Once on staff, the producers would allow us to pitch our own ideas. To be honest, on my own, I was hampered by my lack of sci-fi credentials, so I kind of leaned into western ideas, which were probably problematic. Here's the first couple...
I was very good at coming up with silly names. I see I attempted to bring back old Roy for another dig. And another Niko story that begins with archaeology. I guess I thought that was my thing.
They had a logline for something called "Child's Play" that I took a swing at. I see I attempted to team up Zach and Buzzwang, which was not a frequent pairing. I started to recognize that no one was really doing Buzzwang episodes, so me and Rawlins decided, both together and separately, to feature him.
Looks like Buzz was nixed from this version of the treatment. I know I caught some flak on the first draft for lifting a couple of things from the "Mad Max" films, (which I denied but totally did) so I had to address that, along with stuff from Jack the Giant Killer or The Sword in the Stone.
To address it, I ripped off Uncle Tom's Cabin (c'mon, from "Grout" to Simon LeGrout?") and "Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang." in the 2nd draft. It's a tighter story, and I get into a whole medieval vibe with dashes of and slavery and serfdom. And some Thunderdome, still. This was apparently put on the "wait and see" list of stories.
To address it, I ripped off Uncle Tom's Cabin (c'mon, from "Grout" to Simon LeGrout?") and "Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang." in the 2nd draft. It's a tighter story, and I get into a whole medieval vibe with dashes of and slavery and serfdom. And some Thunderdome, still. This was apparently put on the "wait and see" list of stories.
What's more western than the bank robbery story? Not much, except maybe cattle rustling, which I never quite got a handle on. It's not a bad little tale. Apparently it was good enough for me to start writing up some pages before the 65th script was completed.
I don't remember really remember what happened next, but I did find the script pages I had written, so I guess it was approved. I actually found the hand-written pages. But they didn't scan very well. So...I typed them up...
I think I was going through that phase where writers advise you to end your writing session in the middle of a thought so when you return to it, you can pick up right from there. Not after 40 years you don't.
Another idea I pitched was another Niko the arkie story. This was my one big swing to do a sci-fi story, a time paradox tale, no less. Some where I came up with the idea of time disappearing, the relics of the past disappearing in the present because time was being sucked away. It's not an awful idea, if you ignore all the usual time loopholes.
The fact that I submitted this with the "time codes" down the side leads me to believe this was a second draft. I do remember talking it over with Mandell and he let me rework it to this, but I was a hard "maybe later."
