[General Battuta]

You've clearly missed the entire point

I think you should perhaps consider that I've thought about this quite a lot. I get your entire point; I understand precisely what you're saying, that it's possible to find compelling personal stories even in a broad, impersonal backdrop; and I think it represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes FreeSpace good, what makes World War 2 interesting, and what makes a good TV show.

As for bringing anything new to the table, how about instead of constantly fighting against the idea, actually help evolve the idea. The only way anyone could succeed in making any good fan movie involving these drama elements is if instead of asking the question to someone else, answer it yourself. How can you do it Bat? Or are you going to insist it's impossibility and fight it every which way

That's just counter productive. You can ask the questions (in fact, we all should ask the same questions), but as a fan yourself, you should help answer those very questions

If you really want me to, I'll come up with a story for each of the bigger events, and ideas which would separate them from other similar shows/movies. However, I expect you to do the same

The funny thing is that I've already done this for you! You can impress me by reading what's been said to you in this thread and figuring it out. I'll give you a hint: I think the same thing which makes FreeSpace an excellent video game would make it a terrible, terrible movie or novel or TV show. In fact, it is the same reason that any genuinely good video game will by necessity be a bad movie. And I've even set out a lengthy road map of the steps required to overcome this obstacle. It's available for your consideration at any time you please.

Can I figure out a way to tell an interesting scripted narrative of the novel or TV-drama form in the FreeSpace universe? Absolutely. Is it worth doing? What do you think my answer is, and why?

Good luck!

[Droid803]

You could take the FS universe and write the most epic TV drama for it...

but it still wouldn't be FreeSpace anymore.

[deathfun]

Fine, you're right Bat

[General Battuta]

Fine, you're right Bat

No, no, I'm not right, that's not fun or productive. You're right! We should keep looking at this problem, it's an interesting discussion.

[TrashMan]

Honestly, making a TV show based off of existing Volition canon wouldn't work all that well. Games and television are fundamentally different forms of media and rely on fundamentally different forms of engagement to keep people entertained. Consider game/movie crossovers. 99% of the time, a game based on a movie pretty much fails - and likewise, movies based on games generally don't do so well at the box office.

I disagree.
If a media crossover suck it's because the one making the crossover sucked. There's nothing inherently wrong in the concept.

If you want to make a sci-fi show, you either take a existing universe or make up a new one. FS universe has a excellent atmopshere and visual design. I don't see why a movie/series based on it would be bad. There's plenty of wiggle room.

[Legate Damar]

There could be Blue Planet, Inferno, WoD, and Transcend TV shows

(do not watch the latter at night  )

[Scourge of Ages]

I once thought to myself how cool it would be to see a good Star Wars TV show, something like a cross between The Outer Limits and the Tales From [X] Star Wars books. With each episode (or two or three) focusing on new characters in a new situation.

I imagine that the theoretical FreeSpace show could either do something like that - a fighter pilot in a battle or two one week, some refugees another week, an officer in a personal conflict another week, etc. - or something closer to Battlestar Galactica, where it follows the crew of a destroyer, and its pilots as they fight battles, deal with the war, go on other assignments, and all that stuff.

[Killer Whale]

Isn't there a clone wars animated tv show?

[Black Wolf]

Scourge of Ages and Trashman have it right. I think that Freespace, as a game, would translate poorly to a non interactive medium like TV or film. However, as a universe, Freespace gives us something that's no worse than a lot of other Sci-Fi universes, and in some ways, much better. FS as a universe is built around warfare, which always has great dramatic potential, has, as Trashman pointed out, a great visual palette, and presents a lot of potential story threads that could be picked up (or ignored, as required) by screenwriters.

Personally, (and as unrealistic as I know this is), assuming it could be made and written to a high standard, I'd love to see a series set in the last year or so of the TV-War. The gritty military setting of S:AAB or BSG combined with the story arc of Babylon 5 (particulary if the Shivans could be slowly revealed (ala the Shadows) through GTI machinations) culminating in a chaotic, DS9-esque final season or two of the Shivan war. Little mini-arcs could link in with the events of the game (McCarthy might make an appearance, for example, or the buildup for Operation Thresher, or the development of the Avenger/Tsunami), or the game events could be presented as some kind of off screen happenings that don't involve whoever the main cast turn out to be.

There could be some big advantages to the FS universe as well. The Vasudans could, potentially, be a fascinating main enemy - one thing that was really missing, I felt, in Star Trek and B5 and that, was the investigation of a truly alien psyche - mainly because they had too many races to focus on just one for any length of time. That could be something legitimately new. Not to mention the fact that all of the shows I've mentioned so far start in peacetime, and the war develops around them. This would throw the viewer right into the middle of a conflict that's already old. People start out war weary and jaded, even the new recruits (who'd probably start to resemble the last few years worth of Vietnam draftees). Plus, the fact that there's only one real big enemy (at the start) would probably force a bit of creativity in looking for antagonists within the Human ranks. The military-industrial complex, for example, might be prolongung the war somehow, the GTI might be torturing Vasudans - is that morally right? After all, they're not human - do they have human rights?

Actually, the more I think about, the more I kind of keep coming back to the same idea. Someone mentioned earlier that there was nothing in the FS universe that couldn't be done just as well in B5, BSG etc. etc. Maybe they're right. But I can't help thinking that maybe, just maybe (and I stress, I know that this is never going to happen), there might be a market in 2012 for a TV show that puts the viewer into the middle of a war that's been going on over a decade, is against an enemy that most of the soldiers only know as desert dwelling "treacherous and superstitious" boogeymen before they leave (who, of course, have religious fanatics more than willing to use suicidal practices against their enemies) but realize that they're much more complex once they actually get out there), and has morally ambiguous Intelligence forces and practices always waiting in the wings.

Sci fi as a heavy handed metaphor for real events might never reach the heights of Star Trek TOS, but as settings go, I can't think of too many more relevant military situations to restart the trend in.

[Sushi]

Now there's an argument for a Freespace TV show that actually gets me somewhat interested. 

Main problems I see:

- The Vasudans in FS aren't terribly alien in their psyche: they're very much on the same level as Klingons or Narn in terms of different-ness. But I'm sure a TV series could make them plenty more alien in order to focus on that aspect.

- Since this is in the Freespace setting at a known point in the universe's history, the whole thing is, to a large extent, spoilered from the get-go.


I do think that some aspects of the Freespace universe, such as the ones you described, would make good inspiration for an original universe & series, which is how I'd much rather see the whole thing approached. Don't worry about Freespace as a universe, but happily steal the themes that you find most interesting and expand on them (stealing from other sources too, of course).

[THE Phreak]

My take:

Set it in the freespace universe, following the 42nd Vigilantes based outta the GTD Scopuli during the NTF rebellion. You get elements like enemy aces and stuff as seen throughout the first two world wars, and then the main guy gets his own wing (Rapier Wing!) and kicks all sorts of ass.

If not, look at Ace Combat's presentation. Something like that aboard a ship would be awesome.

[Marcov]

Like many said here, I think even if we did turn the game into a TV show or film, we would have to scrap out the impersonality of the general FreeSpace feel, much like how Blue Planet did.

If we do indeed manage to get it to that point, the only fan appeal that will occur is the unchangeable elements, such as the back story and characters (e.g. the GTVA, their ships, the Vasudans, the Shivans, what else is there to please the fans)?

Other than that, we will have to develop FreeSpace TV series/movie using our own innovative, creative ideas of a different take on the game's Universe. Perhaps base it on a particular character, like on BP? Or continue from the Capella incident and finish on a breathless conclusion on the origins on the Shivans?

It's similar to creating a Jazz take on a Bach composition. The theme (chord progression) would still have to be there, but the development, style, and the general feel would be somehow lost.

Think it out...

[ShadowWolf_IH]

Do it like Battles 360.  Where instead of a drama, you create a documentary series about 1 ship and her battles, complete with interviews from select members of the crew.  Say...Bastion.  During each episode you give back story, strategic positioning, etc.   I got the idea watching Dogfights the other night, about how fun it would be to do something like that here....but I can't model.  The only thing different from Star Trek or B5 would be perspective, and non character driven.  Anyway....that's how I see it.

[Scourge of Ages]

I'd watch that.
Actually, it'd probably be way easier to do than a story-driven show. You'd only need like 4 voices for the narrrator and whoever's being interviewed, and wouldn't even really need to show the characters.

[potterman28wxcv]

I agree with Black Wolf, the FS universe (or the BP story ; even if it's an independant mod, and that officially it isn't a sequel to the 2 Wars..) has a high potential.

I think that before starting creating a TV show, a list of possible features should be written, where everyone would post his ideas about which characters to create, their personality, some love story perhaps (a Vasudan with a Terran ? )..
However the biggest problem would be the dogfights and the missions I think. It would be very difficult to bring properly the same feelings we have in missions to a TV show. The TV show would focus more on action, whereas the game is a bit different.

[Aesaar]

WiH could make an amazing miniseries.

[Killer Whale]

FSO has a lot of mods which mostly have their own continuity. I would call any other Freespace Fanfiction (which is basically what FS mods (excluding TCs) are, though I admit the term doesn't have as good connotations) the same sort of thing. Be it a novel, short story, live action TV show, movie, mod, machinima, animated series, comic book, play, poem, radio play, documentary or whatever it is still a work of fanfiction that should be viewed in the same way any mod is. Presently almost every piece of Freespace fiction is a mod (not a bad thing), but I am fully okay with someone going and making, for example, a TV show provided it is not-for-profit and not called "Freespace: The Movie" (I say this in a similar vein to the convention of not calling a mod "Freespace 3" (parody exemption)).
Personally, I would be delighted to see sub-divisions of this board which don't just relate to mods, but to, say, a novel or a webcomic.
Now for a company to actually go ahead, get the intellectual property and make a tv show? That I'm not so okay with (can't a games company get it instead? Preferably one who can give it to Volition?) and believe to be impossible anyhow.
In short. If you (general form of "you"; not specific) want to make a non-canon Freespace TV show, go ahead. Of course the problem lies in not being able to actually air it... but youtube?

All IMHO of course.

[headdie]

Sorry if this is difficult to follow, it keeps evolving in my head as I type.

I know I have been an opponent of a FS film/show, but, how "Freespacy" would a show be if it was done from a permanent one character perspective, just following 1 character with little or no deviation from that character, if the viewer knows something it is because the character they are watching through was either there, saw it, or was told it. 

If the character components of the story were kept on ship/base with limited interaction with other pilots you could maintain the feel of freespace in mission sequences while still telling character stories.  The limited pilot interactions could be explained at first because the veterans keep their distance from the fresh meat until they prove that they might actually live long enough to be worth getting to know, then as the story progresses the pilot who’s perspective we are looking from becomes a veteran.  There are not many veterans to know which keeps the reserved pilot list small and they all keep their distance from the newbies and so on.

In FS1 i think it would look like

Pilot joins the GTD Galatea and gets to know a fighter technician, a bar tender, a couple of rookies and Lt. Harbison who is a veteran but still making the transition to cautious about the newbies veteran.

Story goes on, pilot shows their staying power and starts to be excepted into the ever changing but small community of veterans and aces on board, so still small community of significant pilots in the show leaving 80 - 90 red shirts on board to die in pitched battle making the player look even more heroic.

Galatea bites it to the Lucifer, viewer character and survivors transfer to the Bastion, thus starting the newbie veteran cycle again and so on.

Series one finishes with the Lucifer going down

[THE Phreak]

Sorry if this is difficult to follow, it keeps evolving in my head as I type.

I know I have been an opponent of a FS film/show, but, how "Freespacy" would a show be if it was done from a permanent one character perspective, just following 1 character with little or no deviation from that character, if the viewer knows something it is because the character they are watching through was either there, saw it, or was told it. 

If the character components of the story were kept on ship/base with limited interaction with other pilots you could maintain the feel of freespace in mission sequences while still telling character stories.  The limited pilot interactions could be explained at first because the veterans keep their distance from the fresh meat until they prove that they might actually live long enough to be worth getting to know, then as the story progresses the pilot who’s perspective we are looking from becomes a veteran.  There are not many veterans to know which keeps the reserved pilot list small and they all keep their distance from the newbies and so on.

In FS1 i think it would look like

Pilot joins the GTD Galatea and gets to know a fighter technician, a bar tender, a couple of rookies and Lt. Harbison who is a veteran but still making the transition to cautious about the newbies veteran.

Story goes on, pilot shows their staying power and starts to be excepted into the ever changing but small community of veterans and aces on board, so still small community of significant pilots in the show leaving 80 - 90 red shirts on board to die in pitched battle making the player look even more heroic.

Galatea bites it to the Lucifer, viewer character and survivors transfer to the Bastion, thus starting the newbie veteran cycle again and so on.

Series one finishes with the Lucifer going down

That, or it can be a bit more Game of Thrones-esque where you jump from characters to show their perspective

What this show would need is it's own new visual and thematic style to completely be different from anything else. Human ships would have to be redesigned to look less generic and illustrate the advancement of humans, culturally and technologically. Dull hull colors wouldn't cut it, they need to have some ornate elements. Less utilitarian and a lot more stylized.

[General Battuta]

I disagree - FreeSpace would shine the same way BSG did, by really playing up the grit and naturalism, going full utilitarian.