Difference between revisions of "Writer's Bible"

Latest revision as of 21:35, 17 February 2024

Peter Lawrence authored the first writer's bible, which was revised two times by Glenn Leopold for the production of the second season. The final version was auctioned on Ebay as photocopies, while Lawrence's draft made its way into a collector's hands through a similar auction, then was posted by Tammy on the Jonny Quest Mailing List. The bibles are presented in contrast, then separately below. The contrasted version is structured according to season one's bible, meaning certain season two segments appear out of order (but are noted). Misspelling and grammatical inconsistencies are the authors' creations. We acquired the Lawrence writer's bible in 2024 and have authenticated the presentation below.

Contrasted Versions

Peter Lawrence - An Introduction to QuestWorld

AN INTRODUCTION TO QUESTWORLD

Foreword

What follows is simply a DRAFT NOTE which attempts to describe QuestWorld, its origins and its significance to THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST. It is not comprehensive but intended for discussion. Also, it is important to remember that any abstract discussion of QuestWorld will necessarily seem complicated and hypothetical. QuestWorld is simply another location - an electronically created, conceptual "country", if you like. And just as it is difficult to thoroughly describe the nature of the USA or Japan, for example, in a few paragraphs, so it is difficult to describe QuestWorld in abstract.

It is how QuestWorld works in story terms which is important - and that will only unfold in the scripts which feature it.

ESCAPE TO QUESTWORLD is the first of these scripts and will help clarify the nature of this Virtual Reality location. Other QuestWorld scripts will follow shortly.

Introduction

In redeveloping JONNY QUEST for the 1990's and beyond, we first identified the elements which made the original show so successful and so long-lived; for, however dated the original JONNY QUEST may appear these days, it still survives as an icon, a show which entertained and influenced several generations, including such film-makers as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

The first element, clearly, is the show's set-up and character interaction: an ordinary young boy caught up in extraordinary circumstances - enjoying a series of astonishing adventures; allowed to do virtually whatever he pleases; to go wherever he wants. He's accompanied by an exotic friend, Hadji; a heroic bodyguard, Race; and the perfect father, Dr. Benton Quest. He even has the perfect faithful dog, Bandit. The second element is the stories themselves for, even though they too seem dated in their pace and style, many of their premises are original, interesting and capable of development far beyond a 20 minute TV show.

The third element which we identified as contributing to the original show's great success was its science fiction/science fact ingredient. The show's creator, Doug Wildey, possessed a quite extraordinary ability to foretell the technological future and almost all the gimmicks, weapons, vehicles, military hardware, etc. which he included in the show came to exist in reality.

From the scripts and other written material to date, I think it is clear that we have developed the first two elements of the original JONNY QUEST, and incorporated them in THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST. In particular, it must be clear that we have based the new show very firmly in a real world the actual world in which we all live. The Laws of Physics apply. If you fall off a high cliff, you'll probably die. Bandit, the dog, cannot speak or understand English. Peril is real and physical. This is not an elastic, cartoon world - nor are its characters Spandex-clad superheroes. They are human beings with no special powers other than their intelligence, their courage, their comradeship and their inherent decency. They have faults, too. They make mistakes.

It is very important that we maintain the logic of this real world. If Jonny were to fall from a 500ft cliff and survive, our audience would feel cheated; would never believe any future peril into which we placed him.

Of course, this does not mean our stories must be mundane or dull. The Laws Of Physics as we know them do not forbid the supernatural, the supernormal or the paranormal. They do not rule out extraterrestrial visitations or the possible existence of Neanderthal Man (as described in Sasquatch, Amok or Yeti legends). Indeed, modem Physics seems to be becoming somewhat Metaphysical and we find many convincing arguments for the possibility of Time Travel; for Parallel Universes and existences of other planes than those we perceive today.

We might almost say that Reality is only Perception. As mankind leams to expand its perception, so it discovers new realities. Theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics were once beyond our perception but have now become reality - and we're perceiving new details day by day.

Similarly, the realities of an Australian Aboriginal, to whom the Dream World (the Primary World) is even more important than the Real World (the Secondary World), may be very different to the realities of an urbanized teenager. And the realities of a mystic, able to access spiritual planes of existence, may be truly incredible to those whose own reality is bounded by a trip to the shopping mall or a visit to MacDonalds.

What I'm trying to emphasize is that the real world of THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST is a quite extraordinary and exciting place. It is virtually limitless - provided that we do not break our logical rules, the rules based on Physics. This contrasts strongly with many other shows, in which anything can happen just because that's the way the writers or producers want it to happen. Such shows may be very exciting visually. They may dazzle - and they may be very successful - but, ultimately, they are dramatically hollow. They are not remembered for their stories or their content.

We believe today's audience deserves a show with great storytelling in addition to visual pyrotechnics. And that is the single most important element in our development of THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST.

However, to return to the three elements which led to the success of the original JONNY QUEST, what may not be so clear from the first 20-odd scripts you have read is how we are developing the science fiction/science fact component of the show.

The speed with which new technologies develop these days makes it difficult to repeat Doug Wildey's success. Who knows what a computer - or even a car - might look like in ten years time? Will intercontinental air travel be suborbital and supersonic? Will we have the technology to travel to other galaxies? Will some form of Time Travel at least be proved (if not facilitated)? All very difficult questions which make it unrealistic for us to build this kind of "futurism" into our show.

We therefore decided to develop an additional "layer" to the Real World of Jonny Quest. A Virtual Reality layer in which we could introduce our characters - and therefore our audience - to a whole new set of realities which are additional to the realities of the actual world.

And that brings us to QUESTWORLD.

QuestWorld

QuestWorld is our Gateway To Fantasy. It enables us to take our characters out of the Real World and into an entirely new dimension - but it is very important to note that, just as our Real World stories follow their own logic, so our QuestWorld stories have their own Reason. This is NOT a place where anything can happen just because it is convenient for the story-teller!

The Origin Of QuestWorld

Originally (see ALIEN IN WASHINGTON), Jonny, Jessie and Hadji developed QuestWorld as an electronic or Virtual Reality playground. True, it was more sophisticated than any existing Virtual Reality system - but you would expect that, for these are three very smart kids with access to Dr. Quest's own intelligence and his powerful, beyond-state-of-the-art computer systems.

The kids' original idea was to create a fully immersive world in which the player would see him/herself engaged in a game or dramatic situation - just as one might see oneself in a dream or a nightmare.

Everything in this world was, or would be, put in place by the players. Images might be drawn, photographed or scanned digitized and entered into a database. Thus the players might choose to take part in a Vampire game, set in a somewhat graphically realized version of Transylvania. Jessie might choose the role of a vampire. Jonny might be the original Vlad the Impaler. Bandit might be a werewolf. Hadji might be Dr. Van Helsing. Etc. The story would be played out rather like a super-sophisticated interactive game.

That was the kids' original intention.

However, several unforeseen factors upset this plan and turned QuestWorld into a very dangerous - potentially lethal - place.

1. The villainous character DR. JEREMIAH SURD hacked into the system and changed it to further his own designs. This Origin Story is told in ESCAPE TO QUESTWORLD.

2. Once Surd hacked QuestWorld, he found a way to transfer pain - even to the point of death to anyone "playing" there. (See THE QUESTWORLD-REAL WORLD CONNEXION, below).

3. Surd also connected QuestWorld to the worldwide internet of computers - so that QuestWorld (in which Surd now lives) has access to, for example, every military computer system, every banking system, transport system, NASA systems, etc. In this respect, QuestWorld has similarities to Neil Stevenson's METAVERSE (see the novel SNOWCRASH) or William Gibson's CYBERSPACE (see the novel MONA LISA OVERDRIVE) - except that it goes much further.

4. Jonny, Jessie and Hadji reckoned without the sophistication of Dr. Quest's computer system, which is on the point of developing its own intelligence - and once any computer develops such intelligence, it effectively becomes independent. Who is to say that it will "behave" heroically or well? Who is to dictate its agenda? Who can guarantee that it will not take on an evil "personality"? Even if it remains fundamentally decent, might it not act strangely, or dangerously, from time to time? It may not respond like a human - especially if someone like Jeremiah Surd has any influence over it. (See NO FEAR, below.) The QuestWorld-real World Connexion

A "player" entering QuestWorld has two choices of system. The "big" system is situated at the Quest's headquarters.

The player sits in a chair, and places a small device (rather like an earpiece) on his/her ear. He/she enters a series of commands to the computer:

"QuestWorld Log On. Subject Jonny Quest. Countdown-5-4-3-2-1-Going Hot!"

A light beam springs from the "earpiece" and bends around the subject's face, forming a light bar in front of his/her eyes.

At the same time, a "light bubble" encapsulates the player entirely - and it is this light which triggers the player's emotional and physical responses. From now on, the player's psyche... mind... soul... brain... (call it what you will) has entered QuestWorld and is effectively divorced from his/her body. If you like, the body is in suspended animation. -

If you think about it, the player's body is now extremely vulnerable - for its control system (the brain) is now engaged in the Virtual Reality of QuestWorld. As long as QuestWorld was only a harmless game world, that did not matter but once Jeremiah Surd seized control of QuestWorld a deadly element was added, for while Dr. Surd engages Jonny, Jessie or Hadji (or anyone else) in QuestWorld, his Real World henchmen (principally JULIA and LORENZO) can menace their helpless physical forms. If Julia or Lorenzo find Jonny, Jessie or Hadji while their minds are in QuestWorld, there is no way these kids can defend themselves. Their physical beings are entirely at the villains' mercy.

Further Notes On The Real World-QuestWorld Connexion

I have described only the Quest HQ system above. There is also a portable system, whose light-based technology is identical. However, rather than being entirely encapsulated, the subject is simply bombarded with light beams from a small system which looks like a laptop computer. The earpiece-eye-lightbeam is identical to the full scale system.

The theory of the light system is this: the player/subject (whether he/she is in the HQ system or is using the portable system) is bombarded with light beams of different frequencies and wavelengths. Depending on the frequency and/or wavelength, the light transmits physical and emotional sensations to the player/subject.

When Jonny, Jessie and Hadji first programmed QuestWorld, those sensations were designed to be rather mild, but once Surd hacks the system, he amplifies them enormously - so that real physical pain and enormous emotional distress can be generated in the player/subject.

In this respect, think of QuestWorld like a nightmare; while you are living that nightmare, everything is very real.

Now add the physical element of pain and you can see that QuestWorld is a very dangerous place. A place where real peril exists - for who can deny that intense emotional or physical pain cannot finally induce death?

So, yes it is possible to die in QuestWorld!

But, of course, there are many equally perilous possibilities. What happens, for example, if a player/subject's psyche is trapped in QuestWorld and cannot return to his/her physical body? And what happens if the physical body is destroyed while the psyche is in QuestWorld? Does the psyche live on in that Virtual Reality world? Does it become, effectively, a human computer virus?

Accessing Other Realities

If we have created a system sophisticated enough to "upload" various seenarios and emotions to the player/subject's brain, that system should also be able to "download" information from the player/subject's brain into QuestWorld. And once that information - a "world" of its own - exists in QuestWorld, then other player/subjects can enter it via the Real World-QuestWorld connexion. (See NO FEAR below.)

This gives us some very interesting possibilities. For example, Hadji is a mystic and can access other planes other realities - through meditation. If Hadji enters a meditative state - and accesses, for example, the Astral Plane - while he is connected to QuestWorld, he makes the Astral Plane available to anyone entering QuestWorld.

The "Reality" Of QuestWorld

How real is QuestWorld? I don't think we need a completely definitive answer to this question. The fact is that if it works within the context of our show, that is enough. However, if we turn to Physics for an answer, we (or Dr. Quest) might say that everything in the world - all existence - can be reduced to sub-atomic particles. That applies equally to our Real World, the world in which we live; and to the worlds of Virtual Reality.

If this is the case, then QuestWorld can be as "real" as the Real World. Which brings us back to perception. As long as we and our audience can perceive QuestWorld as a real place, with its own rules, laws and dangers - then QuestWorld is indeed just another location in which our stories may take place.

Why Enter QuestWorld?

If QuestWorld is such a dangerous place, why do our characters enter it? (For, certainly, they have a choice.)

To answer this question, think of QuestWorld as simply another "country" or location.

"Good guys" are often forced by (story) circumstances to enter such dangerous places - to fulfil their missions, rescue their friends, etc. We only have to think back to the Cold War to remember that the USSR and Eastern Europe, for example, were "dangerous" places. Yet that did not stop heroes and good guys from going there.

The basic dramas of "good guys" versus "bad guys" demand that the good guys venture into peril. QuestWorld is simply one more peril.

Furthermore, the structure of our stories (and ESCAPE TO QUESTWORLD and NO FEAR are good examples) demands that the Quest team enter QuestWorld - despite its dangers - in order to solve a problem in the Real World (and vice versa).

Finally, we may look at QuestWorld as akin to the Wild Frontier of the American West. It is a new, lawless and exciting place waiting to be exploited by good and bad people. The Quest team may be considered the first sheriffs of that frontier; the equivalent of the brave U.S marshall who enters this dangerous territory fearlessly, determined to impose law and order.

And the Quest team has an obligation to act as the police force of QuestWorld/Virtual Reality - for it was the Quests who unwittingly allowed the evil Dr. Jeremiah Surd to escape into this newly discovered world.

The story of NO FEAR

NO FEAR illustrates some aspects of QuestWorld:

Jessie and her father Race Bannon are enjoying a vacation in the Rocky Mountains, white- water kayaking. As they pass through a narrow gorge, with huge steep cliffs on either side, their kayak overtums and Race is knocked unconscious.

Jessie drags him from the river and tries to radio for help but the narrow gorge interferes with the transmission and she realizes that her only way out is to climb the cliff.

She begins the climb - but falls, and is seriously injured.

Race returns to consciousness to find his daughter in desperate straits. He manages to get help and Jessie is hospitalized. She makes a fine recovery from her physical injuries but remains in a coma - and no one quite understands why.

It is Hadji who concludes that she has lost her will to live. Jonny is skeptical of Hadji's diagnosis but Dr. Quest agrees: for some reason, it seems Jessie does not want to return to consciousness and her former life.

Dr. Quest suggests that Jessie's state of mind be downloaded into QuestWorld so that Jonny (her best friend) and Race (her father) can enter that world - her mind - and find out why she is clinging to unconsciousness.

In the world of Jessie's mind, they discover that Jessie has lost her nerve. Her near fatal fall has caused her to lose her belief in herself and she is simply too frightened to return to the real world.

So, in QuestWorld, Race and Jonny must persuade Jessie to make that perilous climb up the cliff once more. To face her fear and overcome it.

Now the story can take one of two directions.

Either, the villainous Dr. Surd may discover that Jessie, Jonny and Race are in QuestWorld and act to thwart Jonny and Race's efforts to save Jessie.

Or (and this is the more sophisticated, more interesting direction to take), Jessie may begin - in QuestWorld - to overcome her fear. But then her fear takes on a personality of its own. In QuestWorld, it has its own existence. It is a real entity- and it "understands" that once Jessie has overcome it, it (her fear itself) will cease to exist.

And so Jessie's fear becomes a character in its own right, fighting for its own "life". It fights to maintain its own existence. And the only way it can continue to exist is to keep Jessie in QuestWorld - in a coma - forever.

Please NOTE that we are still considering this story. It may be too abstract and too metaphysical for our audience. However, it does illustrate many of the aspects and story potentials of QuestWorld.

FINALLY - STORY IS EVERYTHING!

We understand that much of the foregoing may seem to be complex, hypothetical and difficult to understand, just as dreams and nightmares are difficult to understand.

Fortunately, we do not have to consider QuestWorld in the abstract. We-only have to consider it in story terms.

And the truth is that if we tell simple, clearly constructed stories which follow the logical, dramatic rules of THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST, we will succeed - and QuestWorld will be a quite extraordinary additional location to the world of Jonny Quest.

NOTE: our present plan is that perhaps 50% of the episodes will feature QuestWorld in some way. Some of those shows will spend just a few moments in QuestWorld; some will spend perhaps 5-10 minutes in QuestWorld per show; a small number may spend the majority of the show there.

Glenn Leopold Revision

As it appeared on copy

                        THE NEW JONNY QUEST
                        
                           WRITERS BIBLE
                           
                             Written by
                             
                           Peter Lawrence
                           
                             Revised by
                             
                           Glenn Leopold
                           













                                                FIRST DRAFT:5/18/94
                                                   REVISED: 1/17/96
                                                    REVISED: 2/6/96
                                                    
                       HANNA-BARBERA CARTOONS
�
CONTENTS

Foreword

Overview

    A Classic Action Adventure
    
    Villians and Monsters
    
    Jonny Is Star Of Show
    
    Comedy
    
The Characters

    Jonny
    
    Hadji
    
    Jessie
    
    Race Bannon
    
    Dr. Quest
    
    Bandit
    
    The Group -- Relationships
    
The Quest Home

    Base, Props & Vehicles
    
More On Story

    Some Story Ideas to Explore
    
    Mysteries, Legends, Locations
    
    Format
�
                            FOREWORD
                            
    The original JONNY QUEST is a classic of its kind.  It pioneered
    both action adventure and what one might call "realism" in
    animation.  It has a remarkable following; it's something of a
    cult.
    
    Analyzing that kind of success in order to repeat it is not an
    exact science but we believe that the original JONNY QUEST has a
    certain kind of heart and, in developing THE NEW JONNY QUEST,
    we're trusting in that heart.
    
    We have evolved the characters and the situations in which they
    find themselves;  we have shifted the action's emphasis more to
    Jonny himself, to Hadji and, when she is featured, to the 
    relatively new character of Jessie.
    
    We're telling the stories at a higher pace (thank you MTV!) and
    with somewhat greater sophistication - but THE NEW JONNY QUEST
    does not try to be fashionable or particularly Politically
    Correct.  We're aiming for timelessness, an appeal which depends
    more on story, character, mood, enchantment, and rollicking high
    adventure than it does on changing fashion.
    
    You can see through the original show's necessarily dated style
    to that timeless quality.  Fans love the original show, perhaps
    simply for their memories of it; but even when they look at it
    today, and comment on how dated it is in many ways, they still
    respond to its sense of adventure...and its heart.
    
    Our intention is that audiences will feel the same way about THE
    NEW JONNY QUEST in another 10 years' time.
�                                                                   2
                        A CLASSIC ACTION ADVENTURE
                        
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST is classic action adventure.  A young boy and
    his friends caught up in extraordinary circumstances.  Why?
    Because Jonny's dad just happens to be Dr. Benton Quest, one of
    the world's great scientists and inventors.  A man who likes
    nothing more than to investigate the unknown.  And lucky Jonny
    (and the audience) gets to come along for the ride.
    
    There's an air of mystery to Jonny's adventures.  They involve
    hitherto unexplained phenomena, the paranormal, legends and
    folklore of today's world - stories which spring from, for
    example, the enigmas of the Amazonian Rain Forest; the hidden
    possibilities of the least accessible depths of the oceans; the
    secrets of the most remote areas of the world - the Himalayas,
    the Kalahari, the Gobi, the Arctic and the Antarctic; and the
    riddles of equally fascinating areas nearer home: the Everglades;
    the ruined dwellings of the Anasazi; the metaphysical lives of
    the American Indians (and other non-First World cultures); and
    even the hidden worlds within and beneath our cities.
    
    These mysteries may drive the plots of THE NEW JONNY QUEST, or
    they may simply be a dramatic backdrop.  They may be exploited by
    Jonny and Dr. Quest's antagonists or the mysteries themselves may
    become the antagonist.
    
    But Jonny doesn't get bogged down in mystery.  That just provides
    the exotic flavoring for our adventures.  Because JONNY QUEST is
    most of all about...adventure!  Jonny was the original young
    Indiana Jones.  The NEW JONNY QUEST stories are fast paced and
    action packed.  But they also have heart and comedy.  You know
    and love the Quest team, and really care what happens to them.
�                                                                   3
    Episodes of THE NEW JONNY QUEST in which Jonny explores an
    existing, real phenomenon - such as the Airstrips of Nazca, the
    Ruins of Teotihuacan or the possible existence of Giant Squid -
    will not attempt to solve these mysteries.  In half an hour, we
    don't set out to unravel archaeological or anthropological
    problems which have baffled scientists for years.  Where real
    phenomena are featured in a NEW JONNY QUEST story, they will be
    played for their cryptic qualities and, by the end of the show,
    when Jonny's adventure has come to a satisfactory dramatic
    conclusion, we will still wonder exactly why the airstrips exist;
    who built teotihuacan; or whether there really are 500ft Giant
    Squid in the depths of the Indian Ocean.
    
    In taking this approach to THE NEW JONNY QUEST, we believe we are
    faithful to the spirit of mystery of the original.
�                                                                   4
                        VILLIANS AND MONSTERS
                        
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST will create new villians for the Quest Team
    (and the world) to face.  We will also 'revive' some of the more
    exciting villians from the old 'classic' series, like Dr. Zin.
    Not only will this give a continuity with the past for rabid
    Jonny Quest fans, but also give us the fun of 'upgrading' old
    enemies -- giving old dogs new tricks, so to speak.
    
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST is not a "monster of the week" show.  Does
    that mean there's no room for a dinosaur chasing Jonny through a
    desert?  Or werewolves and vampires and other supernatural
    creatures?  Of course not.  Monsters, both human and otherwise,
    were and are a staple of the Quest formula.  But they should be
    used sparingly.  The new show aims for a diversity of adventures,
    and giant (or even smaller) creatures every week just ain't gonna
    cut it.
    
    The new villians of THE NEW JONNY QUEST might more accurately be
    defined as antagonists.  They have little in common with each
    other except that they are in conflict with Dr. Quest - and that
    conflict is never their prime motive.  It is always the result of
    the antagonist's personal objective or ambition which, for
    whatever reason, is opposed by Dr. Quest.
    
    No one is simply "out to get" the Quest team.  Unless it's 
    someone with a long-held grudge, like Dr. Zin.
    
    These new antagonists are always 'bigger than life', in the
    classical sense that they are determined, courageous and
    determined.  But misguided.  Their mores might be different from
    Dr. Quest's - or ours - but they are not necessarily malevolent.
    We may even sympathize with their agenda and sympathize with
    their fate.  Does that mean there are no mad scientists?  No way.
�                                                                   5
    Though mad, or at least angry, these new antagonists are
    characters in their own rights; have their own clear objectives.
    They are always convincing, determined, powerful and, however
    enigmatic, very dangerous to the Quest team.
�                                                                   6    
                    JONNY QUEST IS THE STAR OF THE SHOW

    THE NEW JONNY QUEST features Jonny as the star, with Hadji and
    Jessie (when she appears) as his co-stars.  The stories are told
    through Jonny's point of view and the drama is driven by his (and
    Hadji's and Jessie's) actions and reactions.
    
    Dr. Quest and Race Bannon are always present - but pushed more to
    the background.  This is not the story of Dr. Quest's and Race's
    adventures as they affect Jonny; the kids don't simply tag along
    for the ride.  They propel the action.
    
    That does not mean that we cannot have stories that feature the
    other characters.  Yes, Race or Benton can have a problem, as can
    Hadji or Jessie.  That doesn't mean Jonny isn't right in the
    thick of things trying to solve the problems, but the problems
    revolve around others besides himself.  After all, rescuing
    friends and relations is what Jonny does best.  We can, and
    should feature storied 'centered' around the various other Quest
    team members.  It adds variety.  And we care more when one of our
    characters is in grave danger.  Not some stranger.
    
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST is the story of Jonny's (and Hadji's and
    Jessie's) adventures - triggered by Dr. Quest's work.  Jonny,
    Hadji and Jessie are usually the prime movers, and not simply
    kids responding and reacting to the adults' world.  But that is
    not a hard and fast rule.  Let variety and good story-telling be
    your guide.
�                                                                   7
                                COMEDY
                                
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST is an action adventure show.  But it is not
    humorless.  There is a sense of fun to these adventures, whether
    it comes from Race's quips-in-the-face-of-danger or Bandit's
    doggy shenanigans.
    
    The Quest Team is likeable.  And light hearted moments make them
    more so.  THE NEW JONNY QUEST aims to mix edge-of-the-seat
    adventure with some tongue-in-cheek humor, to keep our show from
    getting too dark or heavy.  They say laughter relieves tension.
    With the kind of peril our kids get into, a good laugh now and
    is mandatory!
�                                                                   8
                            THE CHARACTERS

    JONNY
    The new Jonny may wear a black T-shirt instead of his roll-neck
    and his jeans may be differently cut but his character is much as
    you remember him.  At age 13 he still has some growing and
    maturing to do.
    
    He's a little less strident.  Somewhat cooler.  He's a tough kid
    with a straight-ahead, right-on attitude.  But he's not a punk.
    He's got guts...and heart.  He may be headstrong, but he always
    cares about others.  After all, this is a kid who's saved the
    world (not to mention friends and relatives) dozens of times.
    
    Jonny will do whatever has to be done.  At least, he'll try.  He
    does, of course, remain a young boy.  He will not be able to out-
    think a brilliant physicist, or physically overpower an athletic
    adult opponent.  But that doesn't mean he won't try.  Failing the
    direct approach, Jonny resorts to wit and cunning; to go around
    the problem rather than confront it head on.
   
    Jonny has a strong connection with his father.  They like each
    other and Jonny admires and respects his dad.  It's true that he
    will never be as smart - highly educated - as Dr. Quest, who
    approaches genius where Jonny is a B student; nor is Jonny
    driven by his father's desire to know more about all and
    everything...though Jonny is curious.  Jonny is much more a Man-
    Of-Action in training (hence his great respect for Race) than an
    intellectual.
�                                                                   9

    Deep down, maybe Jonny envies Jessie's relationship with Dr.
    Quest.  She's so darn smart.  And sometimes Jonny gets jealous of
    Jessie's relationship with Bandit.  He's his dog.  These tensions
    add spice to our drama.  Remember, these are kids.  Wouldn't you
    be a little miffed if a genius girl hung out with your Dad all
    the time?
    
    Jonny does not dwell on the fact that he has no mother.  That's
    the way it is and he gets on with his life.  There's never any
    doubt of Dr. Quest's love for his son...though sometimes he might
    wish Jonny was a bit more like Jessie.
    
    To Jonny, his life is a dream come true.  He is super-enthused to
    be able to travel the world with his father, Race Bannon, and his
    friends Hadji and Jessie.  His life is cool and he embraces it
    wholeheartedly.
�                                                                   10

    HADJI
    is a little older (15) than Jonny, taller and thinner than you
    remember him.
    
    He is now Dr. Quest's assistant in training.  He does not have
    his mentor's formal education in the sciences but he shares his
    burning interest in archaeology, anthropology and, particularly,
    the paranormal.
    
    Hadji is a Sikh and a student Yogin.  Spiritually and
    philosophically, he is a true product of his world.  Compared to
    Jonny and Race, particularly, he has a more fatalistic and 
    accepting attitude to whatever is happening to him at the time.
    He starts from the philosophical point of view that everything is
    as it's supposed to be.  Most elements of the grander scheme are
    beyond control of the individual.  Fate is the governing
    factor.  But that doesn't mean Hadji isn't overly cautious.  He
    is.  And that sometimes annoys headstrong Jonny...and even 
    Jessie.
    
    Hadji's actions and reactions will express this significant
    contrast between his character and Jonny's.  In  addition, Hadji
    may use aphorisms or some other figure of speech which expresses
    his different take on life.  That figure of speech may be taken 
    from any culture or any source, but it must reflect Hadji.
    Sometimes, it will baffle Jonny.  Sometimes it may even irritate
    him.  It will always have an intrinsic truth to it.
�                                                                   11
    Hadji was raised in India by PASHA THE PEDDLER.  He never knew
    his parents (though this year he may learn otherwise).  He has
    developed latent psionic powers that appear 'magical'.  He is
    eager to learn all aspects of the mystic arts.  No, Hadji can't
    fly...but with enough concentration he can levitate small
    objects.  He can do rope tricks.  He should not sit around in a
    trance.  Hadji is active and eager to try our his mystical
    knowledge.  Sure, he may not be able to hypnotize a tiger...but
    he'll embrace his failure and try harder next time, if the tiger
    doesn't eat him first!  Being a student Yogin allows him to
    master such proven techniques as controlling his heartrate (so
    he's able to feign his own death for a short while) and
    controlling his body temperature.  These may get him out of tight
    spots, story-wise, but they are not that interesting to watch.
    With Hadji, the more visual his 'power', the better.
�                                                                   12
    JESSIE
    is slightly older (14) than Jonny, and often seems much more
    mature.  Like Jonny, she has had to take responsibility for
    herself and handles herself well in most situations.
    
    As Race's daughter, she is fit and athletic but she is not
    Superwoman in training.  She cannot, even with all Race's tuition
    in the martial arts, overpower an adult.  In fact she's a bit of
    a disappointment in that regard...though Race would never let on
    to her.  Jonny is his prize pupil in the physical fitness 
    department.
    
    Let's face it.  Jessie is more of an egghead.  And Race can be
    overprotective when it comes to his daughter.
    
    But though Jessie is not as strong, physically, as Jonny, she is
    just as tough.  She's smarter, too, and more thoughtful; more
    academic and, to Jonny's chagrin, certainly more in tune with
    Hadji.  Why does Hadji always seem to side with Jessie?  Maybe
    because she's prettier than Jonny.
    
    Like Hadji, Jessie has a strong interest in Dr. Quest's work and
    she often has a better grasp of the academic and the theoretical
    than Jonny.  So, just as Jonny likes to hang out with Race - the
    man of action - Jessie likes to spend time with Dr. Quest.  She
    shares his consuming interest in archaeology, physics and the
    paranormal.  Race may be a touch envious of Jessie's relationship
    with Benton.  Call it fatherly jealousy.  But Race is also
    extremely proud that his daughter can hold her own with a genius
    like Dr. Quest.
�                                                                   13
    The very real differences between Jessie and Jonny should make
    for interesting crossplay and tensions.  These two kids really
    like each other, but they fall out like friends often do.  Maybe
    some day, the two will become more than friends.  Maybe Jessie
    really prefers Hadji's company.  Sometimes Jonny thinks so.
    
    Most of the time, Jessie lives [with] Race at the Quest Compound. She
    has a mother, Race's ex-wife, ESTELLA VELASQUEZ, an architect who
    lives in South America (Columbia to be exact).  Estella is rarely
    featured in a NEW JONNY QUEST episode, but when she is, she must
    have a strong, relevent role.
�                                                                   14
    RACE BANNON
    is almost exactly as you remember him: the ageless (okay, he's
    38) man of action with an acute nose for any danger which
    threatens him or his friends.  He is fearless and utterly
    dependable.  Though Race is almost a part of the Quest family, he
    is an employee of the government, assigned to protect Dr. Benton
    Quest and family.  And he would do anything to protect them.
    Respecting his employee arrangement, Race respectfully refers to
    Benton as "Dr. Quest".
    
    Race has a laconic sense of humor.  He will often come up with a
    dry quip at the moment of maximum danger.
    
    Race has been involved with a variety of women, including such
    femme fatales as the American spy "JEZEBEL" JADE KENYON and the
    Russian operative, NATASHA ROSTOVA.  He's been married (and
    divorced) by a Columbian architect named ESTELLA VELASQUEZ, with
    whom he had a daughter...Jessie.
    
    Jessie is the most constant woman in Race's life right now,
    though sometimes it seems the brainy teenager should be Dr.
    Quest's daughter.  Race loves Jessie, but can't help being the
    overprotective Dad.
    
    As for Jonny, he's the boy Race never had.  He's taught Jonny
    everything he knows about self-defense and courage.  It's enough
    to make a daughter jealous.  And sometimes does.
    
�                                                                   15
    DR. QUEST
    is much as you remember him, though he is a little older (55) and
    certainly more relaxed.  He is a famous scientist and inventor,
    consulted by individuals, governments and corporations to
    investigate any mysterious chain of events which might affect
    their lives or operations. Dr. Quest has an overwhelming 
    interest in strange phenomena, and is always eager to study the
    unexplained mysteries of our world.
    
    While Dr. Quest no longer works specifically for the U.S.
    Government, he is, from time to time, called in to help resolve a
    particular problem.  And the government does provide him with a
    bodyguard in the person of Race Bannon.  As Race puts it, "You're
    too valuable a resource to be left unprotected, Dr. Quest."
    
    Dr. Quest is somewhat cerebral - driven by his desire to know
    more about everything and, particularly, more about the
    inexplicable worldwide phenomena which he investigates.  Gripped
    by that desire, he will ignore all distractions and dangers - not
    because he is especially brave but because his drive to learn
    blanks out more basic instincts like self-preservation.
    
    His sense of humor tends to be a touch ponderous.  Jessie laughs
    at his jokes, though.  Jessie is the daugher Dr. Quest never
    had.  And what of Benton Quest the man?  He still misses his dead
    wife.  He hasn't remarried.  Will there be a romance for the
    world's most famous scientist this season?  Which kid would 
    resent this instrusion on Dr. Quest's attention the most?  Jonny
    or Jessie?  Seeing another side of Dr. Benton Quest is something
    we may explore in our show.
    
�                                                                   16
    BANDIT
    is as you remember him.  A loveable bulldog with strange mask-
    like eye markings.  The comic relief for the Quest Team...and our
    show.
    
    Bandit is a cartoon dog, but not a Tex Avery cartoon dog.  His
    eyes don't bug out three feet...but he is funny.  He gets into
    trouble, chasing birds and cats.  He falls into rivers.  He saves
    the day.  He can understand Jonny, basically.  He can dig.  Fetch
    keys.  Sometimes fetch the wrong things.  He can bark warnings.
    Jump on villains.
    
    Bandit doesn't talk or laugh.  He doesn't flatten against walls.
    But he can roll down a snowy hill and become a rolling Bandit
    snowball.  If we wanted a real dog, we'd rotoscope Rin-Tin-Tin.
    Bandit is Bandit.  The Quest Team (and the world) loves him.
    
    Bandit is loyal, capable of bravery, enthusiastic and, all in
    all, the best dog buddy an adventuresome kid could have.  Yes,
    he sometimes ducks for cover and covers his head with his paws,
    but when the chips are down...Bandit is there.
    
    Bandit lives at the Quest's home and accompanies Jonny when it is
    practical.  Or when our story needs him.  He should not appear
    slung over Jonny's back while Jonny is scaling an impossible
    Alpine ridge.  On the other hand, he might be waiting for him in
    a warm hut to lick the icicle off his pal's nose.  Bandit
    provides heart.  And warmth.  And laughs.

�                                                                   17
    
    When Bandit features in a story, he should be carefully
    integrated into the action.  If he is in any way central to the
    action (rather than a background presence), he must be presented
    so that we care about him, what he's doing and what might happen
    to him.

�                                                                   18
                        THE GROUP - RELATIONSHIPS
                        
    Clearly, our main characters has different and defined
    personalities and their reactions to the various predicaments in
    which they find themselves will differ.
    
    Jonny's response to danger will be close to Race's.  Jessie's
    intrigue with mysterious, unexplained phenomena will be close to
    Dr. Quest's.  And Hadji, with his roots in a different culture
    and a more spiritual approach to life, is different again.
    
    Given a set of strong personalities like this, conflicts are
    bound to result.  And even in the most loving of families, there
    are disagreements.  Minor, sometimes.  But there are different
    ways to reach the same goals.  Jonny can be headstrong.  Hadji
    perhaps too cautious.  Jessie too cerebral.  Hadji seems to side
    with Jessie against Jonny.  Or vice versa.  Jonny shows off for
    Jessie's benefit, trying to outdo Hadji.  Petty jealousies.
    Nothing is more boring for drama than total harmony.  So yes, the
    Quest team must have their moments of annoyance with each other.
    Nobody's perfect and the Quest Team shouldn't be either.  That
    doesn't have to make them bad guys...just human.  And it doesn't
    mean they don't stick together to defeat the bad guys.  They do.

�                                                                   19
                            THE QUEST HOME
                        BASE, PROPS AND VEHICLES
                        
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST does not rely on a range of props, vehicles
    and gimmicks for its drama - but it does have some cool stuff!  What
    follows describes some of it, but we should not be limited in
    what we can dream up for this show.
    
    HOME
    is on the Maine coast, a sprawling compound of houses, barns and
    workshops.  Please refer to the Design Sheets.
    
    Areas of note include the Conservatory, a half-oval building
    attached to the main house and perched on its own rocky outcrop.
    The rocks "grow" up through its floor and it features a central
    fireplace.  The room, whose windows flare red and gold with the
    setting sun, is often the place where an adventure starts - where
    a stranger wlll inveigle the Quests into an investigation.
    
    There is a huge, old fashioned library complete with rolling
    ladder.  This room reflects Dr. Quest's hunger for knowledge, his
    eclectic tastes and the groups respect for the written word.
    
    In addition to his bedroom, Jonny has a workshop/den which is his
    own private place.  There's always a half-dismantled motorcycle,
    an antique shotgun in restoration or some similar project on a
    bench.
    
    Hadji uses the smaller house's lookout as his retreat.  This is
    where he meditates and studies to be a yogin.  It has a
    spectacular 360 degree view.
                        
�                                                                   20
    
    Jessie has her own den which reflects a modern approach to the 
    acquisition of knowledge: she surrounds herself with the latest
    in personal computer systems.
    
    There is a dojo/gym, which is where you'll usually find Race and,
    often, Jonny.  Jessie works out here too but she's not obsessive
    about it.
    
    There is a huge barn, in which an up-to-the-minute lab and has
    been installed, along with a well equipped workshop.  The
    workshop is open to a row of horse stalls, so that curious
    horses' heads are often visible in background while any of the
    group uses the workshop.
    
    The PBY Catalina
    The Quest's plane is a World War II vintage PBY Catalina
    amphibious flying boat.  Race's pride and joy, he is always
    tinkering with the PBY - but it is more than a hobby.  Even
    though its cruising speed is well below 200 mph, it has a 3000
    mile range and its amphibious abilities mean that the Quests can
    take it to any part of the world.
    
    The Quester Catamaran
    A state-of-art cat some 120 ft in length, The Quester is a go-
    anywhere vessel with enormous accomodation in its two hulls -
    including a marine lab and a saloon, both of which are enclosed
    in huge reinforced plexy canopies.
    
    The Quester's bridge deck is equipped with every navigation and
    communications system a world-girdling sailor could desire.
    
�                                                                   21

    The Quester has two helms.  One is open (like a flying bridge)
    equipped with a large steel "Destroyer Wheel" (helm), engine
    control units, compasses and "repeaters" - instruments which
    repeat the displays generated by the navigation systems in the
    Control Center beneath the Flying Bridge.
    
    The Control Center/Bridge is as comprehensively equipped as any
    combination yacht, survey-, dive vessel.  In addition to s second
    Destroyer Wheel and engine controls, it has complete navigation
    systems and instruments, state-of-the-art world-ranging
    communications systems, ocean floor mapping facilities, and so
    on.  Instruments and displays include: Radar, SatNav, Loran, Wind
    Direction, Wind Speed, Ship's Heading, Course, Course Made Good,
    Speed Over Ground, Etc.
    
    The Quester's two hulls extend perhaps four feet beneath the
    surface, the bottom of the huge expanse of her bridge deck some
    eight feet above the surface.
    
    Two submersibles
    Looked at from a fish's eye view, one would see two SUBMERSIBLES
    docked beneath the bridge deck, in snug niches.
    When the subs are docked beneath the bridge deck, their entry
    hatches are accessible through The Quester's bridge deck, so that
    operators may enter the sub directly through The Quester's deck,
    then close the hatch after them, pull a quick-release lever and
    drop the sub directly into the sea beneath The Quester.
    
    The port mini-sub - THE SEA SLUG - is really a diving bell with
    limited maneuverability.  It permits two of its three operators
    access to the sea via a bottom hatch, and is attached to the
    Quester at all times by an umbilical.  It is similar in function
    to a conventional diving bell but can be maneuvered, in a limited
    fashion, by using small, rotating compressed air nozzles.  (In
    the same way, space capsules are maneuvered by small thruster
    rockets.)

�                                                                   22

    The Sea Slug is constructed of carbon fiber and uses a water
    ballast system.  The pilot/operator lies prone, while the two
    divers accomodate themselves in reclining seats.
    
    The starboard mini-sub - THE PORPOISE - is a self propelled
    exploration vessel which allows its operators no access to the
    sea but is equipped with remarkably maneuverable prehensile arms.
    It carries two people.  Access is via hatches in The Quester's
    bridge deck (like The Sea Slug).  A quick release lever drops The
    Porpoise into the sea.  This sub is piloted much like a 
    helicopter.  The "pilot" sits behind a plexi shield, in a
    reclining seat, with a cyclical control stick for movement in all
    planes. There are foot and hand throttles.  The "passenger" (who
    works all ancillary equipment) sits beside and slightly behind
    the pilot. The Porpoise is equipped with mechanical arms and
    hands (the "passenger's" responsibility to operate).
    
    The Quester is extensively equipped with free-diving systems.    
    
    For further details, see Design Sheets and "THE DARKEST FATHOMS".
    
    Tenders - A Boston Whaler & A Sailing Cat
    The stern of each hull features a Whaler-Mothership-style ramp.
    A 20 ft Boston Whaler is berthed in one hull and can be launched
    from the ramp.  The other may be used to carry whatever is needed
    for an expedition, or anything that is found along the way.  The
    Whaler has a powerful outboard and can make 30 knots.
    
    A 16 ft Catamaran is stowed, hulls folded together, on the bridge
    deck, for use as a sailing tender when in port or inshore.
    Jonny, Hadji and Jessie are experts at sailing this cat and
    delight in flying it, one hull high, strung out on trapezes.

�                                                                   23

    These are some of the featured props and vehicles - but we're not
    limited just to them.  Dr. Quest is contracted by individuals,
    organizations, corporations and governments who have access to
    just about any kind of vehicle or piece of equipment which can be
    imagined:  from Lear Jets to diving ships with moon pools;  from
    supersophisticated satellite imaging equipment to gas
    chromatographies.  The sky's the limit.

�                                                                   24
                            MORE ON STORY
                            
    Dr. Quest is perhaps the world's best-known scientist, inventor,
    and investigator of unexplained phenomena, which is why
    individuals, organizations, corporations and governments call on
    hi mto investigate apparently inexplicable mysteries which affect
    them.
    
    He also initiates his own inquiries into mysterious phenomena,
    for he can be single-minded - almost to the point of obsession -
    in his pursuit of knowledge.
    
    The phenomenon may be central to the story or it may be the
    background.  It may itself be the antagonist or it may be
    exploited by someone who becomes the antagonist/villain.
    
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST does not feature a regular cast of villains,
    although the more interesting antagonists and guest characters
    can be brought back for multiple appearances.  To allow the
    flexibility and time to develop and exploit each episode's
    characters, regular and guest, heroic and villainous, it is not
    necessary to use all the characters in every show.  Jonny himself
    is the only character who must appear in every story.
    
    Most of THE NEW JONNY QUEST's villains are enigmatic three
    dimensional characters.  They may be warped, greedy, antisocial,
    psychotic or downright bad - but they are more than simple punch-
    bag villains.  They are personalities in their own rights.

�                                                                   25
                    SOME STORY AREAS TO EXPLORE
                    
    1. The real mysteries of our world.
    The Sphinx (which some people now think may be as much as 8000
    years old); The Bimini stones (which were once thoughr to be hard
    evidence of the existence of Atlantis); stories of South West
    African beaches where huge diamonds may simply be picked out of
    the sand; UFO sightings; the West African Dogon tribe, whose
    centuries-old ceremonies incorporate knowledge of planets and
    moons invisible to the naked eye; the Nazca Strips of Peru;
    submarine Sulphur Funnels where life exists without oxygen; the
    legend of Prester John; the Zimbabwe Ruins; the statues of Easter
    Island; the various monolithic stones and stone structures which
    are found throughout the world; corn circles; fossil footprints
    which indicate that humans and dinosaurs co-existed eons before
    our known ancestors; Shamans, Witch Doctors and Medicine Men with
    cures for diseases unaffected by Western drugs; ghostly
    visitations leaving hard evidence which even the most cynical
    investigators find hard to dismiss ...
    
    2. Legends involving as-yet unproven creatures
    The many versions of Sasquatch - Amok, El Mano Grande, the Yeti,
    etc.; the well-supported theory that Giant Squid exist - 
    creatures so large that they could drag a small ship beneath the
    surface.
    
    3. Exotic locations may themselves be a springboard.
    The Everglades; the Rockies; Arizona's Anasazi settlements;
    Amazon Jungles; Kalahari Sands; the Himalayas; the Rockies;
    the Arctic and the Antarctic; the Congo; Papua New Guinea; the
    Australian outback; tropical paradises like the Amirantes, the
    Tubua and the Line Islands ...

�                                                                   26

    4. Fictional mysteries and locations
    The existing, known phenomena and locations on which we may base
    THE NEW JONNY QUEST stories aew endless, but we can also invent
    our own equivalents of the Sphinx and Nazca, Atlantis and Amok.
    The only rules are that the phenomenon must be believable; its
    effect on our protagonists dramatic; and the denouement vaguely
    plausible.
    
    Plausibility is a keynote of THE NEW JONNY QUEST.  We will take
    our adventures to the limits but they should remain somewhat real
    and grounded.  That means no space ship trips to Venus.  At least
    not this deason.

�                                                                   27
                               FORMAT

    Each NEW JONNY QUEST story is told in three parets: a short
    PREVIEW (up to 3 minutes), followed by THE MAIN TITLES and TWO
    ACTS.
    

Media

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Peter Lawrence Interim Writer's Bible

An Introduction to QuestWorld

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