Writer's Bible
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.
Contents
Contrasted Versions
The New Jonny Quest INTERIM WRITER'S BIBLE WRITTEN BY PETER LAWRENCE May 18th, 1994 (QuestFan note: a copy of this recovered on the Jonny Quest Mailing List (JQML) Yahoo Groups was instead entitled Jonny Quest's Extraordinary Adventures.) |
The New Jonny Quest THE NEW JONNY QUEST WRITERS BIBLE Written by Peter Lawrence Revised by Glenn Leopold FIRST DRAFT:5/18/94 HANNA-BARBERA CARTOONS CONTENTS Foreword Overview
The Characters
The Quest Home
More On Story
|
| SERIES OVERVIEW
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 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 and enchantment than it does on changing fashion. There is no place for mindless violence, brutality or action for action's sake in this new generation of episodes. Nor for chauvinism, xenophobia or insensitivity. Our intention is that audiences will feel the same way about THE NEW JONNY QUEST in another 30 years' time. | 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. |
| AN EVOCATIVE MYSTERY ACTION ADVENTURE
THE NEW JONNY QUEST is an evocative mystery action adventure, the story of an ordinary young boy caught up in extraordinary circumstances. THE NEW JONNY QUEST does not fit comfortably into any current category of animated entertainment, which is why we're coining the phrase evocative mystery action adventure: EVOCATIVE in its atmosphere and tone -- evocative of the traditions of storytellers like Jules Verne, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Lois Stevenson, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and John Steinbeck. MYSTERY in that the episodes involve hitherto unexplained phenomena, the paranormal, legends and folklore of today's world -- stories which sprang 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. In its mystery element, the series draws on the kind of material which inspires writers like Tony Hillerman, Laurens Van Der Post, Roald Dahl (in his darker moments), Michael Crichton, Colin Wilson and even Erich Von Danniken. Action-adventure in that THE NEW JONNY QUEST stories are expressed through exciting, imaginative, constantly moving-action sequences. While the action is dramatic and more or less continuous, it does not depend on mindless activity, meaningless frenetic movement or witless violence. The hook is the story and the way the story is told. THE NEW JONNY QUEST is reminiscent of modern movies like INDIANA JONES, A FAR OFF PLACE and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS; or of older pieces like KING SOLOMON'S MINES or even a harder-edged, less sentimental version of A BOY TEN FEET TALL. It will have elements in common with CONGO, COMA, MACGYVER, TREASURE ISLAND, HUCKLEBERRY FINN, Jules Verne's classics, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, X- FILES and even UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. | 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. 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. |
| THE WORLD OF JONNY QUEST
The stories take place in a milieu which ranges from the physical realities of our known world to the wildest shores of Cyberspace... the virtual world of Jonny Quest. In story terms, the keypoints are: Plausibility in the known world -- no matter how mysterious the subject. Sci-fantasy in the Virtual World. A different set of rules. But a set of rules nonetheless: the Virtual World of Jonny Quest has its own logic and each story must work within that logical framework. THE LOOK Intense. Photorealistic. Every locale is caught in its most dramatic moments. Every geographic, climatic mood pushed to its extreme. A world whose look matches -- extends -- the range, the sophistication and the drama of the stories. A world where a decaying urban centre is as exotic as a Himalayan mountain peak. Where a National Park forest can be as mysterious as the Amazon Jungle. Where the White House can be the domain of an extraterrestrial spy and the Everglades the home of a hitherto undiscovered band of Viking Native Americans. Arctic and Antarctic. Unexplored submarine canyons. South American jungles and Australian wilds. African plains. Russian steppes. Every corner of the world yields its mysterious secrets to Jonny Quest. But Jonny goes beyond our known world, exploring legends of the supernatural, of lost civilizations and wrinkles in time -- finally entering the Virtual Reality of Cyberspace. The settings of Jonny Quest's Extraordinary Adventures include: (paragraph mysteriously ends? Tammy's note: That's a rather strange lead to what it calls 'The Real Adventures' on the back of the 1996 calendar. It has the normal logo, but instead of reading 'The Real Adventures', it reads 'The Extraordinary World'... Hmm...):) | MORE ON STORY (appears at bottom of guide)
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 him to 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. 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 ... 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. |
| 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. He's aged around 12 or 13 and he still has some growing and maturing to do. He's a little less strident. Somewhat cooler. He's more muscular, too -- not physically, but mentally. He's a tough kid with a straight ahead, right-on attitude. He'll 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. Under these circumstances, he must resort to wit and cunning; to go around the problem rather than confront it head on. | 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. 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. |
| Hadji
Hadji is a little older, taller and thinner than you remember him -- so he's older than Jonny. 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 the control of the individual. Fate is the governing factor. So, whereas Jonny's Western, First World reaction might be "Let's get out of here!", Hadji's is more likely to be "We're here. We're supposed to be here. So let's figure out why and what to do." | 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. 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. |
| Jessie
Jessie is the same age as Jonny but often seems 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. She is a girl, not a woman. She will not seem to be as strong, physically, as Jonny but she is just as tough. She is smarter, too, and more thoughtful; more academic and certainly more in tune with Hadji. To Race's great joy, Jessie shows 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. The very real differences between Jonny and Jessie make for interesting crossplay and tensions -- but these two kids really like each other. They may fall out. They may have spats -- but they are good friends and, just around the corner, they may become more than that. | 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. 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, relevant role. |
| Dr Quest
Dr Benton Quest is much as you remember him, though he is a little older and certainly more relaxed. Among his eclectic interests and qualifications, he is a Phenomenologist, consulted by individuals, governments and corporations to investigate any mysterious chain of events which might affect their lives or operations. He no longer works specifically for the U.S Government though he might, from time to time, be called in to help a particular problem. 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. | DR. QUEST (appears after Race)
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. |
| Race Bannon
Race Bannon is almost exactly as you remember him: the ageless man of action with an acute nose for any danger which threatens him or his friends. he is fearless and utterly dependable. He has a laconic sense of humor -- will often come up with a dry quip at the moment of maximum danger -- and an occasionally peculiar, characteristic turn of phrase. Each episode will feature one such phrase -- different each time. Like Dr Quest, Race may have romantic attachments. The women to whom Race and Dr Quest are attracted and / or attract will be different in personality -- a rather obvious observation, no doubt. | 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. |
| Bandit
Bandit is as you remember him only in that he is a bulldog with strange mask-like eye markings. The most important thing to remember about Bandit is that he is a dog. He does not think like a human. He is not endowed with a human sense of humour and he cannot do things which dogs cannot do without extensive training. On the other hand, Bandit is loyal, capable of bravery, enthusiastic and, all in all, a good doggy buddy. Bandit lives at the Quest's home and accompanies JOnny when it is practical. That will tend to confine him to the continental U.S.A. He will not appear slung over Jonny's back while Jonny is scaling an impossible Alpine ridge. | 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. 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. |
| NO CORRESPONDING SECTION | 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. |
| VILLAINS
The basic points
Examples of Episodic Villains:
A renegade sub captain obsessed with saving whales
A homicidal fortune hunter searching for Eldorado.
Once Dr Quest's colleague. Now conscienceless and obsessively ambitious- prepared to kill Quest to further his own career.
Originally the legendary man of pure heart who discovers the secrets of alchemy and is corrupted by the possibility of infinite wealth.
Government UFO investigators
Draining the Everglades and so exposing a hitherto unknown tribe of Viking Native Americans Examples of supernatural, supernormal and paranormal villains:
RECURRING VILLAINS Two major recurring villains: one operating in the known world, one in virtual reality. THE KNOWN WORLD VILLAIN: ARGUS GRIMM Onetime government operative. Lost his entire family as a result of betrayal by the Administration. Sworn to revenge. Each time he returns, his "revenge objective" is more terrible...more global...more encompassing. And each time he returns, his physical appearance has deteriorated (effectively becoming more awesome) as a result of his previous failures. THE VR WORLD VILLAIN SURD In the known world, a Stephen Hawking-like genius whose physical being has degenerated almost to the point of death. Having been introduced to the Virtual World -- In which he can recreate himself in any form he wishes, he is an all-powerful force. Free to roam cyberspace, he becomes an overwhelming opponent -- for each time Jonny kills him in VR Surd simply returns in another more powerful, more malevolent form. The only way Surd can truly be neutralized is to find his "known world" base -- to destroy the corporeal being and so kill the VR emanation. But here's the question: even if you kill the corporeal being, will the VR "soul" remain free to roam Cyberspace? | VILLIANS AND MONSTERS (appears after the overview)
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. 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. |
| 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.(Note: the above section was missing from the writer's bible recovered from auction, but present in the JQML "Extraordinary Adventures" version.) | JONNY QUEST IS THE STAR OF THE SHOW (appears after villains but before characters)
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. |
| NO CORRESPONDING SECTION | 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! |
| NO CORRESPONDING SECTION | 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. 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. |
| VEHICLES (preliminary list)
QUEST FLEET 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 it's cruising speed is well below 200mph, it has a 3000-mile range and its amphibious abilities mean that the Quests can take it to any part of the world. It has been fully equipped with state-of-the-art navigational systems, as well as other technology necessary for the Quest missions. | Vehicles
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. |
| Quester A 120-foot state-of-the-art catamaran with enourmous accomodation in its two hulls -- including a marine lab & saloon. Of the two helms, one is open, like a fly bridge, and is equipped with a large steel "Destroyer Wheel" or helm, engine control units, and "repeaters" -- instruments which repeat the displays generated by the navigation systems in the Control Center beneath the Flying Bridge. The Control Center is a comprehensively equipped combination yacht, survey, dive vessel. In addition to a second Destroyer Wheel & engine controls, it houses the primary navigation systems and instruments, world-ranging communication systems, and ocean floor mapping facilities. Instruments and displays include: Radar SatNav, Loran, Wind Direction, Wind Speed, Ship's Heading, Course, Course Made Good, Speed Over Ground, etc. | 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. 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. |
| The Sea Slug
A mini-sub docked just under the port side of The Quester bridge, it is really a diving bell with limited maneuverability. It permits two of it three operators access to the sea via a bottom hatch, and it 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.) The Sea Slug is constructed of carbon fiber and uses a water ballast system. The pilot/ operator lies prone, while the two divers accommodate themselves in reclining seats. The Porpoise The starboard mini-sub is a self propelled exploration vessel which allows it's 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 cylindrical 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). | 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.) 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". |
| VEHICLES CONTINUED
A Boston Whaler The stern of each of The Queser's hulls feature 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 Sailing Cat A 16ft 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. That is the extent of the featured props and vehicles - but note that 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 super sophisticated satellite imaging equipment to gas chromatographies. The sky's the limit. | 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. 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. |
QUEST INCIDENTAL VEHICLES
OTHER VEHICLES
| NO CORRESPONDING SECTION |
| NO CORRESPONDING SECTION | FORMAT Each NEW JONNY QUEST story is told in three parts: a short PREVIEW (up to 3 minutes), followed by THE MAIN TITLES and TWO ACTS. |
| VIRTUAL REALITY In any JONNY QUEST story, Virtual Reality can operate on a number of levels. A Toy At its simplest, the VR system and its components are no more than a toy. At thsi level, we may come across our characters palying with the VR set-up jsut as they might with any other computerized toy. And, just like any other toy, it will be set aside as our characters begin another JONNY QUEST adventure. An example: An episodic story revolves around Dr. Quest's search for the Abominable Snowman (Yeti). In the PREVIEW, we see Dr. Quest apparently killed in an avalanche. The final image of the sequence shows his dying hand reaching up through the snow. A huge shadow falls over the snow. We know the shadow is that of a Yeti. When the main body of the episode action commences, we see Jonny apparently fighting a monstrous cyber-beast - a nightmarish vision of a Yeti. Jonny is armed with a wild science fantasy laser Gatling and we hear Jessie and Hadjis' warning cries. A moment later, we cut to another POV on the action - and realize that Jonny's struggle with the monstrous cyber-Yeti ist aking place in THE VIRTUAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST - inside his helmet. The real peril stems form the fact that in THE REAL WORLD OF JONN QUEST, Jonny is inside on the 12th floor of a hotel in Nepal and, because he is helmeted - blind to his real surroundings - he is about to smash into a large picture window. If Hadji and Jessie do not reach him in time - bring him back from his VIRTUAL WORLD to the REAL WORLD, he will crash through the window and probably die. In this example, the fact that the short VR sequence features a Yeti is explained by the fact that Jonny, Hadji and Jessie have programmed elements of Dr. Quest's current expedition into their VR system - purely for their own entertainment. Once the REAL WORLD adventure is under way, the VR system is set aside. A Learning Experience It is possible that, in THE REAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST, Jonny, Jessie and/or Hadji may confront a situation with which they have no experience. Having no idea how to handle it, they program the situation and its various parameters into the VR system, enter THE VIRTUAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST to experience the situation and its variations, then return to THE REAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST in order to apply what they have learned. VIRTUAL REALITY CONTINUED Generally, this use of VR will be limited - and the drama and peril will arise from the unexpected (either because someone or something has glithced the VR world or because the real experience throws up something entirely predictable). Note: it is not our intention to use VR to turn JONNY QUEST into an "educational" program. VR As A Tool Or Facility The VR system may facilitate a JONNY QUEST adventure in some way. For example, an extraterrestrial "mole" has been planted in Congress and eventually becomes Vice President. He reports regularly to his people, a civilization at the far end of our galaxy. In search for intelligent life in the Universe, NASA's scanners pick up an exchange of indecipherable signals. Some are from deep space and others - replies, perhaps - originate on earth. Dr. Quest is brought in to decode the signals, his computers hooked up to NASA's. Coinciding with the signals out-going from earth, Jonny's VR experiences are interrupted by strange transmissions and images (in the VR helmet) which seem to predict the future: that Dr. Quest will be summoned to Washington, for example. It transpires that Jonny's VR set is picking up the alien "mole's" transmissions to his people - and in the denoument, JOnny and his father must use the VR set-up to communicate with the alien leaders in order to ward off a preemptive WAR OF THE WORLDS-like alien attack and help the "mole" return to his people. Parallel Stories The interaction of THE REAL WORLD and the VIRTUAL WORLD of JONNY QUEST may be most effective when characters are forced to remain in the VIRTUAL WORLD in order to save their friends - or themselves - in the REAL WORLD. An example: many years ago, a Dr. STrangelove-like military science attempted to use a nuclear boby trap to blackmail the Administration. His plan went awry and in the ensuing chaos he was terribly incapacitated by his own booby trap. He was hidden away in a sanitarium and forgotten. VIRTUAL REALITY CONTINUED Now, at the request of a city mayor, Dr. Quest and Race investigate a rash of radioactive emissions from the basement of a long-abandoned government laboratory which is about to be demolished. Entering the basement, Quest and Race discover a hitherto unknown chamber and become trapped there. There appears to be no way out - and the radioactive emissions prohibit and rough-and-ready approach. It transpires that this chamber was the Strangelove-like scientist's base. He is the only man who knows its secrets; the only man who can get Quest and Race out - but he is now a shell of the man he was; spends his days in a cahir, staring at the wall. Jessie comes up with the idea of hooking him into their VIRTUAL WORLD - where he can once more be the wild, driven scientist; once more experience the power of his youth; in VR he can dream his dreams; he is liberated. In the VIRTUAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST, Jonny, Jessie and Hadji play cat-and-mouse with the newly invigorated scientist, determined to extract the secrets of his former HQ and so save Quest and Race. The scientist, however, has his own agenda. VR has given him new life. Why would he ever want to emerge? Moreover, eh reaches out of his Virtual World and reassembles his old team so that it can follow his orders in the REAL WORLD OF JONNY QUEST. Obviously, his villainous colleagues first priority will be ... to eliminate Jonny, Jessie and Hadji and so enable the scientist to enjoy his VIRTUAL WORLD existence for as long as he lives. In this example, the VIRTUAL WORLD and REAL WORLD dramas are intertwined. Jonny, Jessie and Hadji must prevail in the VR world if they are to prevail in the real world. And vice versa. Home Movies Using the VR set-up's image-capturing systems (flat- and 3-D scanners, digitizers, etc.), and the computer's ability to manipulate those images, Jonny, Jessie and Hadji can create their own digital home movies - starring themselves, their friends and families. (And even MCI.) For example: the episode's PREVIEW is filled with strange cuts of image-collection - illustrations of vampire bats are scanned; footage of the classic NOSFERATU is digitized; Bandit suffers a 3-D scan, then his image on the PC monitor morphs into a werewolf (not entirely convincing, for we can still recognize Bandit, the least werewolf-like dog in the history of TV entertainment). VIRTUAL REALITY CONTINUED The main body of the episode begins: Jonny asleep in bed. Hears Jessie's disembodied voice calling. Wakes. Looks up. Sees Jessie floating outside his window, an ethereal image beckoning to him. As if in a trance, he goes to the window. Reaches out to open it. BAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMM! The window implodes and, in the same instant, Jessie transforms into a terrifying vampire bat, rwapping her translucent wings around Jonny, enveloping him - our chaste version of the vampie's kiss. Now we're in the middle of a full-fledged vampire story, in which Dr. Quest must fight for his extended family as, one by one - even Bandit, they fall prey to the vampire. At the episode's climax, Dr. Quest must drive the obligatory stake through his best friend's daughter's heart! (Our interpretation of this classic image will be impressionistic, not graphic ... of course). We the audience watch in shock. Did Jessie transform the entire extended family into the undead? Was Dr. Quest the only survivor? Did he really do what we think he did? Then - CHKKK-CHKKK-CHKKK! - the image on screen begins to break up. (Or perhaps End Credits roll.) We hear applause. We PULL BACK - and there is the entire Quest "family" congratulating Jessie on her latest digital home movie. Even Bandit jumps up enthusiastically. But - wait a moment! Are his canine teeth an inch or two longer than before? | NO CORRESPONDING SECTION |
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
Images
Peter Lawrence Interim Writer's Bible
An Introduction to QuestWorld
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