lurkers-guide/ftp/GEnie/jms92-04

Babylon 5 posts by JMS for April, 1992

This file includes a compilation of posts on GEnie by J. Michael
Straczynski in the Babylon 5 topic.  The posts are copyright by JMS
(and compilation copyright is by GEnie). 

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Topic 22        Wed Nov 20, 1991
SOARON [Bio-Dread]           at 19:41 EST
Sub: Babylon 5                          

TWCNBN has been been named!  J. Michael Straczynski has managed to bring a new
quality to television and promises to do justice to TV and SF with a new
action-adventure SF series of his own design.  (NO story suggestions, please.)
681 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 388       Wed Apr 01, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:48 EST

     Okay, two things: I put in the order today for the shirts (which, on
seeing what was there, I decided at the last would look better on royal blue
than black, with the emblem in white).  Those of you who need to hedar -- er,
hear -- further details, will.  Watch your private mail in the next two weeks.
(You know who you are.)

     And now something very, very serious, folks, and I want you all to listen
good.

     I have a favor to ask.

     I need those of you who have any real interest in seeing B5 hit the
airwaves to check into this topic at least twice a day between now and Friday
morning/early afternoon.  I may need something from you, in a big way.  This
is *important*, people.  I can't go into detail at this time, and maybe the
situation will fix itself...but for now let's just say that you may have a
chance to influence a major situation.  I don't know how large the B5 group of
shock-troops is, but there may be a major role for every single one of you to
play.

     I don't want to sound apocalyptic.  I *do* want to convey to you that
there is something very important in the works and, as they say, to Watch This
Space.  The call may never need to go out, but if it does, stay tuned.

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 421       Thu Apr 02, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:55 EST

     Many thanks to all the volunteers.  All I can say is to stand by.   The
next 24-36 hours are make-or-break.

     The outpouring here is very much appreciated, and very warming.  Thank
you.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 425       Thu Apr 02, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:02 EST

     No reason to feel foolish.  The cause and situation is quite real, and
believe me, I would not be doing this if there weren't sufficient cause.

     And check-ins needn't be during prime-time, that's something I should
have mentioned, but didn't.  And yes, I will very *definitely* note here when
and if the crisis passes.     

     Please continue to bear with me.  This is, as someone noted, truly an
extraordinary situation...and there may be a chance to take part in a
democratization of the process of television that may be something of a
benchmark.

     Thanks again, and as soon as I can come out with the full story, I  will
do so immediately.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 452       Thu Apr 02, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:56 EST

     Several things...first, thanks to one and all, especially the lurkers (so
where've you BEEN all this time?).

     Second, it *looks* as if the deadline for the resolution for the current
situation has been extended to Monday, which lets us all take a moment to
breathe.  So you needn't check in on the twice-daily schedule for the next
couple of days, though I strongly suggest a check-back on Monday.  

     In the interim, because there's some time, and because we've now gone
through so much set-up, I think it is incumbent upon me to kind of explain a
*little* of the situation.  Mind, I can't say a lot; I have to be circumspect
because that's the nature of the business.  At least, I have to be circumspect
at the moment...we'll see what Monday at the close of business day brings.

     What I *can* say is this...that from the very first day, as those of you
who've been around the longest know, everyone associated with B5 has dedicated
him/herself to doing this one *right* in every possible sense of the word.
Budget, effects, the deal, control, the script, you name it, we've been *very*
careful, and very dedicated to that singular proposition.

     In any situation like this, if you're worth your salt, you come to one
pivotal moment when you have to be willing to put *everything* on the line, to
risk it all on one throw of the dice.  In order to get the last elements we
need, that's what I've had to do...we will either do this show right, on every
level, or....

     You get the idea.

     I've put it all up to a roll of the dice...four years work, my team,
everything.  In order to do it *right*, or not at all.  One of my prize
possessions is a RAF wing-insignia from WW II.  The motto read only, "Who
Dares, Wins."  And I believe that.

     If I can mix my gambling metaphors for just a moment, in this little game
of chance I have one card up my sleeve...and that's all of you.  If the
balance begins to tip, those of you who believe in what we're trying to do
will all have your part to play.  And it may be *extremely* instrumental.
That's all I can say at the moment.  My decision to put everything up for
grabs, winner-take-all, has been supported by all th ose involved with B5, and
that's immensely gratifying.  It's a very, *very* dangerous game, but with a
little luck, and with a sudden possible ride by the cavalry over the hill,
it's *just* possible thatt we'll pull it off, and make a little history in the
process.

     So stay watchful, though a little less often between now and Monday, and
we'll see what happens.  And know that your support and your interest means
more than I can possibly describe.

     Thanks again, and as soon as I can explain further, or make an
announcement one way or another, be assured that it'll be here within minutes.


     (Oh...and before I forget...the t-shirts are being silk-screened even as
I type this, and will be ready within about 10 days, at which time there will
be a system whereby those whats wants 'em will be able to get them without
charge.  This batch will be set aside only for use at and distribution at
conventions, and to the 470/18/22 folks who've been here from the start.)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 495       Fri Apr 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:55 EST

     Two marginally off-topic replies...DS9 will film in August for a early
spring 93 airdate.  That's solid.  And no, there's no involvement here with
Angela's other project, which at this time is dormant anyway.
     That said...there's news.

     What propelled this current situation was a confluence of things: the
importance of getting some foot-draggers to move so we could still hit the
November play-date and other details, but *most* important was the issue of
the creative focus, the long-term plan for the show, and control over what we
felt the show could become.  Without that, you've got nothing on a project
like this.

     I'm leaving a lot out, of necessity, but from the foregoing it should be
clear that what was at stake was the creative and organizational *heart* of
the show, as well as other things.

     So at some point in the game, you've got to push all your chips onto the
table and turn the game into winner-take-all.

     This was then conveyed.  There was resistance.  At 11:45 this morning, a
call came indicating that if this was indeed the stance, then it looked like
the project was dead in the water.  My agents wondered if maybe there should
be some flexibility.  My associates were willing to stand by our decision.

     "Let it ride," I said.

     If it has to die, then let it die here and now.

     As the clock ticked on, I began to think about the people we'd involved
in this project, the years of work, the dedication that so many have already
shown B5 within the team of production staff we've brought aboard.  Had my
inflexibility ruined something for all of them?

     At 12:20, 35 minutes later, the phone rang again.

     They blinked.

     We're on...and all the provisos I'd held out for were accepted.

     It's a terrible thing to look into the abyss...and thus a wonderful thing
when you realize that you're not going to fall after all, that you've somehow
skated past the precipice and come out alive at the other end.

     The crisis is over, the situation fixed, and now at long last, we can
settle down to the business of casting and building and rolling film.

     The "we" who won in this situation is, I believe, everyone...thanks in
large measure to people at Warners and at the Television Consortium who
believe in this project, have believed in it from the beginning, and
understood what it was that was at stake...and came through for us at the end.


     And thanks as well to those here, who Quixotically volunteered to go
forth and attack dragons in service of a place they had never even seen, which
is, I suppose, the higest calling one can aspire to, to fight not for
acquaintances, or the familiar, but for an *idea*.

     So once again, my utmost appreciation.  That the goal was achieved
without the necessity of firing a shot does not in any way diminish the thanks
due the volunteers in this extraordinary company.  When next we assemble, I
hope, it will be in the cause of celebration.

      And today I have amended the B5 bible to include the following notation:
"The Babylon 5 station is located in neutral territory, in grid epsilon, at
coordinates 470/22/18."

     Onward!

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 531       Sat Apr 04, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:28 EST

     Comalite...yeah, you're the first person to pick up on the Grid Epsilon
reference.  Maybe I'm being too obscure for my own good....

     Regarding sound...we've hooked up with a terrific studio out here that's
been after us to get this show off the ground for about three years now so
that they can try some new stuff they've been cooking up.  We're going to be
looking at using sound in new ways in terms of EFX, such as weapons and
equipment and other devices -- and acoustics.  I tend to lean toward sound
that *feels* solid.  The opening sequence in ALIENS, for instance, when the
laser starts cutting through the door, sizzling and crackling, and then the
door falls to the floor with a CLANG! that says This Is Solid, This Is Real.

     Because we're in a station, or sometimes in ships, we're going to have to
adjust the acoustics to match, and probably layer in an assortment of
environmental noises, from machinery to transports to background voices to
pages to...um, some other stuff.  The sound should be as textured as our
visuals, I think, which is why we'll be shooting and producing in surround
sound, even though not all stations are equipped to broadcast same.  It still
adds a better sound, even on plain stereo receivers, and increases the shelf
life of the movie/series.

     Music is probably the one area in which I'm chasing my own tail the most.
It kinda bothers me that most TV SF in the last 10 years or so has utilized
quasi-classical music almost exclusively...the sort of quasi-John Williams
stuff you see on Battlestar, or TNG, or others.  I'd like to see a mix of
musical motifes, and am not at *all* opposed to laying in a rock- or new-wave-
style soundtrack over the opening credits of the series...the question is
which way I want to go...a hard-driving theme like the one Copeland did for
The Equalizer, or a softer theme of the sort you have in Hill Street.  My
basic problem is that I like  ALL music, and trying to pick which will form
the "theme" behind the opening credits is really tough.  (Correction: all
music *except* country/Western.  Yuccch.)

     Tomorrow, Ron (EFX Are My Life) Thornton will be coming by the house to
show me the new video renderings of the redesigned B5 station.   Some others
saw them today, and apparently their jaws just dropped straight to the floor.
I'm reserving judgement until I see the thing with my own eyes.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 574       Sat Apr 04, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:08 EST

     Whew...40 messages since yesterday...yipes!  (And to the question of my
prior work, you might want to add 11 episodes of the new TWILIGHT ZONE, and my
adaptation of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," for Showtime,
which got a bunch of nominations, including the WGA Award nomination.)  And on
the question of music...yeah, that's something I've already been working on,
picking an appropriate kind of music for the various species.  I'm going to
have to sit down with some real sharp composer and just start trying things
out.

     Meanwhile....WOW!

     Ron Thornton just left here a little while ago, having brought over the
*NEW* and pretty much final version of B5...both in photos off thde video, and
on tape.  If you've seen the B5 demo on the NewTek tape, you can forget
it...this is *so* much better, so 3-dimensional, so real and detailed that
it's absolutely astonishing.  It makes the earlier B5 look like a hand-puppet.
We've worked out most of the tech on it, including a new way to handle the
centrifugal force question...and yes, to whoever inquired 'WAY up-topic, there
are heat dissipators and optical routing panels on the station to channel cool
light inside...and we've dropped the solar panels, incorporating the idea of
edges rising out of the sides with the heat dissipators.  It's also been
created in such a way as to provide a) Earth normal gravity, b) various
incrementally greater gravities, and c) a completely weightless environment
not only at the center, but in one other area as well.  And we've worked out
most of the problems inherent in docking with a moving object.

     The point being...it looks really, really, *REALLY* cool.  This is the
version that I'll be shlepping around to cons this Spring, though by then the
footage will probably be a bit longer and more elaborate, with music and the
series logo and ships and other spiffinesses layered in.

     Anyway, I'm now even more confident that when you see this thing, it's
not going to be like *anything* you've ever seen before.

     Oh...and I also saw, while Ron was here, the cover of VIDEO TOASTER
magazine, the issue that'll be out, I think, next week...and the whole cover
is taken up by a shot of the earlier B5 shot.  It looks absolutely stunning
there, and Ron is featured in the article, which will explain a lot more about
how we're doing stuff.  (In other words, hard core neepery.)

     The momentum is gathering as we move toward Day One of filming.

     Which is about 2/3 months from now.  We're going to have a photog on
stage every day to chronicle production, and may link up with someone to film
a "making of" short.  During production, I'll try to log on here every couple
of days (expect me to vanish a *lot* when we're filming) to provide updates
direct from the stage.

     Onward...and just *wait* until you see the new, Even Better Babylon 5.
Yikes!

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 585       Sun Apr 05, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:35 EDT

     Thanks for the thoughts, all.  One thing I forgot to ask Ron while he was
here -- and perhaps some of you Amiga-types can supply the info -- is for a
contact phone number for Video Toaster Magazine.  It occured to me after the
fact that some folks here might want to order up a copy of that issue.  So if
I can't dredge it up in the next few days, if someone who knows could post the
info, it'd be much appreciated.

     Something else I forgot to mention was that I saw the preliminary color
designs on the Vorlon ship as well, though they haven't been set down on video
yet.  Again, a *very* different sort of look....

     I just sat here and tried to come up with some way to describe it without
giving away the specifics of the design, and the closest I got was "If Close
Encounters had been designed by H.R. Giger," but even *that* isn't it. Ah,
well.  Y'all will see it soon enough.

     As I've said before (repeatedly) about casting, that won't happen until
early or mid-May, so hang loose on that one.  We have to do things in *order*.
That means locking down some of the additional production positions this week
and next week, finalizing production designs so we can begin transferring them
to blueprints for construction purposes, and we're ALL going to have to sit
down for as much as two very long days just starting our discussions on props
and the look of the future...remember, we have to build a world from scratch
and determine what it'll look like.

     Cast is just about the last thing you worry about and deal with; first
come a million and one other details that have to be designed well in advance.
It takes time to build a set, and an actor generally comes pre-constructed.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 596       Sun Apr 05, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:41 EDT

     To whomever inquired uptopic (so many flash past I can't remember now who
said what), I may have agreed to an interview for Synthesis, and if they say
it, I probably did...this is one of the problems in having the basic memory
capacity of a small kitchen appliance....

     To Arne, if you're looking on...thanks!  And BTW, I'm rethinking some of
our prior discussion, and maybe something can be worked out after all in terms
of supplementary venues for the story.

     On music, I'm frankly torn between Copeland, something like Ennya, or
Brad Fiedel's work (T2).  I like the latter's use of "metal" sounds, of
machinery in works, which would fit well in a station like this.

     This week, we'll begin storyboarding the opening title sequence, and
we've worked out a *really* nifty approach to, again, give it a very different
look.  (I scrapped my prior notion in favor to something nifty that Ron
thought up, something that the tech will allow us to do that I never
realized.)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 607       Mon Apr 06, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:25 EDT

     Thanks, all.  One note about a preceding message...I've indicated that
I'm *not* looking for specific ideas from outside, for the very legal reasons
you mention.  Rather, this is an area kind of used for airing ideas about
technology, and music, and sound, and EFX, sort of a roundtable bull session.
Once or twice someone has suggested a specific idea or story, and I've had to
put on my Harsh Producer's Hat and step in fast.   And within that context,
the discussions have proven *very* useful in airing what fans of the genre
want, don't want, and what technical and scientific points require addressing.

     Which is rather like a conversation I had this evening with the well
known writer of SF and other forms who has agreed to work on the B5 series as
Creative Consultant.  (Not the movie, the series, just to clarify.)   I
outlined, over dinner, the broad strokes of the 5-year storyline, with some
elements that *no* one has heard before, not even my associates on the show.
And I got a but when, once discussed, were absolutely right and brilliant
suggestions...and added a whole new layer to the project.

     With luck, I'll be able to announce the identity of the Creative
Consultant before year's end.  I just don't want to announce the name until we
have money flowing and the series is in production and so on.  Suffice to say
that those who know me may also know this writer as well.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 621       Mon Apr 06, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:53 EDT

     Not to get too off into this tangent, but there *is* 3-D sound, though it
has mostly been used for radio dramas and other all-sound productions.

     The foremost piece of tech used for this is the (and I *hope* I'm
spelling this right) Kuntskopf Binaural Sound System...essentailly a plastic
"head" with speakers in either ear, which is literally taken to locations in
question and the actors or actions move around it, with the result that when
you put on headphones, you can hear the sound moving on either side, in front,
and *behind* you, passing clearly in a circle.

     It can actually be a fairly unnerving experience the first time you
experience it.  If you contact ZBS Media out on the East Coast, you *might*
still be able to get their production of Stephen King's THE MIST, which used
this technology.

                                                                  jms
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*lot* out of the resulting conversation in terms of establishing
the world, different layers of the world that I hadn't even *thought* about,
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 648       Tue Apr 07, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:37 EDT

     Re: the details of the last go-around...once things have quieted down, it
generally serves *no* good cause to start throwing the details all over the
place.  All parties concerned must work together, and to do as you ask would
be to throw a monkey wrench into that process.

     As for new inside stuff on the project itself...will post some on the
coming weekend.  You'll understand if things have been a bit hectic and I've
been a tad distracted over the last few days....

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 653       Tue Apr 07, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:07 EDT

     Trying to think of the next character bit I can lay out here...have I
mentioned either Carolyn Sykes or Ambassador Jackarr here thus far?  I can't
for the life of me remember....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 667       Wed Apr 08, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:02 EDT

     Actually...no, the name of the rent-a-telepath is Lyta Kim, and we will
be hearing more about her later.

     Carolyn Sykes is Commander Sinclair's...darn, what's the right word these
days?  Signifcant other?  Lady-friend?  Lover?  Main squeeze?  (I keep having
this recurrent flash from "Young Frankenstein," as Frau  Blucher calls out,
"He vas....my BOYFRIEND!")*

     Carolyn has been romantically involved with Sinclair for a couple of
years when we meet her.  She knows quite a bit about him, but there are some
things he still hasn't told her.  They have a very adult, sexual relationship,
and they are both independent and equal.  She is the owner, and pilot, of the
trading vessel ULYSSES...a self-made woman who's an established and respected
trader in a variety of goods.  She works mainly within the Earth Alliance
colony worlds, though in the last few years she's added routes in the Centauri
sector.

     She's sophisticated, sharp, and no-nonsense...screw around with her too
much, change the terms of your agreement in hopes of taking unfair advantage
of her, and she'll jettison the cargo right into the sun.  She has a
reputation to protect, and would rather lose the deal than be dealt with
unfairly.  It sets a bad precedent...and on some of the worlds she has to deal
with, the perception of strength is vital.

     Her feelings about Sinclair's position are mixed.  On the one hand, she
feels that he's the right man for the job, and he's doing a terrific job.  On
the other hand, she knows that part of him longs to be back in the pilot's
seat of a starship, and when things start to get bad, she offers him that
chance...to tell them all to piss off, and the two of them will pool their
resources, buy a bigger ship, and go off on their own.

     Because of their schedule, she must find time together when they can,

stolen hours before the next run to another world, another system.  They are
both supportive of each other, though that doesn't remove the occasional
conflict common to any relationship.  She isn't dark and driven, she's a
strong female character who's *happy* in her work, she enjoys it -- the
freedom, being responsible -- and wouldn't change it for the world.

     They are very much involved with each other, but because of their
different lives, both know that there's every chance that this might all end
between them.  So they don't often deal with that question, though it's a
thought that is sometimes expressed in the bedroom, at night, in soft tones.
They might drift apart, find someone else, or something co uld happen to one
or both of them; their jobs are not exactly conducive to longevity.  So they
seize every moment and enjoy it as best they can.

                                                                  jms


                                           * (whinnnnnnny!)
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 682       Wed Apr 08, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:18 EDT

     Re: CP, yes, the base in question was built on the ruins of Detroit
(which makes a lot of sense, if you stop and think about it), and Power's HQ
was indeed in the rockies...though I don't think we ever specifically picked
which one, just beneath one of the mountains.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 392       Thu Apr 09, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:08 EDT

     What do the ships look like?

     They look like this (he said, holding up a sheet of paper with a Vorlon
ship on it in all its glorious color).

     What?  You can't see it through the monitor?  Oh.

     Although there are very few areas that I'm keeping mum about, that's one
of them.  See, what happened is, one afternoon, I was sitting across the table
from Ron Thornton, who sat slumped forward, hands cupping either side of his
face, elbows on table, glowering out at me from partially opened eyes.  In
other words, he was in Mad Genius mode.  We could tell he was percolating, and
adopted a courteous silence.  Did I mention that Ron is English?

     Anyway, finally he leans forward and says, "You know what every damn
bloody show on Star Trek *doesn't* have that we can do?"

     "What?" we said.

     "It would be really cool."

     "What?" we said again.

     "I mean, they can't even come close, they've never even *thought* of it,
but it's so bloody simple."

     "WHAT IS IT?"

     So he told us.  And one by one, a light bulb went on over each of our
heads (except for Doug Netter, the other exec producer on the project; a
candle went on over his head....why, we still don't know).

     One thing, though...Ron was right.  It *was* really cool.  So cool that
if we tell *anyone*, they'll think it's cool, too.  Lots of people, all
*kinds* of people would think it's cool.

     So *this* we're keeping to ourselves.

     Suffice to say for now that we're astonished that no one else has thought
of this yet, and that it's going to look absolutely unlike what you've seen
before.

     Oh, yeah...and it's *really* cool.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 393       Thu Apr 09, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:10 EDT

     Stupid Joe...what you *meant* to type was Ron saying "You know what every
damn bloody *ship* doesn't have on Star Trek that we can do," not every
*show*.  We're discussing ships.  That's what I meant to type.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 418       Fri Apr 10, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:42 EDT

     Whew...okay, let's see....

     That we're going to see the bathroom on B5 is not news, I've mentioned
that before.  Insofar as the ships are concerned, what I'm referring to,
however vaguely, is the *look* of the ships, design elements and the like.
Once Ron said it, it was so absolutely obvious an omission that we knew it was
perfect.

     As for clothes...you have to divide those into two different areas:
clothes for the B5 human regulars, and those on everybody else.

     Yes, there will be an assortment of clothes for the former, and some for
the latter as well.  I'm leaning in the direction of really kickass uniforms,
punctuated by more casual, almost civilian clothing.

     As for the alien stuff...we're looking now at a costume designer who has
come up with some *astonishing* new techniques not just for design, but for
the fabrics used.  There's one fabric she's developed that -- how do I
describe this? -- it's not any color you recognize.  It's very much affected
by lighting, and folding, but it's *not* that very reflective, shimmery crap
you tend to see...it's very subtle and subdued and your eye just sorta slides
right off it.  It's really the most alien looking stuff I've ever seen...as if
someone said, "We've just discovered a new color," and somebody asked you to
describe it after looking at it.

     It's fairly expensive, and difficult to produce in quantity, so it'll
probably be used sparingly, as highlights in most cases, and occasionally in
larger sections or whole costumes.  There will be, overall, a good use of
color and design, in some cases taking our cue from the protective coloration
nature gives out freely (but which we'll have to pay for).

     I should be getting some preliminary costume sketches around the end of
the month, and should be able to discuss this in more detail at that time.
(At least, as much detail as I can chance.)

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 421       Fri Apr 10, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:11 EDT

     I don't think you're anywhere close, Ken...so what's this cool idea (or
both of them) that you've been struck by?

                                                                   jms

     P.S.  Oh, I forgot to mention...the New And Improved video demo of the
New And Improved Babylon 5 station has now been seen by the execs in charge,
and the result is *fantastic*.  They're absolutely blown-out by it.  The PR
folks are bringing in top-flight illustrators to do detailed renderings of the
new station for all their outgoing artwork, and the whole place is abuzz about
it.  The most amazing thing about it, I think, is the incredible *detail* on
the thing, the subtle use of colors, and the rigorous attempts that Ron and
our tech folks are going through to try and build what something like this
would actually look like...working out the crucial points involved in creating
varying areas of rotation and gravity, counter-weights, balance points, zero-g
sections inside and outside, heat dissipation and light conservation, energy
resources, storage questions, everything.

     I asked an associate at JPL to examine the video, and after studying it
for the better part of an hour, and discussing how it would work, he finally
concluded that yes, if we had the technology to get all the parts and pieces
there, this is *exactly* how it would be built (or at least one
version...there are plenty of possibilities).  But this was absolutely solidly
grounded.
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 435       Sat Apr 11, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:11 EDT

     Will: yes, that sounds kinda close to the effect...now imagine it used in
a fabric, and you'll be at least a little close to the effect.

     Good ideas on the non-gravity ships, though that's not what we'll be
doing.  (Nicely composed.)  Apparently the one person who *does* know Ron's
work has a good idea of where we're going, though....

     To answer Peter's question, and expand a bit on it, check out the current
issue of Video Toaster Magazine, which just hit this week.  (I haven't seen
the issue yet, but it arrived at the office.)  The cover story on B5 gives
good info on how we'll be using the Toaster (and efx that are literally months
old in terms of their technology) for the show.  Those into neepery will find
plenty there to draw your interest.  Again, when you see the cover, remember
that this is the Prior version of B5, not the new Improved version (though
it's *still* way cool).  To get what we needed for this show, we literally had
programmers rewriting codes customized to our needs, which go beyond what this
stuff has ever been used for before.

     If anyone here reads the piece (which is 3+ pages long, in addition to
the cover), lemme know what you think.

                                                            jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 441       Sat Apr 11, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:07 EDT

     Actually, David, you're closer than you know...but I can't go any further
than that.  We have to keep some stuff quiet until we hit the air.  Which is,
frankly, my only other concern here...that as a result of this much
communication, one of two things can happen: 1) no matter HOW good it is,
expectations will be raised to a point that it's not up to the perceived hype,
or 2) the surprises are gone.

     So other issues aside, that's why some things have to be held back.

     I'm very cognizant of how these things tend to work...fans are fed the
usual line of how this is going to be New and Different and Spiffy, and what
you end up with is the same-old same-old, or nothing *near* the actual
product.  I'd like to try and walk that line a little more closely, so that we
deliver *more* than we promise, but promise enough to get folks interested
while not giving away any surprises.

     Yikes!

     There are no plans to change this line of communication, but please try
to understand that that is the conundrum I constantly face when here.

     That said....

     A few days ago, I sat down with our line producer, John Copeland, and
production designer John Iacovelli, and we were talking about the need to move
quickly on some stuff, and how painful the process is to have the whole story
in your head, already told, really, and then have to make it all over again so
we can put it on film.  "You think you've got it bad," I noted, "I've already
worked out the last scene in the last episode of the last season (#5)...and
I've still got to make Movie #1."  They called me on it and asked what that
scene was.

     Just to see their reaction, I told them.

     They looked at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted three heads and feathers.
It was worth it.  (Happily, they're sworn to secrecy.)  It was also good
because I think that, even without filling in the beats in between, it gave
them a good sense of where the series was going to go.

     Meanwhile...as I type this, I'm wearing this spiffy new shirt, royal
blue, with this funny triangular symbol on it...can't read it upside down like
this...it says something like BABYL-- something.  I hear there are only a few
hundred others like this.  Hmm.  I wonder where it came from...and what on
earth I'll do with them....hmmmmmm.....

     Because of the need to parcel them out carefully, a certain number will
initially go out to randomly selected Old Timers here first.  To those
individuals...keep an eye on your e-mailboxes for instructions.

     They look really, really, REALLY boss.

                                                             jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 462       Sun Apr 12, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:17 EDT

     Something a submarine doesn't have also...hmm...what doesnt' a submarine
have...well, feathers, big floppy clown shoes, a merry go round....

     This is actually rather amusing.  It's going to be *so* obvious when you
see it.

     Yes, there will be a botanical area...actually, this is going to be a
*very* special and integral part of the show.  It's the Garden, and it is at
the center, lengthwise, of B5.  If you've seen the O'Neil station concepts,
you can look straight up to the other side of the rotating section.  Lining
the circular wall are fields and trees and greenery and artificial lakes and
the rest.  (A shuttle runs through the center of the garden, in the zero-g
section where there is no rotation.)  It's going to be an amazing setpiece for
the show.

     Funny thing...as with other shows, when you start creating a show in the
future, you have to Create The Future, down to the last detail.  I was
thinking about silverware, and utility, everyday items...and we were out at a
store and I saw a *very* unusual set of tumblers/glasses that are almost
freeform sculptures, just gorgeous and very strange looking.  I picked one up
immediately, and I suspect that these will be used in the show.  Absolutely
utilitarian, but just very different looking.

     Spent yesterday sketching out a cool piece of communications hardware for
personal use on the show.  Again, trying to think out what might actually be
useful that far down the road, which took me in some directions very different
from the communicators we're used to seeing.  I definitely plan on
commissioning the prop guys to make one extra of these gadgets just so I can
have it (one of the perks of running a show).

     I begin to see now the process whereby, to quote history, a pair of salt
shakers can become medical scanners....creating the future out of the present.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 486       Sun Apr 12, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:36 EDT

     Hmm...I suddenly get the sense that I've lost control of our merry little
group....

     No point in further speculation, though again one or two of you came
close.  Nothing will be confirmed or denied in any event.

     One thing, though...yes, we *will* be able to go in through the windows
of ships and B5 itself.  And to see what's inside.

     Mark...will get that file and take a look.  I keep wondering what a "B5
uniform" will look like since we haven't made *our* version yet.  On that
point, I have some ideas, mostly in the area of practicality of use and that
they should look fairly tough.  And stylish.

     BTW...saw the Lawnmower Man yesterday, and now I finally understand what
the heck Ron Thornton was trying to communicate to me about some of the things
that we can do with the new technologies we'll be bringing to bear.  It
totally turned around my thinking to new possibilities.  And as Ron pointed
out, much of the tech used in L.M. is now a couple  years out of date.
Apparently, he thinks we can do equal to or better than L.M.

     I must go away and think now...this could be most interesting....

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 495       Sun Apr 12, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:30 EDT

     The Grid Epsilon graphic is neat.  Good work on that.  Re: the final B5
logo, it's done, and has been for a while, but I haven't yet moved the scanner
card into my new system so I can scan it over into a PCX file.

     One of the first things we'll be doing soon is working out all of the
"environmental" stuff, meaning insignia, rank, government, and other symbols
so we can use them in costume and background stuff.  When I have all that
collected, and my scanner back on line, I may put together a file containing
it all, or most of it.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 511       Mon Apr 13, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:46 EDT

     (tapping a ball-bat against the palm of one hand...don't make me come up
there...just wait until your father gets home...one more peep and we'll turn
this car RIGHT around and go home....)

     Now where was I?

     Corridors...yes, all kinds corridors, different shapes and areas and
atmospheres...some small, one or two REALLY BIG ones.  Don't know about fast
food joints, but we have something that I think you'll like just about as
much.

     By the way...can SOMEBODY here tell me how the heck to send more than one
carbon copy in EMAIL at a time?  I'm trying to send out, umm, certain
*instructions*, and it's taking me forever to do it one CC at a time.

     Thanks.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 525       Mon Apr 13, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:37 EDT

     I don't know about the syndex situation, but suspect it's probably
something well out of my control.  As to how many people live on B5 at any
given point...jeez, *lots*, given that there's always folks coming and going.
It's about 5 miles long, and frequently crowded, so you're talking about a
goodly-sized community.

     Have pretty much nailed down the SF writer who'll do the novelization of
the B5 movie.  I'd wanted to do it myself, but time constraints just don't
allow that.  He agreed, we agreed, now we just have to let the business guys
work out the details.  Given the venue, the need to emphasize humor, action
and characterization at various times, I think it's a perfect choice.

     And known to all and sundry.  Watch this space for the news over the next
few weeks.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 526       Mon Apr 13, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:40 EDT

     Oops, a cross-post...briefly, the B5 buttons and the B5 t-shirts are both
limited pressings, just 500 of each, all made at my own personal expense,
supervised by yrs truly, and thus separate from other Warners publicity or
giveaways or Cool Stuff yet to come.  These are the only ones of their kind
that will be made; subsequent shirts, for instance, will probably not have the
Accept No Substitutes line on back, and the logo was changed after the silver
buttons were made, so those also won't be duplicated as originally made.

                                                                     jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 528       Tue Apr 14, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:13 EDT

     BTW...I've tried hard to make sure that nearly everyone who's posted
substantially in this topic is on the list.  After scanning a 500 message
packet (eyes melting), I think I've got everyone.  If, after a few days, you
find you haven't gotten a note...please try not to take it to heart; there are
only so many to go around.  (And if you're a Constant Poster who's slipped
through the net, drop me a private note.)

     Info should go out tonight, system willing.

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 538       Tue Apr 14, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:49 EDT

     Kath...tried using the cc function, but if I put it all on one line, it
came back with Line Too Long, Try Again...and if I put it on separate lines,
it ended as soon as it hit the carriage return.

     Anyhow, I think I got it licked now....

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 541       Tue Apr 14, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:10 EDT

     A one-page summary, eh?  Hmm...okay, I'll see what I can do.  If I don't
put the info up in the next day or two, drop a note here to remind me, you
know how I am, one thing always pushing out another....

     (And a genuine Marvel No-Prize to anyone who can figure out THAT
reference.)

     Oh, and Kath, since the folks at Rattlesnake know you, you can pick one
up directly, if you prefer (use my name, and have John call if there's a
problem, but there won't be, so why do I worry these things to death, never
mind, it was a rhetorical question and I'm going to lay down for a while....).
If you prevail upon John or Susan you can *maybe* get one of them to show you
the new B5 demo, otherwise it'll wait until Christy gets here.

     (Why am I having a private conversation here?  In public?  Surely these
people have better things to do than watch all this scroll past.)

     We expect to be setting up and moving into the new B5 offices in that
same building in the next few weeks, as more staffers are hired.  We'll
basically be taking over one-half or so of a floor in the TV Academy Building,
so I'll actually be shuttling between *three* offices, my office at Universal
(a spiffy new office they moved me into in the main producers  building), the
B5 office in North Hollywood, and the office on the B5 stage, which is located
at....

     Oops.

     State secret.

     Until tomorrow, Comrades.  I'm now retiring for the night.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 556       Tue Apr 14, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 13:33 EDT

     Good, all.  I know the stuff got out, so we're clear from here on.

     Mark: Jeez, but that's fast!  Yes, you caught the reference.  (And here I
thought it was *so* subtle.)  That's really amazing.

     As for commercialism or future products...when we do use them, we're
taking the approach that over 200 years, a lot of new companies have come up,
and a lot of older ones have merged, sometimes in unlikely pairings.  So you
might have Sony-Grumman (sp?) Starship Construction Company.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 581       Wed Apr 15, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:59 EDT

     Oh, man...24 messages, and most of them questions.  Okay, I'll try to
deal with this in some manageable fashion.

     In no particular order: Evisc...I don't keep a mental log of who  posts
what here, or when, or what the attitude is.  And because of that, when time
came to make the list, I yanked out 500+ continuous messages and wrote down
every name I saw.  I knew offhand there were a few names that I knew well and
weren't in that batch, and inserted them on my own.   Other than that, that
was it...I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to go through all 2,000 or so
messages on this topic to find every single solitary person who's left a note
at one time or another.  I *said* it was relatively random, and it was.  I'm
sorry that you feel left out.  I logged on today to find 40 letters in my
mailbox from lurkers who never posted, and THEY felt that it was unfair, that
it should be publicly noted so that everyone could get one.

     I just don't have that kind of money.  Yes, there *will* be stuff that
one can purchase down the road.  And I hope this won't interfere with your
feelings about the show...there had to be some sort of cut-off method, and the
randomization seemed the best one I could think of, and the fairest.

     As for the $1 checks or money orders...yes, Rattlesnake is the name to
use.

     That done...onward.

     Ethnic Diversity: yes, most definitely.  Leaving the aliens aside for the
time being where sexuality may not necessarily be as we know it, and ethnic
background is a bit different, and since the question concerned itself with
humans...our *main characters* consist of the following: a male caucasian
commander; a female Japanese vice-commander; a male Italian security chief; a
black Xenobiologist male; a female telepath whose ethnic background we haven't
yet determined; a female caucasian trader (Sinclair's S.O.); and (for the
series, later) a female environmental specialist (probably Hispanic).  My
feeling here is that we have *all* gone to the stars, and I want there to be a
good ethnic mix in both the main characters, and the guest-starring and cameo
actors.  And I *especially* want to see a nearly 50/50 mix of men and women in
equally significant jobs and responsibilities.

     Relationships: My sense of the story is that things are a lot more
relaxed in that respect.  Some folks get married.  Others don't.  There are
open-ended relationships.  It's not a big deal one way or another; there are
always going to be those who prefer monagomy, and those who tend to roam.

     And bear in mind one *crucial* aspect to B5...there is a constant mix of
not only ethnic groups, but alien races, religions, thought, standards, mores,
and sexual practices.  This will present a constant opportunity to explore
alternate ideas, and to mix-and-match.  By our exposure, humans may adopt some
alien notions, and vice versa.  B5 is the ultimate melting pot, just as the
early Ports of Call were a hodge-podge of dialects, backgrounds, beliefs and
other elements, whose only real commonality was that their business or
personal lives brought them to the same place at the same time.  Same with B5.

     Re: action...a lot of the action will take place aboard B5, just as a lot
of the action in a cop show or mainstream drama takes place in a city...and B5
is exactly that, a self-contained city or world of its own.  There's *plenty*
of opportunity for drama in that, when you stop to consider the staggering
conflicts possible between people, races, and technologies.

     But there will also be some action outside...there's a good amount of
that in the pilot movie, and there will be potential for more as we go along.
The one thing I want to *avoid* is the New Threat Of The Week story, in terms
of somebody attacking B5.  I think that would get old REAL fast.  The best
terrain for conflict is, as Fitzgerald said, the human (or alien) heart in
conflict with itself.

     Will there be zealots?  Oh, yes.  To be sure.  Keep an eye on the
Minbari....

     Great song, btw.  It's fun to see this sort of thing bouncing back from
the other side of the screen...though the comment about a fandom for a show
that doesn't exist yet is well taken.  I don't *want* people signing on to
something they haven't seen yet, at least not to excess, because up until the
*minute* that we hit the airwaves, this is all just balloon juice.  You
shouldn't give this project too much support, just as you shouldn't start
handing around blank checks that you've signed.

     Let us *prove* what we can do.  SF fans are *constantly* being hustled by
one person or company or another.  They/you are shilled at conventions, hyped
on nonexistent projects, and get your hopes up only to have them dashed.

     If what I write here is interesting, if it gives a sense of how a show
like this comes together...terrific.  But the only thing that fundamentally
matters is what's on the screen.  Until then, take everything here with a
pound of salt.

     Force us to prove the point.  If we are fortunate enough, once we hit the
air, to find fans and others who appreciate the show, we want those who will
challenge us and force us to put up or shut up.  Because talk is cheap.  Mine
included.

     End of sermon.

     Yes, the Warners Television Consortium is the correct name for the beast.


     Finally, on sets and the "look" of the place...again, there will be a
mix.  Some places will be beautifully finished and neat, and other areas will
be very rough and in-the-works.  (Remember, B5 only recently went operational,
and thus there are still some parts being constructed.)

     In talking with our production designer, John Iacovelli, the one term he
kept using, over and over, was "travelogue."  We should get a real sense in
this show of a world turned inside out...with varying textures, lighting,
angles, and a mix of looks.  There will *not* be a  homogeneous look to this
place, if I or Iacovelli have anything to say about it.  You can walk from the
carefully and neatly appointed Council Chamber room, to the high-tech control
room, to a section of the station under construction and exposing beams and
wires, to the Garden, to....

     You get the idea.

     I *think* that covers the majority of the questions/comments.  If I've
missed anything, let me know, and if I can answer it, I will.

     Onward.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 592       Wed Apr 15, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:20 EDT

     Thanks for the kind words, folks.  Sometimes, writing for TeeVee, you
start to think you're writing into a vacuum...you rarely ever get any sort of
feedback (99.9% of all letters go to the stars, as, I suppose, is proper).
Anyway, thanks.

     To the questions:

     The suggestion above about names was a good one.  Overall, I'd say don't
worry about it too much, we'll figure it out.  Just send it as you would
normally, we'll figure it out.

     (The preceding paragraph, lacking a noun, rather using the pronoun "it"
refers to money orders.)

     Regarding the last scene/last episode note, and "is every single episode
mapped out," I should explain.

     I know where each season will end, and where the next season will begin.
Those episodes are locks.  Within each season, I have set aside
benchmarks...certain events that much happen at some point in that given
season.  Assuming a 22 episode season, about half, or 11 out of each 22, will
be benchmark episodes.  The other 11 will be up for grabs in terms of the
general arc of the show.  I think you *have* to be open to what some
freelancer hits you with unexpectedly, be open to surprises and things you
never considered.

     It's a very fine line.  The goal is that if you didn't know about the
show, had no sense of history or any of the characters, you could tune in to
Episode 18, Season 3, and be able to enjoy the show *immediately*.  The
problem with a show like, say, TWIN PEAKS (which I enjoyed enormously, by the
way), was that if you missed an episode or two, you were pretty much lost.
Each and every episode of B5 ***must*** be able to stand completely on its
own.

     What happens is that you start laying down threads that, over time, as
you watch more and more episodes, tells a much larger story.  The more you
watch, the more you'll get out of it.  If you watch one, you'll be able to
enjoy that one strictly on its own terms.

     It's a trick I learned while writing/story editing, of all things, The
Real Ghostbusters.  Those were written on two levels; one for younger viewers,
one for older.  If you didn't get the older stuff, it didn't get in the way of
enjoying the show.  If you *did* get the more sophisticated stuff, it added
another *layer* to the experience.

     Another comparison, out of my league as it might be, would be the
Hieronymous Bosch painting, Garden of Earthly Delights.  You can go in to any
panel or section of that triptych, and that could almost be a painting on its
own terms, it's so detailed.  When you pull back, though, you begin to see a
much larger story, a wider and more varied tapestry.

     It's a challenge, from a writing point of view, but it's eminently do-
able.  We started to do some of that in Power; that show changed dramatically
at the end of season one, and we were starting to develop threads that, in
toto, would tell a much different story.  There were clues all over the place.
(Soaron saying, of his programming, "There is something in my program I do not
understand...there is something in the dark," referring, as we would later
discover, to a program that would force him to kill Dredd; the fate of Power's
mother; the *real* agenda behind what was going on; wheels inside wheels
inside wheels....)

     Maybe it's my Eastern European heritage, but I *love* sagas, and B5 will
present a chance to tell that kind of saga.  When I was assigned the V
miniseries job, I took a similar approach, trying to create a whole and
consistent world.

     But this is hardly revelation; the world of SF print has been doing this
now ever since the Lensman books.  The job now is translating that approach to
television, and bring it up to, oh, at least where SF was 20 years ago....

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 593       Wed Apr 15, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:26 EDT

     Oh...one other thing...it might not be a bad idea for some erstwhile
sysop or forum leader to, say, advise the friendly folks running GEnie about
all of what's going on around here...the Grid Epsilon Irregulars, the Grid
Epsilon/470-18-22 coordinates, that sort of thing.  Might be an article in
this somewhere....

                                                                    jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 610       Wed Apr 15, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:40 EDT

     Re: WorldCon in Orlando...I don't have any plans at the moment, but I
suppose they could always be added.  When does it take place?  If it's after
the initial airdate, that could be why I flensed it from memory.

     As far as Laurel is concerned, her job differs in that Sinclair's is more
diplomatic/political, and is involved with the Big Picture of running B5,
where Laurel is hands-on in terms of the day-to-day operations of actually
managing the station.  If an ambassador has a problem with what the E.A. is
doing, he'll go through Sinclair first; if that same ambassador is annoyed
that his resupply ship isn't being allowed to dock because they won't comply
with the silly request for a weapons scan, that tends to be Laurel's problem
to deal with.

     Naturally, there is some overlap and shifting of responsibility.  If the
station is ever attacked, she is as qualified to sit in the command chair and
organize/dictate the defense as Sinclair.  Having run Mars Colony Security for
five years before coming to B5, she's quite capable of handling the tough
stuff.

     As for the earth/minbari war, yes, its repercussions will still be felt
throughout the show, and in time will form a major plot point.  There are also
some deep resentments remaining on both sides that we'll have to deal with.
What we show of it will depend on many factors, but I wouldn't be surprised to
see some scenes from it down the road...maybe late in the first season.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 623       Thu Apr 16, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:06 EDT

     Two quickies:

     1) I wanted the station to have a real kickass look, so if in the right
light it looks forbidding, all the better.  Glad you like the new design.

     2) A word about the t-shirts....

          a) the XXL's won't be in until Monday, just FYI.  The others
     are going out now.

          b) Joe screwed up.

     As I mentioned, I went through about 500 messages and pulled out names I
saw of regulars, and just about everybody else.  In a separate file, I had the
60 or so names that were in one message here during the Loud Period who had
volunteered to help, and had been compiled.  In my mind, I kept cross-
referencing between them, making sure that there was no duplication, and no
one was missed.

     My error was in doing this at 2 a.m.

     There are about 4 or 5 people who *should* have been included, and were
not...only through oversight.  (At least, 4 or 5 that I know of.)   Two were
regular messagers whose name I'd seen so many times that I just assumed it was
on one or the other of the lists.

     Point being...if you've been here, posting, since the early days, and you
haven't received the information...please leave me a private note.  There is
no snubbing going on, it's just Yr Obedient Servant's own error and sloppiness
in trying to get this stuff out fast.

     My apologies to any of our regulars who might have been unintentionally
omitted.

                                                             jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 639       Fri Apr 17, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:19 EDT

     Bubble-views (or real ports) ain't a bad idea at all.  And the points
about fighters are well taken.  And there will definitely be strategy in some
of what happens, if a series of ships should decide to engage a larger foe.

     BTW, Larry, did Ron show you the rough on the Vorlon ship?  Just curious.


                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 642       Fri Apr 17, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:05 EDT

     I think Dabney should get together with Bob Walker's aliens....

     BTW, spoke today with the leading SF writer who I approached about doing
the B5 novelization of "The Gathering."  It's a job I'd very much wanted to do
myself, but the time factor won't allow for that.  So of all the writers I
could think of, this was my first choice.  Was very curious to see his
reaction, since this would be the first time anyone well known in the SF
writing community has seen the thing.

     Let's just say that he's agreed to do the novelization, and that he
thinks it's terrific.  And that the novelization should be no tribble at all.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 645       Fri Apr 17, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:18 EDT

     Boy, but messages fly thick and fast here...the Business Affairs people
still have to set the terms of the deal, but tentatively the novel will have
to come out probably late October.

     Interestingly enough, at one time our Xenobiologist was Indian, named
Chakri Mendak.  It was only after careful deliberation that I decided to
change the character to an african-american, which was done for several
reasons, not the least of which being that it would let me bring in some
Indian characters in other roles that could be quite interesting.   And yes,
overall I want to draw from a number of different ethnic groups and heritages,
because they each add something new to the mix.  And the context throws into
relief the fact that those OTHER guys are all aliens, but we -- whatever the
ethnic background -- are all equally human, and I think that will do a lot to
ease or even eliminate racism.

     At least, within the human species.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 666       Fri Apr 17, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:28 EDT

     And spoil the thrill of self-discovery?

     Regarding Warners...yes, they're all part of the overall package of
shows.  Just as when you sign onto a network, you carry all of their shows as
a package.  As for the Paramount presentation...haven't seen it, and thus
can't comment (and probably wouldn't in any event).

     BTW...and before I forget again...I finally got my hands on the issue of
Video Toaster with the B5 cover story.  Anyone who'd like to get a copy should
contact that magazine at 21611 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014.  It's
the April/May issue.  The cover price is $4.00, but I don't know what they
might require for postage and handling on a single-issue order.  (Note: the
b&w photos inside are *not* at this time part of B5, but rather other examples
of related work.)  The colors are a bit off in repro as well, but not
seriously so.  (Mainly the ship, which is a bright orange/red, which is
different from the demo, from which the photos were composited.)

                                                                     jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 673       Sat Apr 18, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:54 EDT

     I will tell you a true thing: in Hollywood, the one thing you hear over
and over again is the wish to direct.  Camera-men want to direct, writers want
to direct, actors want to direct, producers want to direct, cinematographers
want to direct....

     Me, I *don't* wanna direct.

     No interest in it, no aptitude for it.

     I'm a *writer*, period.  As it is, the only reasons I decided to move up
the ladder and become a producer are:

     1) So nobody rewrites my stuff.

     2) To create the kinds of shows that I would want to write for.

     3) To acquire control over the physical production of my writing by being
the one who HIRES the director.

     That's the totality of it...I became a producer simply as an act of self-
defense and to protect the material.  I *hate* dealing with numbers, and
dollars, and haggling with business affairs guys, and worrying about budgets
and hirings and corporate structures and completion bonds and film stock costs
and how many Teamsters we're gonna need...but it's the only way to get the
control of my writing that I really want.

     The one thing I hate more than almost anything in the world is taking
Stupid Notes from somebody.  The solution?  Become a producer.  That way you
get to GIVE the stupid notes....

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 679       Sat Apr 18, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:56 EDT

     Well, excitement galore...and I may be off-line a bit because of it.  Big
winds in the valley last night, and at 3 a.m. the sun came up in the form of a
power cable that came down in my back yard, sparking and arcing and spitting
blue-red-white light.  Right now, the whole house is dead, and has been since
last night.  I'm logging on now via my notebook, but I don't know how long the
batteries will last.  (Jeez, sounds like a distress capsule ejected from a
ship, doesn't it?)  Anyway, will be on again when the power returns.  Expect
me when you see me.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 687       Sat Apr 18, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:58 EDT

     Ah, Luis, it arrived.  Good.  Sufficiently neat?

     Have got the ol' 486 back on line, power's back, at least for the time
being.  We'll see.

     So now it's back to work...too bad, I supposse, I was *finally* getting
around to reading the latest Lewis Thomas book on language.  Ah, well...later
for that, I guess.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 693       Sat Apr 18, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 21:45 EDT

     Yes, I was referring to Etc/Etc...a wonderful piece of work.  Who else
can make the history of the word "sew" absolutely entrancing?

     We've selected a studio for audio post production, but can't release the
name at this time.  Soon.

     I suspect -- Mojo willing and the crick don't rise -- I'll be able to
release a *lot* of production information by the end of this coming week.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 696       Sat Apr 18, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:55 EDT

     Mt. Joe, thanks for the info.  We'll see what now becomes of it all.

     I don't have Memphis or Little Rock on the list in front of me, but I
know they've added some stations in recent weeks.  Will bug the guys at
Warners for a more complete list.  The only super-station that I know of
currently signed to carry B5 is WOR New York.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 700       Sun Apr 19, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:25 EDT

     Understood.  Well, we'll stay on top of this, I'm confident it'll work
out one way or another.

     BTW...along with some of the things that have been discussed here that we
*are* going to be doing, I thought I'd pass along one thing that we will NOT
be doing.

     We've been slotted in on a number of conventions, and as things pick up
speed, others will be coming.  But one convention that I've decided we will
*not* be a part of is any of the Creation Conventions.

     Granted, they've covered other shows beyond TREK, including the
Terminator, Quantum Leap and others...but frankly, I've heard *so* many horror
stories from fans about them, they're *so* commercially oriented, treating
people like cattle, just to separate them from their money, and having had
some less than salutory experiences with them myself simply as One Of Many
Congoers, I feel that in all good conscience, I can't lend my support to that
organization.

     Fans are not sheep awaiting shearing.  And that, I feel, is the Creation
Con mentality.

     Keep it.  We'll go elsewhere.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 66        Sun Apr 19, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:55 EDT

     Thanks for the support re: the con decision.  It does seem the right
thing to do.

     On the Wild West...no, I'm not involved with that, the only connection is
that it's being done by the same company with whom I'm doing B5.

     Finally, regarding the illustration in the double-page ad...I should
clarify.  B5 has gone through *several* stages of visualization.  The very
first thing done to help sell the show was a painting of the B5 station done
by Peter Ledger, a leading graphic artist/illustrator.  THAT is the
illustration you saw, NOT what's being done now.  (That drawing is about four-
five years old.)  Stage 2 of the B5 station development was the video demo on
the NewTek tape, which many here have seen (and which bears little resemblance
to the original illustration).  Stage 3 was the new and pretty much final
version that Lawrence Conley and I and a very few others have seen.

     Now that video slides have been made of Stage 3, *that* is the only
version that will be used in illustrations and ads henceforth, either through
the slide itself, or an artist's rendering of that slide/image.   The
publicity people at Warners went bonkers when they saw the final version, just
loved it and have located a top-flight illustrator to do various renderings of
that image.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 75        Sun Apr 19, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:36 EDT

     Yes, I definitely intend to hit a number of other cons in the course of
this year, some large, some medium-sized...it's a question of time, market
(whether or not the area will be covering B5), resources, and the usual
scheduling conflicts...there are several conflicts that I have to  choose
between.  And much as I want to hit them all, it's a) expensive, and b) I
suspect that CBS would occasionally like me to WRITE on a weekend (I know,
what an inconvenience...).

     I hope to finalize travel plans for the summer/fall in a few weeks, and
will post that info as soon as it's availaable.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 80        Mon Apr 20, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:58 EDT

     Jay: damn...I *told* them that the xxl's were coming in this week.   If
you want to send it back, I'll have them send you a new one.

     Oh, man, hope they haven't sent others like this...damn....

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 90        Mon Apr 20, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 13:28 EDT

     Just a quick response to one point above...the only reason I haven't said
who's doing the illustrations for PR purposes is 1) I don't know the name, and
2) it's not anyone who'd be known to the SF world anyway, as far as I know.
Just a top-flight graphics illustrator.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 92        Mon Apr 20, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 16:48 EDT

     Okay.  For the rest...only 3 XLs went out instead of XXL's, so we pretty
much caught it in time.  If you got one and it ain't right, send it back.

     (I've got to put some B5 info up soon, lest this turn into the All T-
Shirt Channel....)

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 101       Tue Apr 21, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:58 EDT

     Always interested in letters for the Suits.  Today alone we got in 25,
which we'll hold on file for an opportune moment.

     On other matters, and not to go into specifics (which are boring and
irrelevant to any viewer), while most of the time the process of getting a
show on the air is fun and exciting and interesting...at other times, I tell
you in all honesty, it's like trying to stack marbles in a corner or nail
Jello to a wall...man oh man....

                                                                       jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 110       Tue Apr 21, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 16:00 EDT

     About the details...there's just a lot of backing-and-forthing with
business affairs and contracts and paper work and the like...I wasn't so much
bringing it up as just sort of thinking out loud...which I probably shouldn't
do unless I intend to be more specific.

     As for the B5 photo on the magazine...what you're looking at is a shot of
the docking bay in the front of B5 Phase Two.  The independent sections you
see in a sort of grid behind it are the rotating sections that create gravity.
At the sort of right-bottom corner, that corner of blue you see is part of a
system of solar panels which have subsequently been dropped from the design.
The ship (orange, which is actually sort of brown-silver in the video demo) in
front is just sorta there, taken from another shot (which kinda throws off the
perspective a little).

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 126       Wed Apr 22, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:55 EDT

     Boy, a lot to cover in just a few hours...before which, a quick
disclaimer...if you've sent a private note to me in the last few days, it may
take me a while to respond (assuming I don't just forget, in which case, if
it's a timely matter, re-message me) since I'm generally logging 15 or so
letters per day in mail.

     To the questions, in no particular order....

     Do I believe there's life out there?  I dunno...it would seem to me
unlikely that there would NOT be some sort of life elsewhere.  Intelligent?
  Well, that's the $64,000 question, isn't it?  The question I hear a lot is,
"If they're intelligent, why haven't they contacted us?"

     Frankly, if they were intelligent, they probably *wouldn't*.  Keeping in
mind that we're beaming Wally George and Howard Stern and World Federation
Wrestling into the general ether at the speed of starlight, I wouldn't be
surprised if sooner or later Pioneer came across a series of floating orange
cones with yellow tape strung between them reading DO NOT CROSS -- THESE FOLKS
ARE NUTS.

     Will we eventually go to the stars?

     Do we have a choice?

     In another few hundred years, we will outstrip the earth.  We must move
on or die.  To ask "Will we go to the stars?" is to ask "Will the eagle crack
out of its shell?"  Yes...or it will die.

     On other topics: yes, I do plan to be at Media*West, though what sorts of
freebies I'll be bringing, if any, is still an open issue.  Our first and
foremost concern now is getting the show on the air; most of the goodies will
come later.  But I will be giving a B5 presentation there, and maybe appearing
on a couple of panels as well, depending on schedule.

     I've had WishCon mentioned to me today; any further information, let me
know and I'll look into it.

     Do I get the Warner Bros. Catalog?  DO I GET THE WARNER BROS. CATALOG?
  Here...look at these cel reproductions lining my hall!  Here!  Look at this
Flash mug, this Bugs Aviator Flight Jacket, these shirts with the Looney Tunes
characters stitched in...this Acme Products T-Shirt, these pins,
this......YAAAAAGGGHHHHH!

     When it comes to the Warners catalog, I'm a doomed man.

     Finally, to the education issue...yes, that's something that has
attracted me to this medium and this topic from the beginning.  Although
creative *decisions* have to be internal, what this technology allows is the
chance to bring others in and see how that process functions, to make SF fans
a part of that process through the interchange of ideas, by seeing How Things
Work (minus the dull business/contracts/negotiations stuff).

     Whether it's been in my writing book, the WD column, or here, I've always
worked from an agenda that says, in essence, Let's be open, and let's get the
process out where people can see it, and thus de-mystify it.  When I started
out as a writer, absolutely unaware of the processes involved, I would have
KILLED for this kind of information...and thus figured it could be of value to
others.  I think that those who get through the barbed wire and the mine
fields and the machine gun turrets have a rough obligation to at minimum
*inform* those who follow about the traps and hurdles ahead.

     If all one gets out of this topic is entertainment, and diversion, that
is sufficient (and more than sufficient).  If it actually ends up helping one
or two people down the road, all the better.

     So believe me, I will continue to report in here throughout the
process...from set construction through casting, pre-production, shooting,
editing, scoring, dubbing, publicity and finally preparations for broadcast.
The result, I hope, will be a step-by-step documentation, or manual, on how a
show is assembled, from concept to final product.

     Which is why the questions here have been so very helpful.  Often, when
you're working in a fishbowl, you can't SEE the fishbowl anymore; in this
case, I often don't know what information is most useful to anyone.  Also,
some of the questions have been challenging, and have made me think about
things I might not otherwise have considered, so let me assure you that this
has been as helpful to me as to anyone else.  Look back and you'll see
discussions of telepathy, biology, religion, fashion, social structure,
language, music, weaponry, on and on...and by putting my feet to the fire on
some of these issues, a great good has been done, and I've come up with
answers I didn't know I had...answers that will now go into the B5 mix.  (For
instance, I hadn't given that much thought to how a beam-weapon would sound
until the question was asked here, and I had to sit down and talk to some high-
IQ types, whose background and skills helped me refine a good answer to that
question.)

     Anyway, the point being that the process will continue until y'all get
bored with it.  For me, it's part of the democratization of  television...and
an enjoyable process, at that.

     It's tough...as I write this, it's 1 a.m., and I'm exhausted from a long
day of haggling and reading and scriptwriting and meetings and everything
else, but I figure it's probably every bit as tiring at your end of the modem,
and I'm game for as long as you are.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 129       Wed Apr 22, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:13 EDT

     The gesture is appreciated, but the problem with electronic
communications is that there's no way to verify that the person typing on
screen under a given name is actually that person, absent actual hardcopy
signed by the person at hand (and even THERE it's oen to -- make that open to -
- challenge).

     Technology...Our Friend.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 141       Thu Apr 23, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:18 EDT

     The point about (for lack of a better term, clumsy as this is) role
models is well taken.  And too detailed for a quick answer.  Let me just try
to answer by saying this...I have always believed that televison must be used
*responsibly*.  (Note: individuals determine what is responsible; as soon as a
committee decides it, I'm out of the business.)

     Mark Twain said, "If you would have your work last forever -- forever
usually being considered to be fifty years -- it must neither overtly preach
nor overtly teach...but if MUST CO-vertly preach and CO-vertly teach."  This
is a thread that has *always* run through my work.  It's there in almost
everything.

     It was never my intent that B5 should be just an action show.  It should
be a metaphor, and a goal, and a mirror...an instrument to challenge as well
as to entertain.  Otherwise, quite frankly, what the hell's the point?

     Having come out of New Jersey myself -- Newark, to be precise -- I got
out by having role models and examples of people who strove to become more
than their environment promised they could become.  First it was guys in the
Boys Club who kept me off the streets and out of trouble; then teachers; then -
- when I began to feel the words -- certain writers, Harlan first among them.
I fully understand what those individual inspirations can mean...how they can
be the flashpoint that ignites another vision.

     Having also come out of a fractured family life, you can be sure that
that aspect will also come into play at times.

     The point being...wait.  Watch.  And over time, as the stories continue,
I think that your concerns will be addressed.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 145       Thu Apr 23, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:12 EDT

     Dave, if you ordered an XXL, then it'll be a while longer; there's been a
delay, and those won't be arriving or going out until Friday.  So it may not
be the P.O. system.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 170       Sat Apr 25, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:31 EDT

     There are definitely a lot of areas to consider regarding medicine, and
it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to run some of this stuff past a medical
advisor...and I probably will.

     Insofar as crew relations are concerned...bear in mind that on any show,
a *lot* of that comes about as you introduce the characters, and the actors
get to know each other.  Chemistry can't be predicted.  What we  do have, for
now, is that Laurel Takashima met Cmdr. Sinclair when she was working Mars
Colony security, and because she refused to go along with kickbacks to some
corrupt E.A. officials, was being held back.  He was transferred there in an
advisory capacity, saw her potential, and pulled her back from some
potentially dangerous (and self-destructive) stuff she was getting into out of
frustration at being passed over repeatedly for promotion.

     He's also known Garibaldi, the B5 security chief, for some time, but has
never actually worked with him for any prolonged period of time.  He has
elected, over the objections of Earth Central, to give Garibaldi this
position, and it's his last chance to make good.  But from time to time, the
requirements of a security chief don't reconcile with the needs of the
commander.  He's only recently begun working with the resident xenobiologist
and the newly-arrived station telepath.

     Is there conflict between them?  Yes, at times severe.  They all deeply
respect one another, but conflict arises as it must given the situation, and
the close proximity, and the problems they encounter.  The basic requirement
of ANY good drama is interpersonal conflict.

                                                             jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 171       Sat Apr 25, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:32 EDT

     To the cross-post...yes, Laurel will be very close to her roots; she' s
the most earth-oriented of all those at our core.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 184       Sun Apr 26, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:03 EDT

     On continuity: you bet.  I'm as big a stickler for that as anyone.   You
get inconsistency when you're casting about in every possible direction,
without a clear vision.  If you're telling a continuous story, the odds of
being consistent are better.

     As far as Suits are concerned...I've always divided it up into two areas.
There are Studio Execs Who Care, people like Dick Robertson at Warners, and
Evan Thompson at Chris-Craft TV, whose unflagging support of B5 has made it
possible to get this far.  They are our patron saints.

     And they are NOT "suits."

     A "suit" is basically that...a suit of clothes with nothing inside, no
personality, no judgment, no creativity.  It's not what's worn, it's what's
*inside*.  Every studio has suits...people who are frightened of making any
judgment, who obfuscate and don't give an opinion, who are roadblocks on the
journey to getting ANYthing done, who are cynical and  interested only in not
making waves.  An empty suit.

     Two very different classes.

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 193       Sun Apr 26, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:12 EDT

     There's a fair amount of the backstory behind B5 that will make it into
the pilot, but not near as much as later.  The problem with ANY pilot for ANY
television show is that you're going to have breadth, but not depth.  After
you subtract the commercials, you have well under two hours in which to: 1)
Establish 9 major, recurring characters; 2) Establish four minor characters;
3) Establish the history of the Earth/Minbari war; 4) Establish the
relationships between the various ambassadors, 5) Establish exactly what B5 is
and how it works, 6) Establish the physical operations of a station like this
who don't know from SF (gravities, atmospheres, technology and the like); 7)
Establish the main plot for this particular movie; 9) Set aside some amount of
time for action as well as the exposition needed to establish 1-8; 10) Set up
the series to follow.

     That's an *awful* lot to establish in about 100 or so minutes.
  Especially when you're dealing with a story as potentially complex as
Babylon 5.

     It also has to be done in a fairly accessible fashion, so that non-SF
fans can Get It, and then slowly be led into the more esoteric stuff in the
series.

     Which is why I've always tried to maintain here that you should hold
diminished expectations for the movie, and build up from there.  It ain't
gonna have ALL this stuff in it (being the context and content discussed here
over the last several months) simply because there isn't time to do all that
AND establish our characters, situations, etc.

     What the movie is designed to do is to build a platform or foundation
upon which we then build the series.  So I'm in the position of a real estate
developer who's been promising you this bright, gleaming, architecturally
gorgeous art deco building, and I call you to tell you that Phase One has been
completed, and you hurry down to the site to see what is, in essence, a great
big hole in the ground.  Where's the art deco?  Where's the gleaming steel and
glass?  Where's the elevators and murals and...and....

     They will come.  But you've *got* to start with a solid foundation first.
And often it ain't pretty.  But if it isn't there, your building is gonna fall
over in the first good wind.

     And if that prolonged reply doesn't metaphor all of us right into a coma,
I don't know what will.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 203       Sun Apr 26, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:50 EDT

     Thought is going into the ships, and forms of propulsion, but that's
still in flux as we determine the needs of the show, and the station, and get
our tech people working on stuff that goes far beyond what I can ever hope to
understand.

     And yes, there's *definitely* an economy...both in terms of those coming
to do business on B5, and the resources available.  B5 is a necessary element
to preserving the peace, but that doesn't mean it's free from bureaucratic
meddling and cost-cutting.

     Remember, again, that unlike the Federation, this is not a monolithic,
all-controlling entity (Earth Central).  There's a *lot* of factionalizing and
splintering and wheels-within-wheels, so that leaves lots of room for
conflict.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 208       Mon Apr 27, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:30 EDT

     By the way, appropos of the Creation Con discussion earlier in this
thread....

     This past Friday, my guest on the SF radio show that I host, HOUR 25, was
David Gerrold.  My co-host, Larry DiTillio, brought along his brother and a
friend of his brother who he thought might be interesting to have on that
night during the "nattering" part of the show (the first 15-20 minutes we put
in on news and small-talk).  "He just came from Nimoy's place, where he
directed a photo shoot to promote a traveling show Nimoy's doing with
Shatner."

     A shrug, I dunno if that's worth the time, any stories he might have.

     "He's also one of the main guys running Creation Cons," Larry said.

     Imagine, if you will, a pause vast as space.  "Oh really?" says I.
"Sure, put him on."

     So we go on the air, live, we natter, we bring in this guy, stick him in
front of a mike, we chat a bit about this nine-city tour Nimoy and Shatner are
going to be doing, then from left field: JMS - "So, would you like to comment
on why Creation Con has such a crummy reputation among the fan community, the
way it treats fans like cattle, the high prices, the rotten commercial
attitude it takes toward its conventions?"

     Let's just say, of the rest of the 10 minutes before we moved on to the
heart of the show, was more fun than I've had on that show in a long time.

     Are we having fun yet, or what?

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 221       Mon Apr 27, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:02 EDT

     Is it still fun?  There are moments when you shouldn't ask me that
question.  On the topic of television, and trying to get ANYthing done, Eric
Severeid once commented that the process is "like being nibbled to death by
ducks."  So yeah, that plays a part from time to time.

     But on balance, most of the time, yeah, it's fun.  The part of the
process that I think I like the most is seeing what happens when you get other
people involved with the project, and what they develop.  The first time I saw
the sketch of a Vorlon ship by Ron Thornton, which absolutely surprised
me...the reactions by the SF community...the media campaign put together for
NATPE...it's the fun of creating a universe, and sending it spinning out into
space for others to play in.

     The rest...ehhh.  It's business.  You try not to let it get you down or
make you crazy.

     As for the Creation guy...not very many highlights, just a general sense
of...fun.  When I brought up the first statement, he came back with, "I didn't
know we were gonna talk about Creation Conventions."

     "Of course not," I said, "that's half the fun."

     There's much to be said, I'm learning, for ambush journalism.

     Some of the complaints he tried to dismiss as "baseless."  I pointed out
that I'd personally seen some of it.  He tried to get around it.  And I have
to hand it to him, he comported himself real well.  And he openly acknowledged
(after a bit) that yes, there *have* been problems...and ended by promising
that they *will* do better in the future.

     We'll see.

     At the end of the show, after we all went out for a bite (to show him
there were no hard feelings, and on the theory that you must administer the
rod and the sugar cane in equal proportion if you're going to get anything
done), he added, on parting, that the main job that now awaited him was
"getting the barbecque sauce and fish-hooks" out of his ass.

     There are moments I love this job.

     Severeid's ducks notwithstanding.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 224       Mon Apr 27, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:02 EDT

     Okay...since SOMEone here is monitoring this topic for Creation, and
since SOMEone high up in Creation is such a weasel as to blame one of his
employees for *my* bushwacking said unwitting employee on the air, when it was
NOT his fault, let me make something perfectly clear:

     The person who showed up on my show is not at fault.  He came in and I
lit a firecracker under him NOT for anything that he had done, but for the
problems that I and others have had with those running Creation; probably the
same weasel who's now upset about all this.

     Our last-minute guest that evening knew nothing of this, and did a
commendable job defending what would be hard for ANYone to defend.  He
defended Creation well, indicated that while there had been problems in the
past, those were all now history, and spoke well of his bosses and indicated
that all the problems had been dealt with and things would go swimmingly in
future.

     He did an admirable job for someone who didn't know he was going to get
hit upside the head with a ball-bat.  I'm not sure *I* would have done as good
a job under those circumstances.  (And I suppose it was less than mature of me
to have gone on here at such length about it.)

     Point being that our last-minute guest did a fine job, under very
difficult circumstances, should NOT be penalized for it, and if certain
weasels were to a) mind their own business, b) develop a sense of humor, and
c) run a convention properly (as they will in future, I hear), these
situations wouldn't arise in the first place.

     And this ESPECIALLY goes for the weasel(s) monitoring this topic and
running off to Creation with it.

     Ain't like this topic contains anything top-secret...the radio show is
heard from as far south as San Diego, and as far north as Bakersfield, so I
fail to see the point.

     (All of which just confirms the rightness of my decision not to take B5
to Creation.)

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 243       Tue Apr 28, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:24 EDT

     Yikes, that'll teach me not to log on for the balance of the day to get
some work done....

     Agreement with the sentiments above in the sense of letting the issue die
down.  Point's been made, no sense in belaboring anything, at least not here.
Any good that DOES come out of confrontation is, I've learned, lost if you
dance in somebody's face for the next 24 hours.

     Onward.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 254       Wed Apr 29, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:03 EDT

     Just checking in to say...er...nothing much to say.  We're in what can
best be described as the eye of the storm period...deal stuff and other issues
have been taken care of, we're lining up various pieces, and the real Busy
Stuff won't come for a little while yet.  I think we'll see the finished
motion tests on B5 this week or next, and the storyboard for the opening
sequence.

     Exhausted otherwise, having turned in my first M,SW script for the coming
season.  A real toughie to write, and ended up working non-stop the last 48-72
hours or so to get it turned in before hiatus starts.  I figure, last season,
my first really writing mysteries, I learned how to skate more or less in a
straight line.  Now I'm trying to do some basic circles, see if I can write
any better this season than last.

     So this'll be brief...gotta go sack out.  Hope to have some interesting
info by week's end, but I ain't promising at this point.

     Onward.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 260       Wed Apr 29, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:28 EDT

     Note to myself: talk to some international economists, maybe raid a local
university....yikes...nobody told me there was gonna be math involved....

     GREAT looking gif file, Luis.  I like the color useage a lot, and it has
given me much to consider.  (The current version has the triangular part in
burnished/airbrushed copper, the 5 in gold...but there's much to be said for
red and black.)  Hmmmmm.....

     Insofar as I know, the overseas stuff is already taken care of, to a
large degree.  I *do* know that it was well received in any number of
countries, but don't have specifics.  Will try to remember to look into that.
I suppose I should know where it's playing....

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 263       Wed Apr 29, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:34 EDT

     Actually, that's been a vital part of B5's design from the very start.
The dead center of B5 is The Garden, similar to an O'Neill  station, with food
and other crops grown on the 360-degree walls.  It runs through the center of
B5, so the very VERY center is zero-G.  It's through this center that the
shuttle runs.

     A small joke in the script finds Delenn (the Minbari ambassador) in the
Garden, and someone asks him about it.  He'd thought that Sinclair had named
it after just what you suggest, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which he's
read about...but it seems Sinclair named it after some other garden...a Square
Garden of Madison, or something like that...and he's trying to find the
cultural references and figure it out...probably thinks it's something to do
with mythology....

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 22
Message 274       Thu Apr 30, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:19 EDT

     Getting mentions is very tough, we're discovering.  And we're still
trying to figure out *why*.

     As for "Time Trax," it's a Harve Bennet show for the same consortium of
stations as B5.  It's about a guy from the future who comes into the present
hunting down Bad Guys from the future.  TERMINATOR 1 and 2 meets Soldier meets
Demon With a Glass Hand meets....well, you get the idea.

     Oh, forgot one thing on the Madison Square Garden reference...it leaves
Delenn doubly confused since this garden is *round*.

     I *think* that's the first and so far only direct reference I've made to
what happens specifically in the 2-hour script.  Have to remember to keep
those down to a mild roar....

                                                                  jms
 ------------