lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs96-06

JMS CompuServe messages for June 1996.  Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.


Date: 31-May-96 16:10:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: Spoiler Vorlon Question

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> I do, however, have one question (also about the Vorlon), that
> you might be able to answer : Will whatever Kosh was doing to
> Lyta in Passing Through Gethsemane have anything to do with the
> overall (arc) plot at some time in the series?

       Yes, primarily because what Kosh was doing with Lyta (that
sounds vaguely suggestive) wasn't a one-time event.  There was a
transference going on, and that aspect will be heard from again.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31-May-96 16:10:36
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: WWE - Beginning???

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just a thought, people are probbably going to hate me for asking
> this, but where exactly does the storyline to War Without End
> Begin?

       The storyline began millions of years ago.

       We're coming in in the middle of the story.

       But then, that can be said of all of us.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31-May-96 16:10:37
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 essential episodes

{original post unavailable}

       I did it off the cuff, I don't actually have a list; somebody
else here may have it offhand.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31-May-96 16:10:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<WWE2>>

{original post had no questions}

       It's not a shadow host, no, but one of the many things that
work for them.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 31-May-96 16:10:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Renewal!!?

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you know yet if B5 is going to be renewed for another 1 or 2
> seasons? If not, how are you going to decide what to do about
> wrapping it up? I know that it's been said that you yourself
> stated that you could finish it in one more season, but how are
> you going to make that decision if you don't know how long you've
> got?

       We'll know soon.  We're cautiously optimistic.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: TIMOTHY R. GREEN <73023.143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hour 25

 TIMOTHY R. GREEN <73023.143@compuserve.com> asks:
> How do you find the time to do everything you do?
> Unless you have some way of slowing down the time flow somehow?

      It helps to be an obsessive-compulsive personality....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <<UK Dust 2 Dust>>

{original post unavailable}

      No, that has nothing to do with the redemption.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: How Time Flies

{original post unavailable}

      This is probably the most commonly asked question, and the
answer remains...I dunno.  Right now, the sheer task of getting this
show made now, for TV, is sufficiently daunting, that the idea of
telling it again in print is enough to make me tip over.  Also, this
show was *designed* for TV; if I'd wanted to write a nove, I'd've
written a novel.

      So for now, the answer remains "I dunno."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Just curious...

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks, I can only hope you're right.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com>
Subject: Trading Card Game???

 Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are they refuring to the next regular card set like the one we
> saw before or is it a trading card game (none of the other stuff
> listed on the page is anything but trading card game)? While we
> are talking about Babylon 5 games, what is the current word on
> the Babylon 5 RPG? Who is making it?
> Any other stuff coming out for our computers soon?

      Fleer's coming out with a brand new card set, but not a card
game set.

      The RPG will be out from Chameleon later this year.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael R. Marks <104504.455@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Renewal!!?

 Michael R. Marks <104504.455@compuserve.com> asks:
> I wish to know if videos will ever be released and why does
> Warner seem to treat the show with indifference?

      Thanks; and we hope to have the videos out eventually.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<War & Delenn>>

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> When Delenn has her time-flash, does she just see what happens in
> the future, or is she actually there, like John's trip?

      No, she more just saw it as a passive recipient, whereas he was
actively There.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 02:03:57
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <War...2> Aftershocks

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is whatever it is they tried to make her tell them something that
> concerns B5 in 2260-2262?

      No, what they were after from Delenn was info relevant to that
time, some of it related to their son.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 01-Jun-96 16:03:45
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Arline Williams <102551.2346@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hour 25

 Arline Williams <102551.2346@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did I miss anything else as *spiffy* as that?

      I can't remember what we discussed in the first hour...nothing
as cool as that happened, at any rate.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 16:03:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Renewal!!?

 Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any idea who that person is?

      It's a grip who stood too close for the photo.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 16:03:47
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com>
Subject: Trading Card Game???

 Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com> asks:
> Meanwhile is that book coming from Boxtree called "Making of
> Babylon 5" or "Creating Babylon 5"?

      I think it's Creating B5...but I haven't gotten my copy yet, and
that's from memory.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 16:03:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: TIMOTHY R. GREEN <73023.143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Universe

 TIMOTHY R. GREEN <73023.143@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you think we have a purpose in the universe, or a purpose to
> make the best of our lives as we find them?

      The purpose we have is the purpose we find, and that we *choose*
to find.  Acting on that purpose is another topic altogether....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Jun-96 16:03:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com>
Subject: ^The Shadows^

 Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com> asks:
> Why is this?

      I've gone over the legal aspects of the story idea provision,
oh, about 25 times...I know it's in the faq file somewhere.  Bottom
line, I can't see or accept any story ideas, period.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 02-Jun-96 14:49:58
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com>
Subject: How Time Flies

 John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> What kind of feeling and what kind of reaction do you have about
> this side of the B5 success story?

      Actually, I've no idea...I don't socialize at all -- except for
B5 related gatherings, I haven't been to a party in...oh, about 2
years, maybe a bit more.  So I don't tend to hear from anyone *not*
really involved with the show in terms of other TV writers or
writer/producers.  I imagine I'll hear more when I get done with it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Just curious...

{original post unavailable}

      I don't think they quite knew *how* this show was to be sold to
the audience; the arc wasn't heavily played initially, no.  Later,
moreso.

      I hear all the time though from new viewers who just started
watching, and are right up to speed.

      Re: changing the episodic structure...no, can't really do that,
because you have to think in larger terms, both down the road and how
the show airs overseas, minus those breaks.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:03
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Trading Card Game???

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are there any more novels contracted after #6 (love the
> Delenn/tea ceremony bit in #6)?

      They're waiting until we get formally renewed to contract for
more novels.  That should be soon.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Ent Utility

{original post unavailable}

      The character-oriented wav and avi files weren't done because
there are still pending matters to be worked out with the various
unions -- SAG, WGA and DGA -- about how those are to be used.  It's
still a new medium, and how you reuse footage shot contractually for
purpose A, turned to use B, and what residual structure you follow, is
still being worked out.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:08
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com>
Subject: ^The Shadows^

 Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com> asks:
> BTW, what made you get in touch with Ron Thorton?

      Thanks.  John, Doug and I had originally worked with Ron on
Captain Power, so that's where that connection comes from.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: ^The Shadows^

{original post unavailable}

      Apology unnecessary, but accepted.  We learn by doing.

      I don't know which message reprint request or content you're
referring to, so I really can't comment.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:12
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: < first episode year 4>

 (blocked) asks:
> is this a wolf in sheep's clothing story?

      The Hour of the Wolf is that hour around 3 a.m. when you can't
sleep because you're worried about one thing or another....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 14:50:13
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: FInal Scene-Severed Drea

 (blocked) asks:
> In the final scene of Severed dreams (the applause scene), are
> you the guy who begins clapping first?

      Nope, I don't do cameos in the show.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 15:56:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <WWE II>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  Also, our hard ratings shot up almost a full half a
point this quarter over our last batch of new episodes, from a 3.0, our
usual, to a 3.4, at a time when most syndicated shows were in a
downturn, including DS9, which went down over a full point during the
same period.  Warners is most pleased.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 15:56:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com>
Subject: ^The Shadows^

 Chris Shepard <102076.276@compuserve.com> asks:
> If I write a show that was truly my idea, how do you defend
> yourself from some crazed lunatic coming into court saying that I
> stole it from him/her? How can that person prove it was theirs to
> begin with? It's the same idea, but how could one sue the other
> for stealing it? What about space battles in general?
> Cloaked ships?
> The shadows cloak themselves, but how would the Trek guys sue JMS
> for stealing their idea about cloaking technology? Don't they have
> enough?

      Chris, the only thing wrong with your message, and your
assumptions, is that they're wrong on just about every conceivable
level.  Let me try to walk you through this to help you understand a
little better.

      First off...a general observation.  Story ideas are worthless. 
It's very doubtful that you or anybody else has had an idea that nobody
in the history of mankind has ever had before.  You can take a basic
idea and give it to 10 different writer and you'll get 10 TOTALLY
different stories.  What matters is execution, how the idea is
rendered.  An idea isn't a story, and what matters is *story*, a series
of consequences and reactions based on actions.

      Most amateur writers don't know or understand that, and think
that their story idea is something saleable, something somebody wants
to buy, or something they need to jealously protect.  There are even
people who will exploit that.  There was a publication a few years ago
which would publish your story idea in a big book, on per page (which
you paid for, natch), and sent it to the major studios and networks.

      Not one of them ever sold.  None of them were worth buying. 
None of them were really stories.  And it was thrown into the trash of
every studio or network at which it arrived because of fear of lawsuit.

      Now, to your points individually:

      "For one, I would talk with the individual and arrange something
legal so that his story idea could be used and he/she would receive
full credit plus pay."

      This is illegal.  There is no fee inside the Writer's Guild for
"story idea."  (ST tried to get around this for a few years, but was
finally trounced by the WGA.)  If it's a credible, WGA signatory, which
all the major studios and networks are, they can't operate outside
formal parameters in their agreements.  There's no category for "story
idea," so they can't buy that, and there's a reason for it.  A "story
idea" is sufficiently general that it can't be readily surrounded...is
it a sentence?  A paragraph?  A page?  Two pages? You could start
taking whole stories, swiping them, and getting the royalties
 -- thousands and thousands of dollars -- while the originator of the
story got a couple hundred bucks, if that much.  This provision exists
to *protect* writers.

      See, part of the problem is, you're looking at the TV writing
business not as a writer, but as a fan, a viewer.  We who work in this
business have had to painstakingly, and at great suffering, fight for
protections for those who work in this business as their livelihood. 
Creating a scenario such as the one you describe would hurt the
profession beyond description.  Yes, you may like the show, but should
we set into place practices and policies that will undo years of
hard-won strikes, and create what is, in essence, the camel's nose in
the tent...the camel -- studios who would exploit this to take stories
and outlines for zero money -- would surely follow, on the logic that 
if you permit this for one show, you have to permit it for all.

      (Also, for the "full credit plus pay" part...again, what credit,
and what pay?  There's no provisions set up for either.  You'd have to
create whole new areas in the WGA for this, which don't currently
exist; you can't just do this willy-nilly.  Pay...a flat fee?  Fee plus
residuals?  How do you determine how much a 1 paragraph story should
get vs. a two or three page story?  Which gets a flat fee and which
residuals?  It's a slippery slope.)

"Secondly, if I created a forum and opened it to fans who wanted to
give their ideas for stories, etc., then I would post a message at the
beginning of the forum stating that anything spoken and written in that
forum cannot be protected by law."

      Now you're in violation of US Copyright Law.  Anything you write
is instantly yours under what's known as Commonlaw Copyright.  In
addition, a forum like Compuserve copyrights all content as a communal
copyright, owned by both parties, the poster and CIS.  (All services
work this way.)  Also under the law, you cannot make a statement or a
policy which removes people's rights from them...in other words, you
can SAY that anyone posting messages gies up their rights...but that
doesn't have *any* legal basis whatsoever, and cannot be enforced.  The
only way would be to have each person type up a waiver, hard-copy, sign
it, get it notarized, and mail it *for each and every suggestion*
giving up all rights to that specific story.  It can't be done en masse
for anything written.

"Lastly, how would one prove in court that someone has stolen someone
elses idea.  If I write a show that was truly my idea, how do you
defend yourself from some crazed lunatic coming into court saying that
I stole it from him/her?"

      That's the hard part.  You can't.  Sure, you can win the case in
court, but a case like this can take two or three YEARS of your life. 
And most will hang on because most cases like this are settled,
regardless of merit, because it's cheaper than a trial.  Do you want to
spend two or three days a week, every week, for three years giving
depositions, talking to lawyers, dredging out every bit of paperwork,
turning over your computer files to lawyers, having your friends and
co-workers deposed, your character challenged, all because somebody
posted a story idea that was vaguely similar to what you did? I don't.

"How can that person prove it was theirs to begin with?"

      By showing a printup of the story as posted in the forum you
have suggested here.  (Or another.)  Their word not good enough?  You
subpoena the sysops here, access the CIS database, on and on.

"An idea is an idea.  Buck Rogers had the idea of stargates in it's
series. Babylon 5 uses the jumpgates. It's the same idea, but how could
one sue the other for stealing it? What about space battles in
general?"

      See, again, here's the problem...a stargate or a jumpgate isn't
an idea, it's a bit of technology.  You can't build a story around
that, so it's not a story idea, again you're not clear on your terms. 
"How about a jump gate?" isn't a story idea.  "How about a jumpgate to
go kill the giant frog monster in sector 97" *is* a story idea.  Once
again, you don't have a clear notion what it is you're discussing.

"Cloaked ships? The shadows cloak themselves, but how would the Trek
guys sue JMS for stealing their idea about cloaking technology?"

      Shadow vessels don't cloak; they have alternate technology for
phasing in from hyperspace.

"It's plain silly and it's a waste of everyone's time."

      It is...until you end up in court for it.  The ONLY reasonable
protection is the no-story provision.  Especially in a case like B5,
where the whole story is *already worked out*.

      It's the difference in perception between an amateur writer and
a writer who does this as a living.  (By "amateur" I don't mean bad, I
just mean one who is either unpublished, inexperienced, or a
hobbyist...I'm an amateur bowler, as an example.)  You don't understand
the consequences of this sort of thing, it's not a profession to you,
it's something you'd like to toss out there.  But it can hurt.  Marion
Zimmer Bradley recently found herself in a *terrible* position...she'd
worked for about 2 years writing a new novel, turned it in...and had
the book cancled by her publisher because a fanzine to which she had
possible access had published a very similar story and they might sue. 
Two years of work, down the drain.

      This isn't a game, or a hobby, or something where you can make
up the rules as you go.  Writing is a *business*, a creative one, yes,
but if you're going to make a living at it, you have to treat it as a
business, just as if you're a carpenter or a plumber or a surgeon. 
Those rules are there to protect writers from being expoited,
harrassed, ripped off or sued.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Jun-96 15:56:47
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jack P <102474.2071@compuserve.com>
Subject: New Upcomings or Reruns?

 Jack P <102474.2071@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does the producers intend to show any new continuing episodes for
> the summer or we'll all have to wait until the fall implying in
> the meantime we'll just watch the past season reruns? Also I don't
> know why in the world would the LA station airing the B5 show as
> they always have, show the week's encore of other shows(less
> desirable) and not B5 for those that couldn't be around the first
> time?

      The produers of B5 -- viz, me -- have no control or influence
over the scheduling of episodes or reruns.  Just FYI.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 00:57:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: jms in UK

      Can't recall if I mentioned this earlier, but...in addition to
being at the Wolf 359 convention in Blackpool this coming weekend, I'll
be doing an autograph session at Forbidden Planet Bookstore in London
this Thursday at 4 p.m. along with David Bassom, author of "Creating
Babylon 5" and "The A-Z of Babylon 5."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:13:00
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com>
Subject: Question of Timeline

 John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> So can you clarify the dates somewhat here for me, please?

      Well, she didn't go directly into Vorlon space; she left, went
around a bit, had to find a pilot willing to take her...it was a time
consuming process.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:13:03
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: < first episode year 4>

{original post had no questions}

      Yup, that's it, that's the hour of the wolf....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:13:06
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: < first episode year 4>

 SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this anything like "The Hour Of Scampering?"
> Or maybe "The Hour Of Running Like Hell?"

      No, no, no, you're thinking of the Hour of the Plucked
Parrot....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:13:08
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: FInal Scene-Severed Drea

{original post had no questions}

      Nopers....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:13:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steve Brightman <73420.3057@compuserve.com>
Subject: << How old is Delenn >>

 Steve Brightman <73420.3057@compuserve.com> asks:
> Excuse for asking but just how old is Delenn ?
> So I guess she must be at least 900 years old ?

      No, Delenn never said she held Valen when he died, she said she
held Dukhat, the last of the Grey Council leaders, at his death.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 01:36:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Cathy Holley <75204.1515@compuserve.com>
Subject: ^The Shadows^

 Cathy Holley <75204.1515@compuserve.com> asks:
> How do the studios get around buying a book to make into a movie
> or tvshow? And didn't you sell B5 as an idea?
> not a complete story?
> or am I missing the point?

"How do the studios get around buying a book to make into a movie or
tv show? I mean in many cases if you compare the book to the movie,
there isn't a whole lot left except the basic storyline."

      They don't get around buying the book; they *do* buy the book. 
No, when all is said and done, the result may not look much like the
book, but that's a matter of creative realization of the project --
artistic success or failure
 -- not legalities.

"And didn't you sell B5 as an idea?  Not a complete story?"

      Again, define "idea."  The way Chris defined it, an "idea" is,
"Let's do a show on a space station."

      You also have to remember that like many other writer/producers,
I'm in a position where I've shown that I'm capable of taking something
and making it into a TV show.  But even so, like every other person
there trying to sell a series to PTEN, I didn't just walk in the door
with an idea.

      If you're going to sell a series, you need to know the
characters, the situations, the possible additional storylines, the
support network and supporting characters...all of that.  What usually
happens is that you go to a network, with a long list of credits, and
spin out a few details of what you have in mind: the central character,
the situation, some additional characters, how you'd get in and out of
stories, and the like.  There's been a LOT of prior thought given to
it, it's a LOT more than just an idea.  Then the network gives you seed
money (called "development money") to take that proposal and flesh it
out, writing a treatment and series bible, then a pilot script.  Based
on ALL THAT, you then get or don't get your series.

      When a writer comes in to pitch for a series already on the air,
he or she has the beginning, middle and end of the story worked out,
and some of the high points along the way.  Every so often, somebody'll
come in and try to sell an idea, just a notion...and you want to hurt
them.  I was working on MURDER, SHE WROTE and a guy came in to pitch
his story.  "Okay," I said, "what did you have in mind?"

      "Amnesia" he said, then sat back, pleased with himself.

      I waited.  Glaciers slowly moved across the northern polar
frontier. "What about it?" I asked finally.

      "*Amnesia*," he said again, as though repeating it would
suddenly make me understand.

      "WHOSE amnesia?" I asked.  "Who forgets what, what's been
forgotten, and where do we go with it?"

      "Well, we'd work that out after I get the assignment."

      He was never invited back.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 03-Jun-96 13:29:30
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: annie <104246.3046@compuserve.com>
Subject: << How old is Delenn >>

 annie <104246.3046@compuserve.com> asks:
> How old is Delenn?

      In human terms, she's probably around her late 40s early 50s,
which is very young still for a Minbari, who can live to be almost 200.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Jun-96 13:35:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Joining B-5 Fan Club?

 Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com> asks:
> Anyone actually got the fan club stuff yet?

      The first issue of the newsletter -- Universe Today -- should be
going out this week, if it hasn't already started going out.  There
were a few glitches in the cards from the printer that had to be
corrected, and I wanted to make some final changes to the poster, which
now looks better.  It's all in place now, however.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:45
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: How Time Flies

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  Unfortunately, we're not really set up to give tours of
the set, so that's not possible for us.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: jms in UK

      I think the books will only be out via import stores.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Croughton (UK) <100014.3217@compuserve.com>
Subject: jms in UK

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks; I just now got this, if I'd known at the time, I likely
would've stopped by.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Elyse M. Grasso <70302.3304@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sidebars 1

      Good points, thanks.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:53
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Elyse M. Grasso <70302.3304@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sidebars 2: Cabaret

      I wouldn't say Cabaret was my favorite movie of all time, but
it's certainly one of my tops, and that one scene, "Tomorrow Belongs to
Me" still scares the hell out of me.

      If I had to delineate my favorite films overall, they'd be
Seconds, They Might Be Giants, Forbidden Planet, The Stuntman, A
Christmas Story, The Empire Strikes Back, Cabaret, Failsafe, Seven Days
in May, Aliens, All That Jazz, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Glory,
The Haunting of Hill House, Road Warrior, Terminator 1 and 2, The
Natural, Network, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Rocky Horror
Picture Show, Phantom of the Paradise, When Worlds Collide, The Seven
Faces of Dr. Lao, The Shootist, War of the Worlds, Stalag 17, and The 
Time Machine.

      Those are films I can watch again and again and never get bored
with them.  Lao is a particular favorite, it's just a beautiful film. 
I tend to love films that break your heart or make it soar, or both at
the same time, like Glory, or Giants.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: carrie foreman <76400.1170@compuserve.com>
Subject: Merchandise question

      No, Psi Corps pins have not been licensed, and are thus illegal.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:57
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS: Sorry...

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just how negative are those feelings?

      I didn't read the thread, but yes, Carl's right when he says
that we have to be careful to avoid storylines and the like.  Don't
worry, apology accepted; forgiven, forgotten, gone.  We learn by doing.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:41:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Other races' ships

 (blocked) asks:
> Just out of curiosity, have any Markab ships been shown, other
> than the one in "Confessions and Lamentations"?

      Yes, Marcabs had warships, though not a lot of them.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: 4th Season

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Were you given any feel as to the likelyhood of a Season Five?

      Thanks, and we'll know more about Warner's plans in a bit.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Did Sinclair get married

{original post unavailable}

      No, they didn't get married.  Wasn't time, and his new posting
precluded that.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: A B5 reflection

{original post had no questions}

      That's great, thanks for passing it along.
                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:07
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, we're very pleased.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Renewal

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  Yes, the numbers and support led right to renewal.  I
should mention that the domestic ratings have grown enough that one of
the major station groups has committed its stations to return
double-runs of episodes for the coming year, so Los Angeles and a
number of other markets will be getting two showings per week again.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:14
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kathy Sheldrake <76236.254@compuserve.com>
Subject: Fabulous Costumes

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  Yes, the costumes are great.  Ann Bruice does a
terrific job finding fabrics which don't seem to be one thing or
another; your eye just sorta slides off them.  It's a very tough job.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Point of No return>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, and Severed is even better....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:20
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Bablyon 5 Beyond the Rim

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> In your "Hours of the Wolf," (with the uncertainties you must
> deal with as a creator/executive producer of a syndicated show
> you must have a continuing series of "Hours of the Wolf), do you
> ever get story ideas about the B5 characters that occur well
> outside of the the megastory you've committed yourself to tell? 
> Would it be helpful or detrimental to start agitating at either
> the local or WB-macro level for a guarantee (or as close as is
> possible in the fluid dynamics of syndicated series) of a season
> 5? Since you've indicated the possibility that you might be
> required to compress seasons 4 and 5, is there any value to all
> of the dedicated viewers stating up front that a compressed
> season is not an acceptable option?

      Thanks.  Yes, I sometimes do get notions for stories with our
characters outside the B5 arc.  Earlier stuff, later stuff...you just
sorta file it away. I'll probably never get to telling any of it, but
it helps add truth to the writing because I know what they're doing
elsewhere and elsewhen.  Those tales will probably never be told.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 13:42:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bob Ingersoll <72204.2405@compuserve.com>
Subject: Last 5 When?

 Bob Ingersoll <72204.2405@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will they run sometime over the summer, or are they being held
> back again until the start up of next year's season?

      October.  Urk.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:02:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5

 Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it updated as well?
> Oh, will Peter David be writing any other episodes?
> ?

      Thanks.  It's a great show, and fun to work on.

      To the question of the writing book...the version being
published this October is *completely* rewritten, stem to stern, with
new chapters and other goodies.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John L. Creigh <75270.423@compuserve.com>
Subject: Merchandise question

 John L. Creigh <75270.423@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is is okay/legal to use the PTEN copyrighted gifs on a website?

      It's been general policy for WB to look the other way on that as
long as proper copyright notices are appended.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mary Taylor <75530.2650@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Renewal

 Mary Taylor <75530.2650@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does by any chance the major station group that has committed to
> a return of double runs of the show include WPWR in Chicago?

      I'm reasonably sure that WPWR Chicago is one of those that have
committed to the new slate of double runs, but I'm not 100% sure; will
get a list as soon as available.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:18
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 congrats

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks, and I'm glad the show is finally reaching your corner of
the world.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:21
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sheridan Disappears?

{original post unavailable}

      He doesn't disappear completely.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com>
Subject: Celebration Time!!!

 Brian A. Thomas <75231.1122@compuserve.com> asks:
> Since I believe you said you were not going to pull another
> season 3 and write all the scripts yourself, who can we expect to
> see pen some eps this upcoming season? Niel Gaiman or Halan
> Ellison? Also, who do we need to be writing to, outside of our
> local stations, to insure that WB gives a speedy greenlight to
> season 5 ASAP...after all, what is one last season to a big
> studio like them?

      Nothing much to be done now for year 5, that will depend as does
every season on the ratings for the year preceding.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 12-Jun-96 21:16:24
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season Finale

{original post unavailable}

      When I'm ready....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 13-Jun-96 12:46:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Wilfred Gibo <74543.1600@compuserve.com>
Subject: Celebration Time!!!

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks, and we look forward to the coming year.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 12:46:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Merchandise question

{original post unavailable}

       No, I think that's fine as well, with proper notices.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 12:46:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Merchandise question

{original post unavailable}

       You cannot make and *sell* them.  That's the difference.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 12:46:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: S J NICHOLSON <76574.1663@compuserve.com>
Subject: Chicago Comicon

 S J NICHOLSON <76574.1663@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you (or anyone out there) know what your schedule would be
> this weekend? Is it going to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

       I believe my main panels are in the afternoons on Saturday and
Sunday.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 21:36:36
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark Pruett <74133.3406@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sidebars 2: Cabaret

 Mark Pruett <74133.3406@compuserve.com> asks:
> Seconds...Seconds....was that the truly dark film with Rock
> Hudson? Or am I remembering wrong?
> You included The Shootist but not Robin and Marian?

      Yes, that was the Rock Hudson film...and the letterbox Forbidden
Planet has been out for some time on disk.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 21:36:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: *B5 Renewed*!!

{original post unavailable}

      Actually, TNT had the rights to B5 at a point after 88 episodes,
yes, BUT...WB had the option within that contract to produce only 66
episodes and still get the same deal.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 21:43:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: Chicago Comicon

 SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are you bringing anything *interesting* to show us????

      Mainly clips from coming shows, not any finished episodes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 13-Jun-96 21:43:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com>
Subject: Timeline Inconsistency

 John M. Kahane <102664.773@compuserve.com> asks:
> That places "Messages From Earth" about a week after
> "Exogenesis," right? You start to see the dilemma?
> Which means that "Severed Dreams" takes place about the 12th of
> April? How's that so far?
> But what does this do with the dates for "Sic Transit Vir" and
> "Ceremonies of Light and Dark"? So any chance of you helping out
> with the dates for all this, and a clearing up of some of the
> timeline here for me?

      The only thing I can clear up is that Sic Transit was *not*
filmed prior to Ceremonies, the filming order was Severed, Ceremonies,
Avalon and Vir. Other than that, you're on your own.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 14-Jun-96 21:34:14
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chad Underkoffler <102512.1310@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Publicity??

 Chad Underkoffler <102512.1310@compuserve.com> asks:
> The UK was pleasant, I trust?
> Who handles B5 publicity?
> Is it WB or in-house Babylonian Productions?
> Does that include talk show bookings, SNL guest hosting, and all
> that jazz? but how do *you* feel personally as regards SNL's
> tendency to parody the week's guest host's roles? I know you
> dislike (or just don't want to see) fanfic B5 parodies, what
> about parodies done by the Not Ready for Prime Time Players? have
> you seen the RPG playtest rules and background? Is it true to your
> vision?

      WB has generally handled B5's publicity, though we've lately
hired our own publicists to help gain additional exposure.

      Parodies don't bother me.

      Newsletters have begun going out; posters and fan club packets
have had to wait until we got everything worked out.  Remember, please,
everybody, that the FC is a new creation, was not a going concern;
those who got in at the very beginning will have a short wait that
those joining thereafter won't have.  As with everything else we do, we
try and do it *right*.  If that takes a bit longer, so be it.  (I sent
back the new poster design twice for small changes and improvements,
which alone put things back.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:34:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ruth Spradlin <73477.3155@compuserve.com>
Subject: Pilot Movie

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, I didn't know that.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:34:18
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Fourth season...

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks, and we're looking forward to year four.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:34:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com>
Subject: Bablyon 5 Beyond the Rim

 Anita Karve <73653.3253@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any chance of covering those areas in B5 movies after the 5th
> season is over? If not commercial features, what about
> made-for-television ones?

      We'll kinda have to see what happens when it comes round to make
that decision; right now just telling this one story now takes up 110%
of my time.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:34:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Doug Quinn <76330.350@compuserve.com>
Subject: << WWE Questions >>

 Doug Quinn <76330.350@compuserve.com> asks:
> 1) On the destruction of B5 -- can I assume that the vision of B5
> being blown to bits in in SIGNS & PORTENTS is the same possible
> future we saw in BABYLON SQUARED and in WAR WITHOUT END? Or was
> the vision from SIGNS & PORTENTS fortelling a different future
> that's still out there? 2) Since Jeff Sinclair was Roman Catholic,
> and since Jeff Sinclair became Valen, and since Valen became the
> spiritual and political leader of the Minbari, does this mean
> that the Minbari are Roman Catholic?

      Yes, the vision of B5 blowing was the same as the one from
Signs.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:45:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sidebars 2: Cabaret

{original post unavailable}

      I liked "Unforgiven" quite a bit, but it isn't a film that I
could watch endlessly, or often.  The others are films that catch me up
and take me someplace I enjoy returning to, and if I'm channel surfing
and happen to land on one of them, I generally tend to stay.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:45:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 TV Schedule - UK

{original post unavailable}

      BTW, I heard today from the chain of command that the UK might
*not* be broadcasting the final 5 prior to the US, at the insistence of
WB.  Won't be able to track this down any further until next week.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 14-Jun-96 21:45:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Making life interesting

{original post unavailable}

      Congratulations, you're doing *exactly* what I did when I
dropped everything, sold what I had, and came to L.A.  Good luck.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 15-Jun-96 17:06:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Merchandise question

{original post unavailable}

      No more feeders...they won't leave the female extras alone.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 15-Jun-96 17:06:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bruno Melancon <102647.3222@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

 Bruno Melancon <102647.3222@compuserve.com> asks:
> BTW, did you start writing any fourth season episodes?

      Yup, I'm writing the first episode now, "The Hour of the Wolf,"
and we should have 6 in hand by the start of filming.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 15-Jun-96 17:06:12
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark Sloan <100407.3462@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Interludes>>

 Mark Sloan <100407.3462@compuserve.com> asks:
> A question about "I&E" (Second favourite episode of season 3 so
> far, after Severed Dreams): Did Adira's killer suffer the same
> fate as the guard who appeared in the episode's teaser? Now season
> 4 has been confirmed, are you going to make him put all the
> weight back on?
> ?

      No, Adira's killer is still alive...can be useful, those folks.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 15-Jun-96 17:06:13
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Communicator

 (blocked) asks:
> How does the communicator stay on the hand?

      Sleight of hand.

      Molecular bonding at the epidermal level.

      Crazy Glue.

      Pick one.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 15-Jun-96 17:06:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Bablyon 5 Beyond the Rim

{original post unavailable}

      No, it's a tribute to Alfie.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 11:08:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Other races' ships

 Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Would they have contracted Drafa?

      There would've been a very few on deep space patrols, or on
isolated worlds that would've survived, yes, as was indicated in the
narration at the close of the episode, but you're talking about very,
very small numbers.  The race is still effectively dead.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 11:08:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dimitri M LaBarge <71501.3353@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

 Dimitri M LaBarge <71501.3353@compuserve.com> asks:
> Have you a title for this season's episodes yet?

      Yes, I have titles for this season's shows, mostly, and the
overall title.

      You'll get them in the fullness of time.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 11:08:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bernard F. Dowdy, J <76550.347@compuserve.com>
Subject: <More of Zathras?>

 Bernard F. Dowdy, J <76550.347@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will we see Zathras again in a future episode or was his trip
> 1000 years into the past his exit from the series?

      I'd love to see Zathras again somehow....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 16-Jun-96 16:26:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> what is it, and what happened to it?

      Clarke has inside info that ISN would be going public soon with
info on what was *really* going on on Mars, his planned attack on B5,
and other stuff he wanted quiet.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 16:26:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Neville White <101352.1023@compuserve.com>
Subject: <severed dreams in UK>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  The Television Thing to do would've been to have that
moment of victory, Sheridan saying the crisis is over, then fade to
black...but it was absolutely *vital* to go to the lower sections and
see the human cost of that victory.  War is never a bloodless game.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 16:29:34
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tim Kelly <76735.3255@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 at an end in NY?

 Tim Kelly <76735.3255@compuserve.com> asks:
> is picking up the show for a fourth season, WOR may be nixing the
> show from their fall schedule? Now, I don't want to start a rumor,
> but is there any truth to this???

      No, NY will continue to air the show next fall.  There's always
somebody saying they've got a "source" at WB saying one apocalyptic
thing or another...and they're always full of it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 20:57:00
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Lift question

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can the lift take someone horizontally from sector to sector?

      Yes, the tubes can move at both angles.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 20:57:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steven K. Andeweg <72143.674@compuserve.com>
Subject: Staff of Aesculapius

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, we try to get the details right.  As someone once said,
god is in the details.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 21:59:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Interludes>>

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it?

      Certainly, one theme of the show is how we each deal with the
traumas that beset us, and the choices we make.  The difference is in
how we handle them.  In "Shadow" and "Interludes" both Londo and
Sheridan have to confront somewhat similar losses: the death of a loved
one.  But Sheridan, at the last, was willing to suck in the pain and do
what was right, however much it grieved him, and forego
revenge...Londo, on the other hand, has embraced revenge.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 16-Jun-96 21:59:11
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Hour 25/B5 Music

{original post unavailable}

      Agreement on both counts.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 17-Jun-96 11:34:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Hour 25/B5 Music

{original post unavailable}

       My agreement was that it should be on the next CD, and have
noted same to Chris.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 11:34:53
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Delenn's Family

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> will we ever hear about Delenn's parents/family?

       As a matter of fact, yes, you'll hear about Delenn's parents in
"Grey 17 Is Missing."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 21:00:29
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 off air in Philly

{original post unavailable}

      I'm sure WB is looking at alternate stations.  The basic reality
is that if the station supported the show, it did well; if not, not.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 21:00:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season 4 Narration

{original post unavailable}

      Yes and no.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 21:00:34
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <WWE & Geo. of Shadows>

{original post unavailable}

      No, it wasn't an intentional bit of foreshadowing, unless my
subconscious is smarter about this stuff than I am...which is
altogether possible, I suppose.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 21:18:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Paul Owen <100331.2357@compuserve.com>
Subject: Severed Dreams

 Paul Owen <100331.2357@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just a little question, at the end of SD when Delenn returns with
> the Minbari ships, what is the small Minbari ship that
> accompanies the cruisers ?

      That's the White Star, and thanks.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 17-Jun-96 21:18:06
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

      I actually went to a mix of schools; four different high
schools, a dozen or so grade and junior high schools...some were
public, some were parochial (catholic) schools.  The last time I
stepped into a catholic school was in my first year of high school at
St. Benedict's High School in Matawan, New Jersey.  After, oh, about
six months they asked me to leave, on the theory that I was
troublesome, asked impertinent questions, and had a tendency to poke
holes in whichever theological discussion was underway at the moment. 
So I got blipped over to Matawan Regional High School, and stayed
public thereafter...though still getting into trouble from time to time
for asking too many questions and refusing to take "because I said so"
as ANY kind of legitimate response.

      So yes, while I do have some experience with catholicism, I
wasn't in any way raised, trained or educated by those intellectual pit
bulls of religion, the Jesuits.  The last time I had anything to do
with it at all was about the same time as the above incident, wherein I
was told, at the first session of this religious doctrination session,
that Confirmation was "the sacrament of free choice."  I wanted this
clarified -- religious rules were always tricky, and you didn't want to
get on the wrong side of anything as positive as hell (to paraphrase
Christopher Fry) -- and asked, "So this one we can choose or not, we
don't have to be here, right?"  The nun said yes, that's corr---

      She never finished the word, as there was no longer a "me"
standing in the room, only a jms-shaped silhouette made of the dust
kicked up by my sudden and rocket-like departure, rather like a Warner
Bros. cartoon, which disappeared before her eyes.

      Bottom line...I have *always* been a pain in the ass.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 18-Jun-96 01:40:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Two Questions

{original post unavailable}

      Basically, after seeing what he's done for the Narns, and
knowing who Vir is all this time, and seeing his reaction of horror to
what Lyndisty was suggesting, anybody who thinks he offed the Narn
isn't paying attention.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 18-Jun-96 01:40:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: ABA and B5

{original post had no questions}

      That's good to hear from the ABA booths.  Thanks.

      Re: the fan/pro relationship (which can be difficult at
times)...yes, I do tend to think that because many SF pros come from
the ranks of fans, it makes them more receptive to and sympathetic to
that side of things.  It makes me *very* annoyed to see people who've
stood in line for 1, 2 or 3 hours for an autograph being turned aside. 
If I have any control over this, I won't have it.  (The only time I
haven't been in control of this was at Wolf, where a number of folks
were turned aside, and that's something the organizers and I have to
discuss for next time.  I also found out, after the fact, that some 
folks were turned away from the Forbidden Planet signing because they
brought stuff instead of buying, and that was NEVER a condition that
I'd agreed to or even knew about, and I'm quite unhappy about that.)

      Generally speaking, I don't care how long I have to sit there
and sign, ain't *nobody* walking away empty handed if I can help it. 
Because I've been in that position myself.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 18-Jun-96 14:43:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Interludes>>

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Isn't this one of the primary differances between the characters,
> though?

       Yep, that's it exactly.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 18-Jun-96 14:47:18
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 Radio Times

{original post had no questions}

       So like, what does it SAY?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 18-Jun-96 14:47:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Which came first?

{original post had no questions}

       The *Mars* excavation was years ago, the *Ganymede* one was the
one in Messages.

                                                               jms

------------------------------

Date: 18-Jun-96 14:47:20
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Which came first?

{original post unavailable}

       The excavation came first, then martial law.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 00:25:34
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom O'Hay <71264.106@compuserve.com>
Subject: Just curious...

 Tom O'Hay <71264.106@compuserve.com> asks:
> Years ago, after reading a story, I asked the children "How would
> you like to go there?" Do you remember S Spielberg's "Amazing
> Stories"?

      Thank you, I appreciate that.  That's really all I've ever
wanted, to tell a good story.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 00:25:36
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Other races' ships

 Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> What I meant was, will we see them again, and will they come in
> on B5's side?

      No, they're effectively out of the picture.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 00:25:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <severed dreams in UK>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  And you're quite right; when we lose touch with our
myths, we have to dig them out, dust them off, and recast them under
different names, so that people can rediscover them without thinking
they're reading about something old and irrelevant.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 00:25:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: UK B5 Radio Times

 Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com> asks:
> So what lies ahead over the next 11 episodes?
> What do you think of that last line then ?

      Thanks for the info, it's appreciated.

      "What do you think of that last line then?"

      What's to think?  Dominic May is a fine name.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 19-Jun-96 11:41:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: What of Earth?

{original post unavailable}

       Yes, we'll definitely get back into the Earth side of things;
we just go in cycles story-wise.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 11:41:56
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS: thestation.com????

 (blocked) asks:
> Any ETA when the page will be on-line?

       As soon as WB stops dithering about and gives us authorization
to put it out there.  All licensed stuff has to go through their
auspices, and they're taking their time.  We're pressing them as much
as we can; we've had a beta site on line now since May.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 23:59:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Other races' ships

 Vivien Loveday <100705.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> What about that lone Narn cruiser?
> Is that due to play a part again?

      We'll see the Narn cruiser again this season.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 19-Jun-96 23:59:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Technical Accuracy

{original post unavailable}

      Usually they use equations, I understand...though glitches, such
as those you note, do slip through.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 24 Jun 1996 12:05:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Series Renewal

 (blocked) asks:
> Will Janet Greek be back?

       We'd love to have Janet back, but she apparently just adopted
an infant, and isn't sure she wants to do any work for the coming year.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 24 Jun 1996 12:05:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks...and I'm not sure the shadows' motivation is an "open"
question as much as it is one open TO interpretation....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 24 Jun 1996 12:05:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is that in some way different from what Elizabeth said??

       It's between those two positions....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 24 Jun 1996 21:22:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

{original post unavailable}

      You don't have all the information yet on which to base any
conclusions; it's coming by season's end.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 24 Jun 1996 21:36:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Lynne Caulfield <101647.2616@compuserve.com>
Subject: Why GA deserves an Emmy

{original post had no questions}

      Since you mention the UK ratings, the newest volume of the B5
videotape, #11, just came out in the UK...and it's #1 on the charts,
topping the X-Files you cite.

      As for the other UK ratings you mention, Channel 4 is always
generally rated lower than BBC1 and BBC2; within the course of what C4
airs, B5 does *extremely* well for them, and just recently came in at
#16 in their list of programming.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 25 Jun 1996 12:56:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Defining 10 as 'kills because (s)he enjoys doing it, and revels
> in the deaths/pain of others' and 1 as 'kills because it is
> necessery to do so for survival/etc', where would the Shadows
> rate? How was the Chicago Comicon, BTW?

       On the 1-10 scale you suggest, and using those specific
criteria to make a decision, I'd rate the shadows right around E or F.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 25 Jun 1996 12:56:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Death?

 Vlobb <101523.507@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do the future events depeticted in War Without End have to come
> to pass, or has the future now been changed by the very fact that
> Sheridan knows something of it? If so, do all the characters that
> were alive in the future scenes in War Without End necesserally
> have to be alive in that future now?

       Sheridan, by taking the actions he took to keep history on
track, has now pretty much assured that the events we see *will*
happen.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 28 Jun 1996 00:44:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Al Lipscomb <75204.2225@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

{original post unavailable}

      Of course, there's a substantive difference between killing a
character to serve the plot, or because of real-world events, and
offing somebody without giving the person a fair chance.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jun 1996 00:44:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Marcus Cole/Jason Carter

{original post unavailable}

      Just one.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jun 1996 00:47:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark Sloan <100407.3462@compuserve.com>
Subject: Special B5 episode

{original post unavailable}

      Uh, huh....

      *

      Okay, buddy, back away from the keyboard and keep your hands
where we can see them.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jun 1996 12:55:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Juanma Barranquero <100044.2131@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 in Spain

{original post had no questions}

       That's great, thanks for letting me know.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jun 1996 12:55:37 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Marcus Cole/Jason Carter

{original post unavailable}

       Of course, if my head implodes, I won't be able to finish the
story, now will I...?

       Read "Scheherezade" lately?

                                        jm(probably misspelled that)s

------------------------------

Date: 28 Jun 1996 12:55:39 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: annie <104246.3046@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Death?

{original post had no questions}

       Oh, Delenn definitely still knows more than she's telling....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 26 Jun 1996 00:33:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: What of Earth?

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  It's primarily an effort to integrate the real world
into the series.  So much of SF on television tends to take place in a
vacuum.  The leader of the Federation is always the leader of the
Federation, we rarely hear about squabbling, elections, economic
problems, dissident groups breaking away...and when we do it's usually
a misunderstanding or basically good people with a different agenda
that can be quickly resolved.

      I think that integrating all of those elements lends an
atmosphere of verisimilitude to the story, making it all the more
*real*.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 00:33:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: sci fi shows

{original post unavailable}

      "Neverwhere" will probably show up either on PBS or Bravo, since
it comes off the BBC.

      I've seen the "Dark Skies" pilot...it's kind of a hodge podge of
stuff. Parts are very effective, some aspects stretch credulity...but a
pilot can be a poor indicator of the series, so I'll definitely give it
a shot when the regular show begins.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 00:33:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Neville White <101352.1023@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

{original post unavailable}

      Exactly, the already had a source on Earth.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 00:33:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Ahem... regarding Bears

{original post unavailable}

      It was supposed to have been arranged by some of the folks at
Comic Con in Chicago.  When I got there, I asked if this had been taken
care of (they said they knew the right people, and I'd reimburse for
the cost involved). They said it was all going to go off as planned. 
If it didn't...then I'm hugely annoyed.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 00:33:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dan T. Davis <71121.1254@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Death?

{original post unavailable}

      Many things are possible.

      But that future will happen.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 11:55:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Series Renewal

{original post unavailable}

       Yes, it's the same casting director.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 12:06:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Marcus Cole/Jason Carter

{original post unavailable}

       Y'know, every time a character gets introduced on this show,
there's always somebody who yells about killing him off.  I've been
told by folks on the nets, variously, to kill Londo ("Who's the jerk in
the Bozo hair?  He's a joke, he's ruining the show, space him!"), Vir
("Flounder in space?  Give me a break, he's nothing, throw him out an
airlock!"), Lennier and others, including Sheridan ("He smiles too
much, what's the deal, Smilin' Jack," which was a setup for his fall). 
Many people screamed to kill Sinclair during the first season...and
then were the first ones wanting him back a year later.

       And in each case, they went on to become some of our most
popular characters.

       Patience is a virtue.  We get to know people over time.  See
their strengths and weaknesses over time.  There's a lot more to Marcus
than meets the eye...and many people *do* like Marcus' character quite
a lot.

       The sad thing to me is to see folks who, if they don't
instantly spark to someone, say "Kill him!!!"  Which seems to me rather
cruel and intolerant for just not sparking to someone.  I wonder if
they have friends, or if they meet someone and instantly don't take to
them, do they wait in an alley and blow their brains out...or give them
time to grow...or at least take a wait-and-see attitude.  I sometimes
wonder about a society that breeds the notion that if you don't like a
character, let's *kill* them. Not, "let's not feature him," not "write
him out," but KILL him.  There's something rather disturbing in that.

       But...if Marcus doesn't work for you, he doesn't work for you. 
He does work for others.  And he works for me.

       I think you're outnumbered.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 21:50:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

 Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, Putting aside your total lack of time, are you interested in
> directing?

      I go back and forth on this.  Basically, no, I'm not interested
in directing.  On the other hand, my gut (and my agent) tells me that I
should do it at least once, just so I understand the process (a good
idea), and to add that aspect to my resume.  I dunno...we'll see.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 21:50:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Series Renewal

 (blocked) asks:
> As an employer, how do you hire for the show in such a way as to
> let your employees know how long they would be under your employ? 
> How do the actors deal with this?

      Thanks.  Basically, you hire actors by the season.  You hire
someone for, say, 13 episodes out of 22.  That actor has a pay-or-play
*guarantee* of 13 episodes.  We may only end up using him in 11, but he
gets paid for all 13 regardless.  So that allows the actor to plan his
year effectively.  The contract for all actors has an option for the
following year at the producer's discretion.  When we get the word on
renewal, we can then choose whether or not to bring an actor back,
assuming we haven't already decided this earlier and killed the
character off.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 21:50:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: sci fi shows

{original post had no questions}

      Odd, I'd thought Tracy Torme was off Sliders now.  I'd heard
that, anyway.  Let me know if he's still listed on the show in the new
eps.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 21:51:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Death?

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> But will the events we saw unfold as we saw them, or will they be
> changed? Or did Sheridan exist in two time continuums at the same
> time? Would his very knowledge of the future shade events
> somewhat?

      Events will unfold as we saw them.  Sheridan might try to use
his knowledge to change things...but who knows, that may just bring
them about.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 26 Jun 1996 21:51:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Ta'Lon?

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> Question: Are we going to be seeing more of Ta'Lon?

      Wouldn't mind seeing more of him.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 29 Jun 1996 00:25:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Death?

{original post unavailable}

      Yup.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 15:44:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Series Renewal

 (blocked) asks:
> Due to the timing of Warner Bros' decision to renew, does this
> give you enough time to assign scripts, and have those authors
> complete the job in time for filming? Or will you just take the
> first few episodes yourself? I can not even begin to understand a
> writer's creative process, but generally how long does it take
> from the time of story assignment to the time the finished script
> is submitted?

      Depends on the writer.  Freelance writing almost always takes
longer because they don't know, and can't be *expected* to know, the
show as well as you do if you're on staff.  You can have several pitch
meetings over the course of weeks before a good story walks in (though
in the case of B5 the stories are generally assigned out by me, saving
that process); then you wait anywhere from 1-3 weeks for the outline;
you have a meeting about it; another week or so for the revised
outline; you have another meeting; then about 2-4 weeks for the first
draft script; then another meeting; then another 1-3 weeks for the
second draft.  (These are *optimal* periods, sometimes it's shorter, 
but usually it's longer.)  And then, on a show as eccentric as B5, you
often end up rewriting large portions of it anyway.  So it can take as
much as 2 months or more to produce a shootable script.

      I can write a script in 7 days or less, that's ready to go
before the camera as written.  Which isn't to say anything qualitative,
only to say that it's easier and faster because I'm inside the bubble.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 15:44:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard Wakefield <100534.504@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hyperspace vs. Distance

{original post had no questions}

      No, what I said was that *time* works about the same way in
hyperspace, not distance, nor that there was necessarily a proportional
1-1 corrolation between realspace and hyperspace.  There's still some
distance involved in hyperspace, yes, though again there isn't always a
1-1 corrolation.  It takes 3 days to get to Earth.  It takes 4 days to
get to Centauri Prime, even though CP is almost twice the distance from
B5.  It's *extremely* confusing to navigate hyperspace, which is why
you need the beacons and transfer points, or it's extremely easy to get
permanently lost.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 15:44:39 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Another Death?

{original post unavailable}

      No, of course there's free will.  But if I pull a trigger, and
the bullet flies out hitting someone in the head, what happens between
the moment of the trigger, and the impact, has nothing to do with free
will.  Sheridan made the choice -- free will -- to do what was done in
WWE.  There were two probable results, depending on whether he did or
didn't do as asked.  Once he did that, the two probabilities folded
into one actuality (a la Shroedinger's Cat).

      Which doesn't mean to say he won't *try* to change things....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 23:25:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: sci fi shows

{original post had no questions}

      Okay, the error here was mine.  I was having dinner with a
friend a few weeks ago, and catching up on stuff (this friend also
works in the TV biz) and names were flying around...he mentioned that
Michael Piller was no longer involved in ST, and Tracy's name came
up...and this is entirely my own fault, I got the two juxtaposed in my
head.  So I misspoke myself.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 23:25:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Slowly but Surely

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, I'll take all the help I can get....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 29 Jun 1996 23:25:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Another Death?

{original post unavailable}

      Ah...sleeping on the couch again, are we...?

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 27 Jun 1996 02:19:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Studte <100245.2335@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

 Michael Studte <100245.2335@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now, when do we start the campaign to get the series renewed for
> its fifth year? And is there any light on the horizon for a
> laserdisk release of the series?

      Thanks.  There's nothing much happening currently on videos or
disks; in the fullness of time, I suppose....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 02:19:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: What of Earth?

{original post unavailable}

      Yeah, five seasons would be 110 episodes.

      Thanks re: the producer part.  This is probably the one area I
get asked about the least, and the hardest part of the job.  You have
to make sure each and every element intersects correctly with every
other element, and that takes some juggling.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 02:19:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com>
Subject: A laugh for ya

{original post unavailable}

      That's great...and congratulations on the win.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 13:53:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Art W. Sullivan <104630.1315@compuserve.com>
Subject: Just curious...

 Art W. Sullivan <104630.1315@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did you start with the place B5 and write forward, letting the
> story evolve, or backwards from a conclusion? Are you a character
> or plot driven writer?

       I started with the place, but basically saw the story in one
full blown moment of clarity...dunno where that sort of thing comes
from.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 13:53:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Ta'Lon?

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are there any regular or semi-regular characters you never want
> to see again on the show??

       Sure, but those I just don't mention.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 13:53:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard Wakefield <100534.504@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hyperspace vs. Distance

 Richard Wakefield <100534.504@compuserve.com> asks:
> How many Hyperspace hours away are the various races from Earth ?
> do all ships travel the same speed in Hyperspace, or can some go
> faster...meaning shorter travel times, etc ? And, finally :), we
> know the tech order of the races, does this also equate to their
> ships speeds ? Is this fast, or slow compared to EA ships ?

       Hyperspace isn't like warp speed, you don't generally run into
the same problems with time dilation.  It's largely the same in both
places.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 13:53:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com>
Subject: WWE2 Question/Spo

{original post had no questions}

       I think his message to Garibaldi was a momentary lapse, it
wasn't something he'd planned, his emotions momentarily got in the way
of his reason. To do so would be dangerous, so it wasn't done by him.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 19:51:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joe Smith <103020.3110@compuserve.com>
Subject: Series Renewal

{original post had no questions}

      Nice quote, thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jun 1996 19:51:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: CHRIS LAND <101750.2526@compuserve.com>
Subject: Marcus Cole/Jason Carter

 CHRIS LAND <101750.2526@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did Aragorn inspire Marcus as I have heard that you enjoyed LOTR?

      Thanks.  And no, Aragorn didn't inspire Marcus.  There's a lot
of heroic fantasy stuff that goes a long way beyond Tolkien, after all.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 30 Jun 1996 14:08:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: [F] ALL (2nd Pass) 
Subject: From jms re:Email

       Every once in a while I have to put this out as an FYI, so
those of you who know the routine, stand down...the rest of
you...c'mere, Unca Straczynski wants a word with you.

       From time to time, my personal email mailbox begins to fill up
with questions that really should be asked in public forums, and which
require lengthy, in-depth explanations.  (One such today asked me to
explain, in detail, the military hierarchy of Earthforce, relative
strengths of ships, on and on and on.  In itself, not a bad
question...but asked in email, that means that I have to answer the
same thing for the next guy who asks, on and on and on.)

       I can't get into detailed, exhaustive discussions of the plot
or story or characters *in private email*.  If your question is a good
or a valid one, it should be posted in a public forum, so that others
can benefit from the answer.  Otherwise either I end up writing pages
of information over and over again, and nobody else gets the
information, or I just decline to answer the question.

       The *only* reason for using email is if it's a personal or a
confidential question, or something you don't want to say on the nets
for whatever reason.  Please help me to keep my head above water by not
using email unless there's a valid reason for it.

       If there *is* something you need to express in email, please
use the genie address (straczynski@genie.geis.com) instead of the
compuserve address, because the CIS emailbox can only hold 100 letters
at a time; any more than that which arrive get bumped and sent back or
deleted.  I lost an important piece of email regarding B5 business
today because it got shoved out by a letter asking me to explain the
differences in organization and accountability to oders between the
religious and military castes of Minbari.

       Bear in mind that with CTS, it *hurts* to type.  The more I
type, the more it hurts.  (Please don't send me any more info on CTS,
btw...I have all the available information on CTS, more than most
doctors right now, and to type a thank you note for each one that comes
in just makes the problem worse.)  If a question needs answering,
better if I can answer it once, so everyone can see it, than 15 times
for one person at a time.  Every keystroke you see from me comes with
discomfort.

       Please try and use the email address(es) only if there's a
valid reason for it; otherwise, let others benefit from the sharpness
and quality of your question by asking it publicly.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jun 1996 20:17:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re:Email

{original post had no questions}

      I can't dictate scripts; I think through my fingers.  Tried it,
just can't get into the characters.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jun 1996 20:17:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard Wakefield <100534.504@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hyperspace vs. Distance

 Richard Wakefield <100534.504@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does this mean Ships travel at different speeds in Hyperspace ?
> And maybe the Vorlons and Shadows are so advanced they can go
> faster, hence the WStar + Battlecruisers ??

      Actually, the White Star doesn't go to Earth in "Severed," it
goes in "Messages from Earth," and it's stated in dialogue that it
takes 3 days in that episode as well.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jun 1996 20:17:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Dugan <71016.576@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hyperspace vs. Distance

 Bill Dugan <71016.576@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is it confusing for the First Ones, or just for us younger races?

      Dunno, but it confuses the hell outta me....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jun 1996 20:17:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steven GASKELL <101700.2032@compuserve.com>
Subject: Mimbari Anti Grav.

 Steven GASKELL <101700.2032@compuserve.com> asks:
> But what if you attach a buttered piece of bread, butter-side up
> to a cat's back and toss them both out the window? Will the cat
> land on it's feet? Or will the butter splat on the ground?

      Dropped out of counseling again, I see....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jun 1996 20:17:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: Minbari Males

 Brent Barrett <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this a correct assessment?

      Yes, they can grow facial hair only.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Series Renewal

 (blocked) asks:
> Have you started lining up directors yet?
> Is Adam Nimoy slated for any in season 4?

      Yes, we've begun lining up directors; will announce more as we
get closer to finalizing stuff.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: What of Earth?

 (blocked) asks:
> Second, has there been much shown in the economics of the
> universe you've created? I've seen postings concerning the
> relative military and technological strength of the major races
> -- has there been any similar comparisons of economic influence? 
> Is it something you consider part of the backstory when writing
> episodes or is the amazingly complex factors you already juggle
> quite enough?

      There's been some on economics, not nearly enough, though.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS: thestation.com????

 (blocked) asks:
> Just how much does WB "own"?
> I notice everything is copyrighted by WB, so you don't own any of
> it? If you want to write a novel or make another show based on the
> B5 universe do you now have to get WB permission? Is this typical?

      Yes, on all TV series, the studio owns the copyright and all
that entails.  That's why ST in all its forms is (c) Paramount, not
Roddenberry.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: sci fi shows

{original post had no questions}

      I don't generally watch any of the ST shows.  I like X-Files
quite a bit, haven't seen virtually anything of Sliders...though I can
tell you now that the next big, nifty show to come along in the
fantasy/sf genre is going to be "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman.  I've seen
a couple of episodes of it, and it's neat.  Look for it later in the
year or spring.  (It's from the BBC.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 on WBTV in Euro?

{original post unavailable}

      Haven't got a clue.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:14:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com>
Subject: Londo in I&E (Spoilers)

 Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com> asks:
> If Londo believes that Adira was killed by Refa, and wants
> revenge, then why doesn't he just have Refa killed, like he
> threatened to do?

      Refa is a powerful guy now, with powerful allies; he needs
money, in large amounts, and more influence, so when and if Refa would
get it, there wouldn't be the kinds of repercussions that might
otherwise come, as with a mafia hit, for instance.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:30:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS

 Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com> asks:
> It seems clear that there is demand for B5 Merchandise of this
> type - so can I ask (if I may be so bold) why there is no such
> merchandise, other than the Micromachines and Stamp sets,
> availalbe? Have you any information?
> Oh - before I go, is there any information on B5 Club membership
> in the UK?

      We're going after the pirates.  On the model front...basically,
all that has to happen is for a model company to come to us and make a
deal to produce the models.  (A decent sized company.)  So far, none of
them have, on the theory that only ST models sell from TV shows.  Maybe
if they heard from consumers interested in B5 models, they'd come to us
and make a deal.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:30:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 and Star Wars.

 Simon Grierson <100407.2075@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can I just make a little point of observation here?
> Micheal Statzynski into the same "Great Minds of Science Fiction"
> category that I think they deserve to be in?

      I can't think of any higher compliment than to be included in
the same sentence as the Star Wars trilogy.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 23 Jun 1996 22:30:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Elizabeth Elliott <100601.3142@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shadows are Beautiful!

 Elizabeth Elliott <100601.3142@compuserve.com> asks:
> Doesn't anyone else think the same way about this poor, despised
> race?

      Ah, you are now the first...there will be others....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------