MELKIN'S WAY

by Diane Mullen

In the year 2290, Earth has become a museum and a vacation spot. The pollution that plagued the planet in the 1990's has been cleaned up, and uncontrolled growth of the cities has halted. The remaining wild areas are preserves, with strict control over passes to tourists who wish to experience camping and hiking in the wilderness. Government has become worldwide. Earth colonies exist on the moon, Venus, Mars, Titan, Io, and some of the larger asteroids. Spaceships have been launched on expeditions to the nearer stars. We have discovered that dolphins and whales are intelligent and have learned to communicate with them. Technology has reached the point where anyone can have or be anything they like, for a minimum of effort -- and the right amount of money.

But all is not joy and light. There are dissident groups. One group wishes to destroy all technology and return to a "simpler" time. Another group wants to overthrow the United Planets' government and set up individual states - not necessarily the nations as they existed previously. Some colonial groups feel the colonies should secede from Earth's control. Other groups oppose leaving our own solar system, but for different reasons: the Xenophobes fear that it would open the door to hostile alien attack, the Isolationists don't want to share resources or knowledge with any outsiders, or be contaminated by them. One group states that dolphins and whales are merely animals and should be treated as such instead of being given full citizenship. There are many other such groups. Some are merely a nuisance, others are truly dangerous.

Enter Alexand Melkin (Judson Scott), trouble-shooter, fixer, and a man of questionable history. Alex travels around the planet and to the colonies wherever assistance is needed to disrupt the plans of the more deadly dissident groups and see to it that the United Planets continues to prosper and grow. He is often assisted by a hand-picked group of men and women with various talents. Courtney Sherra (Joanna Cassidy), President of the Ruling Council for the United Planets, communicates frequently with Alex and informs him of activities by dissident groups that need to be halted.