I surrendered!
1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" and I'll assign you the basis of some TV show idea. (post-apocalyptic scifi-fi drama, fantasy, noir gumshoe pulp, criminal procedure...IN SPACE, historical drama WITH WEREWOLVES, etc.).
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them.
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios, and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
aella_irene gave me the prompt: Historical crime procedural...in space! - which has lead me along some - kind of odd paths... and probably not as much crime procedural as it could have been...
Danelagen
When mankind reached its third alien star and discovered a great space station orbiting it about halfway between its fifth and sixth planet, everybody were exited by finally discovering proof of alien life, and everybody had theories about what they'd find - from bug-eyed monsters to Atlanteans. The only thing nobody expected was - vikings!
The people of the great ship Skíðblaðnir still tell of how, four generations ago, they were mysteriously taken from the lands of the good king Gorm and his fair queen Thyra. How and by whom they don't know, but like the intrepid explorers and settlers they were, they've long since settled down in the great vessel, learned its byways and adjusted to letting their sheep and cattle graze in the hydroponic gardens underneath the gleaming stars. Then the new people came, with strange new ways, and now, once more, things are changing...
Captain Bjørn Gunnarson - Viggo Mortensen
Following the semi-democratic traditions of the old Norse, the people of Skíðblaðnir are "ruled" by a captain - chosen at the Thing and dismissed by the same if need be. For the last 20 years, Bjørn has been the captain - and for the last 5 he's had a headache - ever since the strangers arrived and kept arriving, some interested in the great ship, some in his people, and some - who knows? Adding to his headache is the fact that the strangers have precious little knowledge of good manners and behaviour, and as they are not related to any of the seven family-clans that his people are roughly divided in, they have noone to speak or act on their behalf at Thing when things inevitably go wrong. In an attempt to rectify the situation (or merely out of a perverse desire to share his headaches with other people), Bjørn has ordered Harald Ulfson, a loyal member of his hird, to form a small group to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by and against the strangers.
Harald Ulfson - Lars Bom
Despite no longer being a young man, Harald is a fierce warrior and a shrewd man - which is probably why Bjørn picked him. Or maybe it has something to do with Harald showing a bit too much interest in Bjørn's sister Sigbrit? Though why a respectable widower showing interest in a respectable widow should cause offense... It certainly doesn't feel like an honored position, having to deal with a bunch of weird outlanders making odd demands on a daily basis as well as dealing with his three assistants.
Gunlød Sigbritsdatter - Kia Liv Fischer
Gunlød is the oldest daughter of the vølve Sigbrit Gunlødsdatter and thus heir to all her wisdom and her considerable position in society. Unfortunately, inheriting doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon, especially not since Sigbrit started getting those odd insulin potions from the outlanders, and Gunlød (fully taught and with nothing to do) has been bored and acting out - feasting and fucking and generally causing her elders to frown. Her mother saw the forming of the team as a golden opportunity to get her daughter something to do, as well as a hope that it will make her daughter be, well, less of a bad girl. After all, hope springs eternal...
Ravnkel Snorrison - David Owe
Ravnkel was chosen for the team because his family has the questionable distinction of being the only one of the seven not currently engaged in a feud with one or more of the others. He is the youngest of the team, not entirely sure how he got picked for it (which gives him problems with his wife Katla, who is pregnant with their first child and not impressed with her husband's current work), and also quite unsettled by having met the strange and fascinating blueman prince Valdemar among the strangers...
Jacques the Outlandish - Samy Naceri
Jacques is a highly qualified investigator with sufficient high-tech add-ons to be practically a walking crime-lab in himself, who thought he had gotten an absolute dream job - to be an outlander specialist on a crime investigation team on a space station full of vikings. He's no longer so sure why he was excited, as he finds himself in a society that views holmgang, jernbyrd and a man's sworn word as far superior to such outlandish concepts as DNA and fingerprints...
Gudrun Sigurdsdatter - Malene Schwartz
Gudrun is the oldest person aboard Skíðblaðnir, having outlived three husbands, and is now the undisputed matriarch of the largest family aboard, mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother to a vast brood. Unfortunately, the brood is also unruly and thus the team often has cause to meet her. She also has schemes of her own - as well as having set her sight on Colonel Smith as a potential fourth husband.
Ragnar Helgison - Lars Mikkelsen
Ragnar is head of his family, but his ambitions are for so much more - for years he has nursed dreams of re-introducing the concept of jarl aboard Skíðblaðnir, and he sees a golden opportunity in the arrival of the outlanders.
Ulf Helgison - Mads Mikkelsen
Ragnar's younger brother, one of the few berserkers aboard. Ragnar is the only man who can control him when he rages, and he is completely and utterly loyal, if not always particularly bright.
Orm Ragnason - Farshad Kholghi
Among the first generation aboard was a man who had just been passing through the general area, having served for several years with the Varangian guard and now journeying home to Norway accompanied by his pregnant wife. Alas, he died before the child could be born, and his wife - who had no family to belong to in this strange place - and his descendants has since then lived on the edge of society among the whores, petty thieves and other riffraff. Orm is just the latest. But he has always had dreams of more and - like others - sees the outlanders as a golden opportunity to improve his lot in life...
Colonel Lester Smith - Clarke Peters
Colonel Smith has a headache. He's the captain of the good spaceship Enterprise (thank you, he's heard all the jokes already), which has been permanently stationed next to the great space station Skíðblaðnir, and he's the one responsible for herding the various scientists, tourists, political representatives, missionaries and other weirdoes that keep coming to the station. At least now the bloody vikings have appointed a team for him to deal with, even if they can't even make up their minds if their supposed to be crime fighters or diplomats...
H.K.H. Prince Valdemar Frederik Malik Felix - Noel Clarke
Prince Valdemar is serving as an officer in the United US/EU Space Exploration Fleet, being the second child of the first Danish king in 8 generations to pick a royal and not a commoner spouse. Unlike his older sister, he definitely takes after his mother. He was specifically picked for this mission as a descendant of Gorm the Old, but he is quite aware that a black, gay man is definitely not exactly the station-vikings's idea of royalty. Oh well...
Lucky-Jack - Michael T. Weiss
Nobody knows what to make of Jack, and he likes it that way. Nobody knows his purpose on the station, nobody knows about his status as a second-generation bio-modified (something that the scientist swore could never happen), nobody knows...
Dr. Maj Vestergaard - Iben Hjejle
Dr. Vestergaard is a Viking specialist who is besides herself with glee at the chance to do first-hand research. Her research subjects are somehow less enthusiastic...
Dr. Akira Hayami - George Takei
Dr. Hayami is on the station to study the alien structure - and is not exactly pleased with filthy out-of-time barbarians obstructing his important work...
The Very Reverend Mark Jameson - Nathan Fillon
Mark is an evangelical missionary who has come to the station, because he feels that it's important to save the souls even of these people. So far he hasn't exactly impressed anybody with his White Christ, being a far cry from such people as Bishop Poppo, but he perseveres and has attracted a few followers among the family-less riff-raff...
Sturm-und-drang Mayfield24 - Misha Collins
Nobody quite knows what to make of Suddy, as he encourages people to call him. He's a third-generation-neo-hippy-anarchist from one of the more outlying Martian colonial-domes (one of those that spent almost 30 years in complete isolation during the Upheaval), and he's here to make a docu-vid-art-piece. Or possibly just to snoop around in everybody's business...
Each episode would be named after an appropriate Norse concept. Intro sequence would involve helleristnings og animal motifs in urnes style, with music by Valravn - their medieval folksong/electronica combination seems appropriate somehow - maybe their version of Drømte mig en drøm. It's status as the oldest known Danish melodi would make it quite appropriate. Also, as these would be real Norsemen, it would probably be HBO who had to show it...
Episode 1.07 Hel
A secret chamber is discovered aboard the station, leading to the scientist practically frenzying over the mysterious chamber filled with ancient Egyptian artifacts. Elsewhere, Ragnar's dying father confides certain secrets about the station to his son...
Episode 1.10 Blot
Every ten years the people of Skíðblaðnir practices a ritual sacrifice for the fertility gods Frey and Freya to ensure continued plenty - a ritual human sacrifice, much to the horror of the outlanders - and to the horror of Orm, who has had the great misfortune of drawing the shortest straw, as well as the great consternation of the very revend Mark, who is not about to watch his most recent convert get dragged off by a bunch of pagans...
Episode 1.13 Argr
Ravnkel's fascination with the strange blueman prince Valdemar grows, while the team has to deal with an unfortunate situation having arisen, centering around a couple of gay tourists...
Episode 1.17 Nithing
At a thing session, Ulf Helgison accusses Colonel Smith of being a nithing - and the Colonel, unaware of the consequences, just shrugs...
Episode 1.23 & 1.24 Ragnarok (double-episode, season ending cliffhanger)
Earth's authorities are beginning to be a bit more than just tired of the Vikings of Skíðblaðnir and their strange and unacceptable ways They send coded orders to Colonel Smith, for him to take over the station. But at the same time Ragnar's schemes are finally beginning to bear fruit, and he's not about to lett the outlanders steal that from him...