1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Kyber Belt Productions presents Kingdom by Phill McMurtry 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Episode 1 3 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:47,000 On the 18th of February 3021, the spaceship Discovery 3020 is about to enter a wormhole 4 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:55,000 at a speed of 95 km per second. It is something that no human has ever experienced before. 5 00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Captain John Arrow is giving instructions and receiving feedback from his crew. 6 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Jason Burns is second in command. 7 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Jason, please take the IMT and 3TC down to a third of capacity. This should make the wormhole transition smoother. 8 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:24,000 IMT and 3TC set to a third, Captain, but should we not increase this as we may experience gravitational turbulence from the wormhole? 9 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:32,000 I understand that it's all theoretical and we are essentially the guinea pigs for wormhole entry, but what if that's the correct way? 10 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:38,000 Like you said, Jason, it's theoretical. How many seconds to wormhole entry? 11 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:50,000 20 seconds, Captain, and counting. 19, 18, 17, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 12 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:55,000 Why hasn't anything happened yet? 13 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:07,000 There is silence amongst all on board the spaceship and then suddenly, without warning, the spaceship jolts to the right, then the left. 14 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,000 What on earth was that? Could it be the gravitational turbulence? 15 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,000 Perhaps. Take the IMT and 3TC to a higher setting like you said. 16 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Are you sure? Jason, do it now! 17 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:28,000 Time, light, space and sound appear to stand still. Black and white colours beam around the spaceship. 18 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:36,000 The present, past and future within a five-second tolerance is happening in ultra-slow motion. 19 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Jason and Captain John Arrow are seen gasping in horror. 20 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:56,000 On the 13th of July, 100 BC, a boy is born to Gaius Julius and Aurelia Cotta. 21 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:09,000 The child will grow up to become a great Roman general, statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose and will play a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. 22 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:16,000 His parents have hopes for their newborn and for Rome. 23 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:26,000 Aurelia, my darling, I love you so much. You have given me a wonderful boy. I am truly blessed. He is beautiful. 24 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:36,000 I know in my heart that he will take the Roman Republic to newer heights. We will name him Gaius Julius, just like his father. 25 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:43,000 If that is your wish, Gaius Julius it is. I am very tired, my love. I am going to retire to my chambers now. 26 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Ask the servants to cook a feast in the honour of our baby's birth. We shall invite all our near and dear ones for the evening. 27 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:58,000 I will have a word with the servants, Aurelia. You can rest now. 28 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Gaius Julius is ten years old and is playing in the courtyard with his two sisters. 29 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Julia, isn't it a beautiful day? Why do you like me plaiting your hair so much? I don't know, Julia. It just feels nice and it relaxes me. 30 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:23,000 Bah! I don't have any time for this hair-playing nonsense. That's for whimpering girls only. 31 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Thrust my sword into my hand and I'll fight a battle any day. I'll be victorious against my enemies. That's what father tells me. 32 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:47,000 You? Victorious? You cannot be victorious against a defenseless chicken, even if you could manage to catch it in your hands in the courtyard. 33 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:55,000 Just wait. One day you'll see me become the greatest general Rome has ever seen. You'll see. You'll see. 34 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:07,000 Girls, leave Gaius alone and stop teasing him. Just because he's a ten-year-old boy today does not mean that he won't be a valiant and honorable Roman general another day. 35 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,000 The one who laughs last laughs the longest. 36 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Yes, father. 37 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000 Sorry, father. Sorry, Gaius. 38 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 Sorry, Gaius. 39 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:37,000 By the time he is 40 years old, Gaius Julius is a general of the Roman Republic. As such, he forms a powerful political alliance called the First Triumvirate with two other generals, Marcus Licinius Crassus and Ganius Pompeius Magnus, otherwise known as Pompeii. 40 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:49,000 This alliance will bring peace and prosperity to Rome and its Republic, its legions, patricians, plebeians and the noblemen. 41 00:05:49,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Peace? How can you talk of peace when so much wealth waits to be obtained in Parthia and the eastern region? I will not rest until the Roman Republic obtains the gold, plentiful minerals and many other riches. 42 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:10,000 Crassus, your luck can only last so long. It might run out sooner than you think. Slow down. 43 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:15,000 Pompeii's right. You have already amassed a lot. How much more wealth can a man need? 44 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:22,000 More than both of you can imagine. I hope that Jupiter makes your wishes come true. 45 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:35,000 But after Crassus is killed in battle at Parthia in 53 BC, Gaius Julius and Pompeii rule the Republic together. Gaius Julius in the west and Pompeii in the east. 46 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:48,000 Gaius Julius invades and conquers Gaul with the aid of a young Mark Antony, but in the Roman Senate, Pompeii Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus are debating the return of Gaius Julius to Rome. 47 00:06:48,000 --> 00:07:01,000 Gaius Julius has now conquered Gaul and is gaining far too much power. He must come back to Rome without his legions. We shall write him a letter ordering him to do so. 48 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:11,000 If he refuses to come alone, we will have to banish him from Rome. And if he still dares to cross the Rubicon River with his legions, he will meet his fate. 49 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:21,000 The plebeians should be informed that he might become the enemy of the state. In the name of Jupiter, do you really think that that tyrant will listen to us? 50 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:29,000 He just wants to rule the Republic alone. Is a Senate even required with him around? Gaius Julius would not rule, he would merely dictate. 51 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Perhaps Gaul turned him a little insane. Perhaps it is the effect of staying with those tribal people for too long. 52 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:43,000 I agree with Cassius, but I don't think Gaius Julius means any harm to us or to the Senate. 53 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:49,000 Brutus, you fool. Gaius Julius wants to rule the Roman Republic and make all of us his slaves. 54 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:56,000 I would rather die and be free rather than being enslaved to a man like him. I mean no offence to your father. 55 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:04,000 Well, it's not my place to make any accusations about who your father might be. My sincere apologies. 56 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:13,000 None taken. Even I suspect that Gaius Julius is my father and I, the bastard son. It is unpleasant but true. 57 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,000 My mother has known Gaius Julius for too long to question whether it's true or not. 58 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:27,000 And at an army camp somewhere in Gaul, Gaius Julius and Mark Antony review the communication from Rome. 59 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Mark Antony, please send back a letter to Pompey and his cowardly supporters conveying that I will certainly return to Rome with all of my legions, 60 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:48,000 but without any malicious intentions. They may treat me as an outcast and an enemy, but I am willing to fight for my leadership, for I have earned it. 61 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:55,000 I am deeply surprised at Pompey, the way he has changed since we last met all those years ago. 62 00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:04,000 Nothing surprises me anymore. Can you trust Pompey or Brutus and that worm of a person Cassius? 63 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:10,000 If I were in Rome, I would chop off his hands and nail them to the Senate's door. 64 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:17,000 The Senate orders Gaius Julius to lay down his military command and return to Rome. 65 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:26,000 He refuses and in 49 BC he marches his legions across the Rubicon. Pompey retreats with his legions from Rome. 66 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:32,000 The Senate declares Gaius Julius an outlaw. He defeats Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus, 67 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:37,000 who subsequently is then assassinated while seeking refuge in Egypt. 68 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:50,000 Gaius Julius Caesar, now the unrivaled leader of Rome, is proclaimed dictator in perpetuity, but some in the Senate, fearing his rule of tyranny, conspire to assassinate their enemy. 69 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:58,000 They are led by Brutus and Tilius Cimba, who meet Caesar in the theatre of Pompey. 70 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:03,000 Caesar, would you so kindly review this petition to call my brother out of his exile? 71 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:09,000 Tilius, please choose your moment for such a matter. Can't you see that I'm rather busy? 72 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,000 I've chosen my moment, all right? 73 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:19,000 Why, this is violence! What are you doing, Tilius? 74 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,000 What is it you cry for, Caesar? I can't hear you. 75 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,000 No, no! Not you too, Brutus! 76 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:34,000 This is for your desire to send me into exile in Macedonia. Die, you tyrant! 77 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:40,000 Well, well, I've seen everything. 78 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Caesar, stabbed 26 times, drowns in his own blood. 79 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:56,000 Caesar's grand-nephew and adopted heir, Gaius Julius Octavian, along with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus, all of them Roman generals, form a second triumvirate. 80 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:07,000 Lepidus is expelled in 36 BC for usurping power in Sicily and attempting a rebellion. 81 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,000 How dare Lepidus stab us in our backs with a rebellion? 82 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 Well, I guess power eventually goes to the people's heads. 83 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Are you intimating something, Mark Antony? 84 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,000 Dare I, Octavian? After all, I'm your brother-in-law. 85 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:26,000 By the way, how is Octavia? It's been some time since we've spoken. 86 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:32,000 Don't taunt me, Mark Antony. She is my sister. Show me some respect. 87 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:39,000 Anyhow, what should be done with Lepidus? Throw him to the lions? Or make him a gladiator to entertain us? 88 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:46,000 No. We must just expel him from the triumvirates, but he may retain his pontificate. 89 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:54,000 Otherwise the plebeians will view us as inhumane, and if he dies, that will only make him a martyr. 90 00:11:54,000 --> 00:12:00,000 He must fade away into obscurity. 91 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:05,000 Octavian and Mark Antony are left as the two most powerful men in Rome. 92 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Octavian rules from Rome in the west, and Mark Antony, based in Egypt, rules in the east. 93 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:15,000 But it is only a matter of time before their alliance will turn sour, 94 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:23,000 and after Octavian hears of Mark Antony's affair with Cleopatra, he addresses the Senate in Rome. 95 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:27,000 Has Mark Antony gone mad to be with Cleopatra? 96 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:34,000 Are you, my dear fellows, aware that he has ceded much of the eastern territories of Sironacea, Cyprus and Armenia 97 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,000 to Cleopatra and Caesarian? 98 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Cleopatra has now been given the title Queen of Kings and Caesarian King of Kings. 99 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000 Dare they both threaten the strength of the Republic? 100 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:55,000 We must squash them both like bugs and annex Egypt immediately. We must fight them. 101 00:12:55,000 --> 00:13:03,000 We have read Mark Antony's will, and he has a desire to be buried in Alexandria, would you believe it, rather than Rome? 102 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:10,000 He has dishonoured his wife Octavia Minor, my beloved sister, by having an affair with Cleopatra. 103 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:19,000 He has turned his back on Rome and on the Republic. He is an enemy of the Republic. This means war. 104 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:30,000 Mark Antony's affair with Cleopatra leads Octavian, the Senate and the people to deem Mark Antony an outcast and an enemy of the Republic. 105 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:37,000 When he cedes much of the eastern Republic to Cleopatra, Octavian declares war upon Egypt. 106 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:43,000 Octavian will not win, fret not. 107 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:50,000 How can you be so sure, Antony? You both possess roughly the same number of legionaries. Perhaps we should surrender peacefully or strike a truce. 108 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:59,000 Nonsense! Octavian has always been a coward. If I were to fight him with my bare hands, I would crush him. 109 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,000 Besides, if we surrender, he will only execute us. 110 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,000 Then summon the soldiers. Where do you intend to fight him? 111 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:33,000 We will sail to Greece, my love, and we will crush his small ships at Actium. 112 00:14:36,000 --> 00:15:03,000 We will fight for your soul, and take your honor. 113 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:13,000 We will fight for your honor, and take your honor. 114 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:32,000 Hold on! Hold out! Stay calm! Don't shout! Fight now! Fight well! 115 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:53,000 Save us from hell! 116 00:15:53,000 --> 00:16:04,000 Hold your swords proud! We hate you very well! Hold on! Save us! 117 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:14,000 I love your face! It's your time! 118 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Soldiers, stay calm now! Don't move away from here! Now hold on tight to your shields! Never let them win the war! 119 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:46,000 Run like the winds! Let their kind demons are approaching us now! 120 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,000 Don't be afraid! They have a know-how! Don't be scared! Just fight them real hard! 121 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,000 We will perish to the great guns! With your sword of prestige and men! 122 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:58,000 Fight real hard! You must not give in! Take them to the river bank and show them who has highest rank! 123 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:04,000 We will perish to the great guns! With your sword of prestige and men! 124 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:12,000 Fight real hard! You must not give in! Take them to the river bank and show them who has highest rank! 125 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:36,000 Be careful, soldier! Don't become wasteland or you'll be the dust in the everlasting blowing wind! 126 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:46,000 Just fight like the winds! And don't be afraid! 127 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:51,000 Demons are approaching us now! Don't be afraid! They have a know-how! Don't be scared! Just fight them real hard! 128 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,000 We will perish to the great guns! With your sword of prestige and men! 129 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:00,000 Fight real hard! You must not give in! Take them to the river bank and show them who has highest rank! 130 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:17,000 Fight real hard! You must not give in! Take them to the river bank and show them who has highest rank! 131 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:31,000 We will never give in! Till you're never bound to your ways! 132 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:58,000 We will fight forever with you! Never frown upon our lives! 133 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:26,000 Never give up! Never give up! Never give up our freedom of our lives! 134 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:46,000 We will fight forever with you! Never frown upon our lives! 135 00:19:46,000 --> 00:20:07,000 We will never ever, never ever, never ever give up our love! 136 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:19,000 Octavian defeats Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra, worried for the safety of her son Caesarian, sends him away to India. 137 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:31,000 I have failed the Republic. I have failed my legions and I have failed myself. I must do the honorable thing now and take my own life. 138 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:40,000 The gods and Jupiter will decide what to do with me afterwards. Antony lets escape and move south where we could live a happy life together for the rest of our days. 139 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:54,000 What? Hide behind a rock for the rest of our lives in the fear of Octavian? I would rather die. He will eventually find us and then he will kill us. 140 00:20:54,000 --> 00:21:06,000 Mark Antony, a broken man, commits suicide and thus avoids capture by Octavian's troops. However, Cleopatra meets Octavian. 141 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:11,000 Cleopatra, I am sorry to hear about the loss of your lover. 142 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:17,000 He was a good man. I assume that my children are in safe hands and that Caesarian has nothing to fear. 143 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:25,000 I would like you to come back to Rome with me where they will celebrate me at my triumph. Caesarian must die. 144 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,000 No! 145 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000 Two Caesars are one too many. 146 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:33,000 Please, leave my son alone. He has done nothing wrong. He is only seventeen. 147 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:47,000 He will be butchered without compunction as he was Caesar's son. Your other three children will be safe. You have my word. It's not personal. It's just something we must do. 148 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:56,000 In her mausoleum, Cleopatra takes an asp in her arms. It bites her and she starts to pass away. 149 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:08,000 I will see you soon, my love. Soon. We will get our revenge. It may not be today, but we will have our day, trust me. 150 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Oh, the pain. Antony, is that you I see before my swollen eyes? Come here, my darling. I will comfort you. 151 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:37,000 Caesarian, why are you next to me in Eastern India? Augustus will kill you. Run, my child. Run as fast as you can. Children. Children, where are you? All for the love of Jupiter. 152 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:59,000 The son of a Sheldrick. In ancient Rome, Gaius Julius was played by Alastair Dunne and Aurelia Cotta, his wife, by Hilary Horton. 153 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:08,000 Gaius Julius, their son, was Tristan Sheldrick and their daughters Julia and Lydia were played by Lydia Finch and Emma Finch. 154 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:20,000 Gaius Julius Caesar was played by Michael Tanzer, Mark Antony by Alastair Dunne, Octavian by Bob Finch and Cleopatra was played by Sarah Tallis. 155 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:26,000 All other parts were taken by members of the cast. The narrator was Alec Newman. 156 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Studio production was by Phil McMurtry and the play was directed by Robert Finch.