lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs95-12

#: 408463 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  13:01:12
Sb: #408316-<Gethsemene>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Joe Salemi [ZD Net] 72631,23 (X)

      Thanks; eventually I'll get this writing thing figured out....

                                                                       jms


#: 408464 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  13:01:13
Sb: #408345-B5 in Hong Kong!!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: John Yuen 72466,1621

<B5 is on in Hong Kong>

      That's great.  My best wishes to all the new viewers down there.

                                                                       jms


#: 408465 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    01-Dec-95  13:01:15
Sb: #408420-#<PTG: Mind Wipe>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Colin Glassey 72370,743

<Mind wipes were presented too positively.>

      I'm not sure I presented it positively; I just presented it, didn't make
a moral judgement about it.  Some of those in the show did, but then we had
Edward saying it *isn't* moral, that it's a monstrous thing to do.  Like any
form of punishment it can seem fair to those not facing it.

                                                                       jms


#: 408466 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  13:01:18
Sb: #408428-#Rod Serling Story III
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Shelley Marshall 70751,2114 (X)

<What's the third Serling story?>

      Actually, I just posted it the other day...rather than posting it again,
if someone here could point out the message ID number, that would be better.
Nothing's more essentially boring than telling the same story twice at a
party....

                                                                       jms


#: 408653 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  18:31:45
Sb: #From jms: info
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: All

      I need a little help here from US netters, 'cause something strikes me as
a bit wonky.  I've been getting the market-by-market ratings reports, and just
today I sat down to really study them, and something doesn't track. The market
report doesn't seem to reflect where I *think* the shows are currently being
aired.  So to the favor...if you're in one of these areas, let me know if the
time given here is DIFFERENT FROM the time it actually plays in your area.
(This seems especially curious to me since the report shows WTTY Indianapolis
up through the past week, and it was my understanding that they had temporarily
dropped the show until WNDY picked it up.)

New York Fri 8P; Chicago TH 7P; Philadelphia Sat 8P; San Francisco Wed 8P;
Boston Sat 8P; Wash DC Thr 8P; Dallas Wed 8P; Detroit Tue 8P; Atlanta Sun 8P;
Houston Wed 7P; Cleveland Sat 8P; Seattle Wed 8P; Tampa Wed 8P; Minneapolis Wed
7P; Miami Fri 8P; St Louis Wed 12M; Sacramento Sun 8P; Phoenix Wed 7P; Denver
Sat 5P; Pittsburgh Sat 8P; Baltimore Wed 9P; Hartford Sat 5P; Orlando Tue 10P;
San Diego Sat 4P; Indianapolis Sun 9P; Portland Wed 8P; Milwaukee Sun 11P;
Kansas City Wed 8P; Charlotte Sun 11P; Cincinnati Sat 2P; San Antonio Wed 7P;
W. Palm Beach Thr 8P.

     Thanks for any help on this.

                                                                       jms

[NOTE: There have been dozens of replies for just about every area JMS
 listed -- BKB]

#: 408658 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  18:38:12
Sb: #408561-Kosh-ersize
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Bob Alberti 70764,410

<What does Kosh look like when he's not exerting himself?>

     He probably looks a lot like me....

                                                                       jms


#: 408659 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  18:38:13
Sb: #408564-#Video Toaster
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Roger St. Cyr 73774,3303

      Hey, I barely understand this stuff myself....

      Besides, I hear they've exported all the software over to DOS platforms
anyway, which don't use toasters.

                                                                       jms


#: 408661 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    01-Dec-95  18:38:15
Sb: #408588-Were are the Shadows
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: WADE R. AIKEN 102012,1764

<How does Bester fit into the whole Shadows-Psi Corps deal?>

      This question will be dealt with in "Ship of Tears," around mid-season.

                                                                       jms


#: 408723 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  20:38:27
Sb: #408680-B-5 Action Figures
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Les P. George 76162,1250

      No, there are currently no plans for B5 action figures.

                                                                       jms

#: 408724 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  20:38:27
Sb: #408672-From jms: info
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Tim Sullivan 76210,1066

     Les said in another message it plays in Atlanta on Saturday at 11, not 8.
Which is correct?

                                                                       jms



#: 408725 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  20:38:28
Sb: #408685-From jms: info
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Les P. George 76162,1250

     Tim in another message said Saturday at 8 for Atlanta; which is the
current time?

                                                                       jms



#: 408726 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  20:38:30
Sb: #408719-#From jms: info
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: paul wood 102710,3071

      Okay, follow-up...was there a period in the new episodes period (October
9 - Present) when WTTY *wasn't* showing the episodes, and it wasn't being shown
at all in Indianapolis?  I'd thought there was a gap there.

                                                                       jms


#: 408756 S5/Babylon 5: General
    01-Dec-95  21:14:24
Sb: #408653-#New Twilight Zone
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644 (X)

      Yes, I was involved with Twilight Zone v2.5, the 30 additional episodes
produced for syndication, as story editor and primary writer, doing 11 of the
total 30 episodes, plus 1 for the prior network run on CBS.  It was, all things
considered, a great experience.

                                                                       jms


#: 408833 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    02-Dec-95  01:00:07
Sb: #408776-<<Gethsemane>>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Toni Muller 75223,1575

      Thanks.  It's definitely the strongest of the first four, I think. And
Pat is nothing less than terrific.  If there was any sense of hesitation in her
appearance in "Divided Loyalties," it can be attributed to the fact that she
had just given birth to her son something like 4-6 weeks prior, if that much,
and this was pretty much her first day back in the saddle.

                                                                       jms


#: 408834 S5/Babylon 5: General
    02-Dec-95  01:00:10
Sb: #408778-the year of the war
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Bob Danielson 72614,737 (X)

<Shadow war is all done by the end of the year?>

      I think it's a bit broader than that.

                                                                       jms



#: 408835 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    02-Dec-95  01:00:11
Sb: #408828-#<PTG: Mind Wipe>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Jon Wolf 76103,2541 (X)

<Where was the mindwipe performed?>

      We established in "The Quality of Mercy" that the equipment to handle
mindwipes is there on-station, locked away until mandated by a court.  A court
assigned telepath is usually brought in to do a preliminary scan before it
happens and to verify the wipe immediately afterward.  In that same episode,
Talia was used only because a court teep wasn't available.

                                                                       jms


#: 408839 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
    02-Dec-95  01:07:36
Sb: #408812-#<Rage's Thots: PtG>
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Burhaan  Ahmad 75754,3065 (X)

     "It's pretty obvious, really."

     Heh, heh....

     "Look, over there, an elephant...."

                                                                       jms

#: 408857 S5/Babylon 5: General
    02-Dec-95  02:15:14
Sb: #408848-#B5 Screen Saver Arrived!
Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
To: Burhaan  Ahmad 75754,3065

     They're BAF files to include the wav files that accompany each and every
image.  There's also a large number of bmp files for wallpaper, though.

                                                                       jms

Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John McAuley                 Sunday, December 03, 1995 12:52:07 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409386

      Dunno about the UK availability; someone here has the 800 phone
number, which can be used for ordering, though.

      jms


Subj:  <Ptg:Prison Station>         Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  JOHN GRAVES                  Sunday, December 03, 1995 12:52:08 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409387

      No, the other brothers aren't mind-wiped.

      You're mis-remembering "The Quality of Mercy."  Telepaths do NOT
perform mindwipes.  A court appointed teep makes a scan before and after
for purposes of comparison, but the wipe is done by a device held under
lock and key until ordered out by a court.  The only reason Talia did it
in QoM was because they couldn't get a court teep there in the required
time (which was also stated in the episode).  So here the court appointed
telepath would have come and gone by now.

      jms


Subj:  Garibaldi's arm              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Chas T Freund,               Sunday, December 03, 1995 12:52:13 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409389

      Weird thing is that Claudia broke her foot in an episode where I
mentioned her foot (the same one, btw), and Jerry broke his arm in the
same episode where I have someone say to him, "What, you've got a broken
arm or something?"  Very, very weird...I've been asked *not* to make any
further reference to body parts of our various cast members, and I'm
*definitely* not having anything bad happen to any guest cast named
Dick....

      jms

Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Larry Rosenblum              Sunday, December 03, 1995 1:13:03 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409395

<Why did it take so long for a med team to get to Edward?>

      They were in a pretty distant part of DownBelow, and in B5 you don't
have trains or cars; there's just the transport tubes, and the central
core shuttle.  Even if they gave a damn about what happens to lurkers in
DownBelow (and they generally don't), it would still take at least 5-10
minutes to get a trauma team down there, and he was dead within about 3. 
(I was once mugged half a mile from a police station and a mile from a
hospital; took 'em 30 minutes to get there.)

     Sheridan and Theo didn't *discover* that Edward was using the
computer; Theo was concerned that he was looking into it in general.  And
if they had blocked the computer in his quarters, he would have been able
to access one somewhere else.  They didn't know he'd actually done it
until after the fact.

     jms


Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!           Section: Babylon 5: General  
To:  Burhaan  Ahmad           Tuesday, December 05, 1995 12:48:10 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410841

      {regarding B5 screen saver compatibility with win95}

      Apparently the program *is* win95 compatible, at least that's what
it says, I  haven't yet upgraded, waiting a) for the bugs to get worked
out, and b) until I have  the time required for the learning curve of
installation.

      jms


Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!           Section: Babylon 5: General  
To:  John Sheridan                  Tuesday, December 05, 1995 7:48:09 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411367

      <quoting John Sheridan to JMS>:

      >>The learning curve for installing WIN95 is pretty short Joe.
      >>It's getting all of your software to run *after* you install WIN95
      >>is where the learning curve can become quite long......<g>.

      Yeah, that's the part that worries me.

      jms


Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!           Section: Babylon 5: General  
To:  John McAuley             Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:12:12 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411911

      {regarding the losing of JMS's hair, due to pulling it out
       over win95}

      Funny.  Very funny.  Amerikanski humor.

      We bomb now.

      jms


Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!           Section: Babylon 5: General  
To:  Scott Withrow            Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:00:23 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411663

      {regarding a Mac version of the B5 screen saver}

      As I understand it, the company wants to come out with a Mac version
in a  re-release of the program sometime in the spring.  It's just hitting
the market and  already it's doing quite well.

       jms


Subj:  Submitted for....            Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Rae Augenstein   Sunday, December 03, 1995 12:52:10 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409388

      Don't know if the new TZs are playing anywhere, actually....

      jms


Subj:  Garibaldi's arm              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Elyse M. Grasso        Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:19 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410873

      {regarding rewriting due to broken arm}

     Actually just took a line or two to cover it, given what happened in
the previous episode.

     jms


Subj:  From jms: info               Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Steve Ruud                   Monday, December 04, 1995 1:54:03 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410254

      {regarding Tuesday 10pm time slot}

      This doesn't help me unless I know where it's airing; can you tell
me *where*  it's airing in this time slot?  Thanks.

      jms


Subj:  Vorlons and Shadows          Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein, 100417,3703      Sunday, December 03, 1995 8:43:27 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#409877

      {regarding Vorlons and Shadows being genetically related}

      Nope.

      jms



Subj:  B5 Questions                 Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  T.N.Tumbusch                 Monday, December 04, 1995 1:54:04 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410255

      No, no limit on jumps, but you tend to ride the beacon from one jump
gate to  the next to avoid getting lost.

      jms


Subj:  <PTG-Bravo!>                 Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  David Belt                   Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:05 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410866

      No, showing a tape to other folks is perfectly legal as long as no
admission  is charged.

      So you're welcome to do so, and welcome in general.

      jms


Subj:  AETR: B5 Promos              Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Trent K. Johnson             Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:07 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410868

      I don't know, but I would imagine WB has something....

      jms


Subj:  Hubble Photos                Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Rick Shelton [FL]            Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:13 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410870

     Actually I already downloaded the M16 shots from the Hubble web page, 
glorious stuff.

     jms


Subj:  Hubble Photos                Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Walter F. Hern               Tuesday, December 05, 1995 7:48:14 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411369

      {regarding crescent shaped ships flying near B5}

      I think those are the ones attacking a Narn cruiser, so they're
Centauri  mid-size attack craft.

      jms


Subj:  Hubble Photos                Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey         Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:00:25 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411664

      {regarding number of Narn casualties}

      Actually, yes, there are millions of dead; I think that either Vir
or Na'Far gets it right in "Strife," and the other misstates the figure in
the same episode.

      jms


Subj:  Hubble Photos                Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey, 74053,2101   Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:12:07
PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#411909

      {regarding the question of anyone saying "millions dead"}

     Just went back and checked the script; Ta'Lon refers to millions in
his  meeting with Sheridan.  (Knew I wasn't nuts....)

      jms


Subj:  B5 Screensaver               Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Jason Wong                   Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:14 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410871

     Actually it's hitting stores now.  (And there may be a Mac version
after the first  of the year.)

     jms


Subj:  Bill Mumy's show on Nick     Section: Babylon 5: General   
To:  Shelley Marshall         Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:17 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410872

      No, there's no conflict at all between our schedule and theirs; he's
producing  it from here, not acting in it.

      jms


Subj:  Minbari Souls                Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Sharon Foster                Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:52:00 AM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410906

      See my other note here about souls, this may clarify a bit.

      jms


Subj:  B5 interruptions             Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Raymond Chuang         Tuesday, December 05, 1995 7:48:06 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411365

      That stuff is entirely in the hands of the local stations.

      jms


Subj:  B5 Con#1 & Latvia            Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Mark Koro                    Tuesday, December 05, 1995 7:48:11 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411368

      With Doug...always worry.

      jms


Subj:  <Ptg:Prison Station>         Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey               Monday, December 04, 1995 2:10:22 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410059

      There are templates used, with some variations.  In a government
monitored  situation (which this wasn't, they thought he was dead),
mindwipes are kept in  servile positions, not allowed to achieve, as that
would be a kind of reward.   Those guys you see along the roadsides
picking up trash and putting them in  bright orange bags?  Mindwipes.

      jms


Subj:  <Ptg:Prison Station>         Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Paul Maskens (OMRI UK)       Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:05 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410867

      Man has been on Mars for just under 100 years.

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Robert Miller                Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:11 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410869

      One caveat here overall...it's been complimented and commented upon
that I  would expose a belief system in my show which I do not personally
agree with  (presenting the face of religion even though I'm an atheist).
That I could be this  tolerant is apparently praiseworthy.

      I would just suggest that at some point, when and if I should offer
a point of  view from another perspective, which one watching might not
personally agree  with, the same tolerance is given, since the virtue of
tolerating divergent attitudes  has been deemed praiseworthy...and is
something ever to strive for....

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Daena Hinkelman, 73554,1731  Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:52:02 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#410907

"The themes of faith and forgiveness were worthy of a theologian. Are you
sure  there isn't something you'd like to tell us?"

     Never shoot pool at a place called Pop's.  Never eat food at a place
called  Mom's.  The difference between horses and humans is that they're
too smart to be on what *we'll* do.

     And I have lost people.  Too many people.  Lost them to chance,
violence,  brutality beyond belief; I've seen all the senseless, ignoble
acts of "god's noblest  creature."  And I am incapable of forgiving.  My
feelings are with G'Kar, hand  sliced open, saying of the drops of blood
flowing from that open wound, "How do  you apologize to them?"  "I can't." 
"Then I cannot forgive."

     As an atheist, I believe that all life is unspeakably precious,
because it's only  here for a brief moment, a flare against the dark, and
then it's gone forever.  No  afterlives, no second chances, no backsies. 
So there can be nothing crueler  than the abuse, destruction or wanton
taking of a life. It is a crime no less than  burning the Mona Lisa, for
there is always just one of each.

     So I cannot forgive.  Which makes the notion of writing a character
who CAN  forgive momentarily attractive...because it allows me to explore
in great detail  something of which I am utterly incapable.  I cannot fly,
so I would write of birds  and starships and kites; I cannot play an
instrument, so I would write of  composers and dancers; and I cannot
forgive, so I would write of priests and  monks and minbari....

     jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John C. Brobston/PRCT  Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:12:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411907

      {regarding when JMS might publish a book on poetry}

      Never; my poetry really sucks....

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane>                 Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Mara K. Malovany             Sunday, December 03, 1995 4:40:01 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409727

      And, as I noted in a message just now, maybe he thinks that they
might be  telling the truth, that maybe something *is* going on.

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane>                 Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Mark D. Smith                Sunday, December 03, 1995 5:48:19 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409750

      {regarding a connection between the Vorlons and our religions}

       What, you really expect an answer....?

       jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane>                 Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Joe Salemi [ZD Net], 72631,23      Sunday, December 03, 1995
4:39:27 PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#409726

      And bear in mind that it's never just a common sense "oh, these guys
are  lying to me from Nightwatch, they're the bad guys."  It's always
couched in such a  way that it sounds like it *might* be a real concern. 
That was how McCarthy and  others terrorized this country during the
1950s.  There were plenty of people who  really *believed* that the Reds
had infiltrated every aspect of society, as well as  those who might've
had doubts, but figured that maybe where there's smoke  there IS fire.

       jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mind Wipe>             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Jon Wolf, 76103,2541         Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:11:12
AM From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#411666

      Re: mindwipes no longer considered people...this really is not that
much  different from prison inmates, who are given numbers, have no real
civil rights,  and are treated like cattle.  (And many of them deserve it;
a few deserve worse; a  few deserve better.)

      jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mind Wipe>             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey, 74053,2101   Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:12:06
PM From:  J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#411908

     On one level, I'm in favor of the death penalty.  I think that if
someone takes  your life deliberately, they sacrifice their own in return.
Some might say it's not a  deterrent in general...but it sure as heck
deters that specific person.

     *On the other hand*...I take that position mainly because nowadays,
when  someone is sentenced to life, "life" means about 15 years at best. 
If life  imprisonment MEANT life inprisonment, then I'd happily go for
that option above  the death penalty (and that certainly does leave room
for verdict corrections).

     jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mind Wipe>             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Greg Munsill           Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:12:09 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411910

      I just put the mindwipe issue out there, I didn't make a moral
judgment about  it...in 2260, that's what's done.  I just report the
news....

      jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mind Wipe>             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Carol Williams               Sunday, December 03, 1995 8:51:09 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409882

      {regarding Christ's repenting for the sins of others}

     Carol: *exactly* the right point.  In his earlier talk about
Gethsemane, Edward  mentioned that old JC had to go through all that to
atone for the sins of others;  when he sees Theo later, through the grate,
he uses the same notion of  atonement for the acts of another, in this
case, *his* other.  The logical parallel  parses pretty closely.

     jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mind Wipe>             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Carol Williams         Sunday, December 03, 1995 8:51:08 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #409881

      Yes, B5 has a court system, authorized by the Earth Alliance
Judicial System,  to conduct trials of this sort (which we've seen
before).  And in this case, again,  there wasn't a trial per se as Ivanova
noted; he pleaded guilty from the start, quite  proud of what he'd done. 
So all that remained was the sentencing.

      jms


Subj:  Minbari Religion             Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Scott Miller                 Tuesday, December 05, 1995 1:11:21 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #410874

     If there were just one pure and unchanged unvirsal soul running
through  everything, there wouldn't be any point in breaking itself into
pieces and investing  itself in different species/people...it would just
keep running into identical  versions of itself.

     So the soul form in Minbari is different from the soul form in
humans; also, in  their view, having been civilized longer than us, their
soul form is more elevated,  more evolved...and thus the pices are more
precious, to them, and to the Soul  Hunters.

      jms


Subj:  Admiral's Promise            Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Charles Agius          Wednesday, December 06, 1995 2:00:18 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #411661

      Apology accepted.  We move on.

      jms

Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  SysOp Dupa T. Parrot         Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:35:16 AM
From:  J.Michael Straczynski        #412456

      Yes, the .avi files play full-motion video and music/sound effects.
Check your  setup menu to make sure you've selected those files, and that
they're in the  directory, and that they've been marked to play.

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John C. Brobston/PRCT        Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:35:27 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412460

      {regarding athiest vs. agnostic}

      If all the things you describe were suddenly to happen, sure, I'd
have to give  my position serious thought, while turning down Stephen
Hawking's invitations  to dance and dodging the newly revived dead.  Now,
when is this supposed to  happen?  'Cause it hasn't happened yet, and
gives no indication of happening  anytime soon.  Which is, really, the
point.

      Let me try a different take on this whole agnostic/atheist thing, to
see if I can  better communicate my position.  My agent calls and says,
"Listen, the BBC  called, and they're interested in signing you up for a
two year documentary on the  mating habits of clams."  To which I respond,
"Great, but I'll believe it when it  happens."

      I do not say that the contract may, or may not exist; it either is,
or it isn't, and  my actions proceed from those two options.  Until I get
the contract actually in my  hand, it doesn't exist.  Until someone puts
the absolute proof out in front of me of  a deity, it doesn't exist. 
That's the difference; the agnostic says, well, maybe  there is, maybe
there isn't, who knows?  The atheist says, There is currently no  proof
whatsoever of this assertion, thus I choose not to believe it.

      There are, really, any number of schools on what atheism is or
isn't. Some  have taken this to be the notion of anti-religion, which I
think is unconstructive.  I  used to write a humor column for Madeline
Murry O'Hare's publication American Atheist back in the 1970s (betcha
didn't know that one, did you?).  Even did some  other writing, articles
and the like...until one day I realized that this (American  Atheist
Organization) wasn't about just providing equal respect and treatment for 
atheists, it was about knocking down religion and attacking others' belief
systems...at which time I resigned the magazine.

      To get back on track...mine is the kind of atheism you saw most
often around  the turn of the century, basically accommodational of
others, positive in outlook,  stressing the basic worth of the individual,
and the importance of the individual in  building a better society.

      Because of the more...rigorous atheists out there, atheism has, I
think, gotten  kind of a bad rap in some circles.  And a lot of it is
unfair, though I'd be foolish to  say that the criticisms were entirely
without merit.  But when then-President Bush  said, as he did in an
interview in Chicago during the last election, that he  "doesn't really
consider atheists patriots, since after all the idea is one nation  under
god," it brings you up a little short.  The founders of this country
weren't just  believers, they were deists and freethinkers and even the
occasional atheist.

      In any event...I hadn't meant to belabor the point.  This is simply
what I think.  I  don't usually get into it, but the question was raised,
so I answered it.  I don't  expect much of anyone else to agree, or to
convince anyone to think as I do.  And  that's fine, and as it should be.

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions>       Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Tom Knudsen                  Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:35:17 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412457

      {regarding athiest vs. agnostic}

      Yeah, well, I've kinda given it a *lot* of thought over a *very*
long period....

      jms


Subj:  From jms: info               Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  George  F. Kraus       Wednesday, December 06, 1995 8:13:12 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412188

      Alas, no tapes are currently available.

      jms


Subj:  ATTN:JMS <? About B4>        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Stephen C. Smith             Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:35:14 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412455

      {regarding Boxleitner taping "B5 Classic" intro}

     To which they would reply, "Terrific, great idea, but we're not going
to sacrifice  15-30 seconds of commercials so you can do this, so you're
going to have to go  in and cut 15-30 seconds out of the show."

     That time has to come from somewhere.

     jms


Subj:  To JMS                       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Michael Milutinovic    Wednesday, December 06, 1995 8:13:26 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412191

     No, there's really just the one Minbari religion, and the warrior
caste tends to  follow it, but not lead it.


     jms


Subj:  $0.04: <A Day in Strife>           Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming  
To:  Ruth Ballam              Wednesday, December 06, 1995 8:28:00 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski             #412207

     You're saying Sinclair was the chosen one...first, you don't know
what he was  chosen FOR.  Second, if this is entirely true, why would
Zathras look Sinclair  dead in the face and say "NOT the one"?

     As for "why would he change his story"...nothing is set in stone; if
you were a  writer, you'd know that an outline only gets you into the
story and the main points.   I've had whole novels that I've written
abruptly change direction halfway through  because of something I
discovered midway that was better than what I'd planned  initially.  You
adjust.  No outline ever survives contact with the enemy.

     If, tomorrow, I decided that the rest of this story would be better
if Sheridan  were transformed into a giant blue space moose, that's
exactly what I'd do.

     jms 


Subj:  Max (Richard Moll)           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Melanie Moser                Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:35:24 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412459

      Thanks.  At this point, Richard's part was a one-shot, but if we
come up with  the right role, I'd love to see him again.

      jms


Subj:  B5 Screen Saver Arrived!  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Tom Knudsen      Thursday, December 07, 1995 1:58:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412731

      {regarding the .avi files having video}

      No, the personnel files don't have them, only the
battle, ship and geo files.

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions> Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  David Cerreta    Thursday, December 07, 1995 8:37:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412951

      {regarding quoting JMS's post about atheism}

      By all means, quote away....

      jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions> Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Rick Corey /NY   Thursday, December 07, 1995 8:37:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412953

      {regarding religion}

      I guess I'm partly leery of going into my personal views
on this stuff too much  because I'm very conscious of the
position of "celebrity" in our society, even as  minor a
celebrity as that of producer, of which there cannot possibly
be a smaller  version of celebrity.  It's possible to use
one's position as a platform for  advancing one's own personal
views, or propagating them, and I don't want to do  that, or
to be perceived as doing that.

      jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Robt Martin,     Thursday, December 07, 1995 1:58:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski  #412732

     You used to edit Fangoria?

     So are you currently appealing the conviction...?

     jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Robt Martin      Friday, December 08, 1995 2:44:26 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #413113

      {regarding Mr. Martin's editing of Fangoria}

      Actually, the best thing about Fangoria are the 
conventions....

      jms


Subj:  $0.04: <A Day in Strife>  Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Nigel Nixon      Thursday, December 07, 1995 2:10:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412743

     And this is quite correct; WB had always wanted a well
known actor in that  rols, so when we decided to make the
change, WB repeated this, and urged us  strongly in this
direction.  Happily, Bruce was known to us through Doug and 
John who'd worked with him on other projects, and said he was
a swell guy in  addition to a terrific actor; we met, talked,
and that was that.

         jms


Subj:  <PTG: Mindwipe>        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Michael Guenther Thursday, December 07, 1995 8:37:03 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412950

      I'd say there's some similarity in the process, yes.

      jms


Subj:  Jump Points            Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John Cissna      Thursday, December 07, 1995 8:37:08 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412954

     No, I'm reasonably sure that the Centauri vessels that
came through were  considerably larger than the White Star;
the problem, of course, is determining  size visually in
space, where there isn't a reference point.

     jms


Subj:  Another B5 Pun               Section: Promenade Alpha
  To:  Andrew Diseker   Thursday, December 07, 1995 8:37:10 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #412955

      The Nuremberg War Crimes Committee would like a word
with you, Mr.  Diseker....

         jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane questions> Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Tom Knudsen      Friday, December 08, 1995 8:28:14 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #413425

      {regarding JMS's celebrity status}

      Yeah, I don't really buy into the celebrity notion; what
I do is what I do, no  different than a teacher or an archi-
tect; both require varying levels of creativity.   Main thing
wrong with celebrity is that people start viewing you differ-
ently...and  Kosh help you if your own view of yourself starts
to reconcile too much with that  new perception.

       jms


Subj:  Rerun Schedule Worry   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Kevin Kenney     Friday, December 08, 1995 8:35:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #413430

      I don't think I'll be able to change the schedule; my
guess is that they'll do a  full run of episodes in July,
which they did in our first year, but didn't do in our 
second.

      jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa/Jawa #2, Saturday, December 09, 1995 11:14:08 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414000

     We're making 22 episodes this year; interestingly enough,
because the  ratings have been doing quite well, there have
been some informal talks initiated  by some folks at PTEN
about us doing an additional 2 hours in the form of a  direct-
to-video movie, something to hold folks over between seasons. 
So in that  sense we'd be doing 24 this season.  It's not
finalized, but we're very encouraged  that they're considering
trying this with us.  We won't have any final disposition on 
this until well after Christmas, however.  The problem will be
in getting all the  pertinent WB divisions to work together on
this with us, and working with PTEN in  the sense that it
won't be aired initially until much later, which may be a 
stumbling block...but we'll see.  Still, it's a great vote of
confidence.

      jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  SysOp Lee Whiteside  Sunday, December 10, 1995 5:02:23 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414104

      {regarding direct-to-video B5 movie}

      Yeah, it'd have to be kind of like the comics...it would
add something to the arc, be complementary to it (like the
"shadows past" miniseries was complementary to "Divided
Loyalties" and stuff yet to come), but more or less  able to
stand on its own.

      Like I said, though, it ain't final yet, still in the
talking stages....

      jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Sunday, December 10, 1995 7:38:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414396

      {regarding story ideas for direct-to-video movie}

      I'd advise against suggesting story areas for this,
Philip.

      jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Neil Blevins     Sunday, December 10, 1995 7:38:02 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414394

      {regarding making videos of B5 episodes}

     Won't work.  Their logic (such as it is) is that if
people have already seen the  episode on TV, they won't want
to buy it...but a direct-to-video supplemental  episode, by
virtue of *not* having been aired, IS commercially viable.

     What can I say...?

     jms


Subj:  <PTG-Bravo!>           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Felix Ling Saturday,   December 09, 1995 11:14:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414001

      Thanks.  It's a hard thing to walk the line between not
being effective and  being heavy-handed...I think it worked
quite well in that respect.

      jms


Subj:  <PTG--more questions>  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Mara K. Malovany Saturday, December 09, 1995 11:14:12 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414002

     The sculpture...wasn't exactly what I had in mind, no....

     Re: the Centauri...note that Edward wasn't killed where
they found him. He  was taken and killed elsewhere, in a area
they'd more or less secured for that  purpose.  That was the
area he knew about.

      jms


Subj:  A couple of Questions  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Tim and Laurie   Sunday, December 10, 1995 7:38:08 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414397

     Yes, he had the momentum from his jump, plus that of the
core shuttle itself  (which is considerable), plus the wind
currents toward the center of the station  area/garden, which
area also considerable.  Together that would be enough to 
keep him moving toward the outer edge of the garden area.

     No, the Narns do not have artificial gravity, which is
why we've always shown  them belted into their seats in five-
point harnesses.

     jms


Subj:  B5: Winter duldrums    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa/Jawa #2   Sunday, December 10, 1995 7:47:18
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414407

      {regarding direct-to-video B5 movie}

       Whoa, whoa, whoa...Jawa, don't mis-state the situation.
The deal still hasn't  been set, and even if it were, it
couldn't possibly be out "sometime after  christmas," during
the rerun cycle.

       It might be able to come out *between seasons three and
four* is, I believe,  what I said.  Bear in mind that I'd have
to write it, it takes 4-6 weeks to prep such  a thing, 15-16
days to shoot it, then another 52 days to finish post.

       Just to clarify...I don't want this getting picked up
and announced as fact yet  when it ain't.  Still may not even
happen.

       jms


Subj:  Hague back             Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Barbara Pfieffer Saturday, December 09, 1995 11:14:05
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #413999

     You'll be hearing more about General Hague in the next
batch of episodes; as  for the two-parter, I'm about 13 pages
from the end of part one, which I hope to  turn in on Monday,
and the second part will probably be in after the Christmas 
break.

     jms

Subj:  A couple of Questions  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Melanie Moser    Sunday, December 10, 1995 11:24:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414498

      {regarding artificial gravity on Narn ship in the
       novel _Blood_Oath_}

      Urk...that must've slipped past me (which reminds me,
I'd better get back to  finishing proofing the next novel). 
And yes, we'll see more of the Narn  homeworld as we go along.

      jms


Subj:  Not B5                 Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Sharon Foster    Sunday, December 10, 1995 11:24:03 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414497

      {regarding a show called "Vanishing Son"}

     Nope, don't know a thing about it, only heard the name
here and there.

         jms


Subj:  Harlan Signs in LA/SF  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  All              Monday, December 11, 1995 2:09:10 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414554

     Harlan Ellison will be signing copies of his new CD-rom
game, "I Have No  Mouth, And I Must Scream," based on his
award-winning short story of the same  name, at Tower Video in
two locations in the coming week:

     In Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 13th, at 8801
Sunset Boulevard  from 6-7:30 p.m. and in San Francisco from
6-8 p.m. at 3205 20th Avenue, 2nd  floor on Thursday, December
14th.

     jms



Subj:  Episodes on Tape       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  William H. DiPaola  Monday, December 11, 1995 2:11:10
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #414555

      We're still trying to work this out.

         jms


Subj:  G'Kar Trading Card     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Jason Wong       Tuesday, December 12, 1995 3:14:17 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415066

      {regarding G'Kar not being on the card}

     Is this the one on the actual card, or the promo four-
card?  I knew it was wrong  there, and I'd thought we'd caught
it before the finished versions were out.

         jms


Subj:  Rage's Thots: Comm ?   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Chad Underkoffler  Tuesday, December 12, 1995 3:14:18
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415067

      Yes, long-distance com systems like StellarCom are
tachyon based;  communication inside hyperspace to and from
normal space is very difficult and  problematic due to the
differing physics involved; the beacons ships ride in  between
jumpgates are more or less anchored to the gates at the
hyperspace  side.

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

      jms


Subj:  Rage's Thots: Comm ?   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Wednesday, December 13, 1995 7:36:14
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415819

      {regarding there being physical protrusions into
      hyperspace}

     Not that anyone's discovered yet.  (Don't read into that
more than there is.)

      jms


Subj:  ATTN:JMS <? About B4>  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Mitchell Schneider  Tuesday, December 12, 1995 7:51:15
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415353

     "...yeah, I was shooting the breeze with Jon just a few
days ago. Jon's going to  try and get B2 re-run on my sugges-
tion."

     Er...it's Joe, actually.

     That aside, thanks for the kind words, and we'll try to
get it rerun.

     jms


Subj:  Compuserve Name for JMS  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Dan T. Davis     Wednesday, December 13, 1995 7:41:02
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415822

      {regarding picking your own CompuServe name}

      Actually, I haven't picked any such name...what's the
procedure for doing this?

        jms



Subj:  ATTN:JMS <? About B4>  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Chris C. Franks  Thursday, December 14, 1995 2:16:10 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415971

      {regarding one of the Turner stations running
       the first season of B5}

     They'll be playing the entire series, but not until the
show has run its full  course, so around 1998.

     jms


Subj:  I Have No Mouth game   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Brian A. Thomas  Thursday, December 14, 1995 2:16:11 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415972

      {regarding "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream"}

      Wouldn't hurt to read the story first.  It's a great
story.

      jms



Subj:  Babylon 4              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Michael "GANDALF" Kalus Thursday, December 14, 1995
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416204

     Babylons 1-3 were destroyed during the very early stages
of construction, so  not that much was done.  They poured a
LOT of money into B4, which was very  big...when that one went
 south, they decided to try one last time, with a  stripped-
down version, B5.  B4 vanished 4 years prior to the first
season of B5.

    jms


Subj:  JMS: Best party ep?    Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Robert Pierce,   Thursday, December 14, 1995 2:16:09 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #415970

      {regarding which upcoming episode would be best
       to have a B5 party for}

     If you want some fun with your wham, and there's a lot of
fun to be had in this  one, go for the first one up, "Voices
of Authority."  If you want serious, serious  wham, go for
"Messages From Earth."

    jms

Subj:  Screen Saver Audio     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Shirley DeCarufelFriday, December 15, 1995 12:26:05 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416434

     Actually, the "cricket" sounds are the identicard
scanning sounds used in the  pilot movie.

      jms



Subj:  Hague back             Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John M. Kahane   Friday, December 15, 1995 5:05:20 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416505

     At the office, I use the Kinesis keyboard, with two key-
wells, not broken lines.   Works well.

         jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John M. Kahane   Friday, December 15, 1995 5:05:24 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416506

      {regarding "Passing Through Gethsemane" ep}

      Thanks.  Adam did a great job interpreting the script on
that one, and it's  definitely one of our most successful
episodes...though today I took a look at  another, more
completed version of episode 8, "Messages," and *man* is this 
amazing...just a knockout...trouble is we keep raising our own
bar and won't  accept anything less...so the pressure becomes
quite astonishing after a while.

     Fun, though....

         jms


Subj:  Babylon 4        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Michael "GANDALF" Kalus  December 15, 1995 5:12:27 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416508

     "wasn't nearly enough time"

     If you apply 20th century construction models, sure...but
we've advanced quite  a bit in 250 years.

      jms


Subj:  Babylon 4              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Michael "GANDALF" Kalus  December 15, 1995 5:38:03 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416676

      {regarding not enough time...}

      Except, of course, there's no need to transport steel
and other materials from  Earth...if that's your premise then
it's seriously flawed. You mine ore from the  surrounding
asteroids, as NASA has described for some time could be done. 
 You could assemble the shell off Earth in pieces fairly
quickly, use the jump gate  to get it to Epsilon Eridani, and
mine whatever else you need there in the area  fairly effi-
ciently.

      Bear in mind that building a station like this in 2260
uses many of the same  techniques already being used else
where...so in many cases it's a matter of  slightly converting
what's already being mass produced for other reasons.  
Explorer vessels like the Cortez, for instance, are nearly as
long as Babylon 5 (as  seen in "A Distant Star"), and its
rotating section is nearly as wide.  And you've  got other big
ships, many with rotational areas for gravity-positive
sections.  This  isn't like NASA gearing up to make a one-off
of something; this is a matter of  adjusting technology
already in use.

         jms


Subj:  Babylon 4              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John McAuley     Saturday, December 16, 1995 1:54:17 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416849

      {regarding acquiring raw materials to build B5}

     Aside from the hull stuff which would've been constructed
elsewhere and  shipped in and assembled, they would've mined
the asteroids for most of the  raw materials needed.

         jms


Subj:  Babylon 4              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John McAuley     Saturday, December 16, 1995 9:38:13 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417210

      {regarding B5 winning a Cult TV award}

      I know we won one, and I believe it was this past year,
yes; a very nice  engraved glass award.

         jms


Subj:  Kosh and the Shadows   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Birgit Kohls     Friday, December 15, 1995 5:13:00 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416509

      {regarding why they didn't kill Kosh}

     Course, a dead Vorlon would be a major giveaway for
them...best to keep a  low profile, at least for the time
being.

       jms


Subj:  <TFON - Religion>      Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Colin Glassey    Friday, December 15, 1995 5:38:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416678

      Yes, those are pretty much the two interpretations...
that the Vorlons *created*  the myth of angels, or that they
came in and *exploited* it for their own purposes.  In my
view, the latter seems more logical in some ways.

         jms


Subj:  <TFON - Religion>      Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Saturday, December 16, 1995 9:38:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417212


      {regarding assumption that Vorlon standardized beliefs}

      On the other hand, I didn't say that was the case in all
places and in all cases.

         jms


Subj:  What's In A Name (Kosh)  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein  Friday, December 15, 1995 5:38:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416680

      <Quoting Gerald Himmelein to JMS>:

      >two days ago, I finally got around to purchase the
      >Compact Disc release of The  Who's classic WHO'S NEXT
      >album [remastered, with bonus tracks and new liner 
      >notes... really nice...] from 1971.

      >When I read through the fine print, I found myself
      >gasping in surprise.

      >"Original vinyl sleeve design by Kosh."

      <snip>

      >This Kosh appears to be a  photigrapher and designer,
      >and he apparently went with just that name, just  Kosh.

      <snip>

      >my question would be whether you were aware of this 
      >designer / photographer talent of the 70's and if his
      >name became the inspiration for the Vorlon Ambassador.


      No, I'd absolutely never heard this story before...I'm
astounded....

      jms


Subj:  What's In A Name (Kosh)  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein        December 16, 1995 1:54:16 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416848

      {regarding JMS's taste in music}

     Basically, I'm a fan of *all* music, except hard-stuff
country and opera.

        jms


Subj:  B5 Videos Yet Again    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Trent K. Johnson Saturday, December 16, 1995 9:38:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417213

     We'd almost certainly go for tapes initially...videodisks
would mean  remastering all the film stock back to its
original aspect ratio, and we're talking  major bucks here.

         jms


Subj:  Screen saver frustration  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Bob Danielson    Saturday, December 16, 1995 9:46:03 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417222

      To get at the files, you have to follow these steps: use
the Install part of the  setup menu, which takes you to the
CDrom.  Highlight the files in the Images  directory.  Then
copy them into the correct directory on your hard drive.  Once
that's done, you then select the images you want.  Also be
sure that the image  categories are toggled on your setup menu
(personal info, battle info, images  (all vs. selected) and so
on.

     I've found that every once in a while, a video piece will
bump into my system.   What's weird is that I have two
identical systems, one at the work office, one at  home...on
the work office system, every single image works without
problem.  At  home, one of the images bumps into windows and
shuts me down.

     The best way to find out which is doing this is to
individuall select the areas  (i.e., first select just Battle
Info, or Geological Info, and de-select all the others in  the
setup menu).  Let those run through, and if there's not a
problem, try the next  one.  Since they go in order, you can
figure out pretty fast which one is causing  you a problem. 
I did this, and now my system at home works fine, after
omitting  one of the ship info files that, again, runs just
fine on the work system.

         jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Richard M. Perry Sunday, December 17, 1995 1:54:19 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417309

      {regarding using SW and ST doing well as an argument
       for getting B5 eps for sale on tape}

     Nope.  Doesn't work.  They see Star Wars and ST as
valuable commodities;  they don't see us that way because they
*know* us, and we're just a show of  theirs, one of many. 
This is the way it *always* goes, though.  On Star Wars, they 
gave away most of the merchandising rights because they didn't
think anybody  would want the stuff; on ST they canceled it
after 3 seasons and didn't bother to  protect the copyright on
the stuff for almost ten years (which is why they often  don't
prosecute stuff based on the first series that gets pirated)
because they  figured it was worthless.

     It's only LONG after the horse has left the barn that the
suits ever really  understand what they've got...or had.

         jms


Subj:  From jms: info         Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner   Sunday, December 17, 1995 10:27:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417659

     Yes, the ratings on WSBK have been up between a half a
point and a full  ratings point over where it was, now that
they've stabalized it.  Which is what  we've been saying would
happen for some time.

     This is probably the overwhelming problem we've had with
the few stations  that've been shuffling the show around...
they don't give it a stable time slot,  constantly pre-empt
it, put it on at 3 a.m., and say it doesn't do good numbers. 
Well, duh.  But as soon as they GIVE it a solid spot, even
if it's only for a little  while, the difference is noticeable
almost instantly.  And then it *does* do well for  them.

     What're you gonna do....it's Chinatown, Jake....

     jms


Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein Sunday, December 17, 1995 10:27:14 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417662

      {regarding if Garibaldi's shooting was pre-planned}

     No, the shooting of Garibaldi was always a very strong
part of the story for the  end of first season; that line goes
all the way back to the pilot, and Laurel  Takashima.

         jms



Subj:  Ds9 Cancellation Rumor       Section: Star Trek: DS9
  To:  Ted Wilcox       Sunday, December 17, 1995 10:47:23 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417671

"I agree it is rediculous but JMS reported it at a Comic
conference somewhere  and I was giving what I consider good
advice to all who wish to do something  positive in lieu of
his negative comment. Read previous messages about the 
cancellation rumor so you can direct your anger to the proper
sources. I did not  start this and I will not speak further on
this rumor because it is exactly what JMS  wants. He loves for
us to argue among ourselves. Be careful, he may be reading 
and enjoying this right now!"

       Excuse me just one damned minute here.  I just found
out about this thread,  and once again this is being totally
and 100% distorted by you.

       I have never, ever, at any time posted a rumor saying
"Hey, DS9 is going to  be canceled."  If you can find it, and
post it, I will resign from Compuserve  *instantly* and
*permanently*.  But you won't, because it doesn't exist.  What
you,  and a few others, do is take what *was* said, throw it
out there to cause a  firestorm, which gets me in trouble.

       What I said was this: that at the time all this took
place, several months ago,  there were several articles
published -- in TV Guide, in the Los Angeles Times,  elsewhere
quoting people like Kerry McCluggage, the head of Paramount,
who  was concerned that having two ST shows around was cutting
into the potential  viewers for Voyager.  Even one of the exec
producers over at ST commented, in  the LA Times article, that
they may have gone to the well once too often.

       At the same time as this, there was a rumor floating
around town, which is  *still* floating around, that Paramount
was concerned about the notion of two  shows splitting the
potential ST audience...an audience that is necessary to 
Voyager as the cornerstone for the Paramount Network, UPN.
There's much to  be said for canceling one show, DS9, so that
there's only one place to go if you  want to see Star
Trek...Voyager.  Because Paramount has *millions* of dollars 
more invested in their network than in the standard syndica
tion deal for DS9.

       The *possibility* was being discussed, came the word on
the street. And  several other people in the industry, who
work in post production and sound  editing at the other
studios around town, came forth and supported this by saying 
they'd heard much the same.  But it's only woolgathering,
nothing more, and I  never said it WAS anything more than
that.  But a few people like you and a  couple of others have
taken that one message, which I posted only once, here,  not
some "comics conference," and crossposted it to other forums,
paraphrased  it, distorted it, and changed it around in order
to make it look like I posted a rumor  that I *never* in fact
posted, for the simple purpose of causing me grief.

       While there's much to commend this electronic forum,
what's *wrong* with it  at root is that people can come in
here, post something like this as if it's true,  and then you
have to respond to it and chase it down.

       Knowing folks here, I'm sure *somebody* has my original
post filed away  somewhere.  I'm happy to see that reposted,
because it is exactly as I have  characterized it.

       Look, I get in enough trouble for the things I *really*
say without other people  putting words in my mouth and
deliberately distorting it.

       I have never, ever, at any time, said that DS9 was
going to be canceled, or  that there was a rumor on the
streets that DS9 was going to be canceled.  Never  happened. 
Are we clear on this now?

         jms


Subj:  Ds9 Cancellation Rumor       Section: Star Trek: DS9
  To:  J. Michael Straczynski December 18, 1995 1:54:05 AM
From:  Georg Buthe                  #417721

>       Knowing folks here, I'm sure *somebody* has my original post filed
> away somewhere. I'm happy to see that reposted, because it is exactly as I
> have characterized it.

Sure, no problem.

People read into messages what they want to read. Human
nature.

Georg Buthe

------------------------quote---------------------------------
>%: 358451 S2/Star Trek  [SFMEDIA]
>    06-Oct-95  06:25:18
>Sb: #357994-VOYAGER'S BAD TREK
>Fm: J. Michael Straczynski 71016,1644
>To: Mary Taylor 75530,2650

     Speaking of TPTB, here's an interesting angle on the
whole Voyager/DS9 dynamic.

     Recently, more and more, the ST execs (people like Berman
and Pillar) have been commenting publicly about the factional
ization of the SF TV marketplace, and how this has diminished
the numbers for the ST shows overall.  Most interestingly, one
of them commented in an LA Times article this past week that
a big problem for them is the factionalization *within*
ST...that people may only have time to watch one version of ST
 that week, and they're being forced to choose.  And, of
course, there are the debates between the two sides on
quality.

     Which dovetails precisely into the rumor running around
town that Paramount is considering giving the axe to DS9 after
this season, in order to force folks who want their ST to
watch Voyager...because they have more money invested right
now in Voyager, particularly in start-up, and they have their
hopes for the Paramount network pinned to Voyager as their
center. They don't like the idea of a syndicated show out
there causing problems for the network on which they've spent
millions and millions of dollars.  And DS9's ratings have been
steadily on the decrease since the debut.  So the logic goes:
take away DS9, and make those who want Trek go to Voyager as
the sole provider of that.

     Given the sources from whom this has come, I give very
high credibility to the notion that this *is* being discussed;
whether or not it will be implemented, that only time will
tell.  If Voyager continues to decrease, threatening the
foundations of Paramount's bid for a network, I'd think the
chances of this happening will continue to rise.

      jms 

>Subj:  Ds9 Cancellation Rumor       Section: Star Trek: DS9
>  To:  Georg Buthe      Monday, December 18, 1995 3:11:01 AM
>From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417729

     THANK you.  As the message said, the topic *was* being
discussed, but that  there was no indication as to whether or
not that step would eventually be  implemented.  And others
confirmed this.  Nowhere in that message was it  stated by me
that the show *is* going to be canceled, or that I'd heard
anyone  else say that it was going to be canceled.

     With luck, this will finally put an end to the distor
tions that get around, thanks  to some people who want to fuel
online wars.

     Thanks again for digging this out.

       jms




Subj:  Ds9 Cancellation Rumor       Section: Star Trek: DS9
  To:  Stephen C. Smith Sunday, December 17, 1995 10:53:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417674

     Stephen: check my comment to Ted.

         jms


Subj:  JMS: Best party ep?    Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Lynn Dimock      Friday, December 15, 1995 5:05:19 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416504

      <Quoting Lynn Dimock to JMS>:

>Why does your saying an episode is serious make me so
>nervous?

     I don't know, but it should make you *really* nervous....


         jms


Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner   Sunday, December 17, 1995 10:27:08 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417660

      <Quoting Anne Warner to JMS>

      >Without suggesting anything that hasn't been clearly
      >indicated on the air as  interesting history, could we
      >give you our opinions about what "history" we'd like 
      >to see???

      >One of my votes would go to Valen and the origins of
      >the Grey Council.


     Then you will get your wish, and then some.


         jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Friday, December 15, 1995 5:38:08 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #416679

      <Quoting Philip Hornsey to JMS>:

>Did Adam Nimoy direct Messages?

     No, Mike Vejar directed "Messages."

        jms


Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Saturday, December 16, 1995 9:38:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #417211

      {regarding Nimoy doing any others}

     We're currently working that out.

         jms


Subj:  Ds9 Cancellation Rumor       Section: Star Trek: DS9
  To:  Colin Knowles   Wednesday, December 20, 1995 6:28:29 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419339

      {regarding why Paramount doesn't move DS9 to UPN}

     I don't know for certain, but I'd suspect that there are
contractual elements  prohibiting this.  UPN is an alliance
between Paramount and Chris Craft  Television; at this point,
CCT is paying virtually all the money for developing and 
airing the shows, with Paramount contractually able to buy 50%
of the network  sometime in the next year or so.  (This per
the trades and reports in industry  business journals.)

     DS9 is currently owned exclusively by Paramount.  Many of
the stations that  currently air DS9 are not necessarily part
of the UPN network; some are Tribune  stations, or other
independents.  If they made it part of UPN, they would then 
have to shuffle around a lot of stations, and might end up
losing better time slots  and it's a *lot* of hassle.  And
Paramount would have to be willing to turn over  partial
ownership of DS9 to Chris Craft (here I'm guessing), and they
may not  want to do that, may possibly not be *able* to do so
by contract.

     It's a very confusing corporate web, not that unlike the
situation which basically  prevents B5 from going to the WB
network.

      jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein   Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:03
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418138

      <quoting Gerald Himmelein to JMS>:

      >Meaning that originally, Garibaldi was going to be shot
      >at by Laurel and since  she dropped out after The
      >Gathering, you used Garibaldi's second in command  as
      >a trap door? Very nicely done.

     Correct, had Laurel stayed with the station, it would've
been she who pulled  the trigger on Garibaldi.

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John McAuley     Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:05:04 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418804

      <quoting John McAuley to JMS>:

      >Would Laurel have been a PsiCorps-personality-implant-
      >mole?

     Yes, Laurel would've been Control.

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa #2     December 19, 1995 11:05:06 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418805

      <quoting The Jawa / Jawa #2 to JMS>:

      >Is it true that for awhile, the traitor was going to be
      >Ivanova?

     No, after the thread with Laurel was revealed, lots of
people *assumed* that  that thread had been passed along to
Ivanova.  It had never in fact been intended  for her, but
when it was broached, I simply didn't reply, on the theory
that if I said it  *wasn't* her, it'd narrow it down to who it
*was*.

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa #2     December 20, 1995 6:28:22 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419337

      <quoting The Jawa / Jawa #2 to JMS>:

      >So, like Sheridan, Ivanova wasn't a "replacement"
      >character?

     All the characters are unique; there seems to be this
bone-headed notion, that  I frequently run into, of "Well,
Ivanova's just Takashima renamed," or "Sheridan's  story is
just the same as Sinclair's, same guy just renamed."  They're
*not* and  never have been.  The story of one does not devlove
automatically upon the  other.  If you make a change, it's
because you have something better in  mind...otherwise why
make it?

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Robert Miller    Thursday, December 21, 1995 4:07:15 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419589

      <Quotong Robert Miller to JMS>:

      >If Laurel had stayed on the show, would she have
      >received the password by this  point in the story?  Who
      >would then have taken over as second in command? 

     If Laurel *had* stayed with the show, by the middle of
year two the fact that she  was Control would've been revealed
via the password incident. At that point, one  particular
possibility was that her second in command under her -- a
rather dour  Russian lieutenant named Ivanova -- would've been
promoted to take her place,  while Laurel was moved off the
chessboard. (This was planned because we  knew going in that
Tamlyn Tomita had a growing film career, and we probably 
could've only kept her for a couple of years in the best of
circumstances.  So why  not turn that to your advantage?)

     The position now being occupied by Corwin, Ivanova's
second, is the position  that Ivanova would've held (though
more prominently) if Laurel had stayed on.   (And no, Corwin
doesn't now have that arc lurking in the background.)

     See, it's easy to stick to an outline and never diverge
if you're writing  characters in a novel; in a TV show, with
live actors, you have to be flexible, plan  ahead, come up
with contingency plans, and have threads that weave and 
interlock in ways to leave you maximum flexibility while still
proceeding toward  your destination.

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa #2     December 19, 1995 11:14:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418813

     "I *liked* Laurel!"

     Well, yes, that's rather the point; tragedy is only
tragedy if it happens to  someone you care about and like.

        jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa #2     December 20, 1995 6:28:26 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419338

      <Quoting The Jawa / Jawa #2 to JMS>:

      >Laurel would not have shot Garibaldi, though, right?

     Yes, Laurel would've shot Garibaldi.

     The tragedy rule is the #1 rule if you're going to make
people care about your  characters.

        jms

Subj:  From jms: info         Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anita Karve      Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:05 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418139

      {regarding Anita's move from Boston to San Francisco
       and her adoration of the show}

       Thanks.  (And that's quite a long move, and a different
climate.)

         jms

Subj:  From jms: info         Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Bill Sheldon     Tuesday, December 19, 1995 4:46:16 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418230

      <Quoting Bill Sheldon to JMS>:

      >I was at SDCC for your showing of the TLTS, my 
      >favorite episode to date.  <snip>  I saw a  really nice
      >Duck Dodgers animation cell.  Did you get an early 
      >X-mas present  from yourself?

      No, didn't pick up that one, though I thought about it. 
Problem is there's too  MUCH cool stuff at SDCC...which is why
I go every year.

        jms

Subj:  ATTN:JMS <? About B4>  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Jason Wong       Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418140

      <Quoting Jason Wong to JMS>:

      >Just curious: is the season 2 ender going to be re-run?
      >I noticed that it was  replaced with the season 3
      >opener at the end of this batch of re-runs, and was 
      >curious as to why.

     Actually, the season 2 opener was "Points of Departure,"
which wasn't rerun in  this batch, but rather "Hunter/Prey,"
chosen because it sets up some stuff in the  next batch of
episodes.

         jms

Subj:  Looking Back and Forward  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John M. Kahane   Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418142

       Jeez...where do I even start with that one...?

       Okay, "how would I evaluate the work that I've done on
the series to this  point."  (I assume this refers to the
scriptwriting part of my duties, rather than the  producing
part.)

       The first season, I think, was pretty fair.  There were
some rough spots here  and there.  There's a thing known to
athletes called getting "in the zone," that's  when you're
absolutely on target, in the groove, whatever jargon you wish
to throw in.  In any first season of a show, no matter howmuch
advance planning  has gone into the thing, there's a shakedown
period as you find out what really  *does* and doesn't work. 
There was a fair amount of that in year one.

       I think I only really popped into the "zone" a few
times, with the first real such  experience being "And the Sky
Full of Stars."  Once I hit it, I was able to find the  target
again a few more times that season, with "Mind War," "Babylon
Squared,"  "Chrysalis" and a couple of others.  But that was
about it.  I was trying to find a  new way of telling a story
for TV, and while I'd been thinking about it for a long  time,
there was never a chance to get in any *practice* because
except for  Power, which had a few arc aspects to it, no other
show WORKS like B5 in this  respect.  So there was still a
learning curve.

       Season two, I think, I started to Get It more often,
and more consistently.  I'd  learned a lot doing year one, and
was able to apply it. I don't think I could've  written "The
Coming of Shadows" in year one, I just hadn't yet acquired the
skills  that ONLY come through practice doing this very
unusual style of storytelling.  I  think I got into the zone
a little faster, with the last four in particular being right
on  the mark, for what I wanted to achieve.

       And as far as season three is concerned...though only
4 have aired, I'm  finishing #17 right now.  I usually gauge
where things are by the reaction the  scripts get around the
set...and this season, more than any other, I've had the 
actors and crew come by just shaking their heads in astonish-
ment at what's  coming down in the pages.  The folks at WB
have made it a point to call and say  that they're loving what
they're seeing in the scripts, and that's unusual.

       Subjectively -- and this opinion is the least valid,
since it's colored by my own  perception -- I think that at
this moment, I'm doing the best work of my career to  date. 
There's something happening in the scripts that...I can't
really define.   There's just something *there* that wasn't
there before, or was there only  sporadically.  The scripts
are completely taking on a life of their own.  (I related 
elsewhere that something very major happened in "Interludes
and Examinations," #15, that was never, ever in the arc, that
I hadn't planned on doing  when I began the script...but the
damned thing just *happened*...and all I could  do was watch
it unfold on the page.)

       Out of 17 to date, the only one that's *slightly*
clunky is "Exogenesis,"  because it's just a little too
straightforward for my tastes. I'd thought it was going  to be
something other than what it was; there's a writing phrase,
"it's too much  what it is."  But it has some great character
moments in it, and I think that  redeems it to some extent.

       But that's it, that's the only one.  "Messages From
Earth" may be, in my view,  the best thing we've ever done. 
And the rest are just nifty.  I'm pleased and proud  and
utterly astonished at how well some of this stuff has come out
this season.

       (I *suspect* that part of the reason for the improve-
ment this season is that  I'm not outlining each episode as
much as before.  I used to sit down and break  out each act in
detail, and then stick pretty strongly to that outline.  Now
I just sit  down, knowing where I have to go with the story,
and write it straight through,  letting the characters take
control from time to time.  It takes a long time to be  able
to trust yourself, your ability, and your characters before
you can do that in a  show; finally I'm there.)

       "what directions do you see the series going in now,
that you might not have  considered back when you first
started?"

       Well, it's hard to say, in large measure because of
what I've reported in the  paragraphs preceding.  The series
has taken on a life of its own now, and while I  know where
it's going, from time to time this great big unweildy beast
throws me  off and goes where it wants.  And I'd be a fool if
I refused to listen to that, and  forced it to comply with
what I'd come up with in 1987.  Because that's the key 
thing that I've come to understand. The structure was written
in 1987/88...and I'm  a much better writer now than I was
then.  I still intend to reach the destination I'd  imagined,
but I've found FAR more interesting ways to get there than I
could've  imagined then. Remember, since 1987 I worked on the
Twilight Zone, Nightmare Classics, Murder She Wrote...I've
learned a lot of stuff and acquired  some tools I didn't have
back then.

       So long answer made short...I think that the main
difference is that the rest of  the story is going to be more
ambitious, more dramatic, more fundamentally  *interesting*
than I had ever hoped for.  And given what was there before,
that's  saying a lot.

       jms

Subj:  Looking Back and Forward  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Trent K. Johnson Tuesday, December 19, 1995 4:46:16 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418231

      <Quoting Trent K. Johnson to JMS>:

      >One of the many, many things I applaud about your
      >writing is not only the  avoidance of technobabble, but
      >avoiding techno-traps so prevalent in "the other 
      >shows".
      >
      >A case in point from "ST: Voyager":  A writer (or
      >writers) comes up with the idea to  land the ship on a
      >planet. (Earhart episode)  In a subsequent episode we
      >then  get, "Can't transport.  Can't use a shuttle. 
      >Hey!  Let's land.  Uh, we can't because,  uh, yeah, the
      >ground's too soft.  Yeah!  That's it!"
      >
      ><sigh>

     "sigh" indeed....

         jms

Subj:  Looking Back and Forward   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:05:01 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418803

      <quoting Philip Hornsey to JMS>:

      >we have come to the  conclusion, recently, that by the
      >time it is over, B5 *may* be the exception that  proves
      >that general rule.

       Yes, it does feel more like a novel now than anything
else.

       (BTW, "the exception proves the rule" is a bastardiza-
tion of the original Latin  phrase, "exceptio probat regulum"
(from memory), which means "the exception  puts the rule to
the test of proof.")

         jms

Subj:  Looking Back and Forward  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Tom Knudsen   Wednesday, December 20, 1995 6:28:00 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419340

      <Quoting Tom Knudsen to JMS>:

      >     < (BTW, "the exception proves the rule" is a
      >bastardization of the  original Latin phrase, "exceptio
      >probat regulum" (from memory), which means  "the
      >exception puts the rule to the test of proof.")>
      >
      >     You've been getting a lot of use out of that
      >tidbit of knowledge lately,  haven't you?<G>

       I paid for this college education, and by god I'm going
to use it for SOMEthing.

       Odd that this particular phrase has cropped up so much
in recent weeks.   Another bugaboo of mine is the use of the
word "less" when what the person  means to say is "fewer." 
"There are less people here today."  No, "There are  *fewer*
people here today."  There are very few things about which I
will actually  correct someone in the course of speaking, not
wishing to be overly pedantic...but this is one of them.  The
other is when I see a sign that says FOR  "SALE"...well, is it
for sale or isn't it?

       Anal retentive?  Moi?

        jms

Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John M. Kahane   Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:23 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418143

     Actually, Mike Vejar is directing the two-parter, and I'm
absolutely thrilled about  it; Mike's been our mainstay for
some time, and he's just terrific.  (He directed  "Convic-
tions," and "Inquisitor.")

       Adam was great in that he's a *very* serious director
who sits down and  really thinks through the subtext of the
episode, the thematic aspects, the  underlying symbology, and
then sits with the actor and *really* works with them  so that
they fully understand the nuances of the scene.  A lot of TV
direction can  be rushed...you're always under the gun...so
it's rare to find someone who really  takes his time and
prepares the cast.

       "Does the pressure come from within, or does it come
from without and the  reaction of the fans of the series?"

       From within.  There's nothing I've ever seen on any net
that's half as critical of  this show as what's said by we who
make it.  If you try to gauge a show, any  show, and determine
its direction by viewer reactions, you're going to have 
pudding, because there are too many divergent reactions.  It
becomes one  massive committee...and committees are the death
of any creative process.

       I'm making this show, first and foremost, for myself,
on the theory that what I  find interesting, others may also
find of interest.  And I'm a perfectionist.  Also a  pain in
the ass.  Also monomanaical.  Just getting a show this big,
this involved,  this visually complex *made* is a task of
Herculean proportions...let alone  getting it made *well*.

       I've always been a very driven personality; I try never
to settle for second best.   If it can't be done just a little
better than what we did last week, why the hell are  we doing
it?  There *has* to be constant evolution, constant growth,
constant  challenge, or you're dead creatively.  You've got to
be absolutely willing to knock  all your support pins out from
under you, in the belief that your skills will enable  you to
land somewhere interesting on your feet.  The moment you
*stop* taking  that risk...you're finished.  At least, that's
what I feel about it.

       This show is probably my one real chance to leave a
mark that I passed this  way, so it has to be as good as I can
humanly make it.  And nothign will ever get  in the way of
that.

         jms

Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:05:00 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418802

      <Quoting Philip Hornsey to JMS>:

      >>>> I'm making this show, first and foremost, for
      >myself, on the theory that what I  find interesting,
      >others may also find of interest.
      >
      >ROFLMAO!
      >
      >Joe...
      >
      >I *hate* to tell you this...but worded *slightly
      >differently...that's a Rush Limbaugh  quote...
      >
      >I will now flee the country and leave no forwarding
      >address.

     Be advised that the only thing standing between you and
the abyss is my  assumption that you're making this up....

       jms

Subj:  Franklin's Stims       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John M. Kahane   Monday, December 18, 1995 11:36:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418145

     Stims are a prescription drug, which makes it perfect
fodder for abuse by  doctors (which includes Drs Rosen and
Franklin).  And yes, Franklin has been  getting increasingly
cranky of late for reasons related to stims.

         jms

Subj:  Mo Mosely              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  David Chandler-Gick    December 19, 1995 4:46:15 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418229

      <Quoting David Chandler-Gick to JMS>:

      >What was your initial reaction to finding out about Mr.
      >Doyle's "embellished"  resume, and how did you "deal"
      >with it?

      Well, I just kinda figured it fit in perfectly with the
character; that's something  Garibaldi would've done....

         jms

Subj:  Mo Mosely              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John McAuley     Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:05:09 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418806

      <Quoting John McAuley to JMS>:

      >Did you find out before you hired him?

     I found out the day he came in; I looked down and saw on
his resume "Dance  Theater of Harlem," and said "What the heck
is this?  Hey you, DANCE."  Since  then, he's forgotten this,
and continues to insist that nobody ever caught onto his 
little ploy.

      jms

Subj:  Thank you, sir.        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  David Belt       Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:05:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418807

      <Quoting David Belt to JMS>:

      >I want to say thank you.  I showed my 12-13 year old
      >deacons "Passing Through  Gethsemane" on Wednesday
      >night.  Other than my son (who is an avid fan),  none
      >of them watch the series.  In fact, other than my son,
      >all of them say that  they don't like the series at all
      >(in the less than imaginative and colorful ways that 
      >boys that age have of disparaging that which they have
      >never tried.)
      
      <snip>
      
      >The other adult present (who had never seen  the show)
      >taught the lesson to the deacons quorum on Sunday and
      >made several references to the show.  It was a great
      >experience.

     Then perhaps the next sermon/lesson should be on the sin
of prejudging  something before actually being exposed to
it....

     Most interesting, and very encouraging to hear, thanks
for passing that along.   As an atheist, I'm always caught
betwixt and between when I hear about this kind  of reaction;
as a writer, I'm pleased.  So the two of us are going to go
 out behind  the house and slug it out.  Film at 11.

         jms

Subj:  Questions              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa        December 19, 1995 11:05:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418808

      {regarding suggestions for Jawa's novel}

       Technical: if someone who knows scientific stuff said
"this character can't do  this because it's technically
impossible," I'd have to really consider it, if he could  give
me a good enough argument.  (And even there you have wiggle
room...what  we *think* is impossible now may not be in 200
years.  Serious scientists years  ago said that if you went
more than 60 miles an hour in a train or a car you'd be 
killed by the pressure.  So as long as you can make a plaus-
ible argument that  it's *possible,* even if it's highly
unlikely, you can sometimes get away with  rubber science.) 
If it's a big glaring issue, or in the present where you don't
have  alternate options, you may be stuck hewing to it.  If
the person suggested an  alternative, and that alternative
worked, and kept the science valid, sure, I'd take  it. That's
what a consultant is for.  As long as it doesn't compromise
the integrity  of the story.

       Who reads: Yes, do be careful in your selection.  Some
people will tell you  how to write it "better," when they
really mean "write it more like *I* would've  written it."  A
really bad reaction to what you've written, from someone you
like or  admire, can be an absolute soul-killer.  And they may
not be right.  May, in fact, be  quite wrong.  What you also
have to remember is what every writer learns: if you  put your
work out there, and you ASK for an opinion, suddenly they feel
that they  *must have* an opinion, and they *must find*
flaws...so instantly that tends to  skew things toward more
negative comments than might be the case if they just  picked
the book up off a store shelf and read it.  If you can find an
adult *writer* to  look at it, you may consider that...but to
go to non-writers for technical advice or  reactions or
suggestions on writing is often non-constructive.  Their
reaction to  the material may be valid, but they may not have
the language or know the writing  craft well enough to steer
you in the right direction, and may only succeed in  muddying
up the waters.  If I were working to be a draftsman, and 
finished my  first big design, I'd probably show it to another
draftsman before I showed it to my  Aunt Morgana la Fey.

       Whoever you turn to for advice, always remember that
that advice must  always be secondary to what the small, still
voice of the writer inside you insists  is correct.  You have
to find your own voice, and if that means not taking the other
person's suggestions, then that's what you have to do. Either
you'll be right, or  you'll be wrong, and you'll hear the same
comment from dozens of others, or  those in the field, and
then you may have to reconsider your position.  But initially, 
follow your voice.

       Magazine sales: no, your story can definitely be
published elsewhere  UNLESS the magazine specifically indi-
cates that it buys "all rights." Otherwise, it  will usually
buy other rights.  First North American rights are the most
common,  leaving you free to sell it to other magazines
overseas, and to other magazines in  the US after a reasonable
period has passed, or if it's to a non-competing  magazine. 
It's pretty much unheard of these days for magazines to buy
all rights.   (Suggestion: go to your local library and pick
up a copy of WRITER'S MARKET,  published yearly by Writer's
Digest Books.  They generally explain the various  rights you
sell in such situations.)

         jms

Subj:  DS9                    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Elizabeth        Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:14:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418814

     Actually, the limited edition of Harlan's "City on the
Edge of Forever" script -- in  its various versions, outlines,
with postscripts by Nimoy, Koenig, Kelley, Takai and others -
is already out, and has totally sold out.  There will probably
be a  trade paperback version sometime next year.

       jms

Subj:  Official Fanclub       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Matthias Neumann Tuesday, December 19, 1995 11:14:08 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418815

      We hope to annouce the B5 fan club within the next week.

         jms

Subj:  Official Fanclub       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner         December 20, 1995 6:28:21 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419336

     Yes, one thing we've been discussing with the friendly
folks at WB is licensing  the videos via the fan club as
limited editions.  I don't know how limited "limited"  is yet,
it kinda depends on our resources.  It may just be a few
thousand each as  we gear up.  (And while we've been told we
*can* make the deal, we haven't yet  geared up the paperwork,
as we've been waiting for the fan club paperwork to  come in
first.)  I'll certainly recommend 2 eps per tape when we do
it; any more  than that, and you go to 160 minute tape, which
is thinner, and breaks and  stretches more easily than 120
tapes.

     (We won't be able to do widescreen until WB authorizes
the re-telecineing of  the original negative film stock back
to its initial aspect ratio, and releases the  funds to do
that, which are considerable.)

         jms


Subj:  Looking Back and Forward  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John M. Kahane   Thursday, December 21, 1995 4:07:17 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419590

     Regarding "Legacies," there's one brief blip in there
that we're going to see  again; I'm not sure I'd call it a
clue, but certainly a cue...a hint of something to  come.  You
won't have to wonder what it is; it'll be shown in a flashback
in that  particular yet-to-air episode.

     What does the learning curve tell me these days?  That
I've got a LOT of  learning ahead of me yet.

     Re: season 3 scripts...I'm quite happy with them, and the
finished episodes.   I'd put on the top of the list for this
season (not necessarily in order) Messsages  From Earth, Point
Of No Return, Severed Dreams, Voices of Authority, Passing 
Through Gethsemane, A Late Delivery From Avalon, Dust To Dust,
and Convictions; they're real favorites of mine.  I suspect
that Ship of Tears and  Interludes & Examinations will also
come out *very* well.

        jms

Subj:  JMS resigns rastb5     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner   Monday, December 18, 1995 11:25:09 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #418141

      <Quoting Anne L. Warner to JMS>:

      >Oh, dear!  Coming from you, such reassurance (that I'll
      >get my wish to learn  about Valen and the Grey Council
      >"and then some.") is very disturbing.  I'll wait 
      >eagerly.  Do I hold my breath? or is this months or
      >seasons in the future?


     Figure by the end of this season you'll know a lot more
about all this.

         jms

Subj:  <Notes for upcoming eps>  Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John Yuen        Thursday, December 21, 1995 3:32:30 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #419582

     Actually, only 1 in the mini-arc of 3 will remain after
the next batch; the final two,  as of now, in the January/Feb-
ruary period will be "Messages From Earth," the 1st  of the
three, then "Point of No Return."  Only "Severed Dreams" will
remain for the  following cluster.

         jms

Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Joe  Smith,   Thursday, December 21, 1995 11:23:08 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420100

      <Quoting Joe Smith to JMS>:

      >Thanks for creating literate science fiction. 

     Thanks.  The literary aspect is what appeals to me a lot,
and creating parallels  to a lot of real-life stuff.  Basical-
ly...it's fun.

       jms


Subj:  Mo Mosely              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Trent K. Johnson,      December 21, 1995 11:22:24 PM 
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420095

      <Quoting Trent K. Johnson to JMS>:

      >I think I recall reading that Mr. Doyle worked at one
      >of the brokerage houses that  was involved in the junk
      >bonds  <snip> Was he around during this? If so, I'd
      >wager  he has a story or two...

     Yes, Jerry was working there at the time, and I believe
ended up testifying  about what happened.

         jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con) Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Ruth Ballam      Friday, December 22, 1995 2:57:10 AM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420149

     Actually, looking at my waistline after 6 months of
nonstop writing, I think "spread" is *exactly* the right word.

       jm(who was referred to as "a bit paunchy" by a guy in
the UK group and was depressed about it for *days* afterward)s


Subj:  <Gethsemane Thought>   Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  John M. Kahane   Friday, December 22, 1995 2:57:11 AM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420150

     Yeah, perfectionism can sometimes get in the way of the
work...which is the  point where you have to learn to finally
just back off, let it go, and stop tinkering  with it.  "Art
is never completed, only abandoned."

         jms


Subj:  Looking Back and Forward   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Tom Knudsen    Thursday, December 21, 1995 11:23:04 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420098

      {Regarding "For 'SALE'"}

     Generally, one puts quote marks around something to imply
other than what  the word means.  "Yeah, an `accident,'
right."  (Usually accompanied by raising  both hands and
making quote marks with fingers.)  Hence, to say FOR "SALE" is
incorrect useage.

        jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con) Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  BRIAN COONEY     Friday, December 22, 1995 9:10:19 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420522

      {Regarding a request for a 7' bed for JMS}

      A 7-foot bed, eh?  Good, that's just long enough for me
and a cat foot-warmer.   Does the bed come complete with cat,
or is cat considered extra in the UK?   (Eight inches should
be enough room for a cat, provided it is a medium sized  cat;
if it is a much larger cat than 8 inches across, we may have
to purchase a  cat-mallet.)

         jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con) Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner   Saturday, December 23, 1995 6:09:20 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420811

      An 18 pound kitty is no longer a kitty; it is a geologi-
cal landmark.

         jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con) Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Friday, December 22, 1995 9:10:21 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420524

      {regarding final title for this season}

     Point of No Return

        jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con) Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Ruth Ballam      Friday, December 22, 1995 9:11:00 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420527

     Actually, over long breaks like Christmas I generally
tend to *drop* a few  pounds.  At the stage I eat a big lunch
out back with everyone else, then make  myself a decent dinner
when I get home, and there's always the odd doughnut  lying
around at the stage catering table (Death With A Hole In The
Middle).   Whereas at home, I don't generally eat a big
breakfast, or any kind of real lunch;  just nibble a bit
throughout the day, and then make my dinner.

       jms


Subj:  Helpful Hints          Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Ruth Spradlin    Friday, December 22, 1995 9:11:02 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420528

      <Quoting Ruth Spradlin to JMS>:

      >Jean Paul Vaudreuil of Thomasville, GA wrote to
      >Entertainment Weekly:
      >
      >"Bruce Boxleitner's worried about Babylon 5's low
      >ratings?  A few helpful hints:  1.   Instead of modest
      >uniforms, squeeze Commander Ivanova into a revealing 
      >bodysuit.  2.  Replace decipherable dialogue with
      >incomprehensible technobabble.  3.  Rid characters of
      >human flaws so they'll be perfect role  models.  
      >4.  Rather than fascinate us with character evolution,
      >keep major  players static.  5.  Merchandise like
      >crazy:  Bab5 toothbrushes, boxer shorts, and  an
      >endless supply of toys.  6.  Have the aliens look like
      >humans with forehead  problems.  7.  A surefire way to
      >increase ratings?  Put Star Trek somewhere in  the
      >title."

      >Maybe you should hire this guy as a consultant.  ;-)

     Boy, he really gets it, doesn't he?  Exactly correct.

     It amazes me sometimes to think that, if the words STAR
TREK were put in  front of this show, and it was *exactly* the
same show it is now, we'd get double  the ratings, added
national exposure, all the rest.  Ah, the world of 
showbidness....

         jms


Subj:  The Battle of the Line..  Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Alexander Shaw  Thursday, December 21, 1995 11:23:04 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420099

      <Quoting Alexander Shaw to JMS>:

      >A major part of series 1 was based around the battle of
      >the line, and  why the Minbari suddenly surrendered..
      >Now that we are about to start season  three there are
      >still some things that have not been clarified regard-
      >ing this.. We  know (or at least think) the Religous
      >Caste of the Minbari stopped the slaughter  of Mankind
      >due to some Prophecy.. It would appear that this
      >prophecy indicated  that mankind would have some major
      >role in an upcoming struggle/war (The  Shadows I
      >presume). 
      >
      >Are we ever going to have this confirmed ? Are we going
      >to find out the exact  details of this prophecy ?
      >Basically is the exact story of the Battle of Line
      >going to  be revealed and cleared up as I still feel
      >there are some qustions or nagging  doubts regarding
      >it.

     Yep.  I expect you'll have this all clarified for you by
end of this season.

         jms


Subj:  Chrysalis              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Friday, December 22, 1995 9:10:23 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420525

      {Regarding Corwin getting more lines and coming out of
       the background}

     Gradually, yeah; I like to take an actor who's shown a
potential for doing more,  and gradually *give* that actor
more, testing the limits.  So we do a bit more with  him as we
go along.

      jms


Subj:  From jms: info         Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anita Karve  Thursday, December 21, 1995 11:23:01 PM
~From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #420097

      <Quoting Anita Karve to JMS>:

      >I'm glad Lyta made another appearance on the show. If
      >you've seen some of the  recent threads, you'll know
      >we're *dying* to find out what's going on with her and 
      >the Vorlons.

     As it happens, as soon as I finish the two-parter, this
week, the next script will  get a lot more into Lyta and the
Vorlons and all that jazz.

         jms


Subj:  The Encounter (UK Con)    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Ruth Ballam      Sunday, December 24, 1995 6:08:07 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421134

     Well, suffice to say I'd love to see "A Close Shave." 
But at the same time, I  have to be mindful of copyrights and
the like.  So, basically, I suppose I'm  screwed....

         jms


Subj:  G'kar/Cassandra        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Chris Gardiner   Sunday, December 24, 1995 6:08:06 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421133

      <Quoting Chris Gardiner to JMS>:

      >You're twisted.  <snip>    And I love you forever.

     Thank you.  That's m'job.

         jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John Bonavita    Sunday, December 24, 1995 6:14:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421136

     Now that the fan club has been officially announced,
though the organizational  aspects are just now starting, we
may try and gear up to hold an official B5  convention in
about a year.  What we've talked about is the idea of having
it here  in LA, so we could have best chance of getting as
many cast members as  possible.  We'd also try and run it so
that it was as close as possible to a fan-run  convention in
the feeling it created; and as well as cast members and the
like,  there would be seminars and presentations by our people
in prosthetics,  wardrobe, makeup, art direction, props and
other areas, so it'd be a real learning  opportunity.

     But, again, that's at least a year down the road.

         jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  The Jawa / Jawa #2  Sunday, December 24, 1995 10:42:30
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421206

      <Quoting The Jawa / Jawa #2 to JMS>:

      >B5 is heading in Trek's direction: very low-key while
      >it's on the air, and  then comes it's fame.

     That's the key, I think; I have a suspicion that, like
the original ST, our main  attention will likely come after
we've finished our complete run. The show was  designed to be
seen in a stripped (once daily) fashion, that's when you
really can  see the arc moving quickly.  And on TNT, once it
hits that distributer, it'll finally  have what it has never
had before in this country: a national broadcaster and a 
regular timeslot.  Once that happens, I expect that what
happened in the UK will  happen here finally...it'll be
Noticed.

      jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Wednesday, December 27, 1995 8:31:31
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422232

     Starting 1998, the show will appear in daily form on TNT;
it's already been  sold to there.

        jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey   Friday, December 29, 1995 9:16:09 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423101

       "Nice to see you making money."

       Well, WB, anyway.  I get a net profit on the series,
which means after all the  costs have been taken out...which
in turn means that the show will never show a  profit (on
paper), so I ain't getting a dime of the TNT sale.

         jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Chris Croughton  Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:44:26 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423906

     Re: studios and their income tax situations...puh-LEASE,
show some  decorum; I deal in science fiction, not fantasy....

         jms



Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Carl Bussjaeger  Sunday, December 24, 1995 10:42:00 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421207

      {regarding how to join the fan club}

     As soon as those details have been worked out, we'll post
them.  As it is we  just *barely* got the paperwork in hand
authorizing us to proceed; now comes  doing it.

      jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Burhaan  Ahmad   Monday, December 25, 1995 2:27:24 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421255

      <Quoting Burhaan Ahmad to JMS>:

      >You said you would like to make the  tapes yourself,
      >since WB obviously won't.  Does Babylonian have the
      >resources  to pull it off to the quality you desire? 
      >I know little about the industry, but it seems  to me
      >that it would be an expensive operation.  Or would you
      >look to lisence the  rights to someone other than WB
      >(assuming they'd allow it)?

     That's something we're trying to decide now.  If we did
them ourselves, it'd  almost certainly be on a limited-edition
basis, to control quality.

         jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Susan Law        Sunday, December 24, 1995 10:42:02 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421208

      {regarding joining fan club, etc}

     The details should be posted sometime after the first
part of the year. Re:  Talia...it's okay to be pissed about
that; it was intended to have that reaction.   Things *should*
get us annoyed when Psi Corps pulls a stunt like that.  And we
haven't heard the last of what happened to Talia, btw.  That's
the B5 universe for  you....

         jms


Subj:  B5Convention           Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Asha DeVelder    Tuesday, December 26, 1995 5:54:05 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421573

      {still on fan club and convention}

     We'll have more info on all this over the next few
weeks....

     jms


Subj:  New to B5              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Theo Thourson    Sunday, December 24, 1995 6:14:16 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421137

     Actually, what you'll generally find is that if you watch
a few more eps, the  background is usually included.  Besides,
in the next batch of new episodes, we  kind of redefine the
very nature of the series, so in a way this is the best time
to  come aboard.

         jms


Subj:  New to B5              Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  STEVIE ADAM      Friday, December 29, 1995 9:16:11 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423102

      <Quoting Stevie Adam to JMS>:

      >Please, is there any way to threaten Channel 4 In the
      >UK with a Centauri takeover  to get them to show series
      >3 here before mid 96?

     I think it'll be spring, not mid-1996; also, remember
that they don't break up the  show with reruns, they air
straight through, and the episodes have to be  *finished* in
time for them to air them straight through (and I think WB is
trying to  avoid the problem last time of stuff airing in the
UK first).  But as yet I haven't  heard a final date on this.

         jms


Subj:  Publicity! Wow!        Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Anne L. Warner   Sunday, December 24, 1995 10:42:29 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421205

      <Quoting Anne L. Warner to JMS>:

      >Here in New England, both WSBK  (Boston) and WNDS
      >(Derry, NH) seem to have decided to try actually
      >promoting  Babylon 5.

     Thanks; that's good to know, and definitely a welcome
change.

         jms


Subj:  <Zack in CoS>          Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Jon Wolf         Tuesday, December 26, 1995 5:54:03 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421572


      <Quoting Jon Wolf to JMS>:

      >I just re-watched Coming of Shadows, and I think we got
      >our introduction to  Zack in this show. 

     I'm not sure though that that's the first time we saw
Zack; I keep thinking it was  earlier...I seem to remember him
breaking up a fight as the first time we saw  him.

        jms


Subj:  * *B5 in New Orleans* *   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Philip Hornsey         December 27, 1995 8:31:30 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422231

      <Quoting Philip Hornsey to JMS>:

      >We just had a *huge* shake up in affiliation down here
      >(three stations swapped  Fox -- ABC -- WB) and I am
      >afraid to guess at what it did to us. Have you any info
      >on the state of B5 in the New Orleans market?

      Dunno how this is gonna shake out yet....

         jms


Subj:  USS Runnymede -Newsflash   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Debbie Gardiner  Thursday, December 28, 1995 2:55:18 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422367

      <Quoting Debbie Gardiner to JMS>:

      >The Uss Runnymede is pleased to announce that on 6th
      >January 1996, Babylon  5's  newest cast member Jason
      >Carter (Ranger Marcus Cole), will be appearing  at our
      >monthly meeting.

     Then perhaps for the one night Jason's there you could
rename the place the  EAS Runnymede, which is the standard
useage on Earth Alliance Starships, as  in the EAS Agamem-
non....?

        jms



Subj:  <CTI - East End>       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  SysOp Dupa T. Parrot   December 29, 1995 9:16:16 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423104

      <Quoting SysOp Dupa T. Parrot to JMS>:

      >On tonight's rerun of "Comes The Inquisitor", I see you
      >took the hint from the  Brits and fixed the "West End"
      >dialog. The dubbing job was pretty well done.

     Once the error was brought to my attention, I just
couldn't let it slide.

         jms


Subj:  OffLine Readers              Section: Promenade Alpha
  To:  Carl Bussjaeger  Friday, December 29, 1995 9:30:17 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423108

     What the heck is HMI anyway?

         jms


Subj:  Talia/Control Nitpick  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  John Van Aken    Friday, December 29, 1995 9:30:18 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423109

     {If Talia was Control, why would she order herself eliminated?}

     My sense was that the Control part, which sometimes moved
at night,  reported that the mission could be jeapordized. 
Then B13 gave the order to  eliminate.  Nowhere does it say
that Control said the second half of the  sentence.

        jms


Subj:  JMS: Pls Clarify --    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Robt Martin      Friday, December 29, 1995 9:30:19 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423110

      <Quoting Robt Martin to JMS>:


      >At the time you posted this, I took this as an expres-
      >sion of your regard (or lack of  same) for the material
      >that Fangoria covers, not regarding my ability as an
      >editor.  Unfortunately, your semi-jocular observation
      >is being parenthetically interpreted  as a blast at my
      >abilities, for global distribution.
      >
      >Regarding my work at Fangoria, despite the fact that
      >the magazine specializes in  covering some truly
      >gawdfawful films, I remain proud of the work that I did
      >there,  which only that magazine's regular readers are
      >in a position to judge. Given your  apparent distaste
      >for the magazine itself, I think I can safely assume
      >that you only  know of my work as editor with regard to
      >Sci-Fi Entertainment, specifically my  own interview
      >with you, and possibly also my earlier piece on John
      >Vulich's work.
      >
      >As I said, maybe I am being thin-skinned, but to have
      >your words taken out of  context and interpreted in
      >this manner is, if not of any real harm to my career, 
      >really, really annoying. Can you please clarify the
      >statement?
      >
      >If indeed you did mean to say that I am a lousy editor,
      >so be it, but that is not what  I thought you were
      >saying. Yet that is what is being sent about.

     No, the (regarding Mr. Martin's editing of Fangoria) was
mainly just intended  as a segue into the note about the
conventions being fun, since I've attended  several of them. 
I am not sufficiently familiar with your editing to *have* any
opinion whatsoever.  Since messages here are discreet, I
always try to keep  some kind of referential within the
message.

         jms


Subj:  The Gathering          Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Gerald Himmelein Saturday, December 30, 1995 9:23:24 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423485

      <Quoting Gerald Himmelein to JMS>:

      >The "pleasure treshold" line was completely destroyed
      >in translation, btw. <sigh>

     Alas, there's nothing I can do at this end about the
translations; it's out of my  hands.

       jms


Subj:  JMS at Necrnomicon?    Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Mary-Glynn Myers Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:16:30 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423883

     Yes, at this point, barring any work-related emergencies,
I've confirmed for  Necronomicon.  I'm looking forward to it;
it'll be the first time I've been in Floida.

        jms


Subj:  Tonight's repeat episode  Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Rob Carr         Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:44:21 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423904

     Actually, from my perspective, it was never intended as
a shot at Christians at  all; it was a warning shot to any
breed of fanaticism that does not question itself,  that
assumes, for whatever reason, that it is right and must impose
that  rightness on others, no matter the price (usually paid
by others).  To quote a line  from "Infection," "When you
become obsessed with the enemy, you *become*  the enemy."  So
I guess you could describe it as a shot at Christianity only
if you  choose to define it in those terms; if not, then it's
not.

     Certainly, though, it does point to being sure that one
is doing what one is  doing for the right reasons, and the sin
of pride, which we all know has a  tendency to goeth before a
fall.

     For me, one of the important things about this show is to
make people *think*  about what they believe.  If they come
right back to what they originally believed,  that's fine. 
But they've *considered why* they believe it.  In all too many
cases,  our beliefs -- social, political, religious -- are
just sort of *there*, invisible,  ineffable and unassailable,
as much a part of the universe as the air around us.   We
don't necessarily think WHY we believe it...we do.  Which is
why, all too often,  when someone is challenged on what they
believe, they don't have the tools to  defend it in any way
other than force or anger.  But if you *have* considered your 
beliefs, and you know why you feel a certain way, you can
articulate it, explain it,  and be more self-confident in it. 
It allows you to have discussions rathe than  arguments,
schisms, or border wars.

     Like I said, I don't have any answers...all I got are
some questions, but they're  pretty good questions.  Our
greatest peril is always the danger of the  unexamined life.

     Re: C.S. Lewis...yes, I've read his stuff, from the
Screwtape Letters (which are  great fun) to Perelandra and
That Hideous Strength and others, including some  of his
polemics and essays on christianity.  He was a good thinker
and a facile  writer...which was sometimes good, and sometimes
not so, because he had a  tendency to set up straw-man
arguments, which made for more persuasive  dogma but not
always reasonable discussion.

     And yes, I've read the bible cover to cover, twice.  Some
good moral tales, an  awful lot of blood and violence, some
real slow parts (anyone who can make it  all the way through
Numbers and Deuteronomy has my unbridled respect),  some real
potboilers, a few plot holes and an inconsistent hero, but
overall,  commendable reading.  (Though one could argue that
any number of later  writers did a better job of pure writing
than is present in the bible -- no  self-respecting writer
would stop the narrative so often for a few thousand begats 
and the discussion of cubits...well, except maybe for Herman
Mellville, who had  far too many asides on whaling technology
as parentheticals in Moby Dick...and  one should certainly
think that a deity would be at least a good a writer as 
Pynchon or Salinger or Joyce...still, there are spurts of
greatness; the book of Job  is possibly one of the best
stories ever written, and there's much in Psalms and  Proverbs
to commend itself to anyone...though best to keep the Song of 
Solomon out of the hands of kids...some racy stuff there....)

        jms


Subj:  Taking up your space   Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Ray Pelzer       Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:44:22 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423905

      <Quoting Ray Pelzer to JMS>:

      >Joe:  Thanks for letting my take up so much space in
      >your section with this whole  USENET/CIS-censorship
      >issue.  I only considered that many people would read 
      >the nessage if it was in Section 5, but I didn't
      >consider the impact it was having on  B5-related
      >messages.  Now that the ball is rolling, I'm going to
      >move the  messages to Section 19, and thank you again
      >for your patience with me.

     No problem.

         jms


Subj:  $ to run B5            Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  mike lovitt      Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:44:27 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423907

     Yes, it's been established that the Minbari and the
Centauri both funded B5  early on, and docking fees and other
charges help pay for day to day operations.

         jms


Subj:  Official Fanclub       Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Keith R. Nelms   Sunday, December 31, 1995 10:45:01 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423908

      <Quoting Keith R. Helms to JMS>:

      >What can be done to convince WB there is a market for
      >widescreen B5 on  laserdisc?

      It would likely take nothing less than an absolute
revelation from the  heavens....

        jms


Subj:  East End, West End     Section: Babylon 5: General
  To:  Daniel Barer     Thursday, December 28, 1995 2:58:18 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422370

      <Quoting Daniel Barer to JMS>:

      >I was watching "Comes the Inquisitor" with closed-
      >captioning on tonight (easier  to ride the exercise
      >bike while watching that way) and noticed that Sheridan
      >now  states (correctly) the murders occured in the East
      >End, while the captions (and  Boxleitner's lips, on re-
      >viewing) still say West End.  Glad you fixed the slip--
      >are the captions etched in stone?

     Y'know, I'd totally forgotten about the captions.







     Nuts.

       jms



Subj:  Shadow Training        Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Michael Zitaglio Tuesday, December 26, 1995 10:35:12 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421902

      {regarding Rangers being trained to fight the Shadows}

     This is one of those questions that can only best be
answered in the course  of the series; you'll learn a lot more
about this subject this season.

         jms


Subj:  Shadow Training        Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Susan Law      Wednesday, December 27, 1995 4:32:28 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #421938

     Of course, judging from recent episodes, Sheridan seems
to have been a bit  remiss in continuing his lessons from
Kosh...ah, well, there'll probably be a price  to pay for that
somewhere down the road.  Only question is who'll have to pay
it.

         jms


Subj:  Will Zathras reappear?    Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Gerald Himmelein    December 27, 1995 8:31:26 PM 
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422229

     Yes, he'll appear; no, not before the two-parter; yes,
it'll be the same actor.

         jms


Subj:  Will Zathras reappear? Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Lolita  . Maddalena    December 28, 1995 2:58:17 AM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #422369

      <Quoting Lolita  . Maddalena to JMS>:

      >Tell me if I'm wrong, but Zathras has been on the
      >planet with the old mimbari,  hasn't he?

     Well, that's what Draal said earlier....

      jms


Subj:  Will Zathras reappear? Section: Babylon 5: Upcoming
  To:  Gerald Himmelein  Friday, December 29, 1995 9:16:15 PM
From:  J. Michael Straczynski       #423103

      <Quoting Gerald Himmelein to JMS>:

      >Comment: Zathras looked somewhat bird-like, much like
      >an owl, a screech owl  (Kauz, in German). Now, Zathras
      >behaves like a "komischer Kauz" (oddball). So  his
      >behavior and appearance match, at least in German. <g>
      >Coincidence or  cleverness on the creator's part?

     Coincidence; I ain't that smart.

      jms