(c) Nobility the Series
Jay Snook got to chat with E.J. De La Pena about updates on this show, how it came to be and more
Nobility is not your average Science Fiction show. It is something that gives a different possible future where humanity is advanced but far from perfect. It follows the adventures of a crew that is truly anything but noble. A while back I was able to see the pilot of Nobility, you can see it by clicking on the link. I was lucky to get to interview E.J. De La Pena a few weeks ago and I learned a ton about Nobility and had a blast just talking with him.
Here is the basic plot for Nobility:
Set 700 years in the future, it is about the C.A.S. Nobility, Humanity’s most powerful starship with a crew, that’s, well, anything but noble.
How did you come up with the idea for Nobility?
E.J. De La Pena: Okay, well I was working on another project that was a Sci-Fi project. I have always been this huge Sci-Fi nerd even though I grew up in the industry. I grew up as this huge Sci-Fi nerd so it was really exciting to finally be working on a Sci-Fi project. So I made a point to kind of do what Wil Wheaton did on Star Trek: The Next Generation which was sit at his console and kind of figure out what all the different buttons do even if no one else knew or what the director was saying. So I am sitting there and I am like ‘Okay this control does that, and this does that and that” and somebody had recommended that I do my own Sci-Fi project. I was like okay. So i was just sitting there and it kind of hit me, Modern Family in space, it hadn’t been done. So it just kind of evolved from there. Over the next couple of years as I wrote the scripts, wrote the series bible and started putting it together. It evolved from Modern Family in space to what we know it to be today. This action adventure, space opera with a strong comedic element rooted in the eccentric shall we say characters (laughs). As well as that kind of documentary aspect.
How did you get the idea for who you wanted in the cast?
E.J. De La Pena: Well a lot of the folks we are working with in the cast are folks I grew up wanting to work with. So what ended up happening is we got a couple of them on board and we started asking them “Okay, who do you want to work with?” Either folks they had worked with before or knew from conventions or what have you they would recommend. Based on what I knew of their work or conversations I had with these actors I decided “Yea let’s go ahead and bring them on board”. Just kind of slowly built over a good 8-10 months and we got it going.
So far has only the pilot been shot, correct?
E.J. De La Pena: Correct.
Where do you plan on taking Nobility in the next few episodes?
E.J. De La Pena: What I really wanted to do with the pilot is just introduce the basics of the universe and the characters. As we move forward what we are really going to see is just watch that universe grow and evolve with the characters in it. As far as the Eujin are concerned they are human but they come from a race of people that several hundred years before went out to kind of strike it out on their own and live according to their own philosophy which was rooted in eugenics and self perfection. That is obviously something we are going to explore on more the intellectual side of it and also the tensions that will be going on back and forth. Not just the personal tensions of individuals dealing with these different philosophies coming together on the ship but also the societal tensions. What we are going to see really is each character is going to grow and evolve as they deal with not just their pasts but the decisions they make along the way.
I did see you were on the pilot, was that planned or did it just happen our of necessity?
E.J De La Pena: No, that was something I intended. As I said when I came up with the concept I grew up as an actor in the industry. So when I started writing this being such a Sci-Fi fan I couldn’t create a space opera like this and not have myself be a part of the crew. I am too much of a nerd for that (laughs). So I figured I am going to be very busy with the writing and producing so what is a role that I can at least introduce, maybe expand upon later and therefore not become too overloaded between the acting, writing and the producing. So that is where the concept of having me be the doctor came up. That is kind of how that evolved. I do have some plans of where that character is going to go and how much of a central character that is going to be. It is still something I am kind of mulling with. Obviously the focus is probably going to be more on the bridge crew and Sirius in particular.
Are there any people you would like to have guest star on Nobility?
E.J. De La Pena: Being such a Sci-Fi nerd we have very few discussions about casting or where we are going that we don’t say “Oh wouldn’t it be cool to have so and so to be in there?” There is a long list of folks I would love to work with. Wil Wheaton, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk; I mean the list goes on and on. Some folks I know we are already talking to that are interested but it is a little early for me to say anything. Other folks that we are waiting until things are a bit more developed for us to go ahead and approach. Other folks we are still developing those contacts. But yeah there is a long list (laughs).
What is the progress of the show getting picked up?
E.J. De La Pena: I don’t want to sit there and say “oh yes, we are talking to so and so and so” just because of the way things are you could actually end up ruining opportunities that way. What I can say is that the direction we are going with it for distribution is more in line with internet distributors. So companies like Netflix, Hulu, Comic HQ, Crackle, Amazon and those kinds of folks. The reason for that is kind of two fold. One is most of the networks or cable companies are looking for darker stuff. For example if you look what is on SyFy right now their mandate is all very dark, grim stuff. While we have loads of drama on Nobility it itself is not a dark show in that manner. It is more along the lines of Firefly, Farscape or Doctor Who where you have a lot of fun and a lot of wackiness but then we rip your heart out (laughs). So there is that and there is also the fact that personally I feel the internet distributors are kind of where the future is at. That is the new technology, the number of people cable cutting nowadays is staggering. Actually if it isn’t already very soon is gonna be posing a lot of problems for networks and for cable companies. So that is kind of personally I would like to see the show end up. That is where our main focus is. What I can say is we are in talks with a number of folks, it is looking very bright. November 2012 was when I came up with the concept. Probably didn’t seriously start working on it until February or March of 2013. So we have been at this for 3 1/2 years. Most projects that are started from scratch like that and aren’t originally commissioned by networks or studios they can take anywhere from 7-10 years to get off the ground. Whereas we are looking at getting distribution fairly soon after only 3 to 3 1/2 years. So yea that is kind of where things are at.
Where else do you plan on showing the pilot?
E.J. De La Pena: We already did LosCon which is a smaller convention in LA. There is another similarly sized convention WhedonCon which we will be screening it there as well. In addition to that we are in talks with a number of other conventions about getting screenings at their venues but too early for me to make any announcements yet. If you are in the southern California area it will not be too hard for you to find a screening with us.
What is the message you want people to get from Nobility?
E.J. De La Pena: Well obviously entertainment, you know (laughs). I want people to have fun with it. My goal for the show is to create something that isn’t just fun, isn’t just a lot of action and spectacle which their will be plenty of and rightfully so. But I also want people to take something away from it for themselves. I want them to be able to watch our characters; see how they grow, evolve and rise to the challenges that are set before them and see that they too can do the same. That is something that is very important. I also want to spark discussions. There is going to be a number of intellectual components within the show. Even in the pilot you see it. You see how for example the Brig scene where I don’t want to say exactly what happens because that is kind of a big spoiler in the pilot as you know. They have this discussion about the different sects within the Eujin. Different beliefs regarding how they think humanity should advance forward. Should it be through selective breeding, personal perseverance and dedication or should it be through genetic alteration or bio-mechanical enhancement and things like that. Which is something that we are still slowly gravitating into in the modern day. That is going to be a serious discussion in the next 5, 10 to 15 years. So those kind of discussions I want to inspire discussion on, things that are relevant to society.
Do you plan on expanding on the crew’s back stories in later episodes?
E.J. De La Pena: Yes, it is vital in my opinion. We have a lot of eccentric characters and we have a lot of fun with it. For example Walter’s character Moody or James Tyson’s character Taka but there is a reason why they are the way they are. That kind of goes into what I was saying earlier about one of the things I want people to get out of this show is watching them overcome their faults. So they say “Hey, if Moody could overcome his alcoholism maybe I can too.” If Taka can learn to accept himself, which I am not sure how clear it is in the pilot but definitely becomes clear as things evolve, then maybe I can too. You couldn’t have that if you weren’t showing the characters evolving like that and going into their backstories. Plus by creating characters with that kind of depth it makes the entire show that more complex, engaging and gives meaning to all of the jokes and spectacle and what not. So yes that is something that in my opinion is very vital and will be a big part of the show moving forward.
Is there an update on when fans will get to see more episodes of Nobility?
E.J. De La Pena: (laughs) All I can say right now where we are at with talking to various folks is when we announce distribution is when we will be answering that question. It is definitely something that we are heading towards being able to answer just again if I start going into details too early we could actually harm the possibility of showing you guys more.
Is there anything you want to add before this interview comes to a close?
E.J. De La Pena: Yes, obviously of course check out social media on Facebook, on Twitter and www.nobilitytheseries.com. I will say if fans are wanting to see more we definitely have more coming up that we are about to release probably in the few months like a new trailer. The trailer we have out there now while I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish with that there was still a lot going on as far as editing the final project moving forward. It was a great teaser trailer but I think people really enjoy not just the story of the trailer that we are about to come out with but it delves much more into the story of the show. Also the production value is much higher than it was with that first trailer. So I think people will really enjoy that. A little tidbit for the fans whose mouths are watering for more.