Here are a just a few ideas for episodes in case anyone wants to take them on. Remember that we have no particular restrictions of the length of any episode. Even something that would run only 10 minutes, or so, is okay. If any of this is ever produced, two or three 8 to 10 minute episodes could be put together into a montage or a short episode could be built inside a longer one. There really are no ruiles here.

It would be a shame if someone were to spend a lot of time writing one of these, only to find some one else had done the same. Therefore, before taking one of these on, please register the effort with me (Fred588@GO.COM). Just give me the project you will work on and a target date. Then keep me informed of your progress. As long as you are really working on the project I will ask others to make a different selection.

Sometimes an idea may occur to me on separate occasions, thereby getting into this list twice. Sorry about that.
 

1. This idea was incorporated, partially, into the pilot movie. A group of colonists is sent to search for mineral resources. They enter a volcanic rift (basically a giant crack in the ground, often found near the summits of shield-type volcanies, and run afoul of volcanic gases that induce vivid, fearful hallucinations. The gases are eventually dispersed when an eruption occurs higher on the mountain. They then recover from the hallucinations but must immediately deal with a volcanic mud flow.

2. A large grove of delicious nuts is discovered. Unfortunately a few of these are infected with a fungus that contains an addictive drug for which withdrawal produces paranoia. None of this is discovered right away. Several colonists become addicted. They have no trouble getting enough nuts although only a few have the fungus; therefore they become quite paranoid. Their paraoia about their leaders causes them to send out radio signals designed to attract pirates. This is discovered and stopped quickly but not in time to prevent discovery by a pirate ship.

3. Parts of this idea were incorporated into the pilot movie. The escape 27 group is still a long way from rejoining the main body. They have transmitted radio messages to that effect but are not sure if it has gotten through. It has, but to a pirate band as well as to the main body. They are confronted and attacked in the jungle. They retreat and escape by passing through a partially flooded cave to the far side of a mountain. They are pursued across a volcanic terrain. They enter a volcanic rift that emits a hallucinatory gas but are not affected  because they keep moving. Some of the pirates are affected, however, though most get through. Eventually they are pinned down on an open plain. In getting there they notice that a species of large animal seems to become enraged by a challenge call issued by young bulls of the species. They escape the pirates by using the sound of this call to induce thousands of these animals to stampeed.

4. This idea would make a very good theme for a season-ender or season-opener. It is a good vehicle for introducing new characters and explaining the disappearance (perhaps temporary) of current characters.  The colonists have been marooned for more than a year when they are discovered and offered rescue by other earth ship. About two-thirds of the colonists decide to stay, however, and quite a few from the other ship decide to join them. Those remaining, therefore, gain access to additional technology they did not have before. On the other hand, however, their occupancy of the planet becomes widely known. They are then visited by a succession of pitchmen, con-men, escaped criminals, pirates, cultists, and so on. This would make a good theme for a season-ending episode in which a change of characters is needed.

5. While listening for radio signals indicating passing ships, one of the colonists notices some faint signals coming from the surface, though on the far side of the continent they are on. They decode the signals, which turn out to be in German (or another Earth language other than English) indicating another small settlement of people from Earth. They send an expedition to investigate and find a settlement under seige from pirates and even worse off than our colonists.

6. A plague of blood-sucking insects (like mosquitoes) is followed by an outbreak of illness. The illness is something like relapsing fever (victims have brief episodes of intense illness with periods of wellness in-between) except that the symptoms of illness are all emotional. Each episode of illness is a period of overwhelming emotion of some kind, rage, lust, fear, depression, and so on.

7. A prolonged rainy season leads to mud slides and floods, then is followed by a population explosion of a species of huge frog-like creatures. (They are the size of pit bulls and have teeth.). This is followed by an invasion of even larger creatures that eat these froms by swallowing them whole. Needless to say the predators are not too selective in what they will eat.

8. The planet is visited by a group with a charismatic leader (calling himself Reverend Jones) who says he has arrived to build a new settlement. At first he is able to convince many of the colonists to join him, but others see him for what is really is - a cult leader. He turns out to be the same cult leader who killed Captain Smith's wife and Jill Smith's mother. Most of his followers end up dead but he escapes to plague the colonists again in the future.

9. The colonists are attacked and beseiged by a large group of pirates. The seige goes on for months. Things are looking very grim when an entire fleet of battle cruisers arrives from Earth, attracted by the radio signals associated with a battle. The colonists are very grateful but most decide to stay.

10. This idea is another one that would make a good season-ender or season-opener. There is a huge battle in space between an Earth fleet and large numbers of pirates. The pirates are almost completely wiped out but many of the Earth ships are also destroyed. The survivors come down to the planet to await rescue. While waiting they demonstrate their inability to cope with many of the horrors of the planet and have to be rescued repeatedly. Several of the more obnoxious ones - mostly surviving pirates - are not rescued.

11. An expedition is mounted to search for minerals on the exposed and eroded core of an old volcano. A more recent volcanoe erupts causing the expedition to be caught on a kipuka surrounded by a large mud flow. ['Kipuka' is a Hawaiian word referring to an island in a lava flow. In other words, it is a high place that lava flows around but does not cover. In this case, however, the kipuka is surrounded by a volcanic flow of mud rather than lava.] They are forced to attempt a crossing before it has solidified completely.

12. A ship arrives carrying surveyors for a mining company. They plan to claim the planet for its minerals and treat the colonists as though they were squatters. The colonists use their klnowledge of the planet's horrors to convince the surveyors the planet will be too difficult and expensive to exploit.

13. About every 550 days the orbit of the moon the colonists are on interacts with its planet and those of a second moon in a way that makes the volcanoes very restless. The groups volcano expert issues a warning each time this happens. This time additional conditions cause the volcanologist to issue a warning of a much more serious eruption. However, not everyone takes the warning seriously. Colonists in areas subject to the volcano are caught in an eruption that forces them to deal with darkness, ash-fall, very heavy rain, mud, lahars [Indonesian word referring to a hot mud flow], stampedes of frightened animals, and hordes of migrating bugs, snakes, etc.

14. This idea, including the introduction of Skylar and Synda, was incorporated into the pilot movie. A group of three colonists go on a safari along a river looking for potential resources. Along the way the discover a skeleton of a pirate killed by an arrow. Further along they find another. It is apparent someone is around and potentially very dangerous. Next they are attacked by a group of two or three pirates. Two are wounded immediately although they manage to similarly disable two of the pirates. The third colonist is now unarmed and is chased, eventually into a quicksand pit. As she is sinking the pirate is suddenly struck by an arrow and falls into the quicksand. The colonist is rescued at the very last second by a tall, statuesque woman named Synda. Synda turns out to have a sister named Skylar. Both have been on the planet for fifteen years. They and their parents were captured by pirates and then left on the planet. Their parents have both died but Synda and Skylar have learned to survive rather well, though they have a major disliking for pirates. [Shades of Tarzan with an inside joke for MudPuddleVisuals Fans.]

15. An exploration party sent out by Stuart Bastrop is cut off and fails to return. A second party also fails to return. This leads to a crises of self confidence, but is resolved when a third party rescues the first two.

16. A travelling evangelist comes to Planet Robinson and tries to recruit followers while Captain and Jill Smith are away. A great deal of trouble is created until the Captain returns and recognizes the evangelist as a former pirate who killed his wife and Jill's mother.

17. Fruit infected by an unknown fungus causes some frightening effects among those who ate it.

18. Envy, suspicion, and paranoia become a problem during a drought. Eventually the cause is discovered to be a fungal toxin infecting pollen.

19. A survey team discovers ruins of a settlement that may have been constructed by non-human sentient beings.

20. A survey team is sent to look for minerals in a volcanic zone. They are pinned down by a group of pirates. Then a volcanic eruption forces cooperation as a means to survival.

21. Several colonists become seriously ill from a poison initially traced to Clyde, Emily's tarantula. Suspicion falls on Emily and George until the truth is revealed to be more benign.

22. A colony of primitive sentient beings with aggressive and brutal tendencies is found on an isolated continent. Artifacts suggest the "Eftoos" as they call themselves may be the abandoned results of failed genetic experiments on an unknown planet elsewhere.

23. The colonists have decided to avoid contact with the Eftoos but are forced to intervene when an intercepted pirate radio message indicates the Eftoos are about to engage in human sacrifices involving torture and quicksand.

24. A defection in the ranks of a pirate band leads to unusual and extreme punishments from their enraged leader, forcing intervention by the colonists.

25. An exploratory expedition discovers an Eftoo band in the process of a ritual sacrifice. The decide their non-interference policy requires them to not intervene. However, they are then captured and threatened with the same thing. A rescue party must decide how to effect a rescue without unnecessarily violating the non-intervention policy.

26. Mineral deposits are found that can supply fuel for limited sub-orbital shuttle flights.