| WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN! - *STARSHIP* GREEN LANTERN |
A proposal for an ongoing series by Steve Mattsson and Ron Randall
High Concept
Mix equal parts STAR TREK and THE RIGHT STUFF and wrap warmly in the GREEN LANTERN logo!
The Premise
The NASA of the DC Universe uses salvaged alien technology to build an advanced starship and hires ex-Green Lantern John Stewart to be its Captain.
The Mission
The taxpayers of the United States in the DC Universe are tired of an underachieving NASA when the planet is facing alien invasions. Mankind feels that Earth's space-faring super-heroes have done a poor job as ambassadors to the Universe and wants to give human beings the job.
The Cast
John Stewart - Commander. Ex-Architect, Ex-Green Lantern, and the Ex-Darkstars's chief, but it his experience as mediator of the Mosaic World that makes him ideally suited to this mission.
Col. Max Ryder - Pilot. Veteran fighter pilot, shuttle commander, and one of the last astronauts to walk on the Moon. Col. Ryder has seen this accomplishment diluted by the stream of superheroes who have since visited Earth's only natural satellite. Col. Ryder is an incredibly capable man and thrilled to be part of this mission, but he hides a secret that will spell trouble for the ship and her crew-a secret love for Maj. Alexa Chase, the wife of his best friend.
Maj. Alexa Chase - Flight Surgeon. Ambitious and talented, she's trapped in an unhappy marriage to Gen. Gabriel Chase. Alexa hopes to get her complicated life sorted out during this mission.
Capt. Akira Tanaka - Mission Specialist. Young and gung-ho. He grew up in Coast City idolizing the "real" Green Lantern-Hal Jordan.
Tama Gee - Tama is a native of the planet Korugar. She has the scarlet pigmentation of Green Lantern Katma Tui and Sinestro, but is a member of a race who inhabit the planet's equatorial regions and have "African" features.
Tama doesn't debut until issue #3 when the GREEN LANTERN crash lands on Korugar. Tama helps repair the crippled ship and joins the crew.
Because of Katma Tui's status of near demi-god on Korugar and John Stewart's relationship with her, Tama revers him as royalty. Stewart is embarrassed by the "master/servant" roles she is always casting them in. And to make matters more difficult, Stewart finds her painfully beautiful, reminding him of all the loves of his wife rolled into one.
Stewart feels it would be impossible to act on his desire because of the subservient attitude Tama adopts and because he disciplined Col. Ryder and Major Chase for "unauthorized fraternization".
"Bitty" - This small, starfish-like alien becomes a companion to John Stewart when its habitat is destroyed in the first issue. Like Itty, a comrade to Hal Jordan during many adventures, Bitty is an Ayrie and shares the same "danger sensing power" as his relative.
Gen. Gabriel "Gabe" Chase - The training officer for the Starship GREEN LANTERN's first mission is tough, intelligent, and naive.
Thomas Kalmaku - Chief engineer for Ferris Aerospace and the proud designer of the Starship GREEN LANTERN.
Carol Ferris - Owner of Ferris Aerospace and the builder of the Starship.
"Boomer" Baumgardner - Mission Control Commander. Gregarious, glad-handing, and smiles too much. He answers to a shadowy figure who has a hidden agenda.
Aliens
"The Laroo" - are a space-faring race with natural magnetic powers who have appeared in Mystery in Space and Green Lantern. They are religious zealots and can be very dangerous in their own right. Currently, the Laroo homeworld is occupied by hostile alien forces. The Laroo will be the "Ferengi" of the series appearing occasionally-sometimes annoying and sometimes deadly.
"The Xanshi" - were a peace-loving race, now almost extinct after the destruction of their planet during the Cosmic Odyssey. They have become brutal in a desperate quest for the survival of their species. Their total population now numbers less than 500 (and most are children), but a strong and war-like leader has emerged to lead them in their quest for survival. Her leadership skills together with stolen technologies have allowed the Xanshi to conquer despite overwhelming odds. The death of their world was John Stewart's fault and the guilt he feels is the overriding motivation of his life. John will feel the need to protect the remaining (and completely unsympathetic) Xanshi with his life.
The Starship
Although her guts were cannibalized from the salvaged wreckage of many different alien ships, her hull is sleek and beautiful. Her official NASA designation is the SS-2, but those who have seen her call her by one name only- The Starship: GREEN LANTERN!
For longtime fans of the DC Universe, the Starship's equipment will have familiar echoes. Her teleporters are a refinement of the Zeta Beam of Rann, her translation circuits were copied from a Thanagarian Absorbascon, and the crew's uniforms are an adaptation of Darkstar armor. The Starship is equipped with two small "extra vehicular activity" pods for general maintenance of the ship's exterior. When Tama Gee adds weapon systems to their capability, the become formidible mobile gun turrets, adding greatly to the Starship's defensive capabilities. At 60 meters in diameter, the Starship GREEN LANTERN is slightly longer than the Space Shuttle, but more than twice as wide. Her maximum crew size is eight, but for most missions it will be limited to 4 or 5.
The Series
"Mystery In Space", The introductory story-arc
Issue One: My Greatest Adventure
John Stewart blasts off in the Space Shuttle with several other astronauts. They tease him about this "primitive" way to travel to outer space.
He sees the magnificent Starship GREEN LANTERN being constructed in low Earth orbit. He meets the builders of the ship Tom Kalmaku and Carol Ferris. Lots of background. He meets his crew.
Cameo by Green Lantern Kyle Rayner at the Starship's christening-Kyle arrogantly offers to perform tasks for NASA more efficiently and at no-cost. He is rebuffed. Tension and conflict.
We learn that Col. Ryder and Maj. Chase are "becoming more than friends".
Emergency-An alien ship detected near Saturn! The GREEN LANTERN has its first mission: make peaceful, diplomatic contact with these aliens.
The Vivarium, a habitat for Bitty and his alien broodmates, is discovered in orbit around Saturn.
Betrayal-Against Capt. Stewart's orders a small alien craft from the planet Laroo is fired upon. Battle-the Vivarium and the Laroo ship are destroyed. Suddenly a huge alien mothership appears and pulls the Starship GL and some wreckage into its cargo bay and warps across the galaxy.
Issue Two: Adventures on Other Worlds
John Stewart finds Bitty in the hold of the Mothership.
Intrigue-John finds Col. Ryder and Maj. Chase locked in an illicit embrace. John thinks the Col. is the traitor and has him clamped in irons.
On the planet Laroo, John uses the Absorbascon to overhear aliens discussing the Starship GL and how the "battle" at Saturn was just a ruse to gain control of the ship. He also learns that the planet Laroo has been conquered by a small band of brutal aliens and the Laroo are ding their bidding unwillingly.
After more spying and adventure, John discovers the real traitor. It's Capt. Tanaka. He says he's acting under orders from Mission Control and then refuses to speak.
Cut back to Earth. Tom Kalmaku learns that Mission Control Commander Boomer Baumgardner's mysterious boss is actually a native of the planet Xanshi.
Back to the Laroo homeworld. John and crew the crew try to escape-things look hopeless. Col. Ryder heroically slips his bonds and arrives to save the day.
The crew is able to escape in the GREEN LANTERN, but it's damaged. They are able to make it to the planet Korugar, but the ship's control surfaces are inoperative. The Starship GL is going to burn up in the planet's atmosphere.
Issue Three: Strange Adventures
Col. Ryder kisses Maj. Chase Good-bye and makes a spacewalk to fix the burning Starship's control surfaces. He is able to complete his mission just as the friction burns through his spacesuit. His sacrifice has saved the GREEN LANTERN and its crew. The ship still lands hard. John and the crew are stranded in the jungles of equatorial Korugar. Tensions run high. Maj. Chase blames John for the death of Col. Ryder. Capt. Tanaka is a traitor, but John must rely on his talents to help repair the Starship.
Korugarian beasts attack! Bitty's "danger sense" saves John for the moment, but it looks like inevitable death for the crew. Tama Gee to the rescue! Tama recognizes John and treats him as her master. John thinks she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
Cut back to Earth. Tom Kalmaku has been captured by Boomer and the alien Xanshi. We learn that these aliens covet the Thanagarian Absorbascon technology, but were not strong enough to take it from the Hawkmen and were not smart enough to fixed the wrecked Absorbascon found on Earth-that was Tom Kalmaku job.
Cut back to Korugar. A fleet of Laroo ships attack the Korugarians. They want the Starship GL. Tama helps John repair the ship and upgrade her weapons. With the GREEN LANTERN in the fight the battle is now even. John learns from some Laroo prisoners more about the conspiracy on Earth and the Xanshi's part in it. He is overjoyed to learn that some Xanshi have survived, but wracked with guilt that his failure during the COSMIC ODYSSEY has turned them into beasts.
He starts to make some diplomatic inroads with the Laroo when Green Lantern Kyle Rayner arrives to "help". Kyle is rough on the (somewhat) innocent Laroo fleet and this sets back John's allegiance with them. After conflict with Kyle and lots of action, John works things out.
Cut back to Earth where Tom is about to be killed by the Xanshi.
Issue Four: From Beyond the Unknown
The GREEN LANTERN returns to Earth in time to save Tom and defeat the Xanshi. Boomer and Akira are arrested. John risks his life to save the Xanshi spy when he's about to get killed by a NASA security force. The Starship GL begins it real mission to male diplomatic contact with Earth's alien neighbors-but the Xanshi are still out there plotting revenge. And to make John's job even tougher Gen. Gabe Chase joins the crew with his estranged wife Alexa.
Story Lines
The thrust of the series will be John Stewart's attempts to stop the amoral Xanshi from conquering planets while simultaneously protecting them as an endangered species. John will do this while also fulfilling the diplomatic missions given to him by NASA. His diplomatic skills will be put to the ultimate test in dealing with the dysfunctional relationships within his own crew. Another theme will be John's efforts to solve "Green Lantern-type problems" without a ring. The Starship GREEN LANTERN will face an army of Thunderers from the planet Qward, visit Green Lantern homeworlds which have been left defenseless by the loss of their native GLs and will also explore some of the planets that contributed cities to the Mosaic on Oa.
Back to GLCWP Behind the Curtain.