhang Ziyi] (recurring)
Officially the President's aide, she also doubles as the President's bodyguard and personal assassin. She was handpicked by Jessica for the position, ostensibly because of their long working history. Not too many know how long that history is, nor how deep. She's possibly the most dangerous person in the entire UAC, and President Wright's holding the leash.
Marshal Piotr Marakov, head of Defense, played by [David Nykl] (recurring)
Ex-husband of Erica Rodriguez. Piotr doesn't entirely blame himself for the failure of that marriage, but he knows both of them cared much more for their jobs than for each other. Both can be bull-headed at times. When they were on the same page, it was a thing to behold. However, more often than not, they were fighting each other, which were also legendary.
Piotr's not exactly gunning for a war, but he's not stupid. If those Imperial bastards want a fight, he'll make sure they get one, and the UAC won't lose.
UCS Vesperia
General John Summers, commander of Vesperia, played by [Keith David]
Slightly distant from his crew, John is prone to brooding interspersed with moments of frantic activity. The only reason he says he's not an alcoholic is because his father was, and damned if he's going to be like his old man. (Which is why he sometimes has, well, opinions on St. Clair's coping habits.) John is keenly aware of what dangers can lurk at the borders of UAC territory. It's not just the damn Imperials, but the pirates and dregs of society as well. His old man lost his leg and half his crew to pirates doing the same job John himself is doing now. Sure they were able to regrow it, but the man was never the same afterwards.
John fears that the time on the edge will change him. So he distances himself from his crew, whom he genuinely does care for, as a precaution.
Colonel Solomon West, Intelligence Officer, played by [Ben Browder]
Solomon's been in the Intelligence business a long time. In fact, he's been at it ever since he was a boy, since genetics and bioengineering gave him the gift of mild psonics: he can detect surface thoughts of other people. As a boy, it nearly drove him mad, because he couldn't tune out the noise. However, years of training has made him able to control the talent at will, and propelled him through the ranks of UAC Intelligence.
Solomon tries to be fairly outgoing and cheerful, in order to put people at ease around him. He knows his talent makes people nervous around him if they know, and hides his hurt behind a smile. But only fools would dismiss him as harmless, because he can be a ruthless bastard when he has to. Which is generally when any of "his people" are in danger.
Dr. Erica Rodriguez, CMO of the Vesperia, played by [TBD]
Erica has been assigned to the Vesperia for years, and is fairly comfortable with the crew. She's also very familiar with everyone's excuses to get out of the infirmary, and has perfected the Look that can get even the General to shut up and stay in bed. Unlike a lot of other people in her profession, she doesn't mind being assigned to the long deployments, having nothing really left back in more populated areas.
The only irritating thing is that she's technically working for her ex-husband, Piotr Marakov. Official meetings are strained at best, and both would much rather avoid them all together. Unfortunately, the military being what it is, that's not entirely possible.
Stephen St. Clair, chief diplomatic liaison on Vesperia, played by [Rick Gomez]
Stephen will tell you he's been doing this diplomat thing for way too long. He swears he's not an alcoholic, but he will admit he does enjoy his liquor a bit too much. But he would never dare to do something as unprofessional as go to a meeting drunk. His own sense of personal pride demands that much. It's just that he's seen too many situations go to hell when they could have been avoided with words, and the memories still haunt him at night. The worst was an attack on Malakahra, a small world just in the borders of Imperial territory, seven years ago. He'd begged and pleaded with those in power at the time that the strike wasn't the right answer, but he'd been overruled.
Afterword, he quit working in the Hub and asked to be assigned out to the borders.
He's trying to remember that his job's still worth it at times.
Sergeant Tony Foster, Chief Engineering Officer on Vesperia, played by [Ryan Robbins]
Tony hates pirates and smugglers with a passion, ever since one of his younger cousins was kidnapped by slavers. He personally hired an investigator to find her, but after months of fruitless searching, he had to accept that Allison was dead. (He hopes she's dead, because he'd never forgive himself for giving up, even after he emptied his bank account, if she were out there waiting for someone to save her.) Ever since, he requested assignments off on the borders, where those who believe themselves outside the law fester like an open sore on the galaxy.
Tony's not a mech pilot, but he tells himself he's the next best thing to it, because he's the one that makes sure the pilots can do their jobs. He keeps the mechs and the Vesperia running in prime condition, and he's damn proud of it.
Major Samantha Black, pilot, squadron leader, played by [Lena Headey]
Orphaned at a young age and subsequently raised in one of the UAC's soldier creches. (One of the UAC's policies is to give promising wards of the state pre-pubescent genetic/hormone treatment and shuffle them off to the military. These facilities are known as the soldier creches.) As a result, the military is practically all Sam knows. This is not to say she is strictly by-the-book. For someone who was raised to be a mech pilot, she's remarkably unconventional in her tactics.
Outside the battlefield, though, she's about as socially awkward as you'd expect. Her squad alternately finds this endearing or exasperating, depending on the day.
Lt. Karen Gatz, pilot, played by [Jamie Ray Newman]
Karen comes from a old money family, but she rebelled against her parents and joined the military. They still haven't exactly forgiven her for that. On the other hand, she's the happiest she's been all her life. And not just because she gets to blow shit up, although that's very nice too. Compared to how she grew up, military life is downright freeing in comparison. She actually expects her parents to write her out of the will one of these days; she's just surprised she hasn't been disowned yet.
Karen's usually the one to pull Vincent out of his mopey moods, because although she tries, the Major's just too socially inept to get through to him.
Corporal Vincent Kusak, pilot, played by [Karl Urban]
Vincent's not exactly used to this whole "mech pilot" thing. He entered pilot training in an attempt to get his estranged father, an extremely well-respected pilot himself, to accept him. This has not happened yet. As a result, Vincent tries hard, and is a good pilot, but is prone to bouts of bitterness over the fact that he believes he'll never be good enough. Thankfully, Karen's usually around to smack him upside the head when this occurs.
The Underworld
Nicholas Cooper, crime boss, played by [Cliff Simon]
Leader of the Cooperative. As near as anyone can tell, he's a man with no past, or at least the money to cover it up. No one's sure where he came from, but suddenly what appeared to be a small operation started chewing through the competition. Nicholas is the kind of man who'll hand you a drink with a smile and tell you to put your feet up, while signaling his wife to stab you in the back. He not only knows every trick in the book, but he's written the sequel. What's even scarier is that he's loyal to only two people: himself, and Naomi.
Naomi Cooper, played by [Amanda Tapping]
Nicholas's wife, second in command of the Cooperative, and just as ruthless as her husband. Her past is also just as unknown. She's arguably the reason the Co-op runs so many lucrative businesses, both on the black market and not. Not only that, but half the time, she's more intimidating than her husband. The only other person she's loyal to is Nicholas, and heaven help you if you even joke about threatening him.
Jacob Santos, captain of the Seventh Son, played by [Mark Dacascos]
Smuggler, pirate, independent businessman. Whatever you want to call him, Jacob Santos is a man who operates on the other side of the law for both factions. He hates the lack of free speech in the Imperium, but also hates how the UAC treats clones as slave labor, and he hates how both of them are practically identical in all but name. (Choose your poison: dictatorship or single-party state) He pictures himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, helping those on the fringe of both territories. Santos something of an oddball in the underworld, since he refuses to carry drugs or slaves, but still has been known to pick up contracts from the Cooperative. His name really isn't "Jacob Santos", but he's keeping his mouth shut on his past.
Alice, pilot/first mate on the Seventh Son, played by [Ellen Muth]
Alice, no do not ask for her family name, she does not want to talk about it, was born on one of the fringe planets in UAC territory. Her parents were poor, and as the youngest daughter, she was viewed as superfluous. And despite the laws saying that only clones could be slaves, no one was going to care when her parents sold her to a slaver offering enough money to feed the rest of the family for a month. Thankfully, the slaver in question got into a fire-fight at a bar before he completed the shipment, with one Jacob Santos, then working as the bartender.
Santos got the slaver's ship, which he renamed, and offered to take Alice home. She refused and instead latched herself onto his side as the man clearly needed someone to keep him from getting killed, which is good, because she's usually the voice of reason to his more-hairbrained schemes.
Caroline "Gin" Hwang, mechanic/pilot on the Seventh Son, played by [Grace Park]
Call her "Gin", like the drink, because she hates her first name. Gin got picked up by the Seventh Son not long after Alice. She was working as a mechanic on Mitima (in Imperial territory) and fixed the engine problem in record time. Santos had asked half-jokingly if she wanted a job, and as dead-end as Mitima was, Gin took him up on it. Not that either of them regret it in the least. Gin's pretty close-mouthed about her past and how she ended up on Mitima, but Alice doesn't care and Santos is not dumb enough to ask.
Gin's also the one that keeps the two mechs the Seventh Son has in prime condition, and woe betide the person to attempts to harm any of them.
Fayth, courier, played by [Beth Riesgraf]
Deep-cover Imperium Intelligence agent. Real name Jill Redfield. Yes, she thinks her cover-name is stupid, but it actually gives her cred with the runner crowd, so she grins and bears it. Legitimate business to drugs, if you give it to her, she'll make sure it gets where it needs to go. Fayth is known to be one of the best in the business, and one of the few with her own private mech that doubles as a one-man ship (highly modified and, most importantly, fast). The bonus of this is that no one really thinks twice of the courier going wherever, but there's always the chance she'll get caught. Fayth's main contact is Theresa Shaw, whom she generally contacts through secure connections in cyberspace, not face-to-face.
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now I'm going to bookmark this & see who Romi Park is.
excellent creation, you have here.
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Romi Park is my favorite Japanese voice actor. She's probably most well-known for voicing Edward Alric in Full Metal Alchemist.
And thank you!
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thank you for the information.
you're welcome.
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And I thought MY cast of characters was ridiculous!
I WOULD WATCH THIS, THOUGH. Siiigh.
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I'm glad you would watch it, though! Crazy space opera that it is. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?
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sigh. Someone needs to win the god-damn lottery, then start a production company.
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And yes, someone totally needs to win the lottery, because that's probably the only damn way something like this (also known as GOOD TV) would ever happen.
[the fact that the idea of Claudia Black being an Intelligence agent/hacker on my TV screen is sending me into fits of glee is just bonus]
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Naomi Cooper, played by [Amanda Tapping]
As near as anyone can tell, he's a man with no past, or at least the money to cover it up. No one's sure where he came from, but suddenly what appeared to be a small operation started chewing through the competition.
just as ruthless as her husband. Her past is also just as unknown. She's arguably the reason the Co-op runs so many lucrative businesses, both on the black market and not. Not only that, but half the time, she's more intimidating than her husband. The only other person she's loyal to is Nicholas
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!
Also, Elizabeth Weir, meet Elizabeth Weir...
Oh, man, I'd watch this. Even though I'm pretty sure I'd have to watch Really Carefully given how complicated I know you'd make it :P
(I STILL SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE)
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*snicker*
*tries to look innocent*
*fails miserably*
Methinks they're getting a bit mouthy.
And of course I'd make it complicated! :P
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Also, I would totally watch this show. Well, I would tape it and then watch it because I'm pretty sure I'd have to pause and rewind a lot to make sure I was catching everything that was going on.
And your icon is fabulous.
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Well, I would tape it and then watch it because I'm pretty sure I'd have to pause and rewind a lot to make sure I was catching everything that was going on.
I think you people know me too well. :P
And your icon is fabulous.
Aw, thank you! I'm rather proud of how it turned out.
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Love your cast, in much the same way I like watching jugglers tossing around large quantities of sharp and breakable objects. ;)
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Ah yes, juggling this many characters/plots would be complex. And possibly hazardous to one's sanity. :)
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I had no less than 3 people in that class, all who know me fairly well, tell me that I should totally turn that universe into a LARP.
Maybe someone is trying to tell me something.
(Great, now I'm considering how to homebrew it.)
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(By the way, I sent you space pirates fic on a google docs clone site. Google docs annoys me for several reasons, and this place is slightly less annoying.)
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It was funny: after I stunned the class to silence after answering the question of how the political situation worked with a long explanation, one of my friends in the class turned to me and said "You are just too used to writing for the Guild, aren't you?" ("the Guild" being the campus group that runs various homebrew LARPs on campus)
(I saw that! I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, but it's on my list. I find Google Docs...eh? I mostly use it for writing out certain docs that I need to have access to across multiple computers. And if I want one or two people to take a quick look at it. I'm not enamored with it by any means.)