lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs95-11

Subj:  Jack the Ripper			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Wayne D. Zimmerman	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 10:57:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389227

     So, in other words, if a historical, real character has been used in 
some other venue, if the use of that same character in another, 
wholly different world/series/show/universe is absolutely, totally and 
completely the right thing for that story, 
one should instead do what's *wrong* for the story and leave it out?

     Sorry.  Don't buy it.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Comes the Inquisitor>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Ray Pelzer,		Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:01 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389253

<Delenn really made Sebastian realize who HE was as well.  Was this
both-sides-of-the-coin intentional, or just happy happenstance?>

     No, it was very much intentional; Sebastian learns quite a bit in the 
course of that encounter about himself...especially when she rubs it in his 
face as she does.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 Fans Strike Again!		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Fred Miller, 		Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:05 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389254

     Unfortunately, no suggestions except to note that the more people in 
an area who keep after their stations, the more things gradually change.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Catherine Becic,	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389255

     Sacrificing oneself happens frequently...but for just one other 
person, AND in a situation where no one else would ever know about it.  
Bear in mind that he wasn't testing people randomly; only those who felt 
that they were chosen of god, fulfillers of prophecy...people who assumed 
that they were part of some grand scheme, and thus to whom an anonymous
death is an intolerable thought.

     Also, most probably never *got* that far, unable to stand the real 
pain of being placed in this position.  Everybody can talk the talk; very
few can walk the walk.  Most probably just yanked off the bracelets and
split, on the theory that they weren't being sufficiently coddled or
glorified...or because being a potential prophet isn't as much fun as
they'd thought.

                                                                       jms




Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Daena Hinkelman	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 7:23:13 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389981

      "It doesn't fit in with the way the Vorlons have been portrayed.  It 
bothered me."

      Good.  That was the intended result.

      Part of the reason for the story was to grey up the Vorlons a little; 
one shouldn't fall too easily for what other people *say* they are.

      (One might also say much the same of the old testament god who would 
have Job so severely tested, btw.)

       One should always be cautious of taking *anyone* at face value on B5.

      "...you could consider them a force for good."

      Ah, but what *is* good?  And whose *version* of good are we 
discussing?

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Fall of Night>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Michael Beemer	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:08 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389256

<IT DOESN'T MATTER.  THIS PLACE HAS BEEN BLESSED.
   Wow!!  I expected this to devolve into a bitter argument
   between different religions.>

     Thanks.  I think that, with so many races around, you couldn't go into 
holy wars or jihads at every occasion.  In a 
way, what was seen was a validation for many...a moment they all came 
together, instead of coming apart.

                                                                       jms




 
Subj:  <season's end>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Joel Hilke,		Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389257

<I'm sure you will have no end of congrats on a really fantastic season's 
end.  I thought the last show with Jack the Ripper's narration was the 
crowning touch of that show, and now I see this.>

     Thank you.  The emotions the show stirs up are, to me, central to the 
whole point of doing it.  We can't afford to pull any punches, or the story
falls by the wayside.  It's an *incredibly* difficult show to do, on every
level, from writing through acting to production and everything that
follows.  But when it works, and people notice, it's all worthwhile.  
Thanks again.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <season's end>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Al Mauroni		Wednesday, November 01, 1995 7:32:02 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389987

<The very BEST television out there - and this confirms it absolutely.>

     Thanks...from your lips to the ears of the TV academy....

                                                                       jms



Subj:  Fan club update?			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John M. Kahane, 	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:22:17 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389259

     Re: "tennis wrists," or carpal tunnel syndrome...yes, I've got it in 
spades.  I have to use the CTS gloves constantly or the arms ache badly
within a matter of minutes; and even then they only slow down the speed
with which they begin to hurt.  As it is, there's a dull ache pretty much
all day, and most of the night; and after enough writing, my ring fingers
on either hand start curling in, and my forefingers get a bit numb.  
Toward the end of last season, the only way I could write was to write for 
30 minutes, ice down my arms for 10 minutes, write for 30, ice for 10, and 
so on.

     No matter what precautions you take, when you write sometimes as much 
as 20 pages per day...it's gonna happen.

     (General note: I've seen virtually every article on CTS, I know about 
the vitamins, the wrist-rests, the exercises, all that; I do what I can
with those things that help.  So while advice is appreciated, it's not
necessary in this case.)

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Fan club update?			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Esther Schindler [EXEC] Wednesday, November 01, 1995 1:26:24 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389649

     Unfortunately, for some reason my brain's hard-wired for typing.  
I've tried dictating in the past, to a tape recorder, but nothing comes out 
as crisp or as *right* unless I'm at the keyboard and my fingers are 
thinking for me.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Inquisitor - Bravo!>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Chad Underkoffler, 	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 1:26:14 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389647

     On the "Jack sucks" threads, phrased various ways...doesn't really 
bother me. I knew going in that some folks would react well to that, and
some wouldn't, for an assortment of reasons, some valid, some less so.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Comes the Inquistor>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Chad Underkoffler, 	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:46:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389271

     Re: "...a Vir intensive script."

     Just finished one.  Script for episode #13, "Sic Transit Vir."  I 
think it's gonna be a hoot.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 screensaver			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Steve Trease,	Tuesday, October 31, 1995 11:46:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389272

     It'll be out in time for Christmas from Sound Sources.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 screensaver			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Steve Trease,	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 7:23:05 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389980

     Don't know yet the final release date.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 screensaver			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Ruth Ballam, 100412,3457		Wednesday, November 01, 1995 1:26:00 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389651

 <Do I dare ask if it will be PC only or Mac as well ?>


    Dunno....

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <FON - Nature of Kosh>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John Yuen,		Wednesday, November 01, 1995 7:29:23 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389985

     That's the irony, in a sense...what's inside Kosh's biomechanical 
encounter suit...is a *perceptual* encounter suit....

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <FON Thot>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Rae Augenstein	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 7:30:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389986

     From a strictly logical standpoint, a president would not lower 
himself to deal with this personally.  When MacArthur and Patton earned
the disfavor of the president, it was intermediaries who pulled them aside
and registered this.  Also, gradually more authority if being vested in
Nightwatch and the Ministry of Peace, as that's his arm, and so he'd be
inclined to use that since he's in most direct control.  (Just to explain
why what was done was done.)

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <TLTS & Stuff>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Richard M. Perry,	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 11:19:27 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390185

     Alas, actual history courses put me to sleep; reading is fine, 
but to teach history...how bad would it be to see your own prof falling 
over dead asleep at his own lecture?

                                                                       jms


Subj:  CD differences			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Mark D. Smith,		Wednesday, November 01, 1995 11:20:02 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390186

<I was looking through the book and saw a picture that was the same yet not. 
 It's the picture with Kosh, G'Kar, Delenn and Londo standing in front of a 
large fan.  
In the LE CD, Londo looks like he's just been through a month of binge 
drinking.  His face is splotchy and his hair is a rats nest.  In the GR CD, 
he just looks pained.>

      You caught me.  In the limited, they used a photo that I absolutely 
*hate*, for what it does to Londo's hair.  So when the general release was
due to come out, they couldn't change the photo, too expensive, so I had
them put a different head on it.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <TFON - weightless>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Timothy & Lisa Mitchell,Thursday, November 02, 1995 12:39:11 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390207

     Re: the starfury drop...this has come up before, and some of the 
better high-IQ types have said we got it right.  The fighters use
centrifugal force to be propelled *away* from the station; yes, it's at
a slight tangent, but the station is also rotating behind them, so it
isn't that severe.  The furies don't actually fire their engines until
they're a bit away from the station, using the force of the drop.

     The vectors actually work out accurately.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 as radio			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Sharon Foster,		Thursday, November 02, 1995 12:39:12 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390208

     I used to work in radio drama a lot, for ALIEN WORLDS and the MUTUAL 
RADIO THEATER, so sometimes that aspect comes out in my writing.  I think 
it's a wonderful, and little used medium.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Inquisitor - Bravo!>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  peter  stathis, 	Wednesday, November 01, 1995 1:26:28 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#389650

     "it just didn't pay off in the long run."  For you.  For others it 
did. Let's not start getting grandiose.  You feel this way, that's fine,
but it's not the ultimate truth.  Otherwise you're totally dismissing the
opinions of others who liked it a lot.

     "Jack...has become a real cliche."  So because others have used that 
figure in their work, well or poorly, no one should ever use this 
historical figure ever again in the next thousand years of human history.  
One should not do what one thinks is right for a story because of what 
someone else did in a different story.

     Sorry.  I don't work that way.  By your logic, I should not be using 
starships or hyperspace or aliens, either, because they've been used a LOT 
more than Jack.

                                                                       jms

Subj:  <FON Thot>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Al Mauroni,		Thursday, November 02, 1995 12:35:17 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390490

<You're right re: the joint chiefs.  It would be nice to see the formal 
military chain of command in operation every now and then, one of the 
things STNG did rather nicely.  
One can only hope that Sheridan verified the JCS instructions off-line out 
of the camera's all seeing eye.>

     And the really great thing is...you're quite right about verifying 
orders from one arm of the government with another...as we'll see in the 
first third of the coming season.  Good call.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Tom Knudsen,		Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390895

<So, did the Vorlons decide to stay back and help out, or were they left 
behind by the other races for some reason?>

     It's good you've been thinking about this.

     'Cause this is one of those questions I'd rather answer in the series 
than here.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  RPG?				Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Robin L. Small,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:31 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390892

     No, not a gamer; I've only been dragooned into trying it a couple of 
times, but basically I prefer making up my own stories.  Nonetheless, I
know a lot of folks who do it, and they seem to have a great time doing it.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  B5 Episode List 			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Kevin J. Goulding,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:01 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390893

     It's definitely at Hyperion.

                                                                       jms


Subj:   <<DS9: Rejoined>>		Section: Star Trek
  To:  Eric Baker,		Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390894

     Well, I have a number of feelings about this.  First, you'll note that 
it's always an alien that has something "different" than the ST normal male 
or female character...we had the aliens who were all unisexual in TNG, now 
this.  And, of course, it wasn't *really* two women falling in love, it was 
someone who was once a male, now in a female body, carrying on with that 
relationship.  So there are a lot of ways out of this.

     I also think they somewhat played it for the prurient interest factor; 
we just did it, by developing a relationship over time, and when it came to 
fruition, we didn't make a big deal about it, it's just normal and 
accepted. And it was between two *human* characters.  It's personal taste,
I suppose; I just prefered it the way we did it.  Doesn't make it better or
righter.

     We developed a growing relationship between Talia and Ivanova over two 
whole seasons; paid it off, and there will be ramifications down the road 
from this relationship.  Because it *is* a relationship in that sense, not
just done for one hour, for sensationalism, and then you drop it thereafter.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Londo Talk From TLTS		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John M. Kahane,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:12 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390897

     <G'kar says "There is no greater power in the universe than the need 
for freedom."  At "need," Londo blinks, and as G'kar says "freedom", Londo
turns his head slightly to his right and I could have sworn he silently
says  "Yes...",  out of the corner of his mouth.  Was this my imagination?>

     It was your imagination.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Keyboards and Pain		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John M. Kahane,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:13 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390898

     Wish I had some nifty secrets to share on the CTS; but it's just wear 
the wrist braces, take vitamins, do the exercises and try where possible to 
get away from the keyboard.  So far, I'm systematic on 1.5 of those 4.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Keyboards and Pain		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Marte Brengle,	Friday, November 03, 1995 3:02:27 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390978

      Actually, I'm using (at work) a Kinesis ergonomic keyboard, and that 
helps a bit (two recessed wells for the keys).

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Keyboards and Pain		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Mike Sisk,		Friday, November 03, 1995 5:41:26 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391371

     The thing about the Kinesis is that for the first week I was using it, 
my arms and wrists *really* hurt.  I thought, "This CAN'T be right."  
I looked in the manual, and found it said approximately "For the first week 
your wrists and arms will hurt."  Oh.  Then you get used to it.

     Overall, I've gotten quite proficient with it, and the typing speed 
hasn't diminished.  There are a few things that could've been done better, 
but overall it's a definite improvement.  (Main problem is that I have
rather long, slender fingers, so I often over-shoot the keys unless I'm
paying attention.)

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Fall of Night>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Pankaj Mangalik,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390899

     Liberty is *always* at peril; only the degree of the threat varies 
from day to day.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Fall of Night>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Pankaj Mangalik,	Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:19 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391585

     Yes, the Shadows know that the Vorlons are still around, and that Kosh 
is there.  That's never been any kind of secret.  They're just hoping that 
the Vorlons and anyone who might believe them won't find out that they're 
out and about again until too 

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <CtI---OK>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John M. Kahane,	Thursday, November 02, 1995 11:11:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390919

     I think I wasn't clear...the Lennier/Kosh scene *was* filmed; it just 
didn't make it into the final cut of the episode.

     In general, we leave 2-3 minutes per episode on the cutting room 
floor, for various reasons...pacing, structure, whatever.  Usually it's
just line cutting, sometimes it's a small, quick scene here and there.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <B5 Season 2 Finally>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Joe Salemi [ZD Net],	Thursday, November 02, 1995 11:11:13 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390920

     Yeah, this is the other structure that's kind of a favorite of mine.  
I used it also in "Coming of Shadows."  It starts out kind of slow, it
lulls you into a sense that this is going to be a fairly ordinary story,
nothing major...allowing me to sneak up behind you in the story and just
*whack* you real hard when you're not expecting it.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Photo of Marcus			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  All				Friday, November 03, 1995 2:59:07 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390976

     For those who've not noticed it...in the 5 library (B5) there is a gif 
image of Marcus Cole, our new recurring character, a resident Ranger 
assigned to Babylon 5.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Inquisitor - Bravo!>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Bancroft Gracey,	Friday, November 03, 1995 3:02:26 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390977

     Actually, I think I saw more *annoyance* at Jack being used from the 
UK folks than the US folks, that's the main difference, I think.  
Probably because it's a peaceful, wonderful country which is *still* paying 
off, in the public eye, one particularly nasty creature in their recent 
history. They're probably tired of hearing about him, and to some extent,
correctly so.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <FON>				Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Brian A. Thomas,	Friday, November 03, 1995 3:07:05 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390979

     "who are angelic like"

     Who says that's what they actually *are*?  That's only how they want 
us to SEE them.  There's a difference.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <Season 3 #1 >			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Rae Augenstein,	Friday, November 03, 1995 1:00:24 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391159

     A little over a week has passed between the events of FoN and "Matters 
of Honor."  The first part of the season is almost in real time.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler-Fall of Night>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Gerald Himmelein,	Friday, November 03, 1995 5:33:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391368

     There's also a certain amount of McCarthyism inherent in the 
Nightwatch, the emphasis on revealing spies in our midst, enemies of the 
people.

     The problem with pointing to the Nazis or the Gestapo exclusively is 
that it allows us the safety of saying, "Well, it happened just there, and 
only once, *we* could never fall for that."

     Wrong.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <TFON - Battle>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Colin Glassey,		Friday, November 03, 1995 5:41:22 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391370

     The interceptors line refers to the fact that there are so many 
incoming bursts that the interceptors are only knocking down 90% of them at 
this point, meaning that some of them (the incoming bursts) are getting 
through.

     Janet's busy working on the scriptwriting part of her career, so she's 
not available now, but hopefully she'll be available back to us come next 
year.

     And thanks.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <TFON - Battle>			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  SysOp Dupa T. Parrot	Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:22 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391586

     TOT, Time On Target, you launch everything you've got -- fighters at 
close range to the target, long-range weapons firing earlier -- so that 
they all arrive at the same spot at the same instant for maximum effect.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  Mass drivers			Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Richard M. Perry,	Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:18 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391584

     A mass driver is a device which accellerates asteroids and sends them 
hurtling down into the atmosphere where they arrive with the force of a 
nuclear blast.  An ugly weapon.  It has not otherwise been known to cause
coughing, hay fever of diptheria.

                                                                       jms

Subj:  <TFON>				Section: Babylon 5
  To:  John M. Kahane,	Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:32:10 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391590

     Bear in mind that Sheridan specifically states that the treaty had 
*not* been finalized yet between Earth and the Centauri, so the attack was 
not a violation of a treaty that hadn't been signed yet.  (And very likely
the Centauri captain was unaware of it *anyway*, just as Sheridan was taken
by surprise by it all.)

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Mark D. Smith,		Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:39:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390878

     Haven't seen Fall of Night yet, have you...?

     And there's claiming by inference as well, setting oneself up as a 
benign force on the side of good.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Daena Hinkelman,	Friday, November 03, 1995 1:00:25 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391160

     Friendly disagreement is always great fun.

                                                                       jms


Subj:  <spoiler: Comes the Inq>		Section: Babylon 5
  To:  Daena Hinkelman,	Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:22:00 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391587

     "Good is the absence of evil...."

     Is it?  Is it the *absence* or the *opposite*?

     One might say (to take a christian pov for a moment) that god is the
absence of evil.  But is this the case?  Is evil a thing, or is evil the
potentiality to do acts of wanton destruction?

     At what point did evil come into the universe, from this pov?  With the
fall of Lucifer?  But unless the *potential* for evil existed before this
act of pride, it would be impossible for Lucifer to fall.  The very tenet of
free will is that there are choices to be made.  If there are no choices,
there is no free will, quid pro quo.  Hence, in the garden, the *potential*
for evil existed before an *act* later described as evil or rebellious.

     And, hence, the *potential* for evil existed before Lucifer fell.  If
it had not, he couldn't have fallen.  (Also, if one takes the position that
the fall *created* evil, then a fallen angel has creative potential, which
puts it at an unacceptably high level of power.)

     It says in the book of Amos, "Is there evil in a city and the Lord hath
not done it?"

     If the potential for evil was there from the dawn of creation -- and it
*must* have been for the actions described later to have taken place -- then
there must perforce be the potential for evil in its creator.  (Unless one
is willing to posit that in not having the potential for evil, god does not
have free will, which means god is not omnipotent, and somehow gifted his
creations with a capacity he himself was incapable of.) This doesn't mean,
and shouldn't be taken to imply, that god *is* evil, or *has* evil, but
rather that the *potential* is there, and has always existed.

     Thus, good is not the *absence* of evil, but the *opposition* to evil.
To use Mark Twain's example in "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg," you had
an entire town that had never known temptation, and held itself up as
righteous...  until the first day when real temptation walked in the front
door, and the whole place fell for it...after which the sign out front of
the town was modified to read "Lead us INTO temptation," for only through
temptation, through the exposure to evil, is faith and the good tested and
made viable.

								       jms


#: 399450 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    16-Nov-95  23:12:50
Sb: Link&Log
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jon Wolf 76103,2541 (X)

      It's a floating (air-compression) vidrecorder.

                                                                       jms



#: 399452 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Nov-95  23:22:47
Sb: #B5 Magazine
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

      Yes, I generally reviewed most of the material; but I explicitly told
them I don't want it to be a fluff magazine, so there's some hard stuff in
there from time to time.  I think the final schedule of forthcoming issues is
being nailed down now.

                                                                       jms



#: 399453 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Nov-95  23:22:48
Sb: #DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

     Because the longer she was there, the more she'd discover (was about to
enter into Sheridan's cell group in fact), and the more damage she'd be able to
do.

                                                                       jms



#: 399454 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    16-Nov-95  23:22:50
Sb: #<Convictions>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

     Thanks; it came out very well, I think.

                                                                       jms



#: 399455 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Nov-95  23:22:54
Sb: Sinclair's Warning
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     Maybe a little of both....

                                                                       jms



#: 399489 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    17-Nov-95  00:52:30
Sb: #Four Cents: Convictions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael  Zitaglio 102545,641 (X)

      The question, of course, is...is a person 100% dark or light?  Hitler was
a monster.  He was also a snappy dresser and, to quote The Producers, he could
dance the pants off Churchill.  Look at the war films from WW 2 behind the
scenes...there's Goebbels and Goering and others having dinner, laughing,
playing little jokes, listening to music....

      The monster never sees a monster in a mirror.

                                                                       jms



#: 399672 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  12:05:35
Sb: B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael Ogrinz 71573,3153 (X)

     Incorrect.  Share *is* important on the local level.  When you get the
national ratings on a syndicated program, the final figure doesn't have a
share, only a rating.  Shares come in market by market, and since the show's
future is determined market by market, that's crucial to our survival.  So for
our purposes, the share per market is *very much* the more important figure.

                                                                       jms



#: 399673 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  12:05:37
Sb: B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael Ogrinz 71573,3153

     Some stations are shifting to less terrific timeslots; other stations are
giving us *better* timeslots.  There's no one trend.  The main problem is that
each market only has maybe one or two indie stations max, and if that's a Fox
or UPN station, you've only got 2 prime time hours per night available 8-10
(nearly all of these show their news programs at 10 p.m.). So first precedence
for those 14 hours per week is given to Fox or UPN programs (or WB programs,
depending), plus all the other syndicated shows out there, from talk shows to
game shows and so on.

     The market for syndicated shows, and where you can squeeze them in, is
getting increasingly smaller.  Hence the growth of cable.

                                                                       jms



#: 399674 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  12:05:39
Sb: #New Open!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Gerald Himmelein 100417,3703 (X)

     Yeah, and that quote got me in lots of trouble; my original statement was
that we'd kick their ass, they'd kick ours, we'd kick back, and the ongoing
competition would guarantee better shows for viewers. Unfortunately they chose
to use only the first part of that...and thus was a huge fracas born.

                                                                       jms



#: 399675 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    17-Nov-95  12:05:41
Sb: #<Rage'sThots: Cnvctns>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

     Londo and G'Kar no longer really have much to discuss; they're past that
point, I figure.  They hate each other.

     Re: the Drazi...yeah, I hear that a lot.  The most frequent comment: "I
like the Drazi; they're just nuts."

     Londo wasn't on Minbar; he was seeing someone off on a ship going to
Centauri Prime.

                                                                       jms



#: 399681 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    17-Nov-95  12:19:30
Sb: #399553-#Four Cents: Convictions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Gerald Himmelein 100417,3703 (X)

      I dunno...I just kinda figured that invading Poland, invading the
Sudetenland, invading France, invading Russia, bombing Britain, eradicating
much of the population of jews and gypsies in Eastern Europe, that kind of
stuff comes as close as I can think of to a definition of a human monster.

      Granted he fixed the economy, got Germany on a solid economic footing,
ran a tightly organized Olympics, instituted new fashion sensibilities, and
created some interesting architectural structures...and you couldn't beat his
sense of theater and high drama...but I kinda think the former somewhat
outweighs the latter.

      Perhaps we are working from different definitions of what a monster is.

                                                                       jms



#: 399986 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  22:58:08
Sb: #399710-#<Theo>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Ruth Ballam 100412,3457 (X)

     Re: brewing ale...is that true?

                                                                       jms



#: 399987 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    17-Nov-95  22:58:10
Sb: #399751-#Four Cents: Convictions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Gerald Himmelein 100417,3703 (X)

      There can be no question that the conditions prevalent in Germany after
WW I created the climate in which a Hitler could come into power. There was
great resentment and anger festering over the onerous conditions placed upon
the German government, the enconomy was in ruins, people were looking for
someone to blame, and that creates the perfect condition for scapegoats, and
someone who can take advantage of that.

      Hitler, however, was able to perceive that, galvanize it, shape it and
form it.  It was Hitler who organized the brownshirts and created the
krystalnachts, who orchestrated his rise within the government until he was
finally able to seize the reins of government, and he who was the primary
architect of the atrocities of that period.

     Of course he didn't do it by himself; there were those who willingly, even
happily collaborated; those who opposed and said nothing; those who were of no
opinion one way or another; and those who resisted.  If you're going to blame
the first group, maybe the first two or three, you still have to recognize the
fourth.

     People can be driven by the madness of the crowd, or intimidated by the
government of the gun into silence.  No one is looking to totally exonerate the
citizenry; though one can make a compelling argument that anyone who spoke out

was swiftly arrested, deported, or shot...which tends to discourage the free
exchange of criticism.  Would WW 2 have taken place without Hitler?  Possibly;
the conditions were right.  Would it have taken the same shape?  Probably not;
almost certainly not.  Thus the blame for *this* war, the way it happened
*this* time, must be laid at his feet.

                                                                       jms



#: 399988 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  22:58:13
Sb: #399797-Dr. Franklin's serum
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      I'd forget it for now.

                                                                       jms



#: 399989 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  22:58:17
Sb: #399799-Bio-tech weapons
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      Could be.

                                                                       jms



#: 399990 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  22:58:17
Sb: #399848-B5 Magazine
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Alan Katz 74260,3612 (X)

      I go over the text, yes, but I've advised those who do it to avoid
turning it into a puff-piece.

                                                                       jms



#: 399992 S5/Babylon 5: General
    17-Nov-95  22:58:23
Sb: #399955-Book of G'Quon
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     The leaf shown is the G'Quon-eth, the plant featured in "By Any Means
Necessary."

                                                                       jms



#: 400289 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  14:55:56
Sb: #400146-#New Open!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jason Wong 73302,776 (X)

     It's my understanding that there'll be a B5 cover in Cinefantastique in
the next few months.

                                                                       jms



#: 400290 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  14:55:57
Sb: #400152-G'Quoneth Plant
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     Nope.

                                                                       jms



#: 400291 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  14:56:00
Sb: #400251-JMS: Questions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Marlyn Bumpus 75117,3014 (X)

     Vickery is a british actor, yes.

                                                                       jms



#: 400527 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  21:54:23
Sb: #400299-#DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

     No, she didn't know who it was, but *whoever* the person was, the longer
that person stayed where he/she was, the greater the risk.  They didn't know it
all along remember; several people died on Mars getting that information
out...as soon as they had it, and knew there was a traitor aboard, they had to
move on it.

                                                                       jms



#: 400528 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  21:54:26
Sb: #400309-#Kosh Me This
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

      It's Screen Actors Guild rules; you can't have a character like this, who
isn't actually an actor, in the opening credits.

                                                                       jms



#: 400531 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  22:04:09
Sb: #400358-#B5 rerun schedule
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      That's been the traditional rerun schedule with us; during the christmas
weeks, the logic goes, most folks are out, not watching TV.

                                                                       jms



#: 400532 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  22:04:10
Sb: #400397-Quick Question
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mike Aragona 73641,1353 (X)

     Yeah, it's fair to say that that's one of our themes.

                                                                       jms



#: 400533 S5/Babylon 5: General
    18-Nov-95  22:04:12
Sb: #400407-#Thanks for a Great show
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David Schirmer 76774,3310 (X)

      Thank you.  I don't think it's a case of hanging out with "the commoners"
to use your term; I've been here since 1984 or so, and I enjoy the discussions,
and I'll be darned if I'll change that just because my name appears on a TV
screen somewhere.  I'm basically just another fan of the genre....

                                                                       jms



#: 401026 S5/Babylon 5: General
    19-Nov-95  20:57:23
Sb: #400665-B5 comic
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     Don't know the exact pub date yet; the issues should be regular sized.

                                                                       jms



#: 401027 S5/Babylon 5: General
    19-Nov-95  20:57:24
Sb: #400668-B5 Costumers win again
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Cynthia and Richard 71561,3255 (X)

      Thanks, and congrats.  We've been in contact with the Air and Space
people, and when they're ready to do a B5 exhibit, we're there; but we'd rather
not include B5 props in an ST exhibition.

                                                                       jms



#: 401028 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    19-Nov-95  20:57:27
Sb: #400690-<The Mad Bomber>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mark Pruett 74133,3406 (X)

     That's great to hear, thanks.

                                                                       jms



#: 401029 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    19-Nov-95  20:57:30
Sb: #400691-Four Cents: Convictions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mark Pruett 74133,3406 (X)

     No, insofar as I know, it's an original, composed by Chris Franke.

                                                                       jms



#: 401155 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  01:03:45
Sb: #401002-#<Franklin's IV fluids>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Morris L. Gavant, M.D. 74027,264 (X)

     My sense is that if you're a german ambassador, and you're attacked and
checked into Cedar Sinai Hospital, the chief of staff there takes care of you,
rather than bringing in an outsider/german doctor.  Franklin's well suited to
his task.

     We could probably label the blood bags a little better.

                                                                       jms



#: 401156 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  01:03:46
Sb: #400660-#B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: peter  stathis 102477,3046 (X)

     "...that would mean that it would be near the bottom of the ratings of
syndicated shows."

     People who don't know what they're talking about should avoid making
comments like that.  The overall breakdown of syndicated shows runs about 10
pages of very fine type; usually around 215 shows or more, ranked in order of
average national ratings.  Babylon 5 is always on the first page of that
breakdown; usually the #4 or #5 dramatic series for that week, sometimes a bit
higher, never less than #6.  We consistently stay in the top ten of dramatic
series.  (You don't include game shows or talk shows in the mix; that's
comparing apples and oranges.)

      If you *include* all those other shows, in one typical week, we came out
as #38 overall, out of 215.  That is extremely respectable.  Most network shows
that come in around the top 50 tend to stay around for a good long time.

     Look, Peter, do me a favor, and get off the ratings, okay?  It's clear you
don't understand them, and the bottom line is simply this: if our ratings
weren't sufficiently high, we wouldn't be here.  It's that simple. We're here,
so we're getting the numbers.  Warners is happy, and we're happy.

                                                                       jms


#: 401157 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  01:03:49
Sb: #400700-#B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Sharon Foster 76360,301 (X)

      Local advertisments are bought by the local station, with matching funds
from WB.  If the show isn't being advertised in your local area, the problem is
your local station.

                                                                       jms



#: 401158 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  01:07:11
Sb: #401038-#Demon w\ Glass Hand
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      It's something we're still planning to do, in the fullness of time.

                                                               jms



#: 401616 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  16:53:51
Sb: #401471-2nd Babylon 5 CD?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Eric D. Fether 74067,465 (X)

      The first CD came out and has done quite well; it's in most record stores
(that can keep it in stock), so it can be ordered through your local Tower or
Wherehouse, or you can order direct from Sonic Images via their web page, or
the address given in the B5 library (#5 or #6).

                                                                       jms



#: 401617 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  16:53:52
Sb: #401537-B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Sharon Foster 76360,301 (X)

      I probably should, but I'm a lousy organizer/filer; I know they're all in
one place, but not indexed or anything.  Probably no direct need to get a copy;
accept the appreciation nonetheless.

                                                                       jms



#: 401618 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  16:53:54
Sb: #401558-New TNT Info?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David Nedrow 70004,1273 (X)

      No, nothing new....

                                                                       jms



#: 401818 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  21:26:28
Sb: #401652-#B5 rerun schedule
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773 (X)

      Yeah, I think those are the episodes covered in reruns, though at one
point they're going to drop in "Hunter, Prey" one more time to set up the
events to come in the next batch of new eps.

                                                                       jms



#: 401819 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    20-Nov-95  21:26:29
Sb: #401744-#Italian Garibaldi
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael  Zitaglio 102545,641 (X)

     Thanks....

                                                                       jms



#: 401820 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  21:26:30
Sb: #401786-B5 fan club
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     We've been working with WB on getting the paperwork finished, and it's
nearly there, so the club should be on line in the next week or two.  I'm
directly involved in running/owning it, with my associate Doug Netter.  It's
not set up to be a big money machine, just doing a few things for the fans, and
that sort of thing.

                                                                       jms



#: 401821 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    20-Nov-95  21:26:33
Sb: #401790-<ADITS: Ask Kosh?>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

     Because Delenn doesn't know that information offhand, any more than you or
I would have casual access to detailed scientific information from our own
world just off the top of our heads; she'd still have to go to her own
homeworld for the info, as our characters did.  And it's not that we didn't
have it, it was just collating it all.  And given how Kosh answers questions,
would you really want to use his responses in this thing?

                                                                       jms


#: 401830 S5/Babylon 5: General
    20-Nov-95  21:38:28
Sb: #401708-#<ADITS Episode>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Bob Fischer 73727,1774 (X)

      My sense is that Delenn is not a godlike font of information; I don't
think anyone, alien or human, at the station would just happen to know all the
information required.  How much would Delenn know about molecular biology, for
instance?  (And if you asked Kosh a question about the subject, he'd probably
come back with "The heart does not sing with its parts."  Not exactly useful.)

     Anyone there would have to go back to their own world for experts in the
various fields...so you're back where you started.  Earth *has* the info, it's
just getting it, and getting it fast.  If you add the overlay of going through
another government, you're going to run out of time that much faster.

     Logically, a probe like this would be sent off looking for information on
the very cusp of technology that could pose a threat.  That's why it *didn't*
go off when the probe presumed them to be a less developed civilization; it was
looking for civilizations that *are* sufficiently advanced to pose a possible
threat; Sheridan says exactly that as he walks across C&C.

     Interesting aside on this, btw, in the "where do you get your ideas?"
department.  The US House Science Sub-Committee held a series of hearings into
the question of extraterrestrial contact during the 1970s, to determine what we
should do in the event of contact.  The most likely scenario, the scientists
agreed, was a probe coming into our solar system.  So what do we do in response
to a message asking if anybody's home?

     Believe it or not, it was the consensus of the Subcommittee that we should
not respond...in case it was a berserker, just as shown in the episode.  That
is our government's official policy on the subject.

                                                                       jms

#: 401916 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  00:20:33
Sb: #401886-#Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Antonio  Fuentes 103037,2550 (X)

       That's a lot of questions, but still....

       I'll go along with little increases in merchandising along the way, but
nothing major until after we're done.  Then, when it can't contaminate the
show, maybe more.

       Talia and Ivanova were linked/did have a relationship; and there was a
camera edit that didn't quite match, two different issues.

       A book after the fact...will have to wait until I'm done for a decision.
We hope the show will in time be out on tape/disk, and all of the major
questions raised during the show should/must be answered during the show, you
can't leave stuff hanging.

                                                                       jms


#: 402169 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  11:52:16
Sb: #401933-Whitestar ?s (spoiler)
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Paul Sulkowski 75604,2156 (X)

      Had a Minbari been running that sensor, he would've nailed it instantly;
but Ivanova had never actually encountered that ship before, and was running
off the initial scan reports.  (Also it was just phasing in at that point.)

      The White Star uses local drive engines based on magnetic and
gravitational principles; in a sense, it doesn't so much push itself toward
other worlds as *pull* itself or *repel* itself.  One side effect of creating a
powerful gravitational system is the ability to create artificial gravity.

      That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

                                                                       jms



#: 402170 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  11:52:17
Sb: #402109-Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Eric D. Fether 74067,465 (X)

     That's when the story ends.  You tell your tale and get off the stage.

                                                                       jms



#: 402171 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    21-Nov-95  11:52:18
Sb: #402113-<Alien Probe>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Bert Johnson 102476,201 (X)

      Probably not.

                                                                       jms



#: 402587 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  21:32:32
Sb: #401882-#B5 Entertainment Utility
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Lori  Eppright 75113,474 (X)

      Yep, that's the screensaver I was talking about; it's really nifty.

                                                                       jms



#: 402594 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  21:42:33
Sb: #402212-#Kosh's lessons
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      Sheridan has fallen away from the lessons a bit; Kosh is going to have to
have a word with him about that.

                                                                       jms



#: 402595 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  21:42:35
Sb: #402330-#How much did Kosh know?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John McAuley 100260,412 (X)

      Good question.

      Pity you'll have to wait for the answer....

                                                                       jms



#: 402596 S5/Babylon 5: General
    21-Nov-95  21:42:38
Sb: #<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Tom Knudsen 72347,1626 (X)

      Two things on the upcoming episode ("Gethsemane")....

      1) This is episode #5 in shooting order; I'd originally planned to end
the first batch of new episodes with #4, "Voices of Authority," which is a
major -- and I mean major -- wham episode.  But the EFX requirements were
pretty hideous (though not as bad as "Messages"), so I moved "Gethsemane" into
that slot, which is a very strong episode, though not an arc'er.

      2) On the story question...yes, this was the story that someone else
(don't want to use names, no sense in blaming anyone) had accidentally
suggested while I was working on it early in season two.  So I had to scuttle
the script for nearly a year.  Finally, very chagrined over what happened, the
individual gave me a notarized form explaining the situation. At that point, I
was able to reactivate the story.  So no, it's not any kind of "it's okay to do
this" notion about story ideas; as it is, the story was tied up for about a
year, and might never have seen the light of day had not the other person made
great efforts to set the situation straight.

                                                                       jms



#: 402598 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    21-Nov-95  21:42:45
Sb: #402418-Vichy Narn?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael  Zitaglio 102545,641 (X)

      It's any occupied government, really....

                                                                       jms




#: 402711 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  00:29:34
Sb: #402677-<ADITS Episode>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael Grabois 74737,2600 (X)

      I just went through my stuff trying to find it...there was a formal
report published by the Government Printing Agency in around 1978 or so.  I
think it was entitled something like "Prospects for Contact by Extra-
Terrestrial Intelligence," and went into the whole CETI issue at great length.
(Back then, it was CETI, for Contact With Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence,
changed shortly after the House hearing on the subject to SETI, Search For
Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.)  Any GPA office should have the report on
file.

                                                                       jms



#: 403072 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  13:28:21
Sb: #402823-#B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: peter  stathis 102477,3046

      Of course it's your right to say it.  You can say any foolish thing you
choose.  My point -- underlined by your own comments -- is that you have
absolutely no understanding of how the ratings work, where they come from, how
they are compiled, what they mean, or where we stand in those rankings.

     If you wish to continue putting out misinformation, botched figures,
unnecessary panic, and foolish notions that have nothing whatsoever to do with
reality, well, that's your right.  And I'm going to call you on it and if your
comments are sufficiently stupid or misinformed, get a little testy, because
that's *my* right.  I came back and posted the exact numbers that are made
available.  It's not playing the ratings game except in the sense that the
ratings are always a game...a game whose rules you don't know or understand.

     For the week of 10/23 to 10/29, we were ranked #38 overall, out of a grand
total of 220 syndicated television series, including game shows, talk shows,
dramas, comedies, and everything else, and the 6th rated dramatic series for
that week.  And our demographics scores put us in around 2nd/3rd position.  We
did better than Highlander, Pointman, Kung Fu, the syndicated Tales from the
Crypt, and other dramatic series.  Outside dramatic series, we did better than
the Jerry Springer Show, America's Most Wanted, Sightings, Martha Stewart
Living, Rush Limbaugh, Siskel & Ebert, Richard Bey, and Donahue...all of which
are considered successful series.

     Those are the cold, hard facts, the hard numbers as delivered the the A.C.
Neilsen and Arbitron Companies.

     If I were currently worried about the show, if I thought the numbers were
soft, I'd be the first person sounding the clarion call and asking people to
write letters urging the show's continuance.  I'm not doing that, because
Warner Bros. is happy, PTEN is happy, and we're happy.  No one -- *no one* --
is more concerned about this show's survival than I am, and if I'm relatively
content with the situation, then we're in pretty good shape.

     You cite that some stations are moving the show into weird hours.  That is
correct.  First, it's only a very few stations out of nearly 200 stations;
those are, for the most part, Fox stations that have contractual commitments to
run Fox shows in prime-time, which is 8-10 p.m. Mon-Sun (they generally run
news 10-11).  All that's left in those stations -- and many markets only *have*
one or two independent stations -- is the non-prime time schedule.  That means
after 11 or before 7.

     You cite the Indianapolis station that dropped the show.  Yes, because WB,
feeling strongly about the show, pressured it for a better time slot, same as
in Grand Rapids MI.  They were locked in, couldn't give us anything better, so
the show left...and has not been REPLACED in the Indianapolis market on WNDY.
So once again your facts are incorrect by omission and
inaccuracy...Indianapolis DOES have B5 back now, on better station in many
ways, and we're in negotiations to bring it back to the two or three other
markets where the same thing has happened.

     In all the major markets, our ratings are *significantly* up.  In
Charlotte we're up 186% over this same time last year; Cincinnati up 233%;
Chicago up 133%; San Francisco up 135%...in Portland we blow the doors off
altogether.

     In short, Peter, you are absolutely, incontravertibly, dead-ass wrong.

     "I am only doing a favor to those out there who like the show."  No you're
not.  You're trying to whip up hysteria, get people upset, cause a crisis that
exists nowhere but in your own mind, because that's what you enjoy doing.

     And you clearly think that while you can come on here and say any thing
you want, if I come back and say you're wrong, somehow this is wrong, this is
only wanting to hear from groupies...as opposed to the simple fact that you're
*wrong*.  You want to have one set of rules for yourself (anything goes), and
one thing for me (shut up, bend over and take it without any backtalk).  I
checked my CIS agreement; that proviso isn't there.

     Anybody who comes on here and wants to express an opinion, negative or
positive, about the show is free to do so.  Anyone who comes on and offers what
he thinks are facts, and those facts are wrong, is going to be corrected.

     There is this little club of people who think that they should be able to
say anything they want, as addle-headed or inaccurate as may be, and that if
they're called on it, that's wrong, and that's interfering in their right of
expression.  Well, pal, I have a right to expression too, and guess what? The
facts are on my side of the argument, not yours.

     And they always come back with the same thing, "if it bothers you to hear
it, well, that's just the way things are," and "I am not some groupie or some
mindless fanatic," thereby denigrating everybody else, as if they are blind
followers, and only you see the truth, which is I'm sure exactly what you would
like to believe, and "you might not like to hear it, but I got a right to say
it."

     Absolutely.  You've got a right to be as asinine and incorrect and stupid
and ill-informed and prejudicial and hysterical and wrong-headed as you wish.

     And I've got the right to correct you.

     Deal with it.

                                                                       jms



#: 403073 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  13:28:25
Sb: #402871-#Thanks for a Great show
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Paul M. Zukowski 102522,131

      Yep, they had computers back then; I used to log on on an old Kaypro, no
hard drive, 64k memory and 128k floppies.  Ah, those were the days....

                                                                       jms



#: 403074 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  13:28:27
Sb: #403002-B5:The End???!!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Bob Danielson 73647,2247 (X)

     No, no reconciliation there.  They want the numbers to improved in season
three over season two.  They are doing this.  (Though we're gonna get killed
tonight by the second half of the Beatles series.)

                                                                       jms



#: 403076 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    22-Nov-95  13:28:30
Sb: #403020-#$0.04: <A Day in Strife>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: The Jawa / Jawa #2 76371,3057

      Thanks...and Vir will return to the station from time to time, just as
Londo said.

                                                                       jms


#: 403077 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  13:28:33
Sb: #403024-Kosh's lessons
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101

      Oh, yes, I'd say so....

                                                                       jms



#: 403078 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  13:28:34
Sb: #403034-DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Alan Katz 74260,3612

      There was no *proof* that it was her, just a good chance.  And the Corps
wouldn't allow her to be just shipped off.  Pluse, she's still a citizen with
all the rights attendent upon that; we can't just ship somebody off to Russia
or Singapore if we don't like them.  Real life is a lot more complicated, and
this show is patterned after reality as much as possible.

                                                                       jms


#: 403098 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  14:13:30
Sb: #403043-#Daily News Dis
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: MARK SMITH 102161,2223 (X)

      One person said, "Critics are paid to be unfair."  This piece shows it.
Too much emphasis on being cute and biting, rather than discussing the merits
of the show.

      It's enlightening to see the dichotomy on the show on either side of the
Atlantic...here the critics tend to dismiss the show, or get cutsie, or deride
it...but in the UK, publications from Home Entertainment to Time Out to even
the prestigious Radio Times have lauded the show, calling it some of the best
SF of the last decade.

                                                                       jms



#: 403418 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  22:33:05
Sb: #403193-#Fleer
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jimmy R. Kapesis 103156,1634 (X)

      The Fleer situation has been mutually pleasing.  I think Fleer is going
to close down or otherwise change, so the cards may end up in the hands of
another company at some point.

                                                                       jms


#: 403419 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  22:33:06
Sb: #403277-B5 rerun schedule
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John M. Kahane 102664,773

      Not too much substantial in this batch...a few things, but to point them
out would defeat the purpose.

                                                                       jms



#: 403421 S5/Babylon 5: General
    22-Nov-95  22:33:13
Sb: #403349-B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Walter F. Hern 74201,2063

      To have a Tie fighter come through B5 space would a) break the reality of
the show, b) make us a pastiche or comedy, people would be too busy noticing
and laughing at that to pay attention, and b) would be a case of copyright
infringement, which would get us in a heap of legal trouble.

      Re: the ratings...you're quite correct.  Also, what most folks forget was
that TOS was considered a ratings flop on every level, and would've been
canceled after its second year were it not for a huge campaign by fans.

                                                                       jms



#: 403467 S5/Babylon 5: General
    23-Nov-95  01:27:18
Sb: #403451-Explosive Decompression
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Kenneth Porter 76161,3013

      We've shown one body after spacing, and discussed another; in each case,
we hewed close to the facts.  Dr. Franklin pointed out that, rather than eyes
exploding or anything of that nature, they freeze, for instance. In any
event...yes, point taken, and we won't do that, never intended to.

                                                                       jms



#: 403468 S5/Babylon 5: General
    23-Nov-95  01:27:19
Sb: B5 at LosCon
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: All

     Just a reminder...I'll be giving a Babylon 5 special presentation at
LosCon this Sunday at the Burbank Airport Hilton from 1-3 p.m.  As a caveat,
the seats are usually gone very fast, almost always before the presentation
begins, so you may want to come a little bit early, otherwise there might not
be any available seats.  The last several appearances have all been SRO.

                                                                       jms



#: 403884 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    23-Nov-95  21:07:10
Sb: #403496-$0.04: <A Day in Strife>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Lolita  . Maddalena 102701,3447 (X)

<I loved the way the episode ended almost exactly where it started.>

      Yeah...right back where we started....

                                                                       jms


#: 403885 S5/Babylon 5: General
    23-Nov-95  21:07:13
Sb: #403520-#New Open!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Trent K. Johnson 71020,1052

      "Why are starfuries firing on starfuries?"

      Noticed that, eh?

      Wait and see.

                                                                       jms


#: 403993 S5/Babylon 5: General
    24-Nov-95  03:19:59
Sb: #403915-DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101

<Up until the coup, was the EA government pretty good? They seem pretty
non-intrusive.>

      The EA was fairly easy going, but remember that people are used to a
heavy governmental hand during the Earth/Minbari War.  It's in a way similar to
the situation we had post WW2; the only way we could make it past that war and
survive was through strict discipline, following orders, going along with
rationing, conserving, everything.  And it was that positive attitude that
those who came later would exploit in the McCarthy/Red Scare 1950s, and hit us
sideways in the 60s.

                                                                       jms



#: 404287 S5/Babylon 5: General
    24-Nov-95  18:01:48
Sb: #404254-JMS: Babcom 96
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chris Gardiner 100701,3353

     No, I don't believe I'm slated for Babcom 96, but I will be at the
Encounter in the UK in April or so.  (Details are in the library somewhere.)

                                                                       jms


#: 404288 S5/Babylon 5: General
    24-Nov-95  18:01:48
Sb: #404272-#B5 Blueprints/Models?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Brian Deane 100121,26 (X)

<Saw an ad for a Starfury model>

      Nope, this is strictly illegal.  Could you send me a copy of the magazine
at the following address, so we can nail their heads to the wall? Babylon 5,
14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. (Send it to my
attention.)

      Thanks.

                                                                       jms

#: 404439 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  05:07:07
Sb: #404351-Pilot Episode
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David Schirmer 76774,3310 (X)

     Londo does not specify Sinclair in his dialogue; that's the picture at
that moment, but that doesn't lock us into it.

     A full explanation for what happened and why is uploaded in the library
here; do a search in lib 5, I think, for Sinclair, and you'll find it. (Rather
than recap the whole thing again here.)

                                                                       jms



#: 404440 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  05:07:08
Sb: #404365-#B5 Blueprints/Models?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

     Rage needs rest.  Rest, Rage, rest.

                                                                       jms



#: 404441 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  05:07:08
Sb: #404366-#Rage's Thots: Rangers?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

     No, the Drazi was not a Ranger, only a supporter/collaborator (if I can
use, or misuse that term.)

     At this stage, the Rangers are exclusively either human or minbari.

                                                                       jms



#: 404442 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  05:07:11
Sb: #404413-#B5 at LosCon
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Larry Rosenblum 72122,1555 (X)

      No standing invitations to the area, but we'll see....

                                                                       jms



#: 404763 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  23:01:18
Sb: #404483-#B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Rick Sharon 76416,2213 (X)

<About a reply to a bogus article about ratings>

     BTW, you'll notice that young master stathis took a powder after dropping
his offensive message here, so he wouldn't have to deal with any of the
responses.  Then after a while he'll come back and do it all again. Typical.

                                                                       jms



#: 404765 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    25-Nov-95  23:01:23
Sb: #404542-#$0.04: <A Day in Strife>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: The Jawa / Jawa #2 76371,3057 (X)

<Clarification: How much time is missing from Sinclair's memory?>

	     It was 24 hours.

                                                                       jms



#: 404766 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  23:01:25
Sb: #404554-#B5 Magazine
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: The Jawa / Jawa #2 76371,3057 (X)

<More magazine issues?>

      It's my understanding that there will be more issues, yes.

                                                                       jms



#: 404767 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  23:01:26
Sb: #404574-#Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Tapio K. Fransen 100731,1675 (X)

<Will you do another SF show?>

      Dunno...the plan for now, if B5 runs its full five years, is to get out
of TV and go back to novels and plays.  We'll see....

                                                                       jms


#: 404768 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    25-Nov-95  23:01:30
Sb: #404614-#<A Day In The Strife>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Sharon Foster 76360,301 (X)

<Sheridan is being set up as a major savior figure, just like Talia was.>

     Thanks.  And for "pulling a Talia" on Sheridan, that's one of the major
benefits in *doing* the Talia thing to begin with; it makes it very difficult
to sit back and accept that any character is going to be the key out of this
story.

     Agree on the new bumper; and the 5 fades in like a shadow vessel, making
it even more ominous.

                                                                       jms



#: 404769 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  23:01:31
Sb: #404637-#Explosive Decompression
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: William H. DiPaola 76521,1751 (X)

<Didn't the giant Earth ship have artificial gravity??

     That was the Cortez, and yes, it rotated to create its gravity, as you can
see quite clearly in the episode.

                                                                       jms



#: 404770 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Nov-95  23:01:35
Sb: #404716-Cap'n Power
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Rae Augenstein 72752,1653 (X)

<I found an ep of Captain Power at Wal-Mart for $2.00. Should I buy it?>

      Well, either buy it or burn it....

                                                                       jms



#: 404883 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Nov-95  05:07:24
Sb: #404866-#Explosive Decompression
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: William H. DiPaola 76521,1751 (X)

<Thanks for clearing that up for me. I don't doubt your word, but for
some reason I just didn't recall seeing a section of that ship rotate.>

      Look at the big, round section in the middle of the Cortez, that's the
part that rotates.

                                                                       jms


#: 405279 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Nov-95  22:23:13
Sb: #404889-#Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael "GANDALF" Kalus 100265,3065 (X)

<So NO Silver Screen Ambitions?
What do you think about the end of SeaQuest? And how good are your
quotes (if this is the correct word for it)?>

      Nope, no real interest in doing movies; it's really a director's medium,
so I prefer either television or print, which is a writer's medium.

      What do I think about the end of SeaQuest?  Well, it was kind of
inevitable, wasn't it?  If they had left it alone, in the hands of the people
who first created it, like Rockne O'Bannon, and quit pulling on it in every
possible direction, it could've been okay.  Instead, the Suits got involved,
and when the Suits get involved...you're dead.

      "How good are your quotes?"  Don't know what this means.

                                                                       jms


#: 405280 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Nov-95  22:23:17
Sb: #404923-#John J.?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Anne L. Warner 71513,1177

<I've been puzzling in my mind ever since "And Now for a Word," what is John
Sheridan's middle name?  And did you work on Space Rangers?>

     Eek!   I had nothing to do with "Space Rangers," feh, feh, a pox, no. We
went on with our pilots in similar periods, but no, I ain't had nothin' to do
with that one ever.

     I have two options of what the J stands for; still trying to decide
between historical reference and personal satisfaction.

                                                                       jms


#: 405281 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Nov-95  22:23:18
Sb: #404974-#B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: peter  stathis 102477,3046

     "Either answer in a polite way, or don't answer at all."

     Peter, you came in here and started acting like a jerk.  Everyone here
feels exactly the same way about your behavior.  I don't have to be polite if
you're acting like a jerk; neither does anyone else here.  Around here, you get
what you give; if you are polite, and respectful, others will treat you the
same way.  If you come in here, guns blazing, acting like a ditz, then people
are gonna call you a ditz.  Polite ain't got nothin' to do with it.  Take a
little personal responsibility for your behavior.

                                                                       jms


#: 405283 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    26-Nov-95  22:23:25
Sb: #405198-#<Gesthemene>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David E. McCloud 102441,2371

<Of the many excellent episodes you've written, this one's the best so far. It
left me thinking over its themes long after the show had ended.>

     Thanks.  That's really the intent; to get people to talk about the issues
raised, and to examine the issues.  We won't tell you what to think about an
issue, because I don't have an answer myself...but if it made you stop and
consider this stuff, and decide for yourself where you fall in the discussion,
then it's done its job.

                                                                       jms


#: 405345 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  00:41:24
Sb: #405288-#B5 Magazine
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Z. Michael Milutinovic 71532,2231

      It's from Sendai; ask your local bookstore to order it.

                                                                       jms


#: 405346 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  00:41:25
Sb: #405328-#John J.?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: randall s. cavanaug 102134,760 (X)

<is there and internet address that cast members can be written to?>

     No, no cast email addresses.

                                                                       jms



#: 405347 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    27-Nov-95  00:41:26
Sb: #405331-#Synopses/ Transcriptions
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mike Fitzpatrick 73562,3437 (X)

<Are the synopses [not referring to the Lurker's Guide ones] too detailed?>

      I do think that sometimes the synopses get *too* detailed, and where they
transcribe verbatim dialogue, are, I think, legally problematic, yes.

                                                                       jms

#: 405474 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    27-Nov-95  05:55:42
Sb: #405367-<ADitS> Choices
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Elyse M. Grasso 70302,3304 (X)

<And Londo's comment "It's nothing personal, Vir" after his appalling
conversation with Na'Far brought chills with its echo of the bomber's speech
last episode.>

     Thanks.  Yeah, "it's nothing personal" does echo the other theme; those
who inflict great harm tend to shrug it off that way.

                                                                       jms


#: 405475 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  05:55:43
Sb: #405380-#DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101 (X)

<Is gun control on Earth strict enough that a military dictatorship
couldn't be prevented from forming?>

      I'd like to not reply, as this is encroaching seriously into story
territory.

                                                                       jms



#: 405476 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  05:55:45
Sb: #Synopsis Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: All

      Fast question...I seem to recall seeing some synopses that began with a
telling quote from the episode, then a 1-paragraph summation, followed by cast.
Does this ring a bell with anybody else?

                                                                       jms



#: 405477 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  06:01:03
Sb: #405390-Rage's Thots:USENET Rant
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Karen E. Bahnsen 102735,3557 (X)

      Keep that up and you're going to turn my head...in this case, as far as
Linda Blair's in the Exorcist....

                                                                       jms


#: 405770 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  17:23:28
Sb: #405478-#Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael "GANDALF" Kalus 100265,3065 (X)

      Ah...what you call quotes we call ratings, and they have been very good.

      Viewer response really had zip to do with the Sinclair situation; you can
find a detailed explanation in library 5 here.

                                                                       jms


#: 405771 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  17:23:29
Sb: #405622-Rage's Thots: Manifesto
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

<Is Harlan's Manifesto on SF shows available, or is it an ancient Vorlon
secret?>

      No, it's not currently available.

                                                                       jms

#: 405772 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  17:23:30
Sb: #405630-#Synopsis Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Richard P. Manny 70762,141 (X)

     No, I checked, and it ain't the Hyperion guide; it's something else I've
seen, and I just can't put my finger on it.

                                                                       jms


#: 405773 S5/Babylon 5: General
    27-Nov-95  17:23:33
Sb: #405742-#DL Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Alan Katz 74260,3612 (X)

      Oh, to be sure, they'd have preferred to have Talia accidentally fall out
an airlock rather than turn her over to the Corps...but that's cold blooded
murder, and if they go that route, then there's no difference between them and
their opposite number.

                                                                       jms


#: 406058 S5/Babylon 5: General
    28-Nov-95  00:17:48
Sb: #405810-#<ADitS> Probe Query
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Wendy Shaffer 71201,2200 (X)

<Is a 500,000 megaton explosion enough to devastate a *planet*?>

     No, it probably couldn't take out a planet, though it'd sure disrupt all
communications in and out for a long time, maybe throw up a dust curtain to
bring down the temperature quite a bit.  Certainly it'd debilitate the planet
long enough for additional probes to be sent in.  If one can do the job, one
does the job; if more are required, more are sent.

                                                                       jms



#: 406059 S5/Babylon 5: General
    28-Nov-95  00:17:49
Sb: #406016-Question for JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Charles S. Tritt 70254,131 (X)

<Rockne O'Bannon is one of the few writters that I rember from the new Twilight
Zone.>

      Don't know what Rock's doing these days.

                                                                       jms



#: 406619 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    28-Nov-95  21:08:00
Sb: #406267-#<PTG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101 (X)

<I am not even going to ask about that last scene with Kosh and Lyta. Were I you
I might consider asking folks not to talk about that for the remainder of the
week. I saw it just as you had intended it to be seen (expecting nothing) and
had to pry myself off the ceiling.

That episode really creeped me out.>

      So, in essence, you liked it, then...?

      Re: Lyta...(evil smile)....

                                                                       jms


#: 406621 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    28-Nov-95  21:08:06
Sb: #406404-Vichy Narn?
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Fitz Bushnell 76435,165 (X)

<Enjoying all the historical parallels, and the show in general.>

     Thanks...we try.

                                                                       jms



#: 406622 S5/Babylon 5: General
    28-Nov-95  21:08:09
Sb: #406579-Reactor Access
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Clinton Alvord 71470,3665

<In the episode "Convictions," why did the "bomb squad" have to go out into
space in order to gain access to the fusion reactor?>

     Going in the vacuum door was the fastest way to get a bunch of people in
there, and presumably get a big object out again.  Instead of riding transport
tubes to the core shuttle, then the core shuttle to the far end, then tubes to
the bottom...you jump out, get picked up and dumped at the far end.  Takes 2
minutes rather than 10 or 15.  Remember, this place is five miles long.

                                                                       jms



#: 406727 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  00:45:09
Sb: #406702-#B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Elizabeth 76202,563 (X)

<People like to try to annoy writers appearing in public.>

      Thanks, and yeah, having served my time in and running creative writing
classes, I've seen it too.  Ah, well....

                                                                       jms



#: 406728 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  00:45:10
Sb: #406713-B5 books
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mara K. Malovany 102750,1414 (X)

<Audio versions of the B5 books?>

     No one's yet discussed it, I think....

                                                                       jms



#: 406783 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  03:24:46
Sb: #B5 Screensaver
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: All

     Well, today I got my complimentary copy of the new B5 screensaver (aka the
Limited Edition CDRom Entertainment Untility), from Sound Sources.  I have to
say that I'm extremely pleased with it.  (And folks around here know that if I
don't like it, I don't front for it.)

     I have it running now on both my home computer, and my work office
computer.  On the downside, it isn't exactly intuitive on the installation, and
there's not much of a manual.  You have to figure out some stuff on your own.
(Like when it says it installs all the wallpaper, it actually installs a
portion; you then have the option of using the Install aspect to go back into
the CDrom images area and getting the 150 or so other wallpaper images and
putting them into your system, and then using the Add and Select menus to
activate them.)

     I had a memory/sound conflict on the work computer on a few of the
modules, but no such problem on the home system (and since they're both nearly
identical systems, it tells me something's wonky with one of the computers, and
I have to figure this out.)  Maybe it has something to do with running Norton
Desktop.

     Those two caveats aside, and they're relatively minor...I love it. You've
got a whole bunch of video clips complete with sounds and/or music, 150
wallpapers, bunches of .wav files, using our actual sound library from the
show, plus music clips...it's just gorgeous.  And well displayed, well put
together.  It has what I was hoping for, a sense of a piece of Babylon 5 itself
in your system.

     As I understand it, there are only going to be 100,000 of these produced
for full national distribution, and apparently the phone and mail orders are
piling up, as are computer store orders.  So you may want to get it fast when
it appears, 'cause it may not stay on the shelves very long.

     I don't like to do a lot of merchandise, and when we do, it has to be of
superior quality; this one definitely qualifies.

                                                                       jms



#: 406784 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  03:28:56
Sb: #406729-#<ADITS:Aliens 'R Us>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Morris L. Gavant, M.D. 74027,264

<What is the name of the race whose member was injured in Franklin's lab?>

     I'll have to go back and check, but from memory I'm pretty sure he's a
Llort.

                                                                       jms


#: 406785 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    29-Nov-95  03:28:57
Sb: #406771-Stephen Furst
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David Chandler-Gick 73654,2320

      Yes, you'll be seeing more of Stephen.  Also, the Misery Loves Company
show for Fox was dropped, and the appearance on Chicago Hope is apparently only
for 2 episodes.

                                                                       jms



#: 407020 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  15:13:51
Sb: #406930-#Rage's Thots: rastb5
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

<Sorry you're withdrawing from Usenet.  Thanks for being there this long.>

      No, the thanks, and the pleasure, are all mine.

      And yeah, having to do this is a pain in the butt, no mistake.

                                                                       jms



#: 407022 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  15:23:53
Sb: #406889-#Science FictionAge/B5
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: S J NICHOLSON 76574,1663 (X)

      Inch by inch by inch...we are taking over the world.

                                                                       jms



#: 407023 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  15:23:55
Sb: #407013-#ABC rumor
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John MacVeigh 72467,2141 (X)

     No, absolutely not true.  ABC is doing a series called "Hypernauts" for
Saturday morning kidvid -- live action plus cgi -- made by many of the same
people who do B5, including Ron Thornton/Foundation Imaging, with Kevin Cremin,
John Copeland, Doug Netter and many of our same directors.  But B5 has nothing
to do with it, nor do I personally.  This person has confused two different
issues/shows.

                                                                       jms



#: 407024 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    29-Nov-95  15:23:57
Sb: #406932-Were are the Shadows
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Randy Upshaw 75464,1275 (X)

      What we're doing in the meantime is plenty.  Originally, the fourth and
final episode in this first batch of four was going to be "Voices of
Authority," which deals with just this question of preparing for the war in a
big way, has major developments, gets into the White Star...but the CGI
requirements of that episode were hideous, so we had to move it to #5 in the
lineup, moving up "Gethsemane."  Once we come back with new episodes, we'll hit
the ground running hard on all this stuff.

     Also bear in mind that wars aren't instant; in the real world, you have to
line up support, get into alliances, move all your pieces around before you can
get into it.  We're taking a similar path here.  Also, the term "shadow war"
refers to more than just the shadows as a race; they refer to what's going on
back on earth as well, as metaphor as well as plot point, and that's a huge
part of the next batch of eps.

                                                                       jms


#: 407267 S5/Babylon 5: General
    29-Nov-95  21:53:13
Sb: #407078-#B5: Dear Joe
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Susan  Phillips 103044,3337

<Do you believe fiction writing can be taught?>

     The answer is yes and no.  I've taught writing classes and workshops, and
it is entirely possible to take someone with a good command of the language and
make them publishable in the area of articles and other nonfiction.  Virtually
anyone can be trained.  You can also learn some of the basic *techniques* of
fiction.  But there's a quantum jump between what is required of the two basic
forms.

     By the time I was done, invariably people would sell in non-fiction. The
last time I did it, within 6 months of finishing the class, the percentage of
those who actually pursued it (as opposed to just dropping the ball and not
trying) and published was close to 100%.  Fiction, ah, that's different.

     When it comes time to make up your own stories, you either hear the music,
or you don't.  (And even if you don't, some folks can sell one or two items in
their lives.)

     That spark, that way of viewing the world and coming up with stories,
cannot be taught I think.  It's either there, or it ain't.

                                                                       jms


#: 407268 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    29-Nov-95  21:53:20
Sb: #407153-#<PTG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101 (X)

<The Vorlons really aren't the good guys are they.>

     Depends on how you define good.

                                                                       jms



#: 407274 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    29-Nov-95  21:59:39
Sb: #407141-#<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Neil Blevins 102226,3566 (X)

     If the Centauri teep had had more time to react he probably would have
gone after Garibaldi...but Lyta came in too fast, and she took his attention
quickly.

                                                                       jms*

(*who is wondering, if he wrote an episode in which Morden was trapped on a
cliffside, if he could title it "Ridge Over Troubled Wasser"...)

#: 407444 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  01:44:03
Sb: #407311-#<Gethsemene>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Richard P. Manny 70762,141 (X)

<In so many ways, you
remind me of Serling and Lovecraft.  Both strove with the gods and the devils
to produce the best, to tell the story, to turn the word on its ear, to tweek
the medium for all it could give, and then one more tweek.  There's another
Lovecraftian aspect to you, beyond the story-telling word, its this enormous
virtual circle of correspondents that you talk to each day.  Lovecraft had his
circle which nutured the likes of de Camp, Long, Howard, and Derleth.  I wonder
who out there in the ether is taking form as a writer by drawing nurishment
from this circle?>

      I don't think there can *be* any praise higher than to be included in the
same sentence as Serling.  Of my personal pantheon of writers, he's right up
there at the top.  And yeah, we've had to fight the same battles to get our
respective shows on the air, with the integrity we feel/felt was required for
the story.  But in the long run, the fight is worth it if it produces something
that lasts.

      About correspondents...I've heard from a number of folks, in the course
of this prolonged conversation, who say they've had the courage to begin
writing, or sending out what they write, because they've seen that it Can Be
Done.  A few of them have broken through, most have not, but it's a long
process, and there's plenty of time ahead.

     If the show can inspire anyone, even one person, to do more, or better,
then it has achieved its purpose.

                                                                       jms


#: 407445 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  01:44:08
Sb: #407338-#<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Mark Pruett 74133,3406

      The absolution scene, based on what used to be called the rites of
extreme unction, or last rights, is now called the "celebration" of passing,
and I went to the Catholic church's information office, and got the actual
text.  I made a few adjustments here, condensing it a bit (on the logic that
Edward didn't have a lot of time), and modifying a few small points here and
there, on the second logical point that in 250 years, such might have taken
place (as the current ritual has been adjusted a bit here and there over the
years).  So if it felt right, it was.

     Yours is the second comparison here to Serling.  I think perhaps I can die
happy now.  To the "strong moral sensibilities" aspect...there has to be this.
The story must entertain, first and foremost, otherwise it's useless, because
no one will watch it.  But then there has to be something of substance at the
core of it, which elevates or ennobles or challenges.

     Re: the use of Lyta to extract the info...this is the main reason why
there's a Psi Corps, and there are exacting rules, otherwise it can easily
become deus ex machina.  We won't ever do this sort of thing trivially, and
here it was definitely meant to be a little disturbing...it was a sheer matter
of life or death, the guy was a creep, and somewhere Edward was bleeding to
death.  Even after so many viewings, and even having written the thing, I find
that one scene vaguely scary.

     It's the best of the first four, I think.  But better is coming....

                                                                       jms



#: 407446 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  01:44:12
Sb: #407364-Rage's Thots: rastb5
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot 70040,104

      Re: the joke about the dumb starlet who slept with the writer...sure, and
you know why?   'Cause she heard that in Hollywood, EVERYONE screws the writer.

                                                                       jms



#: 407447 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  01:44:13
Sb: #407395-Submitted for....
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Ray Pelzer 70475,1263 (X)

<I feel safe in saying that
your career is starting to closely parallel all the good aspects of Mr.
Serling's career (and no, no jokes about doing Schlitz commercials after B5
ends).  I don't think I'll be contradicted - especially in light of tonights
show - in saying that, when the statues start going up, yours and his will be
standing beside one another.>

      Wow, that's three...I'm about ready to fall down.  High praise indeed.

      Wasn't on the special because, basically, I wasn't asked.  Haven't yet
seen it, but have the thing on tape, and will look at it later tonight.

                                                                       jms



#: 407551 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  04:44:35
Sb: #407321-In the Shadow of JMS
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: David DeRubeis 75221,2351

      Thanks.  This is kinda what I always said...if folks will give us just a
fair chance, no more, no less, we'll back up the talk with action, and with
stories.

      You're to be commended for giving us a second chance, and posting this.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity.

                                                                       jms


#: 407561 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  04:55:54
Sb: #407474-<PTG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael Grabois 74737,2600 (X)

<Now that you've finally been able to use the story of a mind-wiped criminal
learning of his past, can you say something about how different the story would
have been had you been able to do it in the first (?) season as you had
originally planned?>

      No, no nod to the person who suggested it, since this isn't a
competition, and the suggestion cost me a year where I couldn't do the story.
(So I wasn't in the cutest frame of mind about this for a long time, even
though it wasn't really his fault.)

     Basically, it would've been a one-shot, with two monks arriving to scope
out B5 for the arrival of the rest later on.  (You'll notice that none of the
other monks get into the story here; that's a hold-over from the original
outline, which I saw no need to change at this point.)  So this would've been
folded into an introduction to the order as they come to check out B5's
facilities.

                                                                       jms



#: 407562 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  04:55:56
Sb: #407550-<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Burhaan  Ahmad 75754,3065

      Not sure he *wanted* to die, as much as he felt it was *necessary* in
order to atone for the sins of another...his own "other," in this case.

                                                                       jms



#: 407842 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  12:21:46
Sb: #407736-#<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Tom Knudsen 72347,1626 (X)

     The third Serling story isn't so much strange, as were the other two, but
interesting, in that after that one first encounter with him, when I was
working on the new Twilight Zone series, they found an outline by Serling that
he had never put into script form...and they asked me to do the script based on
that outline, so here, twent-some years later, I ended up sharing a writing
credit with Serling on "Our Selena is Dying."  A collaboration, much after the
fact.

                                                                       jms



#: 407843 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  12:21:47
Sb: #407771-#<PTG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Philip Hornsey 74053,2101 (X)

     When you ask a Vorlon a question, you get what you get.

                                                                       jms



#: 407851 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  12:41:14
Sb: #407695-#Minbari line in 1st 3 ep
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Chad Underkoffler 102512,1310 (X)

     Just putting the gun on the table where everyone can see it before I pick
it up and pull the trigger...as I have done, more subtly, in a whole bunch of
other places, right through to the first season.

                                                                       jms



#: 407852 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  12:41:16
Sb: #407784-#Minbari line in 1st 3 ep
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jeff Frank 70402,3015 (X)

      Actually, it was in one of the first four episodes, not necessarily the
first three.

                                                                       jms



#: 408013 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  17:29:08
Sb: #407923-book question
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Richard L. Long 76562,2757 (X)

<Book of the five-year arc?>

     It's something I'll consider when we're finished with it all; right now
it's too much to even think about.

     And thanks....

                                                                        jms



#: 408175 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  22:27:49
Sb: #408027-<Gethsemane>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Lolita  . Maddalena 102701,3447 (X)

<When the brother died I blew my nose and thought it was over, but then you
bring the "new" brother to Sheridan and there I go again.  Really, it was an
almost cruel use of beauty.  Of course until the gill scene.  Eck.>

      "...a cruel use of beauty."  What a great way to phrase it.  Never heard
that before.  Thanks.

                                                                       jms



#: 408176 S5/Babylon 5: General
    30-Nov-95  22:27:49
Sb: #408104-Kosh Me This
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Daniel Mercure 72470,3713 (X)

<Wasn't Twikki in the opening credits of "Buck Rogers?"  Why not Kosh?>

      Twikki had a better agent than Kosh.

                                                                       jms


#: 408177 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    30-Nov-95  22:27:52
Sb: #408142-<PTG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Michael Grabois 74737,2600 (X)

<How would they have gotten the info from the Centauri in the original?>

     They would've gotten the info in a different way, without resorting to a
telepath.

                                                                       jms