lurkers-guide/ftp/CompuServe/cs97-05

JMS CompuServe messages for May 1997.  Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.


Date: 02 May 1997 10:19:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com>
Subject: Comic Books

 Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, is there a link?
> Are comics readers predisposed towards TV writing, or is it just
> another one of those causal fallacies?

       I think that comics fans grow into SF fans, and from SF fans
come SF writers and (now) SF producers.  Genre domino theory.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 02 May 1997 10:19:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries

{original post had no questions}

       "They shot him a week later."

       Well, when in doubt....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 03 May 1997 00:26:39 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Science Fiction

 (blocked) asks:
> Could you please elaborate a little for me?
> Since I want to read a little more science fiction, could you
> reccommend something of Harlan's that you think I might enjoy?

      Just about ANY of Harlan's books are worth reading, though
Strange Wine and Shatterday (available at most SF stores) are personal
favorites, and his latest Edgeworks volume just came out.

      Sci-Fi vs. SF...the former is flash-n-dazzle, monsters eating
people, ID4, lots of action and not much thought.  SF is Blade Runner,
the first Alien movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Seconds, Charley,
others. Science Fiction means it examines the impact of technology on
people, or in some way extrapolates to the future in new and
interesting or innovative ways.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 03 May 1997 00:26:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com>
Subject: Comic Books

{original post had no questions}

"When do I start writing <G>"

      As soon as the restraining order expires.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 03 May 1997 00:26:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Hardin <74076.22@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secure Communications

      So they could see him and know by seeing him that he arrived
safely; a text message could be sent by *anyone* who could've
intercepted them.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 03 May 1997 18:46:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Science Fiction

 (blocked) asks:
> How do you rate Star Wars in this?
> Or the 6 million dollar man?

      Star Wars: space fantasy.  6 Million Dollar Man: began as
something close to SF, collapsed shortly thereafter into just plain
awfulness.  The idea of advanced prosthetics incorporated into a living
human is an interesting idea...but frittered away here.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 03 May 1997 18:46:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Comic Books

{original post unavailable}

      Don't you hate what they've done with Legion lately...?

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 03 May 1997 18:47:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Hardin <74076.22@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secure Communications

{original post had no questions}

      The issue of waste of bandwith is not as big a deal to an
advanced technology (from today's standards); also, any really good
telepath could rip out those codes and keys in about 10 seconds. 
Further, they would've had a password to use (as in "the board," which
he used) to verify that he was all right and not being forced to make
the call.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 03 May 1997 18:47:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Mars Traffic

{original post unavailable}

      It's a little busier than usual.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 04 May 1997 17:33:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Comic Books

 (blocked) asks:
> What do you mean exactly?
> Do you mean the new incarnation(post gritty Griffen version 4),
> or something more recent?

      I think that the thing has gone downhill ever since they redid
them a few years ago.  They've kind of gone back to the roots of the
book, but now it seems to be getting a bit silly, and the names of the
characters have gotten changed, and it's gotten dopey.

      Ah, well...for me, Superman died with the Alan Moore two-parter
(now on sale as a graphic novel, "Whatever Happened to the Man of
Tomorrow?")  That, for my money, was the best thing DC did with the
character in decades.  I don't know who the new guy is....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 04 May 1997 20:07:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Comic Books

{original post unavailable}

      I haven't done that much comics reading lately; I've been a fan
since the early 60s/late 50s, as soon as I learned how to read.  Mainly
DC stuff. The market's gone to hell over the last year or two, so I've
kinda lost interest.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 04 May 1997 22:22:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark K. Smith <74014.1534@compuserve.com>
Subject: One pebble's vote

 Mark K. Smith <74014.1534@compuserve.com> asks:
> Avalanche, anyone?

      Go with Kosh, my son....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 06 May 1997 14:13:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Die Hard Conflicts

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> As I was watching the Daffy Duck cartoon, I wondered, "Given how
> hard it is to fit all the good stuff into the forty some-odd
> minutes of a given episode, why is Joe leaving this thing on for
> so long?" Did you simply remember that cartoon, did you look for
> it, or was it just coincidence? And what kind of drugs were you on
> when you asked for those (not-so-)stock external CGI shots? If so,
> why? Different actor for Lise?
> Or did you want to get the *real* farewell, not the one with an
> unstuck Garibaldi? Does this telepath virus happen to have any
> connection to the spin off?

       Re: the cartoon...I'm a big WB cartoon fan, and knew that one
very well, and there were two places where it would've fit with the
story; the other one, which I almost used, was when you see two Daffy's
arguing with each other.

       Re: the CGI...we've been fairly conventional with the CGI in
recent seasons, we're trying to get a bit more adventurous.

       The Lise flashback material is all exactly as was filmed for
"Babylon Squared."  I think we used a few more pieces of the original
footage, but it was all stet.

       Re: Delenn...these episodes happen close to one another in
time, so you have to allow travel time for her to get to Minbar.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 06 May 1997 14:13:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: this week's ep, no spoil

 (blocked) asks:
> How could anyone have *ever* even entertained the idea that all
> the excitement was over when the Shadow War ended?

       Heck, for my money, what follows in the rest of this season is
more exciting and more intense than anything we did during the shadow
war... because it's a lot more personal.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 06 May 1997 14:13:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Attn JMS: Islam on B5

{original post unavailable}

       We've shown moslems by dress in the background, and featured
them in "Parliament of Dreams."  The mecca question is a good one;
you'd probably have to orient yourself toward Earth...but the station
rotates you away every 60 seconds.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 06 May 1997 14:13:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Homosexuality

{original post unavailable}

       I don't think Earthforce cares about sexual orientation; the
reason we just set it out there without comment is that, having come
through the realization of other non-human races...a little thing like
sexual orientation, nobody even cares about anymore.  It ain't an
issue.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 06 May 1997 15:52:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

{original post unavailable}

       Re: Lise...well, everybody can't be a fighter; we've had guys
and the occasional female character who isn't used to being shot at.  I
daresay I'm not terribly used to being shot at, and someone who's
mainly a civilian would probably react about that same way.  It's just
a matter of showing that diversity realistically rather than saying,
"Okay, let's have a helpless female now."  Having every female (or
male) hard-nosed and laughing off PPG bursts is as unrealistic as its
opposite.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 06 May 1997 15:52:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: White Star 16, a lemon?

{original post unavailable}

       Of course, you have no way of knowing how many previous hits it
took during the fight, and are assuming it only got two.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 07 May 1997 01:16:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bob Koslosky <102365.2062@compuserve.com>
Subject: Lines of Communication

 Bob Koslosky <102365.2062@compuserve.com> asks:
> At any rate, he did ask a question that I thought was relevant:
> In the end, Delenn's White Star fleet completely overwhelms the
> Drahk's - so why did she initially "retreat" in the first place?

      As she states in the episode, they were at that time
*surrounded* and if they turned to fire, would get destroyed. 
Firepower doesn't solve every problem; one good hand-held Lancet
missile can put down a full-sized cruiser if it hits right.  They were
in the MIDDLE of the Drakh, just as they said, and that's NOT a
defensible position.  They had to get away, outside that group, so they
could mount an offensive.  This they did.

      So re: Jenoff's comments...another example of a self-styled
critic who faults the show when the information is right there...the
problem is the perceiver, not the perceived.  I can't be held
responsible for critics not thinking through what's said right there on
camera.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 07 May 1997 01:16:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries

 (blocked) asks:
> From who?

      From some extremist Catholics...and also got some flack from
Born Again Rigtists over my comments in TV Guide about being an
atheist.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 07 May 1997 01:16:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: this week's ep, no spoil

{original post had no questions}

"I know you've been telling us that for a while now, but for some
reason, a few people still acted like they didn't believe you. <g> I'm
sure they have been disabused of their false sense of calm and order
and anti-climax after the last couple of episodes."

      Heck, Sharon, what you've seen ain't *nothing*...this is just
the warm-up....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 07 May 1997 01:16:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Hugh Kennedy <70042.710@compuserve.com>
Subject: Secure Communications

{original post had no questions}

      In that scenario, there is no such thing as ANY kind of secure
communication, which puts us pretty much back where we started.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 07 May 1997 12:42:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do any of these guys have offices in D.C.?
> PS: Did you see the "Ellen episode?"

       That's exactly what happens.  Happened to Peter David on Space
Cases; the nitwits at Nickelodeon came in and made a great number of
stupid changes, which only hurt the show...the ratings went down
because of those changes, and this led them to conclude the show just
didn't work (rather than admit the changes were stupid) and thus
canceled the show.

       Same thing happened on The Real Ghostbusters; we had the #1
rated animated show on the air at the time.  Then the Experts and the
Consultants came in to fix it.  Massive and stupid changes.  I could
either swallow them, or leave.  I left.  And the show went down the
toilet.  After that, they kinda came around and said that maybe the
changes were, sorta, kinda, wrong, see...and would I do a few more
freelance the way it was supposed to be and put it back?  There at
least they were sufficiently mensches to do the right thing, and be
open about it.  I have a great deal of respect for them as a result.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 07 May 1997 21:22:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: this week's ep, no spoil

{original post had no questions}

      (stunned silence)

      ...*another* holo-character?

      Jeezus....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 07 May 1997 21:22:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> Wow, an exec admitted they were wrong?
> Was there some sort of comet or eclipse or something???
> End result, fans shaking their heads going, "Are you bloody
> nuts?" PS: Joe, you're one of the few who might actually have an
> interesting take on this, so here goes: If a person with multiple
> personalities threatens to kill himself, is this a hostage
> situation?

"It all makes me wonder if somedays you don't go running down the hall
screaming Ahhhhhh at the top of your lungs!"

      Done that.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 12 May 1997 01:30:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season finale

{original post unavailable}

      Nothing has been decided yet.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Whadda ya say, Joe?

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are you still alive?
> How did it go?
> Did you remember to say, "Cut!"?

"I'm sincerely curious about how you found the experience of directing
your baby -- of being responsible for creating, writing, producing
*and* directing it."

      My main goal was not to embarrass myself overmuch.  I think I
came out okay.  I've now seen an editor's assembly of the material, and
it plays real nice.  Now I get to go in and make the director's cut,
which will to all intents and purposes also stand as the producer's
cut.

      The main thing is...this one is *exactly* the way I saw it in my
head. It has a somewhat different feel than prior episodes, though hard
to quantify. But I think it came out nicely.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will their knowledge of the ending have adverse effects on the
> acting from this point forward? Also, if you've neatly tied
> everything up, what does that really leave for season 5? Filler,
> non-arc stories?

"You have spent the last 4 years keeping your actors in the dark as to
their final fates (for the most part).  Will their knowledge of the
ending have adverse effects on the acting from this point forward?  I
expect the answer is they are good at their jobs and will continue to
be outstanding in their performances, but many of them have mentioned
that the lack of knowledge of their future had  played a part in their
performances."

      Not really, no more so than seeing G'Kar and Londo strangling
each other as early as year one...but we didn't know what that *meant*
until later.  And there's still a long, long way between that episode
and where we leave off at 421.  A lot happens there that nobody else
knows, inclusive of the cast.

"Also, if you've neatly tied everything up, what does that really
leave for season 5?  Filler, non-arc stories?  This has been my biggest
fear.  That season 5 will now be farmed out to other scriptwriters, who
don't have the intimacy with the story that you have, and that the
quality of stories will take a nose dive with filler material."

      Without giving too much away, season 5 would be empire building.
It wouldn't be filler at all, but a logical extension of what has gone
before.

      Basically...I often get messages from people worrying about what
might be...then they see what *is* and it's, "Oh...okay, got it." 
Generally speaking, I think it's better to react to what is rather than
what might never in fact be an issue.  I ain't let you down yet....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon 5 Autographs

{original post unavailable}

      I don't know if the Claudia deal is correct, but I'd assume it
is since I believe the page operates with her blessings.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: What qualifies for sign

{original post unavailable}

      It's only a problem if the item is mass produced and sold.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

{original post unavailable}

      Funny thing...was returning from Marcon and on the plane was me,
Tracy Torme (Sliders) and Bryce Zabel (Dark Skies).  I noted as we took
off that if the plane went down, the SFTV universe would be ceded to
Piller and Carter by default.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it a conscious decision NOT to show Lise's husband when he
> contacted Garibaldi? Is it perhaps that in a century in which
> video communication is the rule, the outrageously rich and
> powerful deliberately choose not to show themselves to
> insignicant people when sending messages?

      As we'll learn shortly, he doesn't want his face seen around.

      But we'll see him soon enough.

      (And the voice belongs to Efram Zimbalist Jr.)

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 12 May 1997 01:31:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Daffy!

{original post unavailable}

      No, no "save budgets" episodes using Vor are planned...besides,
they always end up being more expensive anyway....

      Re: Daffy...I knew that cartoon, and had that definitely in mind
when I wrote the script.  Took some maneuvering to get WB to let us use
that much of it.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 13 May 1997 01:53:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 (blocked) asks:
> And, should there not be a season 5, this would go into the
> spinoff?

      In large part, yeah....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 May 1997 01:53:30 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 (blocked) asks:
> So did you compare notes with Torme and Zabel?

      A little, yeah, and found that our experiences weren't that far
apart, particularly Bryce, who struck me as a very nice fellow indeed.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 13 May 1997 14:52:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> This would be empire building that takes place *after* the final
> scene of the final episode that you have said more than once you
> have *clearly* in your mind? If so, would it be fair to
> characterize a hypothetical Season Five as a 22 ep prelude to
> "Crusade"?

       Negative; season 5 would take place in 2262, 19 years before
the "final scene" you mention.  And no, I wouldn't want season 5 to be
just a setup for the sequel; it was sketched out long before that
became any kind of possibility, and I have no interest in doing that
sort of thing.  We'd do one or two small things, but no more than that.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 May 1997 14:52:30 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 (blocked) asks:
> Always looking on the bright side aren't we Joe?

       Whaddaya want from me, I'm Eastern European in ancestry, we're
born depressed.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 May 1997 14:52:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5

{original post unavailable}

       If there were anything I could say, that I knew, I would say
it.  I don't.  Knowing, I would say.  Do not know.  So cannot say, as
someone once commented.

       And thanks for the continued support.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 May 1997 22:25:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon5 Omnipedia

{original post unavailable}

      We're doing a CDrom inhouse, a slightly subversive guide to the
B5 universe, which we hope to have out by fall.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 13 May 1997 22:25:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Rumors...

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it a case of him having already been through that in his
> head, or was it a case of them helping his thoughts along? Or was
> it just a weird coincidence? Did I notice Ivanova's eyes flicking
> back and forth like she was reading a teleprompter? But could it
> be addictive? But this isn't quite the same Sheridan, is it?

      Yeah, we had Claudia use a teleprompter there to add to the
sense of having to read something...and enjoy the happy-go-lucky
Sheridan...it's the last you'll see of him for a long time....

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, how do you do a Season 5 if Season 4 is already in the can?

       Season 5 just follows season 4...don't understand the question.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: open letter to jms

{original post unavailable}

       Stop sending this to me.

       Let me be clear: I have received letters on this situation from
just about every side, each con accusing the other of being somehow
inferior, or screwed up, and each asking me to "take sides" in this.

       I do not know the German situation enough to comment any
further. And I will not, let me repeat that, WILL NOT be pulled into
fan feuds or convention disagreements, unless I happen to have
*personal* experience with the situation.  I do not.

       This is the last reply I will make on this.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon5 Omnipedia

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> Slightly subversive?
> So, who gets it first, the UK or the US?

       It'll come out in the US the same time as the UK or slightly
before.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts of Interest 

 Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com> asks:
> should we presume that there was something important in that
> message from Lise that Garibaldi deleted unread?

       No, nothing you need worry about.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <CoI> Power Play

{original post had no questions}

       Great points and observations.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts Question

 Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com> asks:
> Anyhow, quick question on the missing daughter - please don't
> interpret this as criticism of the actress, but I gotta ask - was
> that the person who won the walk-on last year (as I remember it,
> there was a contest with Delenn where someone was going to win a
> 4th season walk on, but I don't remember hearing much about who
> won, or what episode they'd be seen in)??

       No, that had nothing to do with the contest.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Rumors<<

{original post had no questions}

       Be careful, though...there are still some surprises coming in
this thread.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 16:43:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Behind The Scenes Video

 Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it ever broadcast and considering it is 3 years old (only
> Season 1 featured) are there any more B5 Behind-the-scenes
> programs out there or planned?

       I think that's the one made for the US and broadcast here prior
to season 1 (with Walter Koenig, yes?).

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 15 May 1997 21:22:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Could you possibly give us a feel as you what you think the odds
> are of the sequel happening, or do you not want to jinx it by
> doing so?

      My opinion on the fate of that and S5 changes on a daily,
sometimes an hourly basis...best to say when I know more for sure.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 15 May 1997 21:22:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: RB&L - intrusion

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  The Sheridan stuff was fun, in that I got to play
Sheridan as the one being manipulative for a change, smart for a
change...not just Londo or the usual suspects.  It made for a nifty
change of pace.

      And yeah, Mira brought a lot of truth to this episode...and will
bring even more in next week.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 17 May 1997 00:49:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5

{original post unavailable}

"could there be 10 _Joes_?"

      Would certainly go a long way toward explaining things....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 May 1997 00:49:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon5 Omnipedia

{original post had no questions}

      Actually, one episode coming up in this batch is, according to
John Copeland, the single most subversive thing we've ever done on the
show.  It's a *mean* episode and completely, unabashedly underhanded in
its way of illuminating certain things.  While, oddly enough, ending in
a positive fashion, despite George Johnsen's comment at playback during
the audio mix, "Okay, what sadistic m-----f----- wrote this thing?"

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 May 1997 00:49:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com>
Subject: Conflicts Question

 Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was the result of the contest made public?

      Yeah, it was, and I know there was some press covering it...just
didn't get a lot of exposure.  It was a guy who came out and played a
Minbari.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 May 1997 00:49:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian Kornfeld <75703.1340@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Rumors> and Lennier

 Brian Kornfeld <75703.1340@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is Lennier the true bridge between races?

      No, I wouldn't say Lennier is a bridge in any sense along those
lines.

      Delenn, you must understand, is a True Seeker, and among the
religious caste there isn't much more admirable than that...combined
with the fact that she *did* fulfill prophecy, she *was* the chosen of
Dukhat, she *did* help end the Shadow War...yeah, she's had some
problems here and there, but what important leader doesn't?  Any one of
those items would be a sufficient crown on a lifetime of
achievement...the cumulative effect is quite daunting and impressive.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 17 May 1997 16:02:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Rumors> and Lennier

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Question: Do you feel that anyone else in your story would
> qualify as a True Seeker (for other reasons, or even the same
> reasons)?

      There are elements of the true seeker in many of our characters;
Sinclair for one, G'Kar certainly (now that he's been enlightened a
bit), and Sheridan didn't start out that way, but in his own stumbling
way has slowly begin growing into that.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 17 May 1997 16:27:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: our open letter to JMS

{original post unavailable}

      You still don't seem to get it.

      Let me take off the kid gloves for a moment and explain it to
you.

      I work 20+ hours a day on B5.  You came on here and began
demanding I investigate claims made by a German convention.  I didn't
have time initially to get into it, and in response there was letter
after letter here demanding that I look into this, even though I had no
firsthand knowledge of the situation, and then more or less condemning
me for not getting personally involved in this.

      You (and others involved in this) continued emailing me and
posting public messages on this, and began emailing members of our
cast, our crew...becoming, frankly, a pain in the ass.  Email demands
for me to take a stand, to investigate, to proclaim something, began
showing up in more than one of my accounts, which are already flooded
with other requests.

      Finally, I had the chance to sit down with Bruce and a few other
actors (who were, at that time, already annoyed with the demands for
explanations put on them by yourself and several other German fans) and
said, "Are you going to this con?"  I then posted what they told me,
assuming that would be the end of it...and AGAIN you came at me for it.

      One reaches a point where one says, at last, "A pox on *both*
your houses."  Or, as the Brits say, "Bugger off."

      You have been rude to myself, and my cast, and several of my
staff. You have harrassed us with email and demands for our attention
and our involvement in something we have no direct involvement in.

      If a convention is advertising guests who in fact are not going
to appear, that is fraud.  Fraud is prosecutable under German laws.  If
they show up, then it's not fraud.  If they don't, then it is, and they
can be taken to court.  Our job is not to interfere with German
jurisprudence or make statements that could GET US SUED under German
law about people we do not know.

      If you want confirmation about whether or not a guest is coming,
you can find that out through the actor's agents or find means of doing
this other than harrassing me about it.

"We don't understand why this is such a big problem to him?"

      Because you're being a pain in the butt, *that's* why, and
making demands on us that we do things that a) we're not authorized to
do, b) don't have time to do, c) are best done in Germany, d) you and
others have been yelling in our ears and filling our email boxes and
making demands and carrying on cranky and throwing around accusations
of disinterest in the affairs of our fans now for at *least* three
months, and frankly neither I nor any of my cast or crew want to hear
it anymore.

      If you have a local problem, it should be *solved* locally,
through the means you have there at your disposal.  I am not your
lapdog to run around and take care of your errands and I am not going
to jump every time you make demands on my time.  We care *deeply* for
our fans, who are worldwide, and we do all we can to assist them.  We
have gone far beyond the call of duty in ways you will never know.  But
every once in a while, someone shows up who is obnoxious and demanding
and won't take "please go away" for an answer, and who by their rude
behavior gives all fans a bad name.

      Neither Babylon 5, nor Babylonian Productions, nor Warner Bros.
has any direct involvement in this or any other German convention.  Our
cast sign on as free agents, as individuals.  We do not, and will not,
get involved in any convention situation unless I *personally* have
direct knowledge of something involving a con which I will be
attending.  Not only would it be inappropriate, it would also be
impossible...our cast members are attending cons now in hundreds of
cities and many countries around the world.  I can't keep track of it
all, and shouldn't be expected to.  My cast members are grown adults,
and the fans in each area should pursue whatever local resources they 
have in determining a con's legitimacy.  The only way I get involved
directly in conventions is if I attend personally, or if we should
reach a point where Babylonian Productions endorses a convention, which
to date has not happened.

      My problem, in short, is not with the German fans.  It is
specifically and directly with *you* and a few others who have far, far
exceeded the limits of polite behavior, harrassed me, harrassed my
cast, and taken up space on this forum to no good end.  That was the
intent of my prior note.

      Resolve your local problems locally.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 18 May 1997 19:17:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon5 Omnipedia

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you know if this "view-it-and-weep (or throw something --
> viewer's choice)" ep is among the currently batch or is among the
> final four being held over until next October?

      I've forgotten which we were discussing....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 May 1997 21:40:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <RB&L> Donkey's 2x4

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> One oddball question: Are tears a normal Minbari physical
> reaction, or is weeping (for Delenn) one of the changes mandated
> by her chrysalitic experience?

"Are tears a normal Minbari physical reaction, or is weeping (for
Delenn) one of the changes mandated by her chrysalitic"

      We've seen Delenn cry before, when she and G'Kar were in her
quarters and she was explining why she did not get involved in the
Narn/Centauri war.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 18 May 1997 23:43:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon5 Omnipedia

{original post had no questions}

      Ah...yes, that one will air in this batch.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 19 May 1997 14:29:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Hugh Kennedy <70042.710@compuserve.com>
Subject: production schedule?

 Hugh Kennedy <70042.710@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you film episodes as they appear to us, that is a discrete
> entity or do you try to combine things so the filming and SFX for
> several episodes are combined?

       Every once in a great while we'll nail a scene for one episode
while we're shooting another, by bringing in the director for that
episode for just half a day or so, but generally we tend to avoid it
because it creates complications with the guilds, and it takes a while
to get the waivers.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 20 May 1997 12:29:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com>
Subject: production schedule?

{original post had no questions}

       Oh, heck, we can get a LOT more subversive than that...and we
intend to.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 20 May 1997 16:10:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Moments> question

 T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did you choose the name Bester because it sounds like B-st-ard?
> My question is, were any of the members of the new Gray Council
> on the old Council?

       Yeah, some of the new council would've been on the old one.

       And Bester was named for a well-known SF writer, now gone.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 21 May 1997 10:57:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com>
Subject: How will this play out

 Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com> asks:
> If, as you and all of us firmly believe, the Season five decision
> won't be made till July, what plans have you put in place to
> ensure that your story gets told? Will you show the last episode
> (Farewell or Sleeping in Light) in S4 and will that allow you to
> do Season 5 as you want or will it force some major re-writes
> thereby causing you to change the arc a little?

       It's an easy answer.

       The final 4 would get aired in October.  If there's no season
5, then the fourth one aired is 422, "Sleeping in Light."

       If there is a season 5, 422 is yanked out of the mix and moved
down to occupy 522's slot, and we shoot 501 and get it done in time to
air in place of 422 in October.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 21 May 1997 15:52:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: production schedule?

 Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com> asks:
> uh, ARE you working for our side?

       Maybe...maybe not....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 21 May 1997 17:13:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: How will this play out

{original post unavailable}

       There's no need for confusion.  Season 4, as you know, takes
place in 2261.  Season 5 would take place in 2262.

       422, or 522, depending on the breaks, takes place in 2281.  So
it plays just fine either way.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 21 May 1997 23:05:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: production schedule?

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> LOTS more subversive??

      Good...'cause I think you'll like it.

      There is one drawback to some of this, though...I've heard that
some folks on far right/extremist radio stations have looked at some of
the stuff in the show lately and decided that it constitutes an
endorsement of the position that the government is fascist, and that
their pirate stations (voices of the resistance) are the way to go.  I
can only shake my head.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 21 May 1997 23:05:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: more <Moments> questions

 T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> JMS, 1) was Delenn in secret communication with Neroon on Minbar?
> or was it all worked out in advance?
> 2) were the instructions for Lennier meant to be carried out if
> she dies in the starfire pit?

      They were worked out in advance, and yes, the instructions were
for posthumous use.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 22 May 1997 12:39:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: 422

 T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, if there is a season 5 and 422 becomes 522, wouldn't that
> leave season 4 with only 21 eps? is that OK with the contracts?

       No.  To repeat what I've said here several times, we would move
501 into 422's slot and make that the cliffhanger ending, then 502
becomes the first episode of season 5, and 422 is the last.  So each
season works out to 22 episodes.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 22 May 1997 12:39:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: more <Moments> questions

 Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did Delenn's instructions include a message for Sheridan?

       Almost certainly.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 22 May 1997 21:04:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com>
Subject: 422

 Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com> asks:
> the slightest bit interested in the content and development of
> the art forms they are broadcasting -or would they be just as
> happy with hours of Mickie Mouse cartoons every night if sponsers
> would pay for it? Do they ever watch the shows or have any
> concepts to contribute?

      They want the money from the commercials, and whatever sells
commercials is fine by them.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 22 May 1997 21:04:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> Speaking of which - was that the same fellow who played Dukat?
> What happened to his backbone?

      Thanks, on all counts...and no, that was a different actor than
the one who played Dukhat.  Starting from this episode the intensity
builds and never lets up for the rest of the season.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 22 May 1997 23:03:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Harlan's Intro on PI

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, one of Harlan's new books is "Babylon 5 Slippage," is it?

      It was an "oops."

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 02:27:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: 422

 Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> Curious question: How much more difficult is it tackling things
> from syndication at the very onset as opposed to going the
> network route?

      Carl...it's a crap shoot.  There ain't no logic to explain. 
It's a mug's game, and the rules and the money changes day to day, and
I can't figure it out on the best of days.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com>
Subject: MOMENTS

 Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com> asks:
> FIRST A QUESTION I HOPE YOU CAN ANSWER - Was / Is there something
> wrong with Walter Koenig? ANOTHER QUESTION - some of us
> knuckleheads have been off arguing over who is / was Control -
> was Control Talia? Was that established?
> Or is there still another "traitor" in their midst?
> Oh and did you hear / would you believe the voice-over teaser
> right before the episode started in LA said "Delenn surrenders to
> the Warrior Caste, and Sheridan declares war on Earth"????

       Thanks.  As for Walter...he made the decision to play Bester
with a deformed or useless hand, which he's compensating for as a teep.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments

 S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is it possible that Reiner Shone was formerly known as Reiner
> Schone (and even before that as Reiner Schone)?

       Have no idea offhand.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 5

 Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> So have you already written that episode?

       No, 501 isn't written yet, won't be until we get the final
word.  We could certainly get it finished in time for the US airing in
422's spot, and as for getting it done in the UK, assuming a mid-July
start for season 4, means you'd run episodes through late October/early
November so again you're okay.
                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Audio

 Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> I don't think it's the stations so perhaps the problem comes from
> your end?

       No, it's the new satellite uplink facility WB is using, which
is analog rather than digital, which was the case in the past.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Rebo and Zooty

 Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> If all broadcasts are being jammed to B5 except ISN, how could
> everyone have seen the Rebo and Zooty episode that Londo was
> talking about in RB&L?

       Easy.  The incident Londo is mentioning happened prior to the
blackout. He never said it *just* happened, he said the *last* time
Rebo and Zooty did their routine, everybody was doing it.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 23 May 1997 16:30:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Moments>: Bester

 T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, Am I right in assuming that it was Bester who told Edgars
> that Garilbaldi is hiring Lyta, having gotten that information
> from his mind?

       Nope.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 24 May 1997 16:34:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Audio

 Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any chance of getting WB to change back?
> Do you have any say in this?
> Perhaps Zathrus could be called in for technical support?

      Alas, I have no say in this, despite having tried to have a say
in it.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 24 May 1997 16:34:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments...

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks...and that's as good a description for that moment as
I've seen.

      In a way, it was the second half of G'Kar's sentence...that life
can be broken down into moments of transition and moments of
revelation...and there with Neroon at the end we had both.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 24 May 1997 16:34:39 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: Rebo and Zooty

 SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is "Rebo and Zooty" a tip o' the hat to anyone in particular?
> Or are they merely inspired fictional characters?

      No, not intended as tributes to anyone, just a cool sounding
pair of names (but also annoying sounding).

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 24 May 1997 16:34:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Moments>: Bester

{original post unavailable}

      Not a chance.

      Edgars is played by Effrem Zimbalist Jr., which by itself
precludes that.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 25 May 1997 02:38:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments...

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did he REALLY have an epiphany and realize he belonged to the
> religious caste? Or, did he just come to believe in Delenn and her
> "rightness" to lead the Minbari so much that he was willing to
> die and renounce his caste to prove her point for her and allow
> her to survive?

      Whether it was true or not, he knew his actions would bring the
castes back together...so out of respect for the dead, best to leave
the issue unresolved, and accept his gesture for what it was.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 02:38:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com>
Subject: MOMENTS

 Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com> asks:
> If Bester's left hand is useless, though, how does he get his
> gloves on?

      Ask Walter.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 25 May 1997 14:47:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New Voyager/B5 parallels

{original post unavailable}

      What I love -- knowing that our EFX guys are now doing the EFX
for Voyager and to some extent DS9 -- is seeing a ST fan's letter in
the current SF Universe saying how much he hates B5's EFX and prefers
Voyager's because we use CGI which looks faker than ST's EFX...which
are, in fact, being done in large measure in EXACTLY the same way, with
the SAME EFX that we pioneered, by the SAME PEOPLE.

      You just want to go up to him and plink him in the nose...just
one finger, just a plink, that's all....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 14:47:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: MOMENTS OF TRANSITION

{original post unavailable}

      Bear in mind that Edgars also has Wade working for him right
there on the station, and he is more or less Garibaldi's liaison with
Edgars, so logically that would be his source of information.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Product Placement

{original post unavailable}

      I hadn't noticed that...hmm...they're supposed to avoid slipping
in real stuff in the props department...must have a word or two.

                                                                 jms*

(*who wouldn't know good wine from rat whizz)

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

Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: moments

 (blocked) asks:
> Terri has a question, why did you pick 2258 to start all of this?

"why did you pick 2258 to start all of this?"

      That's when it all happened.

      I just report the news, I don't make it.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com>
Subject: MOMENTS

 Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com> asks:
> I'm about to mourn the loss of the (sigh) greatest baritone voice
> we have on B5, but I have a question for you: Does the loss of
> Neroon indicate we may be seeing John Vickery return in his
> Nightwatch role?

      No, not as that role, but we're definitely open to using him in
other roles, as with Wayne Alexander.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments...

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  I think this concentrated effort has helped me to
become a better writer, though I still have a LONG way to go before I'm
qualified to carry Serling's or Corwin's pencil box.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <MoT> Starfireworks

{original post had no questions}

      Yes, the Grey Council stucture, visually, is designed to bring
the Starfire wheel to mind.  Valen, being something of a smart cookie,
figured it would be wise to tie in whatever he was doing to the
traditions that preceded him.  So they're arranged in a circle, with a
series of lights above them, and the one central light (for Dukhat, for
instance) reserved for the one who had endured and grown to leadership,
but through a somewhat less violent means.

"Finally, the diversity of cultures on Babylon 5 must be a
satisfaction for you as a writer to have so many different voices to
express. "MoT" for me was almost like seguing between playwrights --
Damon Runyan (Garibaldi) to Oscar Wilde (Bester) to Aeschylus (Minbar).
One of the things I have found most appealing about Babylon 5 as a
whole is that the language is similar to the language of the stage. 
That seems rare in a television milieu defined for the most part by
diseases-of-the-week, talk-show spew and courtroom maneuverings."

      Yeah, I like that part a lot, being able to write in lots of
different voices, lots of different styles.  You have to remember that
I cut my teeth writing dialogue back when I was writing plays and
getting them produced.  I love theater, love plays, and love really
well done or rich dialogue.  So it echoes that now...which as you say
isn't necessarily the style of dialogue seen on most television (which
is why a few react weirdly to it), but I like it, and it's my show....

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 25 May 1997 19:44:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Moments> question

{original post unavailable}

      Yes, Jonathan Carroll, who does dark contemporary fantasy, is
someone I'd definitely recommend.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 May 1997 03:27:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Product Placement

{original post unavailable}

      The Zima thing was a gag...

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 26 May 1997 03:27:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Nelson <70403.1270@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments--Question

 Michael Nelson <70403.1270@compuserve.com> asks:
> Couldn't Lyta have gone to Sheridan or the Command Staff for help
> instead of taking the Psi-Corp deal? Will Zack & Lyta become an
> item?

      I think Lyta had just emotionally gotten to the place where she
had to do something on her own rather than continuing to rely on the
kindness of strangers.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 26 May 1997 14:05:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phil Lenton <100572.61@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vir question

 Phil Lenton <100572.61@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is there a reason why Vir has been absent for so many episodes?
> Was that a deliberate choice on your part, to have him be a sort
> of "faceless" enemy and have his intructions carried by minions
> (as in "Epiphanies") or is there something more sinister in it
> and Clark is himself being manipualted?

      Yes, I wanted to keep Clark more a force than a person...and Vir
has just been off doing his usual Vir stuff...he's back this coming
week.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 26 May 1997 23:11:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Moments of Transition

 (blocked) asks:
> Worked great <g> Anyways, I was wondering, if you had been sure
> that there would be a season 5, and stretched these eps out,
> would this ep have been the finale for 4?

      No, this could never have been the finale for 4.  Thanks.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 27 May 1997 22:46:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian Kornfeld <75703.1340@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Rumors> and Lennier

 Brian Kornfeld <75703.1340@compuserve.com> asks:
> To clarify: I guess I meant to ask if Lennier is unusual for a
> Minbari? Or, is his almost Zen-like attitude, coupled with a fine
> sense of humor, and remarkable ability to "stretch" the truth,
> mark him as a new generation of Minbari, bringing the best of
> both races to his people?

      No, many Minbari share in those traits.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 27 May 1997 22:46:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Moments of Transition

 (blocked) asks:
> it sounded good <g> Which ep would have been?

      Well...I don't usually comment on this, but...if I had known
*with absolute certainty* that there would be a season 5, then season 4
would have ended with 418, "Intersections in Real Time."  So you only
pull 4 episodes forward, really.  You'll understand when you see it.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 27 May 1997 22:46:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 newsgroup?

{original post unavailable}

      The only real newsgroup I tend to participate in is
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 28 May 1997 20:17:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: S5-not renewal ?

 Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did I get that right?

      Correct; specifically, "Crusade" would take place about 3 years
after the events of season 5, in 2265.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 28 May 1997 20:17:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com>
Subject: How will this play out

 Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com> asks:
> If 4/522 is set in 2281, what time span will "B5:Crusade" take
> place in? 2262+ or 2281+ ?

      2265-2270.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 28 May 1997 20:17:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Length of TV movies?

 (blocked) asks:
> If so, what will be the films' length?

      TNT is a commercial cable network, so there will be commercials.
As I recall, the running time to which I wrote the scripts was 94
minutes 10 seconds.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 28 May 1997 20:17:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com>
Subject: Moments--Question

 Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com> asks:
> Why couldn't Lyta's lie-detecting abilities be used to oversee
> the negotiations between the station command and the smugglers
> who are bringing in suppiles? Why should they care that Lyta
> doesn't have the stamp of approval of an Earth organization that
> was in cahoots with the Shadows? Or are there plentiful telepaths
> of their own races available for hire on B5? Could Neroon have
> walked out after saving Delenn? Was there something about the
> Wheel that prevented the last person from exiting? If not, why did
> Neroon feel that HE must die after having the revelation that his
> heart is religious? Guilt over not seeing the "truth" sooner?

      Because telepaths only function in very limited ways due to
privacy laws.  You couldn't just use them broad-based as lie detectors
in the way you suggest, because it first requires getting the
*permission* of those involved, and you can be reasonably sure that
smugglers aren't going to want people poking around in their heads;
second, there was a large group there, and a midrange teep can usually
handle only one or at most two people with any degree of accuracy; it
goes down dramatically after that.

      I specifically set up rules for telepaths to avoid letting them
become the deus ex machina, the easy solution to any problem.

                                                                  jms

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

Date: 28 May 1997 20:17:37 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: News on Pilot/2ndy Chars

 Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> Should we expect the final word on re-editing the pilot to occur
> with the renewal decision notice, or is there news on that front? 
> Refa, Morden, Neroon: Have you always been this hard on secondary
> characters, or is this a side effect of B5's epic structure?

      No new on the recut yet...and yeah, it's a hard show on the
recurring and secondary character.

      Ain't been much of a picnic for the big guys, either.

                                                                  jms


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



Date: 30 May 1997 11:45:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shows

 Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> PS: Do you have a hamock in your office?

       I find it scary that somehow I must have known this...

                                                                  jms


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