The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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[This file is from the Sf-Lovers Archives at Rutgers University. It is provided as part of a free service in connection with distribution of Sf-Lovers Digest. This file is currently maintained by the moderator of the Digest. It may be freely copied or redistributed in whole or in part as long as this notice and any copyright notices or other identifying headers or trailers remain intact. If you would like to know more about Sf-Lovers Digest, send mail to SF-LOVERS-REQUEST@RUTGERS.EDU.] ==================== == MAX HEADROOM == ==================== 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE Max : "Special bulletin : There is still no news from New Zealand. If they ever have any, we'll be sure to let you know." Compiled by Ross Smith. Comments, corrections, and additions to me (alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz). Edited by Saul Jaffe, moderator SF-Lovers Digest (sf-lovers-request@rutgers.edu). * * * * * -- History -- Edison : "Since when has news been entertainment?!" Murray : "Er ... since it was invented?" "Max Headroom" was the first, and so far the only, cyberpunk TV series. It was characterised by intelligent scripts; a quirky sense of humour; some serious speculation about the power and ethics of television; a slightly satirical but intricately realised vision of the future with a gritty, "Brazil"-like, "retro-tech" style; frequent references to traditional cyberpunk concepts ("ice", "flatline", nanotechnology, and so on); and some very good computer-generated special effects (mostly done on Amiga 1000s, by the way ... somebody knows a great hunk of hardware when they see one). Being an intelligent and sophisticated series, it was, of course, cancelled after one season. The story began in 1984, when Channel Four in Britain wanted to produce a really unusual music-video show, and decided to use a (fake) computer-generated host. They invented the character of Max Headroom, and also commissioned a screenplay describing the fictional story of his origin. The original plan was to split this up into five-minute segments and scatter it among the music videos, but they soon realised that this would be impractical. Instead, it was produced as a feature-length made-for-TV movie, and was shown as a pilot for the music series, to general critical acclaim. Max Headroom, played by a heavily made-up Matt Frewer, went on to host the series (although both the British series and the later American one featured computer graphics on a large scale, Max himself was never an actual computer image). In 1987, Lorimar in the US acquired the rights to the character, and produced one season (fourteen episodes of about 45 minutes each) of a series based on the British movie. The first episode was a somewhat shorter version of the original story, featuring some of the same actors; later episodes continued the story of Max Headroom, reporter Edison Carter, and Network 23. Differences between the British and American versions of the pilot ... the British version was longer (about twice as long, in fact) and included a few characters who didn't show up until later episodes in the American version (notably Dominique and Blank Reg of Bigtime TV), but the plot was generally similar, just shown in more detail. The main differences were in the character of Bryce Lynch (in the British version he was a nasty little brat who ended up going down with Grosman (Grossberg), whereas in the American version he had an attack of conscience and ended up on Edison Carter's side), and in the fate of Max himself (in the British version he ended up with Bigtime TV, in the American version he returned to Network 23). Incidentally, from the birthdate and age given for Bryce Lynch (in the novelisation by Steve Roberts), it can be deduced that "Max Headroom" (at least the British version) takes place in the year 2004. * * * * * -- Credits -- Grossberg : "Max, this is the executive board of Network 23." Max : "You mean you're the people who execute audiences?" Three actors (Matt Frewer, Amanda Pays, and William Morgan Sheppard) played the same roles in both versions. British version Written by Steve Roberts Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel Cast Matt Frewer as Edison Carter and Max Headroom Nickolas Grace as Grosman Constantine Gregory as Ben Cheviot Hilton McRae as Breughel Amanda Pays as Theora Jones George Rossi as Mahler William Morgan Sheppard as Blank Reg Roger Sloman as Murray Paul Spurrier as Bryce Lynch Hilary Tindall as Dominique American version See episode listings for writing and direction credits Cast Jere Burns as Breughel George Coe as Ben Cheviot Rick Ducommon as Mahler Matt Frewer as Edison Carter and Max Headroom Amanda Pays as Theora Jones Charles Rocket as Ned Grossberg William Morgan Sheppard as Blank Reg Jeffrey Tambor as Murray Concetta Tomei as Dominique Chris Young as Bryce Lynch * * * * * -- Episode Guide -- Reg : "Remember when we said there was no future? Well, this is it." Dates given are the dates for the first U.S. broadcast. (1) Blipverts 3/31/87 Written by Joe Gannon and Steve Roberts Directed by Farhad Mann Network 23's new "Blipverts" - commercials shown at high speed to prevent channel switching, appear to have the undesirable side effect of causing viewers to explode. Ace reporter Edison Carter comes uncomfortably close to the truth, but is badly injured making his escape. Network executive Grossberg decides to let him die and replace him with a computer simulation created by his pet genius, Bryce Lynch, but both the real and simulated Carters prove to be tougher and smarter than he expected. (2) Rakers 4/7/87 Written by James Crocker and Steve Roberts Directed by Thomas J Wright The latest fad is the illegal sport of "raking" or "rakeboarding" - gladiator-style combat on powered skateboards. The promoters want raking legalised so they can sell it to Network 23's sports channel; meanwhile, Theora's long-lost brother Shawn has got involved. Theora is looking for her brother, Edison is looking for Theora, Murray is looking for Edison, and Network 23 is looking for something to replace everyone's favourite children's show, "Missile Mike". (3) Body Banks 4/14/87 Written by Steve Roberts Directed by Francis De Lia An old woman is dying, and young women are being kidnapped to provide body parts to keep her alive. But even 21st century medicine can't keep her going forever, and the alternative is to keep her mind alive - by stealing the technology that created Max. One of their victims has a boyfriend who persuades Edison Carter, with the reluctant help of organleggers Breughel and Mahler, to track them down. (4) Security Systems 4/21/87 Written by Michael Cassutt Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace Security Systems, Inc., is the largest security firm in the world, with fingers in the government, police, and everywhere else you can think of. Somebody is trying to take it over, and Edison Carter wants to know who. But SSI have an artificial intelligence of their own and A-7 has one or two ideas about what to do with nosy reporters. (5) War 4/28/87 Written by Martin Pasko, Rebecca Parr, Michael Cassutt, and Steve Roberts Directed by Thomas J Wright The White Brigade, a terrorist group fighting for neo-radicalistic anarcho-syndicalism, is going around the city blowing up buildings and Breakthru TV appears to have somehow acquired the exclusive rights to all news coverage of their activities. It occurs to Edison and Murray, though, to wonder how you sign a contract with terrorists, and why a tiny little outfit like Breakthru managed it when all of Network 23's resources seem to have gotten nowhere. But Edison isn't the only one on the job, and new reporter Janie Crane has managed to get a bit closer to the story than she really intended. (6) Blanks 5/5/87 Written by Steve Roberts Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace The "Blanks" are the invisible people, the ones who don't appear on any computer records. Simon Peller, newly elected city official, is doing his best to put them all in prison and the Blanks, in return, are doing their best to wreck the entire computer network, which doesn't exactly endear them to the now-TV-less general public. It's up to Edison Carter and Blank Reg to save the city with a bit of help from Bryce Lynch and the Trojan Sheep. (7) The Academy 9/18/87 Written by David Brown Directed by Victor Lobl Somebody is "zipping" - hacking into Network 23's satellites and hijacking their transmissions. Bryce claims to have tracked them down and fingers Bigtime TV as the culprits, but Blank Reg protests his innocence ("there's not enough power in that bus to zip up me trousers, never mind a network satellite"). Theora does some tracking of her own and finds something very suspicious about the Academy of Computer Sciences, Bryce's alma mater, so Edison tries to find the real perpetrators before Reg is sentenced to death by a game show. (8) Deities 9/25/87 Written by Michael Cassutt Directed by Tom Wright The Video Church of the Vu Age promises its followers a secular resurrection, by recording their brain-scans until the technology is developed to give them new bodies provided they pay for it, of course. The church's founder, Vanna Smith, is an old friend of Edison Carter, who is torn between his old feelings for her and his suspicion of a church that seems to be raking in a lot of money but producing no visible results. (9) Grossberg's Return 10/2/87 Written by Steve Roberts Directed by Janet Greek There's a telelection on and Network 66's Harriet Garth is beating 23's Simon Peller by a landslide. Votes are based on ratings, and 66's show is a total loser... so why are people staying tuned in droves? Bryce discovers that 66 has a scam called "View-Doze" that lets people tune in while they sleep and the executive who thought it up has a very familiar face! But Grossberg's scheme turns out to be a lot deeper than it looks. (10) Dream Thieves 10/9/87 Written by Steve Roberts and Charles Grant Craig Directed by Todd Holland Edison runs into an old friend - Paddy Ashton, a former Network 23 reporter, now a street bum who claims to be making a living by selling his dreams. When Ashton mysteriously dies, Edison investigates Mind's Eye, the outfit that's buying dreams. Quite a few people have died of "nightmare trauma" and it's all in the name of television. (11) Whacketts 10/16/87 Written by Arthur Sellers and Dennis Rolfe Directed by Victor Lobl Bigtime TV's "Whacketts" is the dumbest game show in the history of television (and that's no mean achievement). So what is it about the show that keeps everyone addicted to it, to the extent of risking their own lives to stay tuned? Edison wants to know why, partly because it's stealing his (and Max's) ratings and so does our old friend Grossberg, now head of Network 66. But when a cop investigating the same mystery commits suicide, the plot begins to seriously thicken. (12) Neurostim 4/28/88 Written by Arthur Sellers and Michael Cassutt Directed by Maurice Phillips The Zik-Zak Corporation ("We make everything you need and you need everything we make") has come up with a new gimmick - the Neurostim bracelet. It makes all your dreams come true, it's free with every Zik-Zak product, and it could put network television out of business. Edison Carter's investigation is hampered by an argument with Max about just who pulls the ratings around here. (13) Lost Tapes [unaired in U.S.] Written by Adrian Hein, Steve Roberts, Colman Dekay, and Howard Brookner Directed by Victor Lobl A secret school, using pirated Network 23 educational programmes to taech the children of the Fringe, is raided by the Metrocops. Edison and Theora help one of the children to escape, and try to track down her mother and find out why Network 23's chief censor was involved in the raid. The censor appears to be getting ideas above his station, but he's underestimated Edison's stubbornness and Bryce's ingenuity ("Extremely difficult. Virtually impossible. However, it should take me only about ten seconds."). (14) Baby Grobags [unaired in U.S.] Written by Adrian Hein and Chris Ruppenthal Directed by Janet Greek Ovu-Vat offers the latest in high-tech pregnancy - you supply the genes and they'll grow the baby for you; no pain, no inconvenience, no risk, and no surprises. Theora isn't very impressed, especially when her friend Helen Zeno's baby disappears just before the "birth". Meanwhile, Network 66 has a new, high-rating show about child prodigies. Grossman is trying to lure Bryce away from Network 23, Edison is trying to find out what's going on, and Murray is trying to find an excuse to avoid visiting anything resembling a hospital ("Why are men so infantile about biology? I mean, mine is much more of a nuisance than yours and I never complain.").