Recently, David S Goyer’s Superman prequel Krypton, took the next step at Syfy. I’m thrilled for it because I really dig Superman.

Last year the project went into development and TV shows take a long time to get moving. (especially the ones with a rabid fan base).

I was hit with this idea for a story or a series or something. The idea hit me as I was heading to bed. It was so ferocious when it hit, I was compelled to get up and make notes on the world, the characters and their relationships.

I talked with a screenwriter friend and he encouraged me to write up the treatment, which I did. Unfortunately, the fact that the content and this property was firmly in the DC Universe/Warner Brothers vault and ultimately behind a creative wall – this couldn’t go anywhere. (See Brian Michael Bendis’ Words for Pictures) The way things are, I’d have to be asked to join the property and that wouldn’t happen because typically they only ask known commodities/writers, of which I am not one of them. (and that is smart business) In order to change that, I’d need to put out a decent selling indie comic, some sort of hit book in the genre or have a killer agent or any version of the three.

So the idea died. End of line.

But with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice releasing, I thought I’d share what I’d put together in the continued hopes that putting ideas out into the universe is good because there’s a cathartic process that happens. And besides – why not?

So here it is.

Editors note: I have no claim to these characters or universe. The best that this can be referred to is fan fiction.

KRYPTON is a futuristic world with massive amounts of artificial intelligence and robotics incorporated into their society. They’re an advanced society and pursue science like a religion but they aren’t advanced enough to get past some of the more base humanoid emotions and aggression. They’re advanced but hubris follows them – ultimately to the destruction of their own world.

KRYPTON will tell the 70 years before the planet explodes and beginning the saga of Superman (Kal-El) and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El). At it’s core, Krypton is a science fiction action show/comic/cartoon filled with dramatic movement between our characters. Each week builds to the eventual planetary destruction that we all know is coming but we get insight on how a brilliant society could suffer something so easily preventable.

Each week on KRYPTON will show cameos and hints at characters form the greater Superman and DC universe. Incorporating elements and characters from the DC mythos of other Justice League characters like the GREEN LANTERN CORE, THE GUARDIANS and MARTIAN MANHUNTER. Plus villains like SINESTRO and DARKSEID’s origin. The show will build the DC brand and continue to lift the profile of SUPERMAN with a weekly show/comic/cartoon.

Brothers and Sisters As Rivals

Point and counterpoint of Zod and Jor-El. Both are brilliant but have chosen very different paths for success. Jor-El with his mind, Zod with his body. There is a love and respect that grows for each other but their ethos couldn’t be more different. Similar philosophy arguments will be made from Lara Lor-Van, Ursa and Faora.

Growing Pains In A Group Setting – Adolescence Becomes Adulthood

The squad takes on harrowing adventures but still in that crucial beginning of adulthood phase. Love is on their minds but so is the idea of doing something bigger than themselves. Several on the team also desire to live a successful life and how can they balance career, family, citizenship and stress.

Technology in a Future Ecology

We know that KRYPTON was destroyed because of the unchecked strip mining of their planets resources. What is the correct role of renewable energy? For as advanced as the Kryptonian race was, why the destruction? The show will walk the line of technological advances vs renewable energy sources.

The Council Chamber

Used occasionally as Jor-el and Zod check in with the council. These are the most powerful people on Krypton and with it comes political intrigue and battles for power.

Jor-El’s Observatory

An R&D lab and the base of operations for the team on Krypton. Because soldiers are now based there, there’s workout and sparring areas.

Zod’s Spaceship – The Cerberus

Part troop transport, part weapon of war. A standard battle cruiser with some specific upgrades made by Zod to be more powerful and menacing.

Kandor

A specific city on Krypton which was later shrunk down and kept by Brainiac in his ship before he leaves and Krypton explodes.

Argo City

Argo City was one of three principal city-states located on the continent of Lurvan on the planet, Krypton (the other two were Kandor and Kryptonopolis).

Colu

A planet full of an advanced race. Technology dominates their world and every inch of the planet is developed and the Coluans are looking to manipulate the Kryptonians.

Apokolips

Apokolips is an ecumenopolis (city that spans the whole world) with burning fire pits, extant in between dimensions, occupying a ‘frequency’ somewhere between the physical universe and hell.

New Genesis

New Genesis is the home-planet of the New Gods. It is ruled by Highfather, who resembles both the Greek god Zeus and the Norse god Odin (who was known in mythology as the high-father). It was opposed to Apokolips.

Jor-El

30’s, smart and athletic. Accomplished marksman but it’s mostly from a clinical point of view. He’s fluent in hand to hand combat, as required by Kryptonian law, but doesn’t have a lot of practical application. He’s an idealist and favors using his brain to solve problems. Carries a pistol side arm in the field.

Kee-lix/Brainiac

An artificially intelligent computer that aids Jor-El in his experiments and is part of the special projects division for the Science Council. Kee-Lix is upgraded in the pilot episode with an advanced A.I. that Jor-El finds and becomes Brainiac.

Zod

Soldier, military strategist, and a fierce fighter. He views the world knowing that everything can be used as a military asset. That mindset puts him at odds with Jor-El every now and again but they function like brothers. Zod’s weapon of choice is a pulsar rifle with a few modifications of his own design.

Lara Lor-Van

20’s, smart and beautiful. Chancellor Akkasion’s chief of operations. She’s not easily impressed but Zod has caught her eye so she checks in on the special council from time to time. Doesn’t get along with Jor-El at all but becomes his wife eventually.

Ursa

Late 20’s and beautiful. She’s built like a cross-fit champion. Like her name suggests, she’s fiercely loyal and when her Mama Bear instinct kicks in, she’s deadly. She’s very physical and Jor-El is totally into her. Once someone is part of her friend group, she’ll go to the wall for them. Her weapon of choice is a heavy pulsar machine gun and she has the strength to handle it easily.

Councillor Non

Kryptonian scientist and mentor to Jor-El. Influential councillor on the Science council. He’s been asked by the science council to be chef liaison for this special anomalies branch. He later joins Zod, Ursa, and Faora and is banished to the Phantom Zone.

Faora

Early 20’s, stunning. Slight build and is all finesse. Where Ursa can take a punch and still keep moving forward, Faora prefers to avoid being hit at all. Expert with a blade and a marksman sniper.

Chancellor Akkasion

60’s, The wet blanket of the show. Blinded by hubris, doesn’t see how this group is super helpful to the future of Krypton, besides she has a lot more on her plate than some special branch.

Pulsar Stargrave

From the planet Colu, an advanced race. The entire planet is covered in buildings and technology. Pulsar is using Kryptonians to test out some of his recently designed technology deemed too risky to test on Colu. He can harness and fire energy blasts from his hands and is an accomplished fighter.

Councillor Magnus

A powerful political rival of the chancellor and Councillor Non. He’s playing a shadow game with other alien interests. Not to be trusted. He becomes the villain for Season 3.

FADE IN, The City of Kandor, Krypton

CHANCELLOR AKKASION (female, 60’s, distinguished) and COUNCILLOR NON (male, 50’s, sturdy) are members of the Kryptonian Science Council (The Kryptonian ruling governing body) walk down a hallway conversing. They’re talking about the recent developments and Non insists that they must set up a special consulting branch to deal with these “anomalies”. He references his protege “one of the brightest scientists on the planet” but he doesn’t have the awkward social standing that most geniuses do. However, he does possess the critical thinking and additional special skills for real world application that this mission would need.” Akkasion agrees and they part ways.

CUT TO

A mountain top observatory, we move inside to reveal a workshop. R&D projects scattered everywhere. A man is working in something that’s mechanical his head buried in the work. Kee-lix (a female voiced, A.I. Robot system designed by Jor-El that flows through computer terminals and has a host body, although not humanoid) is warning about the probability of success from adjusting the trans-warp drive. The man growls at the engine. The man smashes the drive with a tool and pulls his arm back, revealing JOR-EL, (early 30’s, fit and handsome) or Jor to his friends – the drive comes online.

Just then, a communication wave comes across the Kee-lix computer. Councillor Non summons Jor-El to meet with the Science Council right away. Jor thinks this has to do with some trouble he got into with a previous invention. Non assures him it doesn’t and a transport vehicle pulls up. He needs to come at once.

CUT TO COMMERCIAL

FADE IN

Jor walks into the Science Council main chamber. The council members are outfitted in ceremonial gowns showing their distinction. Jor is nervous and begins by apologizing for his recent invention and the problems that it has caused. The council quickly dismisses it to work on the issue at hand. The council briefs Jor-El on the recent anomalies and appoints him as a special agent/emissary for them to look into what the problems are and fix them.

Jor-El and Kee-lix load up the ship he was working on earlier and head to the Kryptonian deep desert.

CUT TO

Scientist KHAI-ZOR (Kryptonian Scientist, 40’s) experiments in the desert, trying to harness the core energies of Krypton. He’s working in conjunction with a shadowed figure with green skin, (shadowed to suggest that this villain could be Martian, Coluan, Daemonites, Gordanian, Thark, or Dokris) the advisor is giving technology to Khai-Zor to begin to turn Krypton into a full technology planet. Khai realizes that the Science Council will notice and will send someone to stop this – so he plans a trap.

CUT TO

Kee-lix scans for the anomaly the council mention and finds an outpost. Jor-El and Kee-lix follow the signs to a makeshift underground lab in the desert. The duo enters the caves but don’t find Khai, instead they find a super computer. They check the research and trigger an A.I. soldier robot that tries to kill Jor. They fight and Jor is no slouch in hand-to-hand combat. He fires his blaster but the Robot is too strong.

CUT TO COMMERCIAL

FADE IN

Jor barely escapes the fight, Kee-lix brings down the lab on the robot, destroying it. Jor-El grabs the brain of the super computer and thinks it may be helpful in the future. Kee-lix is able to determine where Khai-Zor is because of hacking the computer during the battle.

Jor heads back to the ship to look at the tech he’s just confiscated. Kee-lix plugs into the tech and it functions like a virus, altering her voice to drop an octave or two and giving us a glimpse of BRAINIAC (The same female voice as Kee-lix but altered unnaturally, slightly more erratic). Jor locks down the problem and reboots Kee-lix.

Jor-El contacts Chancellor Akkasion but she’s not available. Instead Jor has a conversation with LARA LOR-VAN (Late 20’s, beautiful, no nonsense and not impressed by Jor-El at all) the Chancellor’s Chief of Operations. Their interaction wasn’t positive, in fact, Jor dislikes her. She tells them to pursue all leads “… even if it results in your death. Your robot companion will bring back the pertinent information for us to act upon.” Jor is stunned but agrees.

CUT TO COMMERCIAL

FADE IN

Kee-lix is monitoring the data pulled from Khai-Zor’s lab. Meanwhile Jor has located a life sign deeper in the caves. He adjusts his blaster to stun. He heads out in search of Khai-Zor alone but in contact with Kee-lix. We see video logs about the progress being made to harness the core energy as a possible solution to Krypton’s waning reserves – Kelex has some programming kick in to obscure this information.

Jor finds Khai next to a deep crevasse and performing tests on the core. Jor has never seen technology like this before – it’s alien and incredible. Khai appeals to Jor in the name of science and tells him of the impending doom without energy reserves, a fact that up to now was not known by the public. Jor is horrified but starts to understand why Khai is starting the tests. Khai alludes that another race is willing to help Krypton and “We must accept his help, otherwise, we’re doomed.”

Jor pulls his weapon. Khai won’t be bullied and activates a self defense protocol. Immediately pulsar rifle bursts fill the air and Khai moves to cover but with all the commotion is hit by a blaster bolt and falls into the crevasse where he’s caught by Jor-El. Khai is wounded badly and tells Jor not to trust the council that they’re hiding things from the entire planet – that they’re dangerous. Jor is trying to hold on but Khai is fading fast and his grip is loosening.

Khai falls into the crevasse. Pulsar bolts are flying everywhere. Jor pulls out an EMP weapon and hurls it at the equipment Khai has set up. It explodes and disables the equipment. Jor looks it over, recovers some tech and heads back to the surface.

FADE IN

Jor-El, with Kee-lix in tow, reports back to the Science Council, and debriefs them on all the activity. He accuses the council of hiding massive secrets from the Kryptonian people. They receive his information, scold him for trying to lecture them, and commend him on a job well done. Councillor Non asks Jor-El to continue as special envoy to the council with one caveat, an exceptional standout like himself will be joining the team from the Kryptonian Military Guild. Just then the doors open and in walks COLONEL ZOD (early 30’s, a physical specimen and strategic thinker) and 1ST LIEUTENANT URSA (late 20’s, sexy and deadly)

ZOD

“I heard you could use some help out there Jor. We can’t have Krypton’s best and brightest in harms way without backup. It looks like we got here just in time.”

CUT TO

Jor-El looks solidly at Zod and a smirk comes over his face. It’s not competition that he’s worried about but the military application of his discoveries.

JOR-EL

“Glad to have you both on board.”

CUT TO

A similar shot of a green skinned alien sitting at a computer terminal. He leans forward from the shadow into the light revealing PULSAR STARGRAVE (From the planet Colu, strong, highly intelligent) He sees the information that Khai-Zor is dead. He smashes the console.

PULSAR STARGRAVE

“The experiments will continue and I will have the head of this… Jor-El!”

FADE OUT

CREDITS

Season 1

Main Villain – Pulsar Stargrave of the Colu

The Coluans race are more advanced than the Kryptonians. Stargrave created what will be known as the BRAINIAC program but Jor-El is more clever. He steals the programming and technology, duplicates it and programs it to cripple the Colu home world. It brings trade, commerce and basic needs to a stand still. He doesn’t send them back to the stone age… but close.

The introduction of Lara Lor-Van. She’s concerned with assisting the chancellor only and this group seems like a distraction.

Ursa gets chummy with Jor-El and there’s all sorts of sexual tension.

Discovery of The Phantom Zone and it’s decided that it should be used as a prison by the Science Council.

Jax-Ur (a renegade scientist and former colleague of Jor-El) destroys the Kryptonian Moon, Wegthor. He is the first kryptonian banished to the Phantom Zone.

Season finale teases Atrocitus by killing members of Faora’s team while on a scouting mission. Faora gets off a few shots and barely escapes, everyone else on her landing party is killed. Faora reports back to Zod, Ursa, Non and Jor-El about the recent development.

Season 2

Main Villain – Atrocitus

Bring in the Guardians of the Universe, The Red Lanterns and the occasional Green Lantern Core Cameo – Abin Sur and a young Killawog.

Season finale teases Doomsday virus.

Season 3

Main Villain – Councillor Magnus

Magnus craves power above all and undermines and frustrates the emissary team at every turn. This season is full of political intrigue and hideous battles with the Doomsday freaks – those who have come into contact with the virus. In episode 2 he takes over as Chancellor and tries to disband the team.

Meanwhile, the team is tracking down the precursor to the Doomsday project – horrible creatures that are nearly indestructible and are causing massive havoc. These individuals can regenerate and are terribly tough to kill. This the most dangerous battle for the team yet. A main team member must die.

Season 4

Main Villain – Parasite, a creation of Darkseid unleashed on Krypton.

Season finale teases Apokolips, Yuga Khan, Heggra, Drax and Uxas/Darkseid.

Season 5

Main Villain – Darkseid

Darkseid causes chaos in his rise to power. We learn that as Krypton heads toward the inevitable that he has set his eye on the planet to rule.

In the Last Episode –

Jor-El and Lara sends Kal-El (Superman) to Earth. They feel they are doing the best thing. We show why they couldn’t have left too.

Zod, Ursa, Faora and Non are banished to the Phantom Zone.

Krypton explodes. Darkseid is behind it all.

Brainiac launches himself away from Krypton before the explosion. (Show him cruising the galaxy in a Post Credit scene?)

The A Plot

Through interactions with Zod, and other characters in his journey, Jor-El begins to see himself as an outlier of the Science Council and feels it’s important to continue expressing a dissenting opinion. They easily overrule him but he moves from being their white knight to becoming a bold voice with those that govern his planet. What was once easy black and white has become infinite shades of gray.

The B Plot

The Emissary Team of Jor-El, Zod, Ursa, and Kee-lix (who upgrades to Brainiac) solve mysterious activities, encounter sci-fi villains and foreign culture. Together they fend off alien attacks, political coups, and create technology that will benefit the Kryptonian civilization. Somewhat alien of the week.

The C Plot

Impending dread continues to build as we see the hubris of the Science Council and an eager Military Guild play a shadow game. Issues of betrayal and sabotage plague the council. Plus Krypton is a cosmopolitan alien race that is involved in intergalactic trade with multiple races and with it brings additional foreign involvement, deception and intrigue.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! I’d love to know what you think. How’d I do?

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