lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs95-05

Messages collated by Bill Bottke <bottke@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>

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* Compuserve messages: (Courtesy of The Green Meddler at C.I.U.P.K.C. Software)
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Subj:  M TV & R and B5?                 Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Emily Christensen, 73362,3512    Saturday, March 04, 1995 12:52:20 AM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#131266

     Thanks for sticking with it all this time.  It's kind of funny; Mark
Hamill talks about how he went to several conventions just prior to the
release of STAR WARS, and practically couldn't get arrested.  He'd sit there at
a table, all alone, and nobody would even come by.  Six months later....

     At those first few B5 panels, back when the show was still only in the
"here's what I'm going to do" stage, before we'd aired a frame of film,
the usual reaction was "yeah, sure," or hostility, or disbelief, or just no
reaction at all.  But at many of the cons, there was this core group of people
who believed in the project from the first word...who lent their belief and
their support to something they hadn't even seen, in the hope that maybe this
time their dilligence and faith would be rewarded.  And to those who make
Babylon 5, those are the special ones, and we are very mindful of them.
Stepping out on faith takes a certain degree of courage, and that's not
something to be taken lightly.  So thanks for being one of them.

     Re: your question...at this juncture, I think I'd have to choose "The
Coming of Shadows" as the one episode I'd use to represent the series.
That one episode came out so close to perfect, so close to what I saw in my
head when I wrote it, that the difference is no difference at all.  It has all
the elements I'd feature in a B5 discussion...the CGI, the characterization,
the complexity, the politics, the language, the performances.

     There are, by the way, some really extraordinary episodes coming up. The
first one in the next cycle of new episodes, "And Now for a Word," will, I
think, be very popular, and to my knowledge does something that has never been
done in SF television before; "There All the Honor Lies" is a fun episode with
some nice characterization and solid humor; "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum" is an
episode that is as emotionally raw as "Chrysalis" with some major revelations
that force Sheridan to make the most important decision of his life;
"Confessions and Lamentations" I'd put right next to "Believers" in intensity,
a terrific Franklin episode; "The Long, Twilight Struggle" is probably the
biggest episode of the entire two years to date, story and EFX and character
wise, and will have a profound effect on the series that I'd compare to a cross
between "Signs and Portents" and "Chrysalis"...and "Divided Loyalties" will
produce a stunning revelation about one of our major characters.

     The latter half of this season is all about tightening the screws until
you hit the screaming point.  I've got to send this show over the edge,
because THAT'S where the really interesting stuff begins to happen.

     I have a big sign on my office wall.  It's a quote from Franz Kafka. (And
by big I mean 2' x 3'.)  "The point of no return; that is the point that
must be reached."  The latter half of this season will send us tumbling end
over end beyond the point of no return...and taking many of our characters with
us.

								       jms


Subj:  B5 T-Shirt/Caps Info             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  All                              Saturday, March 04, 1995 2:40:24 AM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#131322

     A while back, in discussing merchandise, I mentioned that All-U was doing
some *great* shirts, but that they were mainly supplying direct to
distributers.  Because of demand, they've begun selling now directly, on
individual orders.  How long this will last is anyone's guess, but they're
doing it now, and I figured I'd give everybody a head's up.

     They're doing short AND LONG SLEEVE t-shirts and caps.  The caps are with
the B5 symbol embroidered.  The shirts are black, with full-color artwork
from photographs and CGI images supplied directly by Foundation. The shirs are
of the following kind: cast with station; station with B5 logo and the words
"the last best hope;" station, logo and the nearby planet; and station, logo
with a starfury flying past in foreground.

     They're nicely done, without the usual thickness associated with color
inking on black shirts.  These are authorized and approved.  When we saw
how nifty these shirts were, we ordered boxes of them for the stage, and these
are the same kind worn around the B5 set by cast and crew.  (They practically
flew out the door upon arriving, by the crew in particular.) They're really
nifty.

     Apparently there are CIS rules about giving out the prices of the shirts,
so I won't, but I will say they're very reasonably priced.  Their phone
number is 1-800-424-2558, ext. 105.  They're a very enthusiastic bunch of guys
who love the show, and want to do it right.

								       jms



Subj:  Sci Fi and Producers.            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Richard Cunningham, 71213,3504   Wednesday, March 22, 1995 2:45:03 AM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#149451

     I'm constantly amazed at the quality of work coming out of Matt Wagner.
His MAGE continues to be one of the best graphic novels out there.  And
while I'm quite enamored of his GRENDEL series in all theirf various
incarnations (literally), it started as a MAGE backup, and I'd like to see him
finish the promised sequel one of these days.

     For what it's worth, in case anybody's interested, the books I'm finding
of constant interest include just about anything from Grant Morrison, Neil
Gaiman's SANDMAN, the FLASH has gotten really kind of interesting, all the
ALIENS/PREDATOR stuff from Dark Horse tends to be just briliant, Steven Grant's
X, the current SPIDERMAN clone-identity stories, Stan Sakai's USAGI YOJIMBO,
plus BOOKS OF MAGIC, SUPERMAN, the new STARMAN has potential, and it looks like
DC may finally have gotten LEGION OF SUPERHEROES onto a track worthy of its
origins.

(Yeah, if you haven't figured it, I've got about a $40 per week habit at
my local comics store.)

								       jms*

(*vainly hoping to one day see more MIRACLEMAN titles, maybe this time
from Alan Moore.)


Subj:  <TSOZ - Predicatable>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:           Monday, May 15, 1995 9:12:16 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209630

No, the Sinclair storyline would not have been introduced the same way as
the Sheridan story vis a vis the shadows.  That was kind of my problem as
I got into this; how to tie him to that part without straining credulity, given
everything ELSE he was into.

Science/exploration vessels are privately funded, and go into areas of
considerable hazard.  They arrive by piggy-backing on a larger, jump
capable ship, with an appointment X-number of days or weeks later with another
ship to go home.  While it's gone, it's on its own.  EA can't afford to send
out more ships into a situation like this, where they have no real idea what's
gone wrong, and it's a private venture, any more than the US can send out the
Coast Guard to investigate every single ship that disappears at sea halfway
across the globe.

Re: Voyager, I feel that the characters have great potential that has not
yet been really explored.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Monday, May 15, 1995 10:04:23 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209735

It's not possible to be on the edge of shooting the season, and not know.
Contractually, we have to notify the cast, for instance, by no later than
June 10th or so, or be in breach, and that won't happen.  There's just a lot of
details right now still being worked out between the stations and Warner Bros.
We keep expecting final word literally day by day.  Should be soon.

								       jms


Subj:  Main corridor scenes             Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Monday, May 15, 1995 10:04:24 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209736

We're *frequently* in the main corridor, or the zocalo, which both have
the rising floorline.  So I'm not sure why you're not seeing it....

								       jms


Subj:  Za'Ha'Dum and Mind War           Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 15, 1995 10:04:26 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209737

No, Sakai was never slated to vanish into shadow-lands.  This isn't a
case of transplanting storylines.  If things were going to be done in
exactly the same way with either character (Sinclair/Sheridan) then there would
be no NEED to bring in another character.  Logic.

Re: the two speeches by G'Kar and Delenn...yes, they were constructed
specifically to echo one another, because the walkers at Sigma 957 are one
of the older races that flit through but don't really pay any attention to us
anymore.

								       jms

Subj:  Govts & Embassies                Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Tuesday, May 16, 1995 2:07:13 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209894

Certainly there are some changes coming to the Narns, though not in any of
the same way as the rest.  And no, G'Kar has generally gone along with his
government.

								       jms



Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Tuesday, May 16, 1995 2:07:14 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#209895

>>Along these lines, is there any chance we might see -- on the nets or in a
magaizine -- a >>story on the creation of a random episode, beginning from when
the script is written to air >>date (including pre-production, filming, and
post-production)?

If any magazine ever wants to write that article, we're up for it, but so
far, no one's approached us on it.

								       jms


Subj:  B5 Comics #5 and #6              Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Tuesday, May 16, 1995 9:02:21 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#210954

The comics vary in applicability.  I don't see why the events in the
current arc wouldn't apply.

BTW, I'm writing a new 4-issue arc, which introduces a character who will
be seen in the (one hopes) third season.  So this will provide all the
canon background on the character, and have it out before the airing itself.

								       jms


Subj:  Za'Ha'Dum and Mind War           Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Tuesday, May 16, 1995 9:32:01 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#211040

The Rim is the edge of explored or known space.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:45:21 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212073

Actually, it wouldn't be the first time for a series; Blake's 7 ended by
knocking off all the characters.  Frankly, I find that kind of thing
vaguely dissatisfying.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ>                           Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:45:23 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212074

"I distrust any female who bites the male's head off after mating."

Ah...I see we dated the same women back in college.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:45:24 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212076

There is just about zero chance of B5 ever ending up on the WB network, as
those two (WBN and PTEN) are *very* competitive with one another, and
neither division would allow it.  (Unlike other companies, WB is set up as a
series of competing small empires who are not required to cooperate, in the
theory that this will make for stronger individual divisions.  Not always
true.)

								       jms


Subj:  <In the Shadow ... >             Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:45:27 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212077

Re: disliking the idea of god...I don't, and don't feel its correct to
dislike ANY idea.  Ideas are simply that: words and thoughts.  The idea
that one sex or race is better than any other is harmless; the PRACTICE of
treating one race or sex better than any other, and acting upon that idea, IS
odious and wrong and must be stopped.

We should never be afraid of ideas.  Good can only be properly understood
in the context of evil, as balance points on our intellectual fulcrum.
I've always wondered why the notion "Lead us not into temptation" was something
to be praised.  Rather, I think it should be "lead us INTO temptation," because
it is only when a belief, or an idea, or a faith is most fully tested, and one
can REFUSE temptation, rather than just avoiding it, that growth takes place.

								       jms




Subj:  What do Shadows want?            Section: Babylon 5
  To:           Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:00 PM From:  J. Michael
Straczynski, 71016,1644#212078

Just for the record...it's J'Quon.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:01 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212080

"Joe is storing a bit of a surprise for us among the Narn."

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm....could be.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:03 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212081

Yeah, I kinda wanted the current arc in the comic to come out around this
time; it's good for showing a flashback that ties into several parts of
the story at once.  (One biggie is yet to come, at the end of the comic arc.)

I'm currently writing a new 4-issue arc, which is designed to give all the
backstory of a new character that will (if we're renewed) be introduced in
the third season, all of it canon, and which weaves in and out of many of the
major events we've seen in year two.  In theory, the first issue of that would
hit the stands about the same time the first episode of the series is aired
(assuming the above).

								       jms


Subj:  Za'Ha'Dum and Mind War           Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:04 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212082

Anything I write can be reposted anywhere else (and usually is).

								       jms


Subj:  B5 Comics #5 and #6              Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:05 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212083

Thanks.  The 4-issue arc I'm writing is fairly large in scope; it goes to
an area near the Rim, to Minbar, Earth, Narn, Centauri Prime, Babylon 5,
and involves the majority of our characters, plus we learn a lot more about the
Rangers.

(Why do I seem genetically incapable of just writing a simple little
story...?)

								       jms


Subj:  BABEARLON 5 INFO                 Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:07 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212084

That bear, by the way, also provided our best dailies...there, on screen,
was our EFX supervisor standing against a blue screen, a cockpit window in
front of him, and a long pole stuck up the bear's butt, slamming it into the
glass, over and over and over....

I *live* for this sort of thing.

								       jms


Subj:  Big Bang                         Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 17, 1995 8:46:08 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212086

The Big Bang convention is not a B5 convention, and is deliberately NOT
sanctioned or endorsed by either Warner Bros. or Babylonian Productions.
We've taken considerable pains to distance ourselves from it.

								       jms



Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  All                              Friday, May 19, 1995 1:13:19 AM From:
J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#213448

Bits of this and that....

1) Claudia Christian, Bill Mumy and I will all be appearing (in separate
appearances, I believe) at the Creation Mega-Show in Ahaheim, CA at the
Anaheim Convention Center the weekend of May 27-28.  I don't know which day(s)
they'll be appearing, but I'll be there that Sunday.  For more info, call
Creation at 818-409-0960.  Should be a big convention.

(Side-note: Creation has produced some *very* nifty B5 jackets, some in
denim, others in suede/leather, with the station embroidered on the back.)

2) To parents of small children who watch B5...next week's episode,
"Confessions and Lamentations," is a very strong, intense, uncompromising
episode.  You *may* want to watch it first, in order to better decide if it
should be seen by them, and what you may want to discuss later.

3) To sum up various threads here...yes, Warner Bros. has decided that the
last four episodes of this season will be aired in October, in order to
get a running start on a (hopeful) third season in November, though there has
as yet not been any confirmation about a third season.

4) For our Irish viewers, Peter Jursasik will be blipping in for a one-day
appearance in Dublin this weekend.  Contact Gerard Keating here on CIS for
more info.

5) A number of cast .avi files have been uploaded here; they can be
re-uploaded to other systems, and are a great deal of fun.  You may want
to check them out.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Friday, May 19, 1995 8:01:09 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214141

The last new ep for this month is "Confessions and Lamentations," next
week.  Then the long wait.

								       jms


Subj:  <In the Shadow ... >             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:37:15 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214380

"Are people in the 23rd century REALLY this naive?"

Are people in the 20th century really this naive?

Answer: Senator Joseph McCarthy.  J. Edgar Hoover.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:37:16 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214381

You can probably contact Creation about the jackets at 818-409-0960.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:37:18 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214382

With luck, sometime in the coming week we'll get the formal word.  The two
sides involved in the negotiations between PTEN stations, and Warner Bros.
will both be back in town again, and with luck they can lock down the deal
points remaining to be settled.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:37:19 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214383

At this point, Warners seems to think that if 1st season eps are repeated,
folks'll get confused by seeing a different CO.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:37:21 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214384

I have zippo control over this.  It's strictly a PTEN decision, based
primarily on sweeps periods and the like.  The reason they don't want to
run new eps after May is that in June-August you have the lowest HUTs
(Households Using Television) figures of the whole year; folks are out,
enjoying the weather, going places, on vacation.  September puts you right up
against the major network releases, and syndicated shows get *killed*. Year
three would, one hope, debut in November...so that leaves October, after the
new shows have settled down, and it's a non-sweeps period.

								       jms


Subj:  <In the Shadow ... >             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 19, 1995 11:46:04 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#214406

You're making a mistake in semantics.  First, if someone is trying to
introduce legislation based on this anti-female POV, then that is an
action based upon the idea, and as I've said, that is where you now draw up
sides and try to convince the majority that this idea is wrong.

More importantly, the issue at hand is the right simply to *express* or
hold unpopular beliefs.  A free society allows all kinds of ideas.  A wise
society chooses with care which ideas it implements.  At its best, we must be
both free and wise.

								       jms

Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:04 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215006

Not so much the future of PTEN, no; every year they go through various and
sundry negotiations, some more intensive than others.

								       jms


Subj:  Tribute to Wise Guy?             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:05 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215007

No, Wiseguy did not have any influence on writing my show.  The story arc
was written 7 years ago, long preceding that show.

Nor was Ivanova's ankle-break a tribute to anything, since it was written
in to accommodate a real accident in which Claudia broke her foot.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:08 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215008

The grapevine's info is wrong.  We have not yet been formally or
officially renewed.

In retrospect, the only problem with having given nods of respect to other
works of SF is that now it seems that's the main thing people look for,
seeing it even when it's not there.  The show was never intended to be a
pastiche, but that's how some choose to, incorrectly, perceive it.  "Oh, this
is a tribute to the Spock/Kirk pon farr fight."  NO it's not.  Part of the
problem may be in the frame of reference; those with backgrounds in literature
see parallels to Homer or MacBeth; those who primarily have an SF background
see it all as riffs on Blake's 7 or somesuch.  It's enough to make me consider
yanking OUT all nods and references forever down the road, to avoid people
saying, "Oh, he's just doing X" when the simple fact is that I never SAW X in
most cases, wasn't doing X, have no DESIRE to do X, and I thunk up this scene
myself while sweating blood at 3 a.m.  It's kind of hard to go through that
much pain, creating a scene, and then have someone say, "Oh, he based that
scene on the cabbage sequence in "Mighty Mouse.""

     So I'm giving some measure of thought to this whole issue.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:09 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215009

No, the UK will shows the episodes straight through, without a break, and
will see the last 4 eps months before they're aired in the US.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:12 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215011

No, the Warner stores generally carry little to nothing from their series,
including B5.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 4:45:13 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215012

I think Creation can do mail order or phone orders via their Glendale
office, 818 409-0960.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 10:06:25 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215312

It's legally possible for a station to do a marathon, I just don't think
it's likely.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 10:06:26 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215313

Right now, there's nothing much to be done until they finish their
negotiations.  It's in the lap of the execs....

								       jms


Subj:  Thanks for the AVI's             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 20, 1995 10:06:27 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#215314

A few lines were suggested by WB PR, and a bunch of others I wrote.

								       jms



Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sunday, May 21, 1995 10:17:18 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#216296

Hey!  A reasonable, thought-out message!  Stop that, you know the rules on
that sort of thing....

								       jms


Subj:  UK B5 ratings?                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sunday, May 21, 1995 10:17:23 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#216299

We don't do the sound of engines droning all the time, but we do a fair
amount of audio mapping, very subtle stuff, most noticeable if you run it
through a good Dolby surround sound system.  If you're running it through a
straight TV set, you may lose a fair amount of it.

The UK ratings are published somewhere, but I don't have it at hand.

								       jms


Subj:  B5 Jackets                       Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 22, 1995 12:41:25 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#216403

The expensive jackets are leather, and quite nice; but they also make a
denim version as well, which should be far less.

								       jms


Subj:  <Confessions and Lamen>          Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 22, 1995 12:52:26 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#216404

On one level, this does indicate that we really *are* crazy over here at
B5.  Here we developed this race for nearly two years.  Developed their
culture.  Mentioned them prominently just last episode.  Had them speak before
the full Council (in "Long Dark").  Spent substantial amounts of money making
them the biggest single alien group we've got (some of the group shots had
40-50 or more Marcabs, all in full prosthetics and full costume)...and now,
never to be seen again.

It couldn't be a race we've never seen before, not if it was to have the
impact I wanted.  It had to be a group that's been with us from the
start.

In Council scenes for the balance of the season, the Marcab seat remains
empty.

								       jms


Subj:  Data Crystals                    Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 22, 1995 7:24:22 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#217128

There's a code imbedded inside the crystal itself, which though the camera
doesn't pick it up, can be read fairly easily by the naked eye.  If you
try to change the code, it requires breaking the crystal, which defeats the
purpose.

								       jms


Subj:  Conference?                      Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Tuesday, May 23, 1995 1:01:31 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#217562

Well, I *did* stop in for the Tallman CO here briefly.  And yes, the
narration should be shorter next year.

									jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644Tuesday, May 23, 1995 12:17:15 PM
~From:

Joe:

Q:  How many PTEN Executives does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A:  Two.  One to screw it in 4/5 of the way, and the other to come along four
months later and finish the job.

man, it's going to be a loooooooong Summer . . .

- Steve

Subj:  UK B5 ratings?                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:   Tuesday, May 23, 1995 8:08:21 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#218423

>>Is Babylon 5 filmed in widescreen format?
     Yes, it is, and eventually it'll be released in that format.

								       jms


Subj:  RoB5: 'Cheezy' quotes            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 24, 1995 2:56:19 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#218783

I actually couldn't believe that episode.  I hadn't watched the show in a
very long time, and finally set aside time to look at it...and the ship is
menaced by the deadly cheese virus?
 How could *anyone* pitch this with a straight face?

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 24, 1995 8:32:07 PM From:

<<Send your complaints <<re B5 schedule mess>> to:

Dick Robertson, President Warner Brothers Domestic Television
Distribution 4000 Warner Blvd.  Burbank, CA  91522 United States

tel. (818) 954-5877 fax. (818) 954-5820>>



Subj:  <Confessions and Lamen>          Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 25, 1995 8:17:04 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#220833

"No disease in human history is 100% fatal."

Not correct.  The Black Death was fatal to everyone infected by it.  It
was not, as Drafa, 100% contagious, but it *was* about 90% contagious.
The Black Death wiped out *three-quarters of the entire European population*.

Roll that around for a while.  Three-quarters.

The only thing that saved areas of Europe was that there wasn't as much
travel then as today between countries; it was reserved for those with
enough money to afford it, which were very few.  There were also fewer means of
entry; a river and a bridge closed to refugees was often enough to keep people
out.  There is now MUCH freer travel.  Had there been freer travel in the 14th
century, it's entirely possible that the entire European population might have
been completely eradicated, with those few who might've been immune dying from
associated diseases, hunger and other problems caused by the presence of the
disease.

One person I spoke with at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) said that,
hypothetically speaking, the sudden eruption of a disease like this is
possible.  How likely depends on various circumstances.  There are, for
instance, regions in the Amazon and South America where certain kinds of plant
and animal life can only be found; and those specific lifeforms can transfer
diseases to humans...diseases that literally melt the flesh off your body, or
in another case, cause worm-like infestations to burst through the skin
covering the entire body.  (Let me tell you, researching this was just a whole
lotta laughs.) They are *highly* contagious.  The only thing that has (so far)
prevented a massive outbreak is the fact that by the time you can generally get
OUT of these remote areas...you're dead.

A particularly aggressive disease could perform very much like what is
described in the episode.

								       jms


Subj:  Conference?                      Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 25, 1995 8:17:05 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#220834

It would be bad luck to release the third year title until I know for sure
if it's been renewed.

								       jms


Subj:  Conference?                      Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 25, 1995 8:17:06 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#220835

Perhaps the narration for year five should just be, "RUN FOR IT!"

								       jms


Subj:  cast change?                     Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 25, 1995 8:17:08 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#220836

Stephen <<Vir>> is definitely not being written out of B5.

								       jms


Subj:  Conf & Lam Awesome               Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 25, 1995 10:08:08 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#220984

>>Mira Furlan should be getting more Meryl Streep-like roles.
     Thanks.  And Mira's terrific, I definitely agree.

								       jms


Subj:  Local station: "renewed"         Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 26, 1995 5:37:26 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#221631

Unfortunately, no.  Baseline problem: both WB and the stations want B5
back, but there are some outstanding, and rather substantive negotiations
still ongoing concerning financial issues and other stuff that doesn't involve
us directly, but affects our fate.  Those negotiations have not been completed,
and everything is still in abeyance.

								       jms


Subj:  Notes from jms                   Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Friday, May 26, 1995 10:55:05 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#221956

On the other hand, the new series is from Morgan & Wong, the same guys who
made the X-Files (with Chris Carter) a great show, so there's hope.

								       jms

Subj:  RoB5: Bashing...                 Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 2:20:15 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#223617

"...the fact remains that more people continue to enjoy Trek than Babylon
5."

Don't you think it's just the *teensiest* bit unfair to compare a show
with a TWENTY SEVEN YEAR HISTORY to something that's only been on the air
less than two seasons?  If B5 and ST came on the air at the same time, then you
could make this comparison fairly.  ST has, over nearly three decades, become
part of the culture; B5 doesn't have that advantage.

On the whole issue of so-called "Trek bashing," part of my brain explodes
every time I see this discussion dredged up from whatever place it rests
in between sessions.  For 27 years, many ST fans held up that show as being the
Ultimate in TV SF.  "Well, X is okay, but it's not as good as STAR TREK!"
"Show Y really sucks next to Star Trek."  And so on.

So now somebody says, "Well, Star Trek is okay, but it's not as good as
BABYLON 5" and suddenly I hear a lot of whining and whinging and "Tell the
bad mans to stop making fun of us!  That's not fair!"  Seems to me it's only
not fair because somebody other than ST fans is saying it.  (And please don't
tell me the former stuff didn't happen; I've been on the nets since 1984 and at
cons/in fandom since forever, and I've seen it.)

Most of the ST fans, I should point out, are quite accepting of B5; what I
see most often is those who did the most bashing of every other show
falling entirely to pieces because now they're at the other end of it, as
though their show should be sacrosanct.  To whom I simply say...tough.  Deal
with it, pink boy, it's *your* turn in the barrel, and if you don't like it,
then maybe you shouldn't have been doing it yourself all these years.

This leads to comments like those from (either Berman or) Pillar in a
recent magazine interview, in which he stated that yes, there are lots of
other SF shows out there, but because his show has the Star Trek name on it, he
really doesn't have to keep up with or have any sense of competition with any
other show, since that name gives them an automatic advantage.  That speaks to
the heart of why many ST fans are now having a problem with that show, whose
motto seems to be, "We're Star Trek, we don't HAVE to try harder."
(Reminiscent of the SNL routine, "We're the phone company.  We don't care.  We
don't have to.")  It's sheer complacency.

When some ST fans berate or criticize other shows, they feel they do so
from a perspective of quality, and thus they're automatically right; if
another fan of another show does it to them, well, by golly, that's not
informed criticism, it CAN'T be, because ST is the True One Light, it must be
BASHING!  Screw that.  Any show that can't take a little criticism isn't worth
squat in the first place.

And don't even *try* the notion that B5 gets by without criticism.  I see
*plenty* of it...a certain percentage comes from misunderstanding, a
certain percentage just making trouble...and a great deal of it is quite
correct.  But it's *there*, believe me, I go through it every day of the week.
If maybe people do it a bit *less* than ST, could it possibly, just maybe, be
because we generally do fewer stupid things and make fewer dumb mistakes?  No,
couldn't be that...it must be blind loyalty, check your cerebral cortex at the
door and don't question.

Nope.  We try harder.  Work harder.  Because we don't have the luxury of a
27 year franchise behind us.  The only thing we have to offer is a passion
for quality and hard work.  We can't rely on the sure knowledge that viewers
will come back to us every week because of our name.  We have to make every
single episode as close to a home run as we can, because we can't afford even
*one* foul ball.

"...more people continue to enjoy Trek than Babylon 5."  Yeah, and more
people eat at McDonald's than Chateau Marmont.  So what's your point? (And
no, I'm *not* saying that ST = McDonalds, I'm just trying to illustrate the
numerical fallacy in the argument you proffered.)  Numbers prove nothing in
terms of quality per se.  If it did then BAYWATCH would be the Grail to which
all TV should aspire.  I would remind you that more people originally watched
LOST IN SPACE than ST when it was on the air; that LiS lasted longer than ST
out of the gate, garnered more positive reviews than ST, and ST was generally
considered, in newspaper and magazine articles, to be just a "cheap attempt to
cash in on Lost in Space's popularity," and a vulgar adventure show without
substance.  That's how it was described.

Seems to me that ST fans should know their history, and understand when
they are doing to another what was done to them.  (And most do, btw.)

The *hardest* part, for me, is knowing how many ST fans ARE open minded,
and accepting, and living out what was, frankly, Gene's concept of IDIC,
infinite diversity in infinite combinations.  And it's the majority of them who
are nifty, bright, open people, as opposed to a very small minority of
whiners.  I was at a Creation Convention today, and time after time after time,
I had people come up to me to say that they like B5, in many cases more than
ST...and many of them said it with a glance over the shoulder, as though
nervous that somebody was going to come over and argue with them or berate them
about it.

There's nothing unpatriotic or disloyal about criticizing ST, any more so
than criticizing any other show.  In theory, that's how shows get better.
Assuming the people in charge are listening.

In sum...this isn't a screed or a Jeremiad against ST, or ST fans, or
anything of that nature.  It's just that I get tired of a very few people
who seem to apply the word "bashing" to the show they've been using to bash
other shows, and thus dismiss any merit to the critiques by redefining it in
terms more convenient for their own beliefs.  Here you've got this multi
billion dollar MONOLITH that is *STAR TREK*, 27 years of history, multiple
series, movies, zillions of merchandising items...and a few people fall apart
and get hysterical because somebody raises his hand and says, "Err, umm, I
kinda have a problem with something ST does."  Please.  At least we have the
sense to laugh when we see an elephant frightened by mouse, and this situation
is not terribly dissimilar.

(And, once again, the ST criticism tends to come from ST fans who also
watch B5; there is no such thing as a B5 fan who's never watched ST and
goes after it.  This ain't a B5 problem, it's an ST problem.)

The unfortunate part of all this is that ST fandom is generally nothing
less than terrific; they kept a show on the air, sustained a vision, and
have been ever faithful.  It's only a very vocal few who start vibrating into
another dimension when the show gets pinked once in a while.  The open attitude
that I've seen displayed by the vast majority of ST fans is to be commended,
and complimented.

								       jms


Subj:  <<Confessions & Lam>>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 1:31:23 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#223602

What Colin misses, obviously, is that not *all* of the markabs are
"mindless religious fanatics," in that Dr. Lazarenn was not one, but that
was mainly because he had long been exposed to human/outsider ideas, which most
of his reclusive people are not.

Second, y'know, I get asked a lot, "Give us ALIEN aliens."  So I do. And
then I get gigged because they don't act like we'd expect humans to act.
Sometimes I just throw up my hands....

								       jms


Subj:  <Confessions & Lament>           Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sunday, May 28, 1995 11:30:10 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#223516

Thanks.  I was hoping this one would come out okay, since it's kind of
important that it do so, and I'm pleased that it's had the reception it
has.

								       jms

Subj:  <Confessions>                    Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 27, 1995 11:04:24 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222682

You have to listen a little closer.  The dormancy period is several days
to several weeks, as Franklin says; once the disease *comes out of
dormancy*, then it kills within about a day.

								       jms


Subj:  Conference?                      Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 27, 1995 11:04:25 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222683

People of all sorts have good and bad characteristics.  To show the one,
and then the other, is not an inconsistency.  SF has been too full of
all-good or all-bad characters for too long.  That ain't life.

								       jms


Subj:  Conference?                      Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sunday, May 28, 1995 11:30:06 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#223512

I don't think his behavior was boorish at all.  After a very long day, in
which (he stated) he hadn't eaten a thing, he sits down in a cross legged
position for (if you track the time in the story) 3-5 *hours*, alternately
eating and meditating in a small, quiet room...who *wouldn't* fall asleep?

As for the "golden boy" thing...I'm forever amazed at how many folks just
don't learn the lesson.  People saw Vir come in, decided he was a comic
character, a fop, nothing more, and complained about it...until he started to
show his other colors over time, and to *grow into the role*.  And people said,
"Oh, yeah, he's kinda interesting after all, isn't he?"  YES, HE IS, YOU
LUMMOX, GIVE THE CHARACTER AND ME SOME CREDIT HERE.  (Not speaking to you,
Anne, this is just what goes 'round in my head when the gerbil's not spinning
the wheel.)

What's the number one rule of B5?  Nobody's what they appear.  What's the
number two rule?  Joe is interested in *process*.  You don't start out a
character at point A and keep that character there forever; the show is about
change and process.  Look at Luke Skywalker.  Was he in "Jedi" the same person
he was in "Star Wars?"  No.  He went through a growth cycle and maturity
cycle.  Look at Frodo at the start of Lord of the Rings, and at the end.  The
classic hero's journey starts with someone who is breathtakingly unprepared for
what's coming, and has to develop and grow.

Sheridan comes to B5 with a bit of a silver spoon in his mouth and a smile
on his face.  And he's going to get the crap kicked out of him.  And he's
going to grow, and mature, and become someone of importance, and great
strength, at great cost.

So sometimes I lose patience -- probably incorrectly -- with people who
look at Sheridan and, despite seeing every other character on this show go
through major changes -- assume that what they're seeing now is all there will
ever be.  On another level, it's kinda wrong for me to feel this way, since
though I know where the characters are going, nobody else does, and it's unfair
to expect people to react to something that hasn't been shown yet.

What can I say?  I'm a writer.  I'm a little nuts sometimes.

								       jms


Subj:  Big Bang                         Section: News/Scheds/Cons
  To:  Sunday, May 28, 1995 2:29:14 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222757

In addition to your note, the Big Bang Con has just had an ad appear in
the current STAR WARS INSIDER stating that I will be attending their con,
when in fact they have known for a very long time now that this is not to be
the case.  This advertising is 100% false.

								       jms


Subj:  Shadows in UK                    Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sunday, May 28, 1995 2:20:15 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222756

Never said that the great war would be over this season; the great war
gets GOING this year.

								       jms


Subj:  Minbari Family Structure         Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 27, 1995 11:05:00 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222685

Marriages are not arranged per se, but it is generally with the consent
and blessings of your caste-leaders, to whose authority one submits.  One
also generally tends to marry only within one's caste (warrior, religious or
worker).

								       jms


Subj:  Local station: "renewed"         Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Saturday, May 27, 1995 11:04:26 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222684

No, this has always been part of the ongoing negotiations ever since the
big PTEN meeting.  As for the rest...as this has dragged on longer and
longer, I've started to get a little nervous (but only a little), because the
longer it goes on, the more that internal politics will start to manifest
themselves, and that always worries me.  But there isn't much of anything that
can be done from outside, so it's just back to wait and see.

								       jms


Subj:  Knives confusion                 Section: The X-Files
  To:  Saturday, May 27, 1995 10:49:20 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#222673

Yes, "Knives" was originally intended to be shown prior to "Shadow," but
the heavy CGI requirements of the former caused it to be shown second. It
doesn't affect the story much, mainly it was there to re-introduce the audience
to certain ideas and concepts (like the Icarus) before dealing with them
big-time in "Shadow."

								       jms

Subj:  What do Shadows want?            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 1:48:23 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212362

G'Khamazad.

And G'Quon's primary follower/co-prophet was G'Lan.

Remember that name.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 1:48:24 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212363

"HAVE YOU EVER ANSWERED A QUESTION STRAIGHT IN YOUR LIFE!!!"

Yes and no.

								       jms


Subj:  Ratings                          Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 1:48:25 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212364

UPN is considered a network; PTEN is not; different rating systems.

								       jms


Subj:  <TSOZ - Delenn)                  Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 1:48:26 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212365

What I've lately been led to understand is that PTEN wants to hold the
last 4 episodes, which I'd assumed would be in July, until *OCTOBER* in
order to use them to get a running jump on the (not-yet-oficially-approved)
third season.

Take your reaction, multiply it by a factor of 100, and you will have
mine.

								       jms


Subj:  <Shadow of Za'ha'dum>            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 1:53:15 AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#212371

"...we have less hair...."

Well, boy-howdy, I must be evolving REAAAAALLY fast....

								       jms


Subj:  <In the Shadow ... >             Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 9:24:14 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213256

Okay, let's say you identify a "bad idea," to use your phrase.

Let's say racism.  You, from your POV, define racism as a bad idea. Now
what do you do about it?  Try to eliminate the bad idea?  How?

Now, that's you.  That's fine.

But Bob over there, at the Four Square Baptist Church, he thinks that
feminism is a bad idea.  What should he do about that?

The problem is many-fold.  Who determines what a "bad idea" is?  Are you
willing to let another define that for you?  Or define it yourself for
everybody else?

What our system of government does is to guarantee freedom of speech and
ideas.  Even, and especially, the ideas we hate or disagree with.  It's
easy to protect the ideas we like and agree with.  It's the others that need
protection.  The day we stop defending those rights, is the day somebody else
decides that OUR ideas are "bad ideas."

								       jms


Subj:  Za'Ha'Dum and Mind War           Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 9:24:17 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213259

Yes, all the .avi files can be uploaded to Genie or elsewhere.

								       jms


Subj:  What do Shadows want?            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 8:55:01 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213226

Nope.  Insofar as I recall, I have never typed it as J'Quon.

								       jms


Subj:  What do Shadows want?            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 9:24:15 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213257

Damn...apparently I did misspell it...I must REALLY be tired.

It *is* G'Quon.

								       jms


Subj:  What do Shadows want?            Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 9:24:16 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213258

Ignore previous message.  I *did* misspell it in my last note. Creeping
senility.

								       jms


Subj:  BABEARLON 5 INFO                 Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Thursday, May 18, 1995 9:24:19 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski,
71016,1644#213260 >> Umm, where *is* the bear right now...?

I'm not entirely sure either of us really want to know that.

								       jms


     Well, it was important in the sense that there was a lot 
emotionally at stake for the characters; if it came off as 
arch, or over-wrought, it would fall flat on its face.

                                                         jms


Subj:  What Do You Want?		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 4:43:16 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224100

      To finish this story.

                                                         jms


Subj:  <Confessions & Lam>>>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 4:43:15 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224099

     The last 4 episodes of this season are being held by 
PTEN until October, in theory to  lead into the year three 
(not yet approved) debut in November.  I think I finally 
sussed out why this is being done; I heard the other day 
that Voyager is doing the same thing.  So that means PTEN 
is counter programming it.

                                                        jms


Subj:  Minbari Family Structure		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 4:43:13 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224098

     No, what usually happens is that you sense a calling one 
way or another early on; you are assigned to (for lack of a 
better term) a teacher, who guides you and sees if your 
calling is sincere (the teacher is from the caste you feel called 
toward), and if the calling is true, you can enter that caste.

                                                        jms


Subj:  RoB5: Bashing...			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 4:43:20 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224103

     I disagree strenuously with the notion that the universe as 
presented in the current ST series is a "brighter vision of the future."  
It looks to me like humans have left behind everything that makes us 
humans.  We've been bioengineered to within an inch of our lives. 
 There seems to be no interest at all in what happens back home on Earth
.politics, changes in culture, fashion, new music.  One's job description 
seems to be the end-all and be-all of his or her life.  "Recreation" is 
always the sedate card playing type, the nightmare dinner party of the 
1950s, or living out a fantasy world in the holodeck because there's 
nothing much in the real world.
     Passions and spikes in our humanity have all been hammered down and 
eliminated.  Remember "Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"  That, to me, 
is the Star Trek future...set aside your passions, do all for the 
collective good, it's a better world that way.  Maybe you 
call that perfection; me, I call it a nightmare.

                                                          jms


Subj:  RoB5: Bashing...			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 10:27:19 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224435

     Of course he is, and of course he does.  Some folks think the only way 
to get a reaction is to behave in a way that makes people angry.  Me, I 
kinda think that's juvenile, but hey, what do I know?

                                                           jms


Subj:  <<Confessions & Lam>>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Monday, May 29, 1995 10:27:18 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#224434

     There's another Lincoln quote that you don't hear very often, 
I think it was about a book or play, which I think is great...
"If you like that sort of thing, it's the sort of thing you'll like."  
That line has gotten me out of more diplomatic situations than 
anything else I can think of.

                                                         jms

Subj:  Narns on CNN                     Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wednesday, May 31, 1995 3:04:04 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#225540
 
     Actually, that is a piece relating to one of the shows for 
later in the year.  But hey, we'll take it....
 
                                                           jms
 
 
Subj:  <C&L and Cynicism>               Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Tuesday, May 30, 1995 11:50:20 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#225390
 
     I dunno...I've seen much the same thing.  I think, on some 
level, it comes from the top. Seems like every time a politician 
appears on the horizon, propped up as the latest Knight In Shining 
Armor, sooner or later we discover that the armor is empty and the 
knight is off somewhere boffing the innkeeper's underage daughter.  
Maybe we have too many politicians and not enough leaders.
 
     Such cynicism can also be self-reflective, though.  We're 
still reeling from the hangover of the Me-Generation.  Self-
sacrifice, altruism, these have become "stooge" values, snickered 
at, derided..."You WHAT?  You turned in the wallet you found?  
What're you, brain-dead?"
 
     Someone made an interesting observation lately, that the WW II 
generation raised their families with the notion that their kids were 
the most important things in the world.  The kids grew up and, well, 
kinda believed this, and became the center of the world, with *their* 
kids all too often afterthoughts or part of a process to make *their* 
life richer, where it is convenient for them.  I don't think that's a 
wide-reaching generality, but I think it's true in enough cases that 
it merits consideration.
 
     Nobody trusts anybody anymore.  We all assume the other guy's 
working an angle somewhere.  And here, I think, the perception is 
inaccurate, because there *are* plenty of people out there working for 
the greater good of the commonweal; it's just that when the evening 
news rolls around, it's the crooks and the conmen and the latest 
Capital Hill scandal that gets the attention.  I dunno...it's a 
conundrum, to be sure.
 
                                                                jms
 
 
Subj:   C&L Date                        Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Tuesday, May 30, 1995 11:50:16 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#225389
 
     Yeah, you're right, it probably is in October; I was going off 
a mental countdown, just approximating.  The last 4 take place 
between late October and mid-December, 2259.
 
                                                                jms