The Phoenix: An Original Teleplay

Abstract

Television is a unique form of storytelling that keeps the audience tuning back in week after week to watch a story unfold. TV series tell their stories over long spans of time, layering multiple story arcs to form complex narratives. This allows for extended world building and character development. Drawing on my studies of creative writing and obtaining inspiration from some of my favorite television series, I have written a teleplay for the pilot of an original TV series, The Phoenix, as well as outlining the parameters of the rest of the series in an accompanying show bible. My teleplay combines elements of Space Operas, such as Star Trek and Firefly, with the issues addressed by Teen Dramas, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf. The Phoenix tells the story of a group of teenagers who are on the run from an imperialistic interplanetary government aboard a stolen cargo ship. In their search for freedom they journey to far-off planets, discovering new worlds and alien societies along the way.