Genesis II
Encyclopedia
Genesis II is a 1973 American TV film created and produced by Gene Roddenberry
and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
.
It opens with the line, "My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died." It is the story of a 20th century man thrown forward in time, to a post-apocalyptic future, by an accident in suspended animation.
scientist Dylan Hunt (Cord
) is working on "Project Ganymede", a suspended animation
system for astronaut
s on long-duration space flights. As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically-induced hibernation
deep inside Carlsbad Caverns; while there, his lab is buried in an earthquake
. The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133, emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called "The Great Conflict" (a third and final World War
) destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage.
Dylan Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves "PAX" (the Latin word for "peace"). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA
personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad Installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and "scientists" who preserve what little information and technology survive from before the Conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Dylan Hunt still sealed in the hibernation
chamber. They revive him, and are thrilled to meet a survivor from before the Conflict.
An elaborate "Subshuttle" subterranean rapid transit system was constructed during the 1970s, due to the vulnerability of air transportation to attack. The Subshuttles utilized a magnetic levitation rail system
. They operated inside vactrain
tunnels and ran at hundreds of miles per hour. The tunnel network was comprehensive enough to cover the entire globe. The PAX organization inherited the still-working system and used it to dispatch their teams of troubleshooters.
In the area once known as Arizona and New Mexico a totalitarian regime known as the Tyranians rule the area. The Tyranians are mutants who possess greater physical prowess than non-mutated humans; they can be identified by their dual navel
s. Their leader discovers that Hunt has knowledge of nuclear power
systems, and they offer him great rewards if he can repair their failing nuclear power generator. However, once under their power they attempt to force him to reactivate a nuclear missile system in their possession, with which they intend to destroy their enemies and dominate the region. Hunt is appalled by this small-scale replay of the events that must have led to the Conflict. He leads a revolt of the enslaved citizenry, sabotage
s the nuclear device, and destroys the reactor.
To Hunt's dismay, the PAX leaders assert their pacifist nature and intentions. They are attempting to rebuild an idealistic society using all that was deemed "good" from Earth's past, and they regard Hunt's interference with a rival civilization and his destructive tactics as antithetical to this end. However, they also see great good in him and value his knowledge of the past. They ask Hunt to join PAX permanently but only if he can agree to never again take human lives. Hunt half-heartedly agrees. Security Chief Yuloff states that the rationale of taking lives to justify the saving of lives was what allowed "The Great Conflict" to happen in the first place.
Source: - Lincoln Enterprises Catalog No. 6
television series following the success of Star Trek
. Genesis II aired on CBS
on March 23, 1973; although Roddenberry had stories lined up for a 20-episode first season http://home.att.net/%7Epaxteam21/G2/g2.html, CBS declined to pick it up, opting instead for the short-lived Planet of the Apes
live-action series.
The plot point about the Tyranians having a dual circulatory system with two hearts and thus identifiable because they were born with two navels was an elaborate in-joke. While producing Star Trek
, Gene Roddenberry was constantly besieged by demands for changes from the censors as NBC
's Broadcast Standards department, which he took to calling the "BS Department" due to the often petty nature of their revisions. Among the things to which the censors routinely objected was the depiction of a navel on anyone with a bare midriff, resulting in several reshoots of scenes with actors in revealing but otherwise "decent" attire whose navels showed. By making the double navel the distinguishing physical feature of the Tyranians, Roddenberry was effectively filming every navel that he'd been forced to censor from Star Trek twice over.
Roddenberry reworked the material into a second pilot, Planet Earth
, in which John Saxon
replaced Cord in the role of Dylan Hunt
. Based on network recommendations, this second pilot focused more on action and physical conflict than its predecessor. Though it aired on ABC
in 1974, it was also declined. Warner Bros
, which owned the rights, reworked Roddenberry's material yet again for Strange New World, also starring Saxon, which aired in 1975.
Robert Hewitt Wolfe used the name "Dylan Hunt" and many ideas from Roddenberry's Genesis II notes to create Andromeda
television series. http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/tv/majel_interview_001101.html
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
John Llewellyn Moxey
John Llewellyn Moxey is an Argentinian film and television director. He is best known for directing film The City of the Dead and directing episodes of The Saint, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote.-Life and career:Moxey was born in Argentina in 1925...
.
It opens with the line, "My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died." It is the story of a 20th century man thrown forward in time, to a post-apocalyptic future, by an accident in suspended animation.
Plot summary
In 1979, NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientist Dylan Hunt (Cord
Alex Cord
Alex Cord is an American actor who is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Archangel on the television series Airwolf.-Biography:...
) is working on "Project Ganymede", a suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
system for astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s on long-duration space flights. As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically-induced hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
deep inside Carlsbad Caverns; while there, his lab is buried in an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
. The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133, emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called "The Great Conflict" (a third and final World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
) destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage.
Dylan Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves "PAX" (the Latin word for "peace"). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad Installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and "scientists" who preserve what little information and technology survive from before the Conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Dylan Hunt still sealed in the hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
chamber. They revive him, and are thrilled to meet a survivor from before the Conflict.
An elaborate "Subshuttle" subterranean rapid transit system was constructed during the 1970s, due to the vulnerability of air transportation to attack. The Subshuttles utilized a magnetic levitation rail system
Maglev train
Maglev , is a system of transportation that uses magnetic levitation to suspend, guide and propel vehicles from magnets rather than using mechanical methods, such as friction-reliant wheels, axles and bearings...
. They operated inside vactrain
Vactrain
A vactrain is a proposed, as-yet-unbuilt design for future high-speed railroad transportation. This would entail building maglev lines through evacuated or partly evacuated tubes or tunnels...
tunnels and ran at hundreds of miles per hour. The tunnel network was comprehensive enough to cover the entire globe. The PAX organization inherited the still-working system and used it to dispatch their teams of troubleshooters.
In the area once known as Arizona and New Mexico a totalitarian regime known as the Tyranians rule the area. The Tyranians are mutants who possess greater physical prowess than non-mutated humans; they can be identified by their dual navel
Navel
The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...
s. Their leader discovers that Hunt has knowledge of nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
systems, and they offer him great rewards if he can repair their failing nuclear power generator. However, once under their power they attempt to force him to reactivate a nuclear missile system in their possession, with which they intend to destroy their enemies and dominate the region. Hunt is appalled by this small-scale replay of the events that must have led to the Conflict. He leads a revolt of the enslaved citizenry, sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
s the nuclear device, and destroys the reactor.
To Hunt's dismay, the PAX leaders assert their pacifist nature and intentions. They are attempting to rebuild an idealistic society using all that was deemed "good" from Earth's past, and they regard Hunt's interference with a rival civilization and his destructive tactics as antithetical to this end. However, they also see great good in him and value his knowledge of the past. They ask Hunt to join PAX permanently but only if he can agree to never again take human lives. Hunt half-heartedly agrees. Security Chief Yuloff states that the rationale of taking lives to justify the saving of lives was what allowed "The Great Conflict" to happen in the first place.
Episode concepts
The following are story concepts that were in development during the production of Genesis II that would have become individual episodes had the network approved the series.- "Company B" - A "Trojan Horse" suicide squad from the days of the great conflict comes out of suspended animation and attacks PAX. They represent the 1995 A.D. ideal of a perfect soldier.
- "London Express" - A hair raising journey through submerged portions of the North Atlantic subshuttle tube to mysterious London of 2133 A.D. Dylan Hunt and Team-21 meet Lyra-A there and the mad monarch King Charles X.
- "Robots Return" - The advanced computers and sophisticated machinery left on a moon of Jupiter by a 1992 NASA expedition have evolved into a new form of robot life and visit Earth in search of the "God" which created their life. They meet Dylan Hunt, formerly of NASA and consider him a messiah. This story idea was later developed into the script for Star Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
, and, shares that work's thematic similarities to The Changeling (Star Trek: The Original Series), written by John Meredyth LucasJohn Meredyth LucasJohn Meredyth Lucas was an American writer, primarily for television.He was the son of screenwriter Bess Meredyth and writer/director Wilfred Lucas, and the adopted son of director Michael Curtiz.-Career:...
. - "Poodle Shop" - Dylan Hunt is captured and put on sale by the females in a strange society where men are treated as domestic pets and often traded back and forth for breeding purposes. This story idea would later turn into the second pilot, Planet EarthPlanet Earth (TV pilot)Planet Earth was a science fiction television movie that was created by Gene Roddenberry, written by Roddenberry and Juanita Bartlett . It first aired on April 23, 1974 on the ABC network, and starred John Saxon as Dylan Hunt. It was presented as a pilot for what was hoped to be a new weekly...
. - "The Apartment" - Trapped inside 20th century ruins by a mysterious force field, Dylan Hunt is catapulted through a time continuum back to 1975 where he can be seen as a "transparent ghost" by the girl living in the apartment there. A bizarre love affair with a surprise twist ending. The basic plot appears later as an unused Star Trek: Phase II episode "Tomorrow and the Stars".
- "The Electric Company" - Dylan Hunt and his PAX team encounter a place where a strong priesthood holds a society in bondage through the clever use of electricity. The simple inhabitants see the flashes of light and the amplified voices as the sight and sound of "God", but Dylan's team ends the dominance of the priesthood when they come up with still better tricks. This episode superficially resembles the Star Trek episode "Return of the ArchonsThe Return of the Archons (TOS episode)"The Return of the Archons" is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode 21, and was first aired February 9, 1967. It was repeated by NBC on July 27, 1967...
".
Source: - Lincoln Enterprises Catalog No. 6
Cast
- Alex CordAlex CordAlex Cord is an American actor who is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Archangel on the television series Airwolf.-Biography:...
as Dylan Hunt - Mariette HartleyMariette HartleyMary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
as Lyra-a - Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
as Isiah - Percy Rodrigues as Primus Isaac Kimbridge
- Harvey JasonHarvey JasonHarvey Albert Jason is an English actor and the co-owner of Mystery Pier Books, an independent book store that sells first editions.Jason was born in London, the son of Marie Goldblatt and actor Alec Jason...
as Singh - Titos Vandis as Yuloff
- Bill Striglos as Dr. Kellum
- Lynne MartaLynne MartaLynne Marta is an American actress.Marta was born in Somerville, New Jersey. Her first screen credit was in 1966 in an episode of the comedy series Gidget....
as Harper-Smythe - Harry Raybould as Slan-n
- Majel BarrettMajel BarrettMajel Barrett-Roddenberry was an American actress and producer. She is perhaps best known for her role as Nurse Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek series, Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and for being the voice of most onboard computer interfaces throughout the series...
as Primus Dominic - Leon AskinLeon AskinLeon Askin was an Austrian actor best known for portraying the character "General Burkhalter" on the TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes.-Early life:...
as Overseer - Liam DunnLiam DunnLiam Dunn was an American character actor.The New Jersey native's early career was spent toiling in television in series such as Bonanza, Room 222, Alias Smith and Jones, Mannix, and Gunsmoke....
as Janos - Scott GrahamScott GrahamScott Graham is an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of the Philadelphia Phillies. He has lived and worked near Philadelphia for most of his life. He was born June 10, 1965 in Belleville, New Jersey, and now lives in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. His sportscasting résumé covers...
as Tyranian Teacher - Ed Ashley as Wehr-r
- Linda Grant as Astrid
- Robert SwanRobert SwanRobert Charles Swan, OBE, FRGS is the first person to walk to both Poles.He was born on 28 July 1956 in Durham, England and attended Aysgarth School and then Sedbergh School before completing a BA degree in Ancient History at St Chad's College, Durham University. He is currently an advocate for...
as Lahyn-n - Beulah Quo as Primus Lu-Chan
- Dennis RobertsonDennis RobertsonSir Dennis Holme Robertson was an English economist who taught at Cambridge and London Universities.Robertson, the son of a Church of England clergyman, was born in Lowestoft and educated as a scholar of Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read Classics and Economics, graduating in...
as General - Ray YoungRay YoungRay Young is the name of:* Ray Young , vice president of International Operations at General Motors* Ray Young , former member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
as Tyranian Teacher #2 - Tom Pace as Brian
- Teryl Willis as Cardiologist
- David Westberg as Station Operator
- Robert Hathaway as Shuttle Car Operator
- Tammi Bula as Teenager
- Didi ConnDidi ConnDidi Conn is an American film, stage and television actress.-Personal life:Conn was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of a clinical psychologist. "Didi" was her childhood nickname...
as TV Actress
Production
Genesis II was the first of three attempts by Roddenberry to create a new science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series following the success of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. Genesis II aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on March 23, 1973; although Roddenberry had stories lined up for a 20-episode first season http://home.att.net/%7Epaxteam21/G2/g2.html, CBS declined to pick it up, opting instead for the short-lived Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (TV series)
Planet of the Apes was a short-lived American science fiction television series that aired on Friday evenings at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central on CBS in 1974. The series starred Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, and James Naughton, Mark Lenard and Booth Colman...
live-action series.
The plot point about the Tyranians having a dual circulatory system with two hearts and thus identifiable because they were born with two navels was an elaborate in-joke. While producing Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Gene Roddenberry was constantly besieged by demands for changes from the censors as NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Broadcast Standards department, which he took to calling the "BS Department" due to the often petty nature of their revisions. Among the things to which the censors routinely objected was the depiction of a navel on anyone with a bare midriff, resulting in several reshoots of scenes with actors in revealing but otherwise "decent" attire whose navels showed. By making the double navel the distinguishing physical feature of the Tyranians, Roddenberry was effectively filming every navel that he'd been forced to censor from Star Trek twice over.
Roddenberry reworked the material into a second pilot, Planet Earth
Planet Earth (TV pilot)
Planet Earth was a science fiction television movie that was created by Gene Roddenberry, written by Roddenberry and Juanita Bartlett . It first aired on April 23, 1974 on the ABC network, and starred John Saxon as Dylan Hunt. It was presented as a pilot for what was hoped to be a new weekly...
, in which John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
replaced Cord in the role of Dylan Hunt
Dylan Hunt
Dylan Hunt is the name of two fictional characters created for television by Gene Roddenberry.Both characters are men who unwittingly move forward in time by hundreds of years, finding themselves trapped in a post-apocalyptic "Dark Age"...
. Based on network recommendations, this second pilot focused more on action and physical conflict than its predecessor. Though it aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 1974, it was also declined. Warner Bros
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, which owned the rights, reworked Roddenberry's material yet again for Strange New World, also starring Saxon, which aired in 1975.
Robert Hewitt Wolfe used the name "Dylan Hunt" and many ideas from Roddenberry's Genesis II notes to create Andromeda
Andromeda (TV series)
Andromeda is a Canadian-American science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. It starred Kevin Sorbo as High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt...
television series. http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/tv/majel_interview_001101.html