[Chapter 225: Match]
"Mr. Williams, could you tell me what 'Brett' means?" Eric had barely finished speaking when Elisabeth, sitting at the end of the desk, raised her little hand and asked, her eyes flashing with a mischievous glint.
Eric shot her a glare. "Liz, why don't you tell me what Coruscant from Star Wars or Cybertron from Transformers means?"
"How should I know!" Elisabeth rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then keep quiet," Eric had no intention of giving this spoiled princess any leeway. Casual jokes may have been fine privately, but this was work, and she had crossed a line. "If you interrupt again, I'll have you thrown out."
Elisabeth almost retorted with "You dare?" However, seeing the serious expression on Eric's face, she ultimately stayed silent and just lowered her head, sticking out her tongue softly.
Clearing his throat, Eric drew the attention back to himself and away from the curious looks exchanged among the screenwriters: "Alright, let's continue."
"In the vast universe, there existed a planet named Brett, inhabited by intelligent beings known as the Brettians. After billions of years of technological advancement, the Brettians had mastered space travel, becoming a formidable force within the cosmos. However, as time passed, not only was their habitable planet nearing destruction, but the Brettians themselves were also on the brink of extinction due to prolonged natural evolution..."
Just as Eric was about to elaborate, he noticed Elisabeth again raising her hand. This time, she was shrewd enough not to speak directly but instead fixated her curious eyes on him.
The narrative was interrupted once more. Eric furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before hissing out a single word through gritted teeth: "Speak!"
He mentally vowed that if Elisabeth caused another disruption, he would kick her out without hesitation.
"Mr. Williams, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, isn't life supposed to be an advancement to higher forms? Why do you say the Brettians are nearing extinction due to natural evolution?"
Eric collected his thoughts and replied, "Darwin's theory only covered a brief period in the evolution of life. What I'm referring to is the gene-level development trends of species. Birth, growth, prosperity, decline -- this is an unresistable cosmic rule. From galaxies to atoms, nothing can escape it. If you read more, you would discover that the evolution of a species' genes doesn't always trend positively. At certain development stages, the gene sequences can also regress and collapse. There's currently a theory that humanity's Y chromosome has begun to degrade. Perhaps, millions of years from now, there may only be women left on Earth... if humanity still exists by then."
Amid the chuckles from the others, Eric gave a serious warning. "Alright, Liz, this is the last time. From now on, if you have any questions, you either endure them or step outside."
After a reluctant nod from the young woman, Eric continued. "Returning to what I was saying, in the face of extinction, the Brettians devised a monumental alien colonization plan, grand in both time and space. Utilizing their advanced technology, they created highly sophisticated spacecraft and compressed their life force into a conscious black liquid."
Eric quickly wrote a key term on the chalkboard: "This black liquid, which contained the life force of the Brettians, was called 'Black Oil.' The spacecraft carried the remaining Brettians and the Black Oil on their journey through the boundless universe. Upon encountering planets suitable for life, they would land and utilize the genetic blueprint contained in the Black Oil to guide the emergence and evolution of life on those planets. Eventually, when the suitable species appeared, the Black Oil would activate, infecting the new species and, through a series of genetic modifications, erasing the original species, giving way to a new one -- the complete form of the Brettians. In this way, the Brettians achieved their species' continuation in the universe."
As Eric explained, the list of keywords on the board grew longer, gradually forming a tree diagram. The screenwriters in the office were engrossed in Eric's imaginative and grand sci-fi background, even the restless Elisabeth was now attentively listening.
"... So, we fast forward to 3.7 billion years ago. The Brettians' spaceship finally reached Earth, and they set about guiding the evolution and transformation of species on our planet. To create new species suitable for colonization, the Brettians did not hesitate to periodically annihilate existing species. Four hundred forty million years ago, 85% of species went extinct; one hundred ninety-five million years ago, 76% of marine life vanished; and sixty-five million years ago, the age of dinosaurs ended... These were merely the extinction events of species that humanity has managed to comprehend scientifically. Following the most recent dinosaur extinction, mammals began to thrive, and after a long wait of 3.7 billion years, the Brettians finally discovered a species suitable for colonization through the Black Oil -- humans!
However, the original humans did not possess advantages for survival in nature. To ensure that humanity could prosper, the Brettians began to catalyze the progress of human civilization. Consequently, humans learned to use tools, learned language, and acquired various skills. The emergence of diverse religions was also guided by the Brettians. The Brettians set the final date for their colonization using Black Oil as December 21, 2012, a day when the lurking Black Oil would initiate an invasion, annihilate humanity, and replace it with the form of Brettians on Earth -- Greys."
Eric magnetically attached a classic alien image to the board. "During World War II, due to the rise of air power, humanity realized we were not alone in this universe. In 1945, towards the end of the war, American forces accidentally shot down a spaceship over the Pacific near Japan. During the secret recovery process, Black Oil was discovered. Then came the famous Roswell incident in 1947. The federal government not only recovered the alien spaceship but also obtained alien corpses. By conducting a series of studies on the data from the alien spaceship, the potential for alien colonization was revealed. To thwart the Brettians' colonization, the government secretly established an organization aimed at developing countermeasures against Brettian colonization. However, the scientists within this organization soon despairingly found that the colonization by Black Oil was unstoppable. Thus, to ensure their survival, along with their families after December 21, 2012, most members of this secret organization betrayed humanity, siding with the aliens. They forced the aliens to agree to their conditions through nuclear annihilation. After colonization, they intended to continue their existence as hybrid beings of aliens and humans. This organization is referred to as 'The Syndicate.'"
After writing 'The Syndicate' at the end of the tree diagram, Eric turned around. "Now, the story of our sci-fi series officially begins. Our protagonist, Fox Mulder's father, William Mulder, was originally a member of The Syndicate. However, he left when he vehemently opposed siding with the aliens. Despite this, the aliens kidnapped William Mulder's daughter, Samantha Mulder. Young Fox Mulder happened to witness this scene. Years later, through deep hypnosis, he recalled the event. Thus, Fox Mulder developed a keen curiosity about supernatural phenomena, never giving up on finding his sister. After graduating from Oxford's psychology department, Fox Mulder joined the FBI and soon transferred to a specialized unit for studying supernatural phenomena: The X-Files. However, for a while, he was the only investigator, until several years later, when his partner, Dana Scully, appeared, and together they embarked on their own adventure."
One of the screenwriters who had been listening finally asked, "Mr. Williams, are you suggesting we write a story about the main characters, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, discovering The Syndicate's betrayal and thwarting the Brettians' colonization plot to save humanity?"
So it turned out that even in this era, American screenwriters were already pondering how to save humanity. Eric inwardly rolled his eyes and asked, "You're Peter Crix, right?"
The thirty-something white man who had just spoken nodded, saying, "Yes, Mr. Williams. I once worked on the writing team for Star Trek."
Eric didn't elevate his status just because this guy had been part of the famous Star Trek series. While both were sci-fi, Star Trek and The X-Files had completely different styles. "Peter, if it's just what you described, then I could write the script myself. You wouldn't need to be here."
Peter Crix chuckled awkwardly at Eric's remark, not arguing. Given Eric's stature, he indeed had the clout to say something like that.
"Since this TV series is called The X-Files, the story must revolve around the protagonists investigating a series of supernatural occurrences, with a tone of horror and suspense. Therefore, I plan for the first season to feature twenty-four episodes involving twenty-four supernatural events."
Peter Crix then asked, "If that's the case, won't this sci-fi series turn into a sci-fi detective story? What about the vast background you just laid out about the Brettians?"
"That's why I asked you here. What you need to do is connect these isolated supernatural events with the Brettian colonization and The Syndicate's conspiracy, weaving together a seemingly disjointed yet deeply interrelated complete story."
Once Eric finished speaking, he turned around and jotted down a word on the board, continuing, "Based on this thread, I've come up with a subtitle for the first phase of this TV series: Puzzle. This phase may last about three seasons. Through the adventures in three seasons, the protagonists will collect and integrate a series of clues, sketching out the background story I just mentioned, before embarking on the next phase of the narrative."
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