The Pitch.

An Iron Age.Media Prompt - The Co pilot.

‘Joan jettstarr’, A sexy space adventurer travels space with her trust co-pilot, the sentient quantum computer ‘Quintus’. Exploring planets, traversing nebula, exciting escapes from space pirates and hostile alien life. She is single, sexy, sassy and ready for all kinds of action!

Georgie Garfield read his pitch nervously, trying to read any sort of clue in the faces of the television network execs. Georgie could feel the cold perspiration on his body and did his best not to lift his arms too high during his presentation. The clock in the office ticked as beaded sweat formed in his forehead, then, finally someone spoke.

“Mr Garfield…”

A High-powered woman in a dress suit spoke. Georgie guessed that she was a producer, he was so nervous he couldn’t remember their names or titles when they had met.

“Please, call me Georgie.” Georgie said with a hesitant wry smile, should he have interrupted his betters?

The woman let slip a curt laugh, more an exhalation than humour. “Georgie. We liked your pitch; you had a unique energy.”

Georgie got his hopes up. “Thank… Thankyou ma’am. I see this as a episodic series, kind of in the vain of the Clash Carrion, sci fi serial of the 50’s and 60’s.”

Another moment of silence. Then, a snobby looking man who looked like a Harvard reject that accidently landed in film talked.

“We just don’t think there’s an audience for such retro inspired material.”

Georgie’s heart sank.

The woman added. “She’s a woman, yes, we like that.

The snobby man continued. “What she needs is a partner, someone she goes on adventures with.”

Georgie stammered. W…Well, like I said in the pitch, her ship is sentient AND a quantum computer. They would converse and solve problems together.”

“We feel she needs someone by her side when she leaves her ship.” The snobby man said.

“Like a humanoid companion?”

“Along those lines.” The woman said.

The conversation halted for a moment as Georgie’s brain was working overtime of an immediate answer.

“W…What if the ship had a synthetic body that could accompany the hero with.”

The two execs looked at each other.

“We were thinking an alien child.” The snobby man said.

“Someone who would get into mischief and the hero would have to resolve.” The High-Powered woman added.

Georgie couldn’t help himself. “You came up with that on your own?”

Georgie’s distain and sarcasm didn’t seem to penetrate the ineptness of the combination of the two of them. They wanted to change HIS idea! The gall!

“Georgie, we feel that this is a children’s tv show. we have to appeal as much to that demographic as possible. The high-powered woman said.

“And it couldn’t hurt if the pirates were dinosaurs” The snobby man said with a smirk.

Georgie was incensed, he had carefully plotted the adventures of Joan Jettstarr for the better part of a year, he had gotten inside their heads, gave them an origin and philosophy. And here were these yahoos with their test screenings and metrics that wanted to wipe all that work away, null and void.

“Look, I don’t think we’re on the same page anymore, it’s not even my idea anymore.” Georgie said in disbelief.

“Georgie, we know you’re the creative type so we understand. It’s not about ideas per se, it’s about money.” The high-powered woman said with a hint of pity.

“And the money says alien children and dinosaurs.” The snobby man said with a glint in his eye.

“Money, Money! Georgie said losing it. “My precious creations butchered all for a few bucks?”

The High-powered woman took an expensive pen from her expensive jacket dress suit and wrote something on a piece of paper.

-

Two Years later.

Join Joan Jettstarr as she adventures with her wee co pilot Adreas from the planet Andromeda. Weekly adventure abound as they battle the tyrannic space pirates led by the tyrannosaur overlord, Rex!

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