Topic: Pitch: what-if show

Happened to catch a show called "Alien Encounters 2" that posits a particular kind of alien contact and how the world might deal with it. It occurs to me that it would be kind of fun and perhaps funny to make a show in which a group of experts and/or regular people are presented with some off-the-wall scenario like the arrival of aliens and they basically role-play what they would do.

The producers would handle what happens as a result of the "players" actions based on the predetermined goals of the aliens or whatever. It would be interesting to see some people welcome the aliens and get their brains sucked out (there would be some animation and/or enactments of some kind) and other people attack the aliens and get destroyed. There has to be some "winning" scenario of course; but it would underscore how tricky it really would be to handle such a strange event.

Another scenario might be the discovery of dinosaurs or maybe a tribe of homo habilis on some remote island or something. Do we bring them to civilization? Study them in place?

Or maybe an asteroid is headed for Earth. What do you do?

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: Pitch: what-if show

I like it. Could work as a podcast, actually... make a pilot.

Do it. Do it Zarb Ban.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: Pitch: what-if show

In the 80's, PBS would occasionally air these shows where a bunch of politicians, scientists, or others in fields related to the topic would sit in a circle around the moderator. He would state a situation, adding details as he went on, asking everyone what they would do, what moral choices they would make. As it went on things would get more complicated, staying true to your core beliefs more difficult. My father disliked the "slippery slope" aspect, but it did get across that small actions at the start could snowball on you. We see that all the time in world events.

I write stories! With words!
http://www.asstr.org/~Invid_Fan/

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Re: Pitch: what-if show

Zarban wrote:

There has to be some "winning" scenario of course; but it would underscore how tricky it really would be to handle such a strange event.

Disagree there. There can be outcomes some define as "winning", but as in real life that could be different for everyone.

I write stories! With words!
http://www.asstr.org/~Invid_Fan/

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Re: Pitch: what-if show

Invid wrote:

In the 80's, PBS would occasionally air these shows...

Oh! I remember those. It was Bill Moyers, i think. I liked those a lot. I think they were mostly political scenarios.

Invid wrote:
Zarban wrote:

There has to be some "winning" scenario of course; but it would underscore how tricky it really would be to handle such a strange event.

Disagree there. There can be outcomes some define as "winning", but as in real life that could be different for everyone.

I just meant that it shouldn't be designed as a Kobayashi Maru. My two examples were both failure outcomes. But it's quite reasonable to posit that no encounter with aliens with hostile intentions would have a happy ending.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: Pitch: what-if show

Invid wrote:

In the 80's, PBS would occasionally air these shows where a bunch of politicians, scientists, or others in fields related to the topic would sit in a circle around the moderator. He would state a situation, adding details as he went on, asking everyone what they would do, what moral choices they would make. As it went on things would get more complicated, staying true to your core beliefs more difficult. My father disliked the "slippery slope" aspect, but it did get across that small actions at the start could snowball on you. We see that all the time in world events.

Is this it? I remember it well.

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Re: Pitch: what-if show

Yeah, that's it. I don't remember them being ethical scenarios. But I do remember the moderator constantly changing the scenario. I found that annoying, but it was useful for the purpose. "Hard cases make bad law" tho, as they say.

For my TV show, it would be a looser format (not a real-time discussion in one room) interspersed with video enactments and animation to make it not so boring. Plus, you know, aliens and cavemen instead of telling someone their husband is cheating.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: Pitch: what-if show

The Annenberg people briefly revived it a few years ago. Some of the same people were on. Six more hours of Socratic hypotheticals streaming free here:

http://www.learner.org/resources/series … ;pid=2245#

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