Brief

Dr. Josh Santos is recruited to reverse engineer alien technology that may hold the key to preserving the future of the human rise. Later, Josh leads an expedition to colonize alien worlds before facing down the perilous threat of a ravenous black hole.

What We Liked

This work stood out for its sheer abundance of visual spectacle. This work seems to borrow from the best elements of a variety of other well-known sci-fi properties, reappropriating them into a world of its own. Moreover, it has no shortage of interesting, sometime novel concepts, and it asks a plethora of engaging philosophical questions. All in all, fans of the genre will find a buffet of sci-fi concepts, questions, and spectacle in this work.

Film: This would be a solid adaptation for film due to its moments of catharsis and impact that tie into its spectacle-driven plot and imagery. There are several scenes and sequences that play out so vivid in the mind's eye already as if they are on an IMAX screen. The emotion paired with the spectacle will be sure to entice an audience. The concept here has been proven thanks to the success of works like INTERSTELLAR and STAR TREK.

TV: This would make a solid TV adaptation due to the sheer scope of its story. We essentially peruse and entire lifetime of a character, following him through impossible tasks, visiting alien worlds, and facing down a number of different adversarial forces. In fact, there are many concepts in this work that don't seem to have enough time to marinate and develop, and the longer-format of TV might just be the perfect vehicle to executing this work at its fullest potential.

Key points:
1. The limitless, well-rendered spectacle.
2. The escapism of space exploration.
3. The impossible choices our hero must make.
4. The many thought-provoking philosophical questions.
5. The countless futuristic and sci-fi world-building elements.

Synopsis

In first person, JOSH SANTOS tells the story of his life to his unnamed son. Starting with his birth in Massachusetts, Josh takes us through his childhood with his athletic older brother JAKE and his frenemy SHANE. We follow Josh as he develops a connection with coed HOLLY and later JENNA. In his teen years, Josh displays a certain prowess for STEM, and he finds a mentor in Jenna's father, IAN MICHAELS. Josh spends time working in machine repairs, making a small name for himself, as he continues to come of age. Years pass, and Josh completes his secondary education, earning a Ph.D. His relationship with Jenna has bloomed, and his friendship and mentorship with Ian remains strong.

Soon, Ian and Josh visit a base on the moon, and Josh clued into the alien technology that was recovered at a crash site in the 1940s. With that, Josh begins work to reverse engineer the alien ship, with the hopes that it will yield revolutionary technology for humankind. Before long, Josh's long hours result in his marriage with Jenna coming to an end. Josh, we learn, has visions of an apocalyptic future, one where his family all perishes and where he is evidently married to childhood love Holly. Josh works hand-in-hand with the astute Dr. YAFFEE AGURO PATEL, while Shane stays in Josh's network in the field, making a name for himself separately. Eventually, Josh, Aguro, Ian, and co. are able to test an alien tech vessel. They discover an imminent threat in the form of a black hole, and Ian is killed in an accident.

Soon, Josh and Aguro shift their focus to rescuing the human race from the looming black hole threat in coordination with the President and military. Josh continues to have visions of the future and visions of communion with heavenly entities. Soon, Holly comes back into Josh's life, as well as her daughter ANDREA, who becomes a close stepdaughter-of-sorts to Josh. Josh discovers, though, that Holly is working on behalf of an agency to watch over Josh's work and ensure his discretion. Soon, Josh and his family visit the moon base and later travel to far off alien worlds, seeking a new home for humanity. They visit another alien world, leaving tens of thousands of colonists behind to set up bases. Before long, Josh comes to blows with the President and his men, scornful at their willful inaction in saving humanity. It's not just the black hole that perils earth, but riots, conflicts, and rising oceans threaten life as we know it, much less the status quo. Holly and Josh soon get married and consummate their love and later discover that she is pregnant.

Soon, the earth starts to come undone-- Volcanoes erupt, and tsunamis ravage the coasts. The need to escape the dying planet becomes profound and immediate. Josh and his family narrowly escape and arrive at the encampment colony on the alien world. Josh realizes what he must do-- He must venture back to the Milky Way to vanquish the black hole. He says a heartfelt goodbye to his wife, Andrea, and his brother Jake, and he heads out into space with a sentient spaceship with Shane aboard. On the ship, Josh exposes Shane for contributing to the destruction of earth. While Josh is unable to completely destroy the ravenous black hole, he devises a way to trap it, preventing it from growing and staving off its intergalactic threat for the foreseeable future. Josh becomes overwhelmed and incapacitated, and he soon finds himself on a remote beach, alone. Thus begins a months long exile-- Josh lost in space and outside of time.

However, a form of Aguro comes to visit Josh, cluing him into how time has moved on without him due to his toiling with the black hole. Aguro iterates the standards of this distant future era-- Immortality has essentially been achieved by way of uploaded consciousnesses and synthetic bodies. Humanity brushes shoulders with dozens of alien species, too, including a race of creatures that evolved from intelligent crystal form. Soon, Josh finds himself at the head of negotiations with this alien race, which has come to regard Josh's late brother Jake as a savior figure. Soon, Josh realizes that his son, NIAN, has taken control of a faction of them and has developed megalomaniacal aspirations. Josh tries to plead with his son, faced with the choice of possibly killing him, but it is soon revealed to be Shane behind it all. In the end, Josh's corporeal form is destroyed aboard a ship while he's beside his wife. Nian then takes control of the narrative, professing his love for his parents.

After, we flash back to the real world in Massachusetts, where Josh finishes telling the story to his buddy Shane, who asks Josh why he decided to make him the villain-- A twist that the events of the film are purely fiction from the ordinary teenager in Josh.

About The Author

Influenced by the likes of Gene Roddenberry, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke, James Bulu has always been a massive sci-fi buff. His forebears' mind-bending stories fueled Bulu's imagination and inspired him to write stories of his own.