lurkers-guide/ftp/GEnie/jms93-01-15

Babylon 5 posts by JMS for Jan 16, 1993 - Jan 31, 1993

This file includes a compilation of posts on GEnie by J. Michael
Straczynski in the Babylon 5 topic.  The posts are copyright 1993 by 
J. Michael Straczynski with compilation copyright by GEnie. 


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Topic 1         Mon Oct 26, 1992
SF-FANTASY [Yog Sysop]       at 18:50 EST
Sub: Babylon 5                            

Welcome to the Babylon 5 category!  As always, offering or requesting copies
of copyrighted material, whether it's the B5 Newsletter, photos, or the actual
movie/episodes violates copyright law and SFRT policy.
555 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 337       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:36 EST

     Actually, JoJo's...uhm...outfit is probably the best thing about the
show...not for pure asthetics, of course, just...I dunno...I just kinda like
the dynamics of it...

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 342       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:22 EST

     Indeed, they might withhold such participation, which the PC would be
obligated to honor.  Non-PC telepaths would be a different situation entirely,
of course...and a danger...which only a PC (or one of the other government's
own 'paths, if any) could work against.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 355       Sun Jan 17, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:01 EST

     The "Making of B5" piece is being re-edited; originally, the E! piece was
going to be the one shown, but...well, no need to rehash all of that.  The
piece is being recut, and new stuff put in to replace the old stuff.  It
should be finished next week, I hear, and then provided to the stations.

     Great news about Arisia, Arne.  Any other reactions come to mind?

     Re: using my posts for articles...by all means, proceed.

     BTW, it appears that the deal for a B5 game has been closed, and the
winner is Electronic Arts.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 358       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:47 EST

     This goes back to a very basic philosophical question: can you have
thought without language, or language without thought?  At one point in our
evolution, we became conscious...was there language, or did language then come
as a *result* of consciousnes?  Or did the slow development of language *lead
to* the development of true consciousness?

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 375       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:38 EST

     I'll know more about the game in the weeks ahead.

     Apparently, Creation has licensed some stuff...mainly shirts and mugs and
patches and the like, nothing major, but it's there.  I got the first t-shirt
design roughs today, and have some notes, but nothing too major.  More as this
is developed.

     BTW, does anyone know if there are any SF conventions this coming weekend
in Dallas?

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 379       Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:00 EST

     Licensing Corporation of America.  Based in New York.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 403       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:03 EST

     You say, "New characters and sets apparently do not work."  The basic
problem, you seem to feel, is that it's the same show, and how do we go about
making B5 different?

     I think that the question is more accurately phrased as, "How does one
make DS9 more like TNG?"  I'm going to do this absolutely as non-pejoratively
as humanly possible, because this is fundamentally the truth.

     When TNG first went on the air, a lot of the legwork was done for them
already.  Much of the universe was established: phasers, the Enterprise,
starfleet, klingons, warp speed, doors, terminology, on and on.  There was
additional material added on, but the basic *foundation* is the same.  This is
neither good nor bad.  One can do (and there have been) good stories within
this format.  What it *is* is a continuation of the same universe.  You can do
good stuff with that, but it's still fundamentally the same universe.

     Now comes DS9, and again, it's much the same situation: it builds upon
and integrates what went before.  We have the Federation, stuff introduced in
TNG (Bajorans, Cardassians), some overlapping characters, and a carry-through
of many pre-existing stories and themes.  Once again, and let me be clear
about this, this doesn't mean you can't do good stories here.

     It's just that it's the same universe.  It's not a question, really, of
"sets and characters," it's a question of the universe overall, and the fact
that it's really a repackaging of the same show, with some modifications.

     B5 simply does not take place within that universe.  Every frame of film
reminds you of this.  Without making a qualitative judgment for a moment,
consider ST vs. Battlestar Galactica.  Both are space shows, but very
different in tenor, tone and universe.  (BG and Star Wars is, of course, a
very different discussion.)

     The comparison I've always made has been to say "What if all the space
science fiction stories ever published were written by Larry Niven?"
 Yes, they would be fine stories...but one kinda wants something different
after a while.  He might change characters, create different empires, but it's
still a Niven point of view.

     And that -- to get to the heart of your question -- is the point re: B5.
It's a question of *voice* as well as all the physical elements you see on
your television.  The *voice* is the underlying philosophy of a show and its
creators, the perspective they bring to it.  Babylon 5 brings in a whole
different voice.  Better or worse, that's a question for the viewer to
decide...but it IS different.

     We don't really have to try to be different from DS9 or TNG because we
were never like them in the first place.  As opposed to DS9, which is linked
to another show, and proceeds from the same producers/writers, and to which
they have an obligation to make it, to whatever degree, much the same as TNG.


     Those who have seen the two shows have no problem telling them apart.
And future B5 stuff will continue to remain separate and fresh for the same
reason that the pilot is different and fresh: because it proceeds from another
voice.  Just as Clarke's stories have always been different from Asimov's has
been different from Ellison's have been different from Bova's have been
different from...well, you get the idea.

     No comparison of quality implied there, only as examples of voice.   (One
final note: B5 has always been conceived as, fundamentally, a five year story,
a novel for television, which makes it very different as well.)

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 405       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:33 EST

     That's not a bad notion.  As it is, the date given in each season of the
show will change.  I.e., "I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind.
It began in the year 2257."  Then, "I was there at the dawn of the Third Age
of Mankind.  It was the year 2258."  And so on.  So it not only tracks the
storyline, it'll be easier for folks to know which season they're coming into
as soon as they tune in.

     BTW, y'know, I was thinking about this discussion as I sat chewing my
lemon sesame chicken at the Good Earth Restaurant in Glendale this evening (my
Spousal Overunit insists that I eat something healthy once in a while,
apparently not believing that one can actually SURVIVE on beef jerky and
little chocolate donuts and Crystal Pepsi)...and I was thinking about how this
on-line discussion has now generated -- what? -- 7,000+ messages even before
the show airs.

     So I got to thinking...what's going to happen AFTER this sucker airs?
 I kinda suspect that either a) we will see a lot of "I WUZ ROBBED!" notes
followed by a silence vast as space, or b) this category is going to explode
in the biggest blast since Tunguska.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 421       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:28 EST

     So, Denny, any comments of David's that you'd like to repeat here, or
provide for PR use?  If not, that's okay.

     Yeah, I'm inclined to think that there will be an upswing in interest.
 What intrigues me is the notion that we actually will have two audiences out
there: those who've followed this discussion, and will be able to read into
things the various background information posted here...and those who will see
it totally absent any background on the characters or the universe.  An
offhand comment in the pilot would have more meaning for those who've been
following this, and can fill in the blanks.

     As a writer, though, you can't expect anyone to bring prior knowledge of
your story TO the story, it has to be self-sufficient, so we'll see how well
it functions on that level when the new folks arrive.

     I'm sorry if it seems like there's an awful lot of self-examination going
on here...my tendency is toward being hyper-critical of the work, rather than
to try and make excuses for it.  And again, I must selfishly admit that I
learn a *lot* from these exchanges, and the diversity of opinions here, and
the depth of the answers to questions asked, is quite striking and most
invaluable.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 436       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:47 EST

     Funny thing is, I hadn't checked to see when the pilot would be aired in
L.A.  Kind of amusing...and appropriate, given the probability that the
audiences will overlap.

     (The article to which Brett refers, btw, is a piece in the Palm Latitudes
section of the LA Times Magazine that hit the newsstands today, which talks
about the discussion here on GEnie, and has a photo of yr obdnt srvnt stuck
inside a computer monitor which should probably be burned...the photo, that
is...and as if that weren't bad enough, it's a Mac.)

     One other aside...Denny's friend David is the *first* civilian on theh
planet to see the totally completed B5 pilot, with sound, music and credits.
Hence the current sub rosa exchange.

     Katherine: yeah, I know there's a Good Earth in Studio City...was hoping
Spousal Overunit wouldn't find out about it, but she did...sigh.   By gosh,
give me a hamburger, fries and a chocolate shake!  The heck with this so-
called health food.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 447       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:02 EST

     Hah!  Phooey!  Why do you think I grew up...as much as I did, anyway?  So
I wouldn't have to eat that stuff anymore.  When I'm found dead at 90 in front
of my TV watching Babylon 5: The Next Generation, let it be with a coke in one
hand and a chocolate bar in the other.  As Mark Twain said, "If you can't get
to 70 by a comfortable road, don't go."

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 450       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:37 EST

     BTW, I'm giving some thought, since I'm going to be appearing at Con-Dor
in San Diego this March as GoH, to bringing along some of the scenes we ended
up cutting from the pilot, just to see folks' reaction to the stuff.  (Filmed
and cut, not cut before filming.  There are about half a dozen extensive
scenes available.)

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 454       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:57 EST

     Don't know if these will ever show up down the road; in a few cases,
where they're set pieces, we may actually be able to take one whole scene
which is pretty much independent of the plot and drop it into an episode as
part of a teaser.  (One, for instance, is an encounter with an alien hooker,
the other invovles a smuggler.)  They were cut for reasons of time: we were 25
minutes over length, and something had to go.  Several somethings,
actually....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 470       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:34 EST

     Correct, that's the shot seen in the magazine.

     Re: the B5 commercials...please drop me a line reminding me of this prior
to con-dor, or I'll forget.  (Jeez, between the commercials and the cut
scenes, this is starting to add up to some considerable viewing time.)

     Coke, Pepsi, who cares as long as it's got caffeine?

     Katherine: I made a discovery, a better deli than Jerry's or Arts:
Solley's, on Van Nuys two blocks up from Ventura, in the same complex as the
multicinema.  A good deli, and a great restaurant, with stuff I haven't seen
elsewhere.  (Corned beef and fried egg sandwich...might as well inject the
cholesterol right into your veins and get it over with.)

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 478       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:45 EST

     How the various shows interface, and how one is linked to the other, is
best understood only by deities and studio guys; we'll have to see.

     Only problem with coke is that they changed the formula and now use
sweeteners other than sugar.  Though apparently they put out kosher Coke at
passover.  Eventually I'll have to get a proper dispenser with Coke syrup and
seltzer, since the syrup apparently *does* still have the s ugar in it.

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 494       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:57 EST

     No, I have no knowledge of the article in question; could you upload it
to me in email?

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 519       Fri Jan 29, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:00 EST

     Katherine: my condolences on your recent assignment to a previously
undiscovered circle of Dante's Inferno.  Surely your current task is
prohibited under the Geneva Convention....

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 535       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:13 EST

     So, I like the number 5.  Actually, the length was something set with Ron
at the time, and he produced the 5 miles figure (which is a bit short, in
fact, of the "actual" length as it came out).

     And I didn't make up the L5 stuff...hey, it's synchronicity.  Ohmygosh --
and I've been typing this with five fingers on either hand (well, nine
actually, the left thumb doesn't actually DO anything that I'm aware of).

     Re: NATPE...Warners DID have a presentation doing on B5 there.  Not a big
presence, because they've already sold it to just about all the stations
that'll be carrying it, and selling is pretty much the point of NATPE, but in
any event, it was there.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 548       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:41 EST

     (BTW, Walter Koenig saw the pilot and said it was "a winner," adding that
he thinks it "should get a lot of the Trek fans, plus a lot of more mainstream
viewers.")

     How much of the basic "saga" is in the pilot?  Some...bits and pieces.
The problem, always, is that we have a whole new universe to establish, with
all the backstory that goes with that.  As it is, it's fairly "information
intensive," as one person put it.  We find out about the Earth/Minbari war,
the curious surrender, Sinclair's past, the missing 24 hours, the relations
between the various governments and their own personal agendas, and a hint of
what's to come.  This while establishing the backstory of all our characters,
and telling a story in present time (for them).

     I think you will find indications of what we've talked about for the
series present in the pilot.  Which is why it bears watching more than once;
you'll pick up more information and more of a sense of the world the more
closely you inspect it.  (We tried to come up with a pilot that actually
BENEFITS from close inspection, rather than falling apart if you look at it
too closely.)

     Had a meeting the other day with the folks who're going to be doing the
B5 games.  (As to platform...variations are being planned for ALL of the
various platforms...CD-ROM, IBM, Amiga, Mac, Sega and so on.)  It was a
terrific meeting, with top of the line people.  What was interesting was the
fact that they seemed shell-shocked from dealing with other producers, the
heavy restrictions, the interference, the hassles...my attitude on this show
has always been, "Here...we're creating a whole universe for you to go and
play in.  Do so."  So they're going to have a lot of freedom to come up with
stuff.  I *want* to be surprised.  Hell, I want to play the games.

     Because of the need to avoid any substantial conflicts with the general
arc of the story, I gave them a peek into the five year arc, a few things that
had to happen.  As long as things didn't cross into these areas, the territory
was completely open.  And knowing that going in, there are no surprises down
the road to sabotage them.  They seemed...well, there were a lot of very wide
eyes when I explained some of what we were going to do.  They also saw the
pilot at the screening that night, and apparently loved it.  We're cooking
along, folks....

                                                                   jms
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Topic 2         Wed Nov 20, 1991
SOARON [Bio-Dread]           at 19:41 EST
Sub: General Information                  

Babylon 5 will premiere with a two-hour movie entitled "The Gathering" early
in 1993.  The creator of the series, J. Michael Straczynski joins us on-line
to answer your questions.  (No story ideas please...)

394 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 114       Fri Jan 15, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:25 EST

     Speaking of EFX, I was talking to Ron Thornton during the final mix down
the other day, and as we were watching it, he kept shaking his head at all the
things he would've done differently if he'd known then what he knows now, and
if he'd had the programs/techniques then that he has now.  Just the few months
since we finished photography have given him  a number of tools that he didn't
have then.

     We talked a little about what's capable now, what he can do now, and
what's coming up, and it makes what's in the pilot look like nothing by
comparison.  (A lot of the critics talked about the extensive work that went
into the DS9 jello-man effect, not to mention the cost involved; he turned his
associate Paul into the same thing in a test that worked just as well and took
one night and no money, just a little while behind the keyboard.)  Once we get
the go, he and I are going to spend a couple of days just sitting and talking
about what can be done now, so that I can take full advantage of this new
stuff.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 127       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:46 EST

     "Bob" will never be seen talking anywhere, at any time, for any reason,
in B5.  I'll personally run a truck over him first, newscast or not (unless I
think I can get a good gag out of it...).

     Re: my mental state...I'll know better in a week or so.  I try not to get
too personally involved with my own life.  Basically, it's lots of fatigue.
During the five days of editing, there was so much going on (the
music/sound/dialogue edit), I was so obsessed with making sure it all fit
together, that for two nights out of that I got no sleep at all, not so much
as a minute...I'd crash, and just stare at the ceiling, brain chasing itself
in ever-smaller circles, until gradually light started to come in through the
window slats.  (Did you know that Danger Mouse is on at 6:30 a.m. out here?
I'd wondered where that show had gone.)  This happened two nights in a row, so
by the end of the fourth day, without really any sleep at all, I had elevated
to a whole new plane of consciousness.  The day after we finished, I slept for
something like 18 hours straight.

     I tend to live crisis to crisis, and I guess right now my mental state is
mainly one of concern for how the show does when it airs.  First was the
concern about getting the show made; then the concern about getting the show
made RIGHT; then the conern about post-production; then the concern
about...well, you get the idea.

     There's this great character in Eric Frank Russell's "Men, Martians and
Machines" about a photographer who, on return starflights from the ship's
exploratory missions, sits and does nothing but worry about his pictures
coming back intact.  The one time he DIDN'T worry, they were destroyed.  So
now that's what he does: sits, stares, and worries.  That's about how I get
through on shows like this.

     BTW, for those interested, the magazine Aboriginal SF has an article by
Susan Ellison about B5, including an extensive commentary from Harlan about
his involvement with the show.  (The issue just hit the stands.)

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 152       Sun Jan 17, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:05 EST

     BTW, to correct an erroneous statement of mine earlier, there is not a
species named Vee'lons that will be introduced on DS9.

     The Vee'lons will be introduced on Space Rangers.

     Some days, I just can't get a break....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 172       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:42 EST

     I take great joy in being politically *incorrect* at every possible
opportunity.  I believe in the motto someone at the BBC once voice:  "There
are some people we WANT to offend."

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 185       Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:47 EST

     Re: starships from Earth...yes, you'll be seeing a wide range of  ships,
from smaller transports and trading vessels to big mothers.  It is something
of an empire, and the ships come in as many varied forms as we have cars and
trucks and semis and tanks and on and on....

     Re: talking vs. action...there's a shade more exposition than I'd like in
the pilot, mainly because there's so damned MUCH background to establish, so
much ground to lay...it'll be more evenly proportioned in the series.  I like
action.  For me, the #1 crime of any TV show or movie is that it should bore.
When in doubt, kill somebody.

     Or blow something up.

     Re: technology...yes, the point about the sudden jump via new
technologies is exactly dead on.  It *did* have a tramautic impact, and to
varying degrees still does.  The effect of technology, and the desire for
same, will be a recurrent thread.  There are some technologies that are
considered too radical for some species, and are thus kept off limits, with
prison sentences or even death sentences for smuggling certain kinds of
technologies.  One such tech-runner appears in the pilot.  The parallel, I
suppose, would be our current concerns with the spread of nuclear technology.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 205       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:05 EST

     Matt: the most entertaining thing for a writer is creating a character;
the second most entertaining thing is killing off a character.  Believe me, as
you'll see in the Fight To The Death in the pilot, I have no problem dropping
a body.  And as far as I'm concerned, only 2 or 3 characters in this series
are indispensible...the rest are open to all kinds of interesting fates.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 206       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:10 EST

     P.S.  If you want," check out the Captain Power two-parter I wrote,
"Retribution."  That should answer the question....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 216       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:35 EST

     Yes, I *strongly* believe that there has to be diversity among our alien
races...accents, political beliefs, religion, name it.  I think that is VERY
important.  Yes, from time to time, you want the monolithic, perfectly
homogeneous aliens, but if so, you want them to stick out a bit in contrast to
the rest.

     As has been noted, there's a *big* split currently going on between the
Minbari warrior and religious castes, for instance.  More will come later.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 227       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:31 EST

     What happens if something happens to one of the actors?

     We'll deal with that when it happens.

     (Was that okay, Mr. Director...?)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 230       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:03 EST

     "Do not tempt the hand of fate...."  Gee, I'm getting good at this.
There may be a political career ahead of me.

     The best way to help the show get the attention it deserives, and to get
feedback on everyone's efforts, is to contact your local station and Warners
after the show airs.  (Er, that should be "deserves" above.  One of these days
I'm gonna try Aladdin.)  Right now, it's all in the hands of the one-eyed god
of television PR....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 231       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:09 EST

     BTW, before I forget, in addition to the People Magazine ads (and others
that'll be popping up soon enough), there's an article on Andreas Katsulas
(G'Kar) in the current Starlog, which came out pretty well, and an A.P. story
that features B5 that should show up in various papers in the next day or so.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 240       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:56 EST

     The comment re: Twin Peaks is correct; I loved TP dearly, but if you
missed one episode, you were screwed.  The way the story is constructed, you
can come in at any point, even miss episodes, and still be able to follow the
thing.  It's just that the *more* you watch, the more you'll get out of it,
the more things you'll pick up on.  It's a very difficult task from a writing
point of view, but worth the effort, I think.

     Re: the actors...yes, there was a great degree of comitment on their
part.  The head/hairpiece for Londo worked fine, but just to add to the
authenticity, Peter Jurasik shaved his head for the duration of the shoot.
 All of the actors did research into their characters, got books on SF if they
didn't know much about the genre, on and on.  They *very much* got into it,
down to consulting about their wardrobe and having input into prosthetics (to
some degree).  We want them to be comfortable, otherwise they can't do their
best work.

     They're all certainly committed to doing the 5 year stint; as for being
forever inserted into SF...there's the question of typecasting, and we've
tried to circumvent that in some sneaky ways (who's going to recognize Mira or
Andreas outside of their makeup?).  Nimoy had problems because it was his face
and head, just a pair of ears stuck on.  If we have lots of alien makeup, we
try to hide the actor's face (while allowing for varied expression) so they
can do other stuff.  I think it's important to try and think of your actor's
well being and career...because then you create a good and healthy environment
for them, and it serves you well in the long run.

     I've not been consulted re: closed captioning, and must confess that I
don't have the info on this.  Will see if I can find out.

     Yes, I was consulted about the ads, and while accepting the graphics,
provided alternate copy for the ads, which I thought were a tad heavy handed.
But overall, I'm quite happy with the approach that's being taken.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 242       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:16 EST

     I think that talk would be premature; let's see if it GETS that kind of
attention, or if folks want to run us out of town.

                                                                  jms

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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 250       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:29 EST

      A video index...oh man...you're *deliberately* trying to make my
 life a living hell, aren't you?  (More than it is already.)

      We'll see.  It's something I'll mention, and see how they react.

      Meanwhile, here's a little something I came across in my computer
 this evening.  I had always sensed that the Londo introduction/narration
 at the top of the pilot was the way to go.  But it never hurts to try
 other avenues...you discover the darndest ideas that way.  Anyway, I came
 up with an alternate introduction, just to see if it worked or not.  I
 rather liked it...and still do, to some degree...but finally opted to go
 with the Londo intro instead, which is what we'll stick with.

      But since it's not going to be used, I figured...why not let y'all
 take a look at what would've been an alternate opening for the pilot?

                             BABYLON 5
                          Insert/Prologue

 FADE IN:

 ON STATIC.  Then: a BLACK SCREEN, OVER which we HEAR the FEMALE
 voice of a news broadcast in progress:

                              FEMALE VOICE (vo)
                -- continue to bring you updates on
                the Interplanetary News Network.

 And now, gradually, a PICTURE begins to emerge from the darkness
 -- grainy, slightly washed out, a VIDEO IMAGE of Babylon 5.

                              FEMALE VOICE (vo)
                In other news, the Earth Alliance
                space station Babylon 5 celebrates
                its first year in operation with the
                imminent arrival of an ambassador
                from the Vorlon Empire.

 And now: a MONTAGE of shots from within B5, and some EFX shots
 from outside...the casino, the customs area, the bazaar and other
 areas.  During this, the IMAGE BEGINS TO SHRINK, to recede into
 the distance, and gradually the stars begin to come out on all
 sides of the picture, framing it.  This UNDER:

                              FEMALE VOICE (vo)
                Located in neutral territory, Babylon
                5 has exceeded all expectations in
                dealing with the many life forms that
                pass through the five mile long
                station.  As a result, Earth Central
                has approved an appropriations bill
                to keep the orbiting freeport open to
                travelers, businessmen and diplomats
                for another five years.

 And now the image shifts, and the picture continues to recede
 into the distance, now only a few inches across...a grainy black
 and white image:

                              FEMALE VOICE (vo)
                Meanwhile, a new binary star
                discovered by Mars colony scientists
                has been named Kennedy Proxima, after
                20th century president John F.
                Kennedy, born 340 years ago this
                week.

 And now, in the small picture framed by stars, receding more
 rapidly from view, we SEE footage of JFK speaking before the
 Democratic convention the eve of his presidential nomination:

                              KENNEDY
                I believe that the times require
                imagination, and courage, and
                perseverance.  I'm asking each one of
                you to be pioneers toward that New
                Frontier.  My call is to the young at
                heart, regardless of age; to the
                stout of spirit, regardless of party;
                to all those who respond to the
                scriptural call, "Be strong and of
                good courage.  Be not afraid, neither
                be dismayed."  For courage, not
                complacency, is our need today.

 UNDER this, Kennedy's image recedes further into the distance,
 growing smaller and smaller until he is now one of the many
 surrounding stars splashed across the blackness of space.  A
 moment, and the MUSIC RISES, brave and martial, as we

 TILT and PAN ACROSS to reveal Babylon 5 itself, up close and
 personal in all its huge splendor.  PUSH IN on the station as
 a ship approaches, and we HEAR:

                              LAUREL (vo)
                Confirmed, Delta Gammer Niner, you
                are clear for docking.


                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 251       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:33 EST

     That should be Delta Gamma Niner, not Gammer Niner.  Typo.  Sorry.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 265       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:17 EST

     Generally speaking, I agree with the sentiments expressed, and what
you've picked up on are the reasons that I decided against using this
particular form, even though there are things I like about it.  What was, for
me, the #1 reason for not using it is that it's...for lack of a better term,
fairly prosaic.  A news cast as opposed to the voice of the story teller, a
sense of future-history you get through Londo's voice and the identification
of him as the storyteller.

     Although I agree about the Kennedy tie, and that it can be somewhat
problematic, what I like about it is that it fed into what I've been after
with this show from day one...to tie our past, our present and our future.
Done properly, it could've been fairly classy, I think.  And there's Kennedy's
voice -- I have the tape of his speech -- which rings powerful and true in
that speech.  It set a tone.  But as has been noted here before, writing and
acting and directing are fundamentally about making choices...this move rather
than that, this attitude over that attitude.  The Londo choice was the
*better* of the two, even though there's much about this version to commend
it.

     (A quick aside re: the MURDER question...the episode you cite was one
done under my watch, but not the one I mentioned as the last I'd have anything
to do with for this season.  That one, which I wrote, aired about two weeks
ago.  The one you saw this weekend was from last season, as is the one coming
up this Sunday, an episode of mine called "The Committee," a fairly gothic
episode that actually came out quite well.  The mystery element may or may not
be that strong, but for me, MURDER was always a character story first, onto
which you graft a puzzle.)

     Well, review copies of the pilot are going out, and have gone out.  I
heard through back channels that a major reviewer for a major magazine saw the
pilot on Thursday last and his head exploded, thought it was terrific.  The
one comment that I keep hearing back from people is that it redefines SF on
television.  Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best thing since
sliced bread, but in terms of character and SFX and the general, more adult
approach, it redefines what you can get away with.  Which is all to the good.

     As for what I'm doing now...writing a script for a friend who's in a
bind, ratcheting up the PR on the show a little more, giving interviews and
suchlike, trying to get a leg up on my next novel so I'll be able to  continue
with it once this thing gets going to series, and some other stuff that, for
the moment, is classified.

     It's now less than a month until this thing shows nationally.  And just a
tick over two weeks until those with satellite dishes pull the show out of the
general ether.  By February 22nd, I fully anticipate being a complete and
total basket case.

     Fortunately, it's unlikely anyone will notice....

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 272       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:09 EST

     Rob: the scenario you posit is a viable one.  Nuff said.

     RE: the making of stuff...rather than a half-hour show, the stations
(which in some cases had a hard time breaking loose a full half hour) will be
getting promos from a minute-thirty to 20 minutes in length, which they can
drop in as they wish, giving them more flexibility.

     It *may* go out to them along with the B5 downlink, but I'm not sure.

                                                                    jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 275       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 07:17 EST

     (What the hell am I doing up at 4:15 a.m. my time?  Watching B5 for the
ten zillionth time.  Picking it apart.  Making notes.  This is nuts.   I'm
going to bed.  See you all in the afternoon.....

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 288       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:58 EST

     Artisan: I think j.roy's got some graphics that qualify; nudge him into e-
mailing them.

     Nothing to pick at?  Oh, dear.  Stand with your face half an inch from
the mirror, and tell me you see no imperfections.  We all see the things
others miss.  Tell you what...at some point after the pilot's aired, after
things have settled down, I'll go through my list of things to do better in
the series, things we should've done different in the pilot, on and on.  But
that's the *purpose* of a pilot, to try a show out for size, see how it fits,
and make adjustments.

     But no matter how good it gets, everything is open for improvement in
some way.  You have to keep constantly questioning and re-evaluating.   The
unexamined life and all that jazz.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 294       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:36 EST

     Hmm...y'know, given the reaction here, maybe I'll fax the intro over to
Warners PR and see if they can use it for a promo.  Like I said, I liked it as
well, it just wasn't up to the level of the rest of the show, I thought.

                                                                    jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 295       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:53 EST

     From the Associated Press article by Scott Williams on the new crop of SF
TV series (specifically here, DS9, Space Rangers and B5), quoting David
Gerrold.  "I've seen the pilot, and it's [Babylon 5 is] the best looking of
the three.  I really do think that Babylon 5 will be the one for grownups to
watch."  (Article appeared in various newspapers over the last few days across
the country.)

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 302       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:01 EST

     "The Committee," which airs Sunday, is an episode of Murder, She Wrote,
for which I was producer/writer until recently.  Sorry, thought I was clearer.

     BTW, I recently made a horrific discovery about GEnie posting.  In the
past (since I compose on-line), I'd hit the carriage return at the end of a
line...and nothing would happen.  I'd wait.  Hit CR again.  Then I'd get the
new line...and figured it just took a second to kick in.

     Turns out that every time that happened, apparently the buffer or
something was getting full, and half the line wasn't getting through each time
it happened...so there have got to be some sentences of mine that make even
less sense than usual.  Now that I'm aware of it, I'm going back and revising
the line when I see the delay at CR.

     I'm meeting Friday with the computer game design people for a few hours
to kick around the structure for the thing.  Should be interesting; main thing
will be determing the degree to which this thing should interface with the
overall acr of the story, or exist totally outside of that arc.

     To the question raised 'way uptopic about comics -- yes, there may in
fact be one.  And I'm actually quite pleased with the idea (being a comics
fan).  Imagine what could be done by a Neil Gaiman or a Grant Morrison could
do with the B5 concept.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 314       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:18 EST

     Y'know, when I posted the original idea for an introduction, I had no
idea it would generate so many different responses.  And all with some merit.
Rob, the points you raise are correct: I've always felt very strongly that in
this show, and in SF in general, it helps to connect the future to the
present, to show the continuity of the species, of the common coin of our
shared humanity, our cultures, our languages.  I think  there are other ways
of doing it, and will do so.  But given the "pro" response, maybe there might
be some way of using this thing, whether it's as a promo or somehow using it
in the show.  (Y'know, it *could* be used in the course of a regular episode,
as I think of it; no reason why it couldn't....)

     Well, one thing's for sure...if it ever DOES get used, it'll in large
part be because of the reaction here.  Thanks.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 318       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 06:54 EST

     Well, it's almost 4 a.m.  I was going to give you three guesses as to
what I've been watching -- again -- but I figure by now that's kinda
pointless.  I know, I know, obsessive/compulsive.  Sue me.

     It's now 2 weeks and 1 day until those of you with satellite dishes see
the pilot.  I'll be very interested in seeing (well, reading) your reactions.
I must confess that as this dialogue continues, I find myself learning more,
and questioning more, and digging deeper for information that had been glossed
over before.  I very much appreciate your comments, your suggestions, even the
occasional outbursts of Attitude.

     There will shortly be a private screening of the pilot on a real movie
screen, just for cast and crew.  The only time that I know of that this thing
will be shown in the US on a big screen.  Have been going over what I'm going
to say to the assembled folks...how does one properly thank another for the
fulfillment of a dream?  How do you quantify five (now six) years of struggle,
now given life by people you had hardly met one year before, but have given
their blood and time and effort to see  someone else's dream realized?

     During the filming, as I would be standing on stage, off camera, and we'd
take a break between shots, invariably someone -- the camera  operator, the
costumer, an actor, a carpenter -- would come up alongside and say, "Is this
close to what you saw when you wrote it?  How are we doing on the dream?"
They knew what it meant, the long road to get here, that it wasn't just a
*job* for me and many others; it was something we wanted to do out of passion.
And they responded to that...slept nights on the set rather than going home,
produced work above and beyond the call of duty...how do you properly thank
someone for reaching into your head and pulling out a vision and giving it
form and weight and light and substance?  I don't know.  I don't know.

     Whatever the future holds -- win, lose or draw -- I think we've done
something special here.  And it's interesting to see how that sense pervades
everything...the casting, the production...and now even this.  I have noticed -
- I do a LOT of bbsing, much to my spousal overunit's dismay -- that the tone
on this category seems vastly different than it is elsewhere.  I don't
know...a give and take, no flame wars, a sense of community, the VERY SAME
sense present on the set, in the dressing room, behind the camera.

     In the cold light of morning (when I manage to see it, when I'm not
coming at 4 a.m. from the opposite direction), I tell myself it's just a
television show, and six months from now, or ten years from now, no one will
notice or remember.  At night, as I watch the show again for I no longer know
how many times, I allow -- just for a second -- the notion that we've carved
out a little piece of history.  Win, lose or draw, we got it on film, when
everyone said we couldn't.

     And now it's yours.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 325       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:57 EST

     Bear: you're an evil man.

     I like that.

     Re: "Night of the Living Dead," yeah, that's Patricia Tallman in the lead
role.  Which is where I saw her for the first time, and decided at that moment
that I *had* to use her in something.  She's dynamite.  I saw her at a number
of gatherings in LA, including the Horror Hall of Fame parties at Universal,
but didn't say anything because...well, when someone comes up to you and says,
"Hi, I'm a producer, I'd like to use you in my next big project," it's
invariably perceived as a come-on.  So I waited until the right opportunity
arose.

     Knowing she'd be perfect for B5, I had her called in to audition.  As she
was waiting in the hall, nervously practicing her lines, I stepped outside to
tell her that I'd seen her work, that she was terrific, and that I looked
forward to working with her.  Apparently she didn't have any idea who I
was...but found out when she was brought in to do the actual audition a few
moments later.  There was never any question in my mind about her doing the
role, and it was one of the smartest decisions I made in this thing.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 345       Fri Jan 29, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:49 EST

     Re: the Trek story...no, that was very much of its form and of that
universe; it wouldn't fit in the B5 universe.

     Anything else in the past to compare with B5?  Probably the closest has
been the novel writing, especially the one I'm working on now.  But overall,
no, this is the biggie.  If it works, it'll probably be the single largest
task of my career.  If there's any one thing that I'd want to be remembered
for, it's a B5 series.

     BTW...just a general note for those who are cycling in and out of the
conversation...be sure to be around a week or so before the airing of the
pilot.  Many folks have asked how they can help; at that point, I just may put
you to work, and take you upon that generous offer...

                                                                jms
     (that should be up on, not upon...)
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 353       Fri Jan 29, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:21 EST

      EEEEEEEEEKKK!!!!!

      I just read the first eight messages in the new topic 19 (mine).   Jeez,
what a flashback.  What redundencies.  Did I really sound that gleepy?  Oh,
man.  It's like looking at your high school yearbook photo.   Are you guys
*really* sure you want to do this?

      Eek, I tell you, Eek!

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 363       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:20 EST

     Agreed on LBJ...he was something of a thug.

     Flat-out wasted tonight...we had a private screening this evening for
cast, crew, some critics and some Warners execs.  About 400+ people at the
theater in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood (in
the shadow of a 50 foot Emmy).  I don't think I've ever been as nervous,
because here's where all the people who worked their butts off get to see if
we screwed it all up for them or not.  Everyone liked it bigtime.  The few
critics who said anything (most headed out, as is standard, you don't want to
tip your hand) loved it...one CNN person said he hoped it would run for 10
years, another critic said it was the best SF television pilot he'd seen in
the last 10 years...I think they liked it.

     Sitting here now with a MASSIVE headache from fretting over all this, so
will probably make this short tonight.  (Harlan kept hitting me in the
shoulder after the screening, smiling and saying, "Will you for chrissakes
ENJOY this?  It's your night!  It's a hit!  It's wonderful!  This kind of
night only comes once in your life!  Enjoy it!"  I will...as soon as we get
the series Go.  Nothing can be allowed to distract from that.)

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 374       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:50 EST

     The sound system at the theater was great; we ran it off the D2, the
master tape, and it came out very well.

     The point you raise re: Starlost is one Harlan's made to me.  When I was
at times feeling a bit low -- I want the series NOW -- he would point out that
no matter what happens, we made my show the way I wanted it made, no
interference...as opposed to what happened with Starlost, which just yanked
his heart out.  And it's a valid point.

     Thing is, it took five years to get this made, and that it HAS been
made...it's almost an act of sheer will.  I decided five years ago that no
matter what happens, this pilot WILL be made.  You have to focus in on the
goal like a laser beam (tm Bill Clinton).  That's been done.  Now the next
step: the series WILL be made...and now I have to focus in on that one with
equal conviction.  It's quite literally the only way ANYTHING ever gets made
in this town.  Ask George.  He's been down the same road.

     As for the question of the show working with non-SF fans...we've actually
shown it to a number of people who don't know from SF, and the result has been
that they've liked it enormously.  The reason, basically, is that it's not a
hardware-driven story.  It's a character drama with a mystery story element.
The solution doesn't come from cross-wiring the ramaframmit with the
zigamakawanna, and computing the resonance factors.   (And I have to confess
that those kinds of stories bore me to tears.)   You start and end with
character, and drama...and if you're true to those elements, the audience will
follow you even into unfamiliar terrain.

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 379       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:21 EST

     (btw...anyone here know of any major conventions between now and February
22nd around the country?)

     What has been said that's *negative* about the show?  Do you actually
believe I'll provide *NEGATIVE* information about my own show?

     You do?  Oh.  Then okay.

     Probably the number one comment, when there are any negatives voiced, is
that the first half-hour is slow when compared with the rest of the episode.
And I have to agree...there's SO much to establish, so much  ground to cover,
that the first half hour is very dense.  Once we've established the
foundation, that changes fast, because we now have a common ground of
understanding about the universe in which the story is taking place.

     Let's see...one fellow from Starburst Magazine who was at the preview
said that if it were his, he would've rearranged the last few shots.  The
current sequence is, Action Scene, Transition with Kosh, Confrontation with a
Major Character and Sinclair, the Reception, Delenn and Sinclair in the
Garden, and the final shot with Laurel in the observation dome.  He would've
put the Confrontation with a Major  character as the LAST scene, and cut the
shot of Laurel altogether.  His sense is to end on a big scene...my sense is
that it's better to end on a note that sets up the series to follow.  Not so
much a negative as a difference of opinion.

     Let's see...some didn't like the gun designs (others loved it), some felt
we didn't do as much as we could've with the background aliens (some thought
we did too much)...mainly they've been matters of taste, rather than someone
finding something that Just Doesn't Make Sense, or an EFX shot that looks
crummy.  There aren't any Real Big Plot Holes, and insofar as I know, nothing
major to pick on which is *objective*, only differences of opinion.  (As we've
seen here with the Kennedy stuff; some liked it, others didn't.)

                                                                  jms

 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 390       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:24 EST

     I'll be getting in touch with Mr. Jonas.

     Re: the uniforms...yes, there's a certain traditional look to them, and
this is deliberate.  Look at any uniform from 200 years ago, and you have
certain lines and forms that repeat, and which stay part of the uniform.
There is a STRONG sense of tradition and history in any branch of the
military.  Heck, the navy not long ago went BACK to a more traditional dress
after making some modifications.  The basic dress uniform for your basic
soldier on leave looks about the same now as it did during WW II.

     Much of what passes for SF uniforms/costuming in the future simply
pretends that all that history and tradition just suddenly came to a
screeching halt.  In B5, we're trying to connect our past, our present and our
future, to show the continuity of the human species.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 3         Tue Nov 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:09 EST
Sub: BABYLON 5 - Computer EFX Tech-Talk   

Some of the new computer EFX used in BABYLON 5 will be revolutionary, a new
approach never seen before on this scale.  It's all new tech, and this topic
will try and address the new technologies involved.
549 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 498       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:20 EST

     While we may indeed have a CGI character down the road, it most assuredly
*won't* be a shapechanger.  I don't like to swim in somebody else's pond.

     Re: observatories...we'll be introducing the many other specialists who
work at B5 as we go along, from environmental techs to astrophysicists, so
we'll definitely find a place for this.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 505       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:37 EST

     Insofar as I can remember (problematic on the best of days), I never
cited that the CGI character would be a shape-changer.  Because such is not
planned...though I suppose I could've been momentarily possessed by an
idiot...it could happen.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 520       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:45 EST

     My reaction...it's an interesting idea, yes.  It's also a story
suggestion, but one K.L. should let slide because I don't think it's a B5 kind
of story...more of a TNG story.  But the notion of different forms of
communication than what we have come to accept or recognize as such is
certainly valid and filled with dramatic possibilities.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 523       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:19 EST

     The hardest thing, of course, is making the muscles beneath the skin move
realistically and correctly.  That apparently has just been licked, though.
Ron mentioned the other day that he just got some new software in that will
let him do for TV what Spielberg's whole computer operation  is required in
order to do Jurassic Park.

                                                                       jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 531       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 07:11 EST

     I'll ask re: Ron's new stuff.  As for the changing technology, I'd like
to keep things looking *pretty* much the same, so there isn't a big or
noticeable jump, but things just sorta look clearer and better and more real
over time, rather than changing things per se.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 4         Tue Nov 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:12 EST
Sub: BABYLON 5 - Cast and Characters      

For discussion of the actors who will be bringing BABYLON 5 to life with their
performances...for information before, and discussion after the airing of "The
Gathering" pilot.
505 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 505       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:06 EST

     Also, the contracts with the actors for the series extend to the window
at which time Warners *must* either give us a decision.  So we're covered.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 5         Tue Nov 03, 1992
T.ORTH [Mr. Rico]            (Forwarded)
Sub: Grid Epsilon Irregulars - News & Info.

This topic is for information about Babylon 5 fan groups, newsletters,
fanzines, get-togethers, B-5 at conventions, and other general fun.
288 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 5
Message 218       Wed Jan 20, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:00 EST

     Yep...the "beep" stuff will all be clear by the end of the pilot.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 5
Message 267       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:39 EST

      Hmm...two 3.5 floppies, that's...2.4 megabytes...my last novel was about
600k, so that's....FOUR NOVELS!?

     Okay, that's it.  Everybody pony up a quarter....

     Yikes!

     I was far less tired before I read that.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 5
Message 269       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:34 EST

     (Hmm...that sounded vaguely like a threat....)

                                                               jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 6         Tue Nov 03, 1992
T.ORTH [Mr. Rico]            at 06:43 EST
Sub: Where is Babylon 5? TV stations...   

Babylon 5 is a cornerstone of Warner's new Prime Time Network. Here is where
one can find the station information....
374 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 287       Wed Jan 20, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:02 EST

     I'm scheduled for Gallifrey One Goes Forth?

     Oh....

     Er...when exactly is that, again?

                                                                      jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 291       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:21 EST

     Yes, we've got WOR, which will only be blacked out if your local station
requests it.  If no one locally is carrying it, then it might indeed be
available that way.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 305       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:54 EST

     Okay, here's the deal on the "Making Of" stuff.  Many of the stations
indicated that they might have a hard time knocking loose a half hour on TOP
of the 2 hour running time for B5.  So Warners is providing shorter pieces --
90 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes -- to the
stations, giving them some flexibility.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 309       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:37 EST

     Don't know the answers to the questions, but will post as soon as I do.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 318       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:35 EST

     If you're seeing promos for KF and TT, then yes, you'll probably get B5
on the same station.  As for the 2 1/2 hour feed...I don't know for certain,
but it's *likely* that the making of clips will be included in that feed.

                                                             jms
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Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 320       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:05 EST

     To the questions about airdates and times...there's no one central source
for this information, alas; the best thing to do, unless someone else here
happens to have the information, is just to give your local station a call and
ask the programming or publicity departments.  They'll be happy to supply the
information.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 323       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:52 EST

     BTW, a belated but *substantial* thank you to Jim Partridge for sending
in the KBHK tape.  Yep, they used B5 footage to promote DS9, all right.  We
just got it over to the Big Boys, and they'll take care of it from here.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 342       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:11 EST

     Enough stations *are* airing them together that it still causes a
problem.  Additionally, a "second night" also has financial meanings; the
doubling of resources to acquire two more programs, making four series rather
than two.  So it applies in both ways.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 6
Message 351       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:42 EST

     Yeah, I'd gotten it, I was just swamped.  (Also there was no letter
inside, and I had to tear through bags of discarded envelopes set to be
recycled to find the mailing label with the correct info.)  Would've mentioned
it before, it's just...my head explodes sometimes, y'know...?

     Gary: that's *great* news re: KUSI.  San Diego's my old home town, so
it's good they're pushing it.  Wish I'd known about the promo, I could have
bugged some people down there to tape it for me.  Ah, well....

                                                              jms
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 ************
Topic 7         Tue Nov 03, 1992
J.HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa]       at 23:07 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 -- POTENTIAL SPOILERS      

If you've seen the B5 promos or the sales info packages and want to mention
specific items or situations without worrying about spoiling it for others,
post & comment here... THERE BE SPOILERS HERE!
467 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 398       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:50 EST

      There are actually several languages heard on B5, though you have to
work to hear them.  (Those with surround will have an easier time.)  For
instance, in the customs area, announcements are made first in English, then
in Interlac.  In the bazaar area, you'll hear chirrups and whistles and clicks
and a wide range of language-sounds.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 400       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:12 EST

     There are about as many as now...with a few extras developed on the Mars
and other colonies.

                                                          jms
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 408       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:29 EST

     Re: asking telepaths on a date...it would be verbal, assuming we're
talking PC hrized scans are illegal, and thus they would not be "dipping" to
know your intentions.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 416       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:48 EST

     (A job like that could take YEARS....)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 433       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:32 EST

     It's a very difficult area, and I thank Katherine for making the call for
me...it becomes hard at this end sometimes to call.  My sense, really, is that
if there are VERY SPECIFIC plotlines put forth, then it becomes an issue
suddenly.

     As an aside, though, one thing I did hear from the message was the
Vorlons as Minbari question.  This I can say definitively ain't so.  They are
two completely different species, with no common points of origin.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 7
Message 451       Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:38 EST

     Cindy: smug because I've *GOT* the script?

     Cindy baby, I *WROTE* the script!

     I have not BEGUN to smug....

                                                                jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 8         Tue Nov 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:41 EST
Sub: Behind The Scenes                    

Production Designers, Art Directors, Costumers, Director, others...this is the
place to discuss the production-aspects of B5...it's look and the process
involved.
336 message(s) total.
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 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 238       Fri Jan 15, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:27 EST

     BTW, it's my understanding that the monitor screens on TNG are not
inserted in post; they're regular TV screens with edges that come out and
cover any bends in the tube, thereby giving it a flat look.  At least, that's
what I hear....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 251       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:53 EST

     I agree re: universal translators.  Most everything in the ST universe is
bent toward making the process easier, less challenging; I want to show the
process of overcoming.  I think it's great if an alien shows up from a
previously unvisited planet, and they spend days trying to communicate with
it.  I think that some computerized stuff might work, as in the case where
someone programs a machine to go from one specific language to another (sort
of a species-specific interpreter), but thats about it.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 261       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:37 EST

     The language facilities of aliens will vary; probably the most fluent (by
virtue of necessity) are the ambassadors, whose english is perfect or nearly
so (cyberlink to the brain dumping the English equivilants of their own
language and grammar directly into the brain, very expensive and not a little
painful).  The drawback is that some cultural references or some contextual
areas may not be as clear as required.  (Londo wondering about ramoras, Delenn
unsure for a moment about poetry....)

     Re: language in general...I agree that all languages must be "living
languages" in that they are free to grow and expand and add new terms.   There
is a difference between this and a *collapsing language* in which the
distinction between terms (the aformentioned less and fewer) becomes degraded,
and meanings blur through misuse.  Ase gradually becomes less precise.  A
language should be graded on how well it manages to communicate the thoughts
of one to the other.  If it begins to fail in that regard, then it is not a
living but a dying language.

     (Another example: the way that "anxious" and "eager" have come to mean
the same thing.  "Anxious" carries with it some degree of worry or dread or
fear; "eager" is a pleasant term, connoting something wonderful and nice for
which one is longing.  So when someone says, with a smiling and expectant
attitude, "Yeah, I'm really anxious to see the new Lucas movie," it's a misuse
of the term, unless there's some reason for worry.)

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 268       Sun Jan 17, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:11 EST

     In terms of the EFX, I think it's all Amigas, with some IBMs being used
for general computing (letters, schedules, etc.).

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 281       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:49 EST

     Re: TRON v2.0....I'd rather write kids in space.

     Re: places of origin...my sense is that they have their own unique names.
We don't call our planet Terra (well, not really), or Hum (for Human) or
Planet Human.  Because some of the names are difficult to pronounce, the
logical approach is to note them by designation, i.e., "And shall be shipped
off to the Narn homeworld."  That is the only time or I should say context by
which we refer to their places of origin.  The only exception to this, and I
don't recall if this is in the pilot or not, is the Centauri homeworld,
designated Centauri Prime.

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 288       Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:35 EST

     Yes, there are definitely other human settlements...colonies and outposts
and co-operative projects on other worlds with other species.   It's mainly
from this overlap that the EA draws its non-human members, though a few worlds
have chosen to ally themselves directly with the EA.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 325       Fri Jan 29, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:08 EST

     The command level uniforms (Sinclair, Laurel, Garibaldi) are pretty much
the same in cut, though Garibaldi's (and all of securityard grey more than
blue.  Medical uniforms have a somewhat different cut and lean toward charcoal
grey.

     There's a slightly different cut for grunt-level security, and a slightly
greener look.  Station techs (maintainance crews and the like) generally get
yellow outfits with the B5 logo (and are not directly part of the EA
structure; they work at and for the station per se).  Control techs, in the
observation dome, for instance, generally don't wear jackets on duty, but
rather shirts with the B5 logo.  The shift commander, though, does wear a
jacket with his uniform.  (When B5 opens, you see Laural give a command to the
shift commander, who then relays it to others.  You can trace the line of
command in the dome from there.)

     There are, and will be, other variations in uniform, but those are pretty
much the ones you'll see in the show.  (In addition, of course, to more
conventional clothing such as that worn by casino workers, marked only by a
glitter-B5 logo.)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 327       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:26 EST

     If the Garibaldi outfit you refer to is on page 30, that's the same cut
of uniform as Sinclair's on 34, just a different angle on it.  (And there's no
white shirt under the outfits on page 28; those are high  collars with gold
braid.)  Now, there *is* another outfit that both he and Sinclair wear, it's a
black outfit (pants and long shirt) under a grey flak-jacket, which is a
combat uniform.  (The flak jackets are composed of various reflective
substances that help refract and dissipate some of the impact of energy
weapons.)

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 329       Sat Jan 30, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:53 EST

     Oops!  Nope, you're right, yes, there *are* shirts under the jackts
(actually, there are shirts under ALL the jackets, as you'd expect of
clothing).  I thought you were referring to the collar.  My error.

     Actually, *ALL* of the costumes are layered.  G'Kar can remove six
different layers of his outfit, Londo can wear the jacket with or without the
vest (which can also be removed for the shirt below), the Minbari wardrobe is
equally layered and can be played with as well, on and on.


                                                       jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 331       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:27 EST

     Rob: so what would you suggest?

     If B5 succeeds, there will be comics published in the same basic
universe, as well as novelizations.  These will be specifically encouraged to
go in different directions, partly for selfish reasons, so they won't mess
with my time/character line, and partly because I'd like to see what others
can do with this universe...sort of like a shared world anthology.  So yes,
there's room to play, and with luck, we'll see it there and elsewhere.

     What other options would you suggest?  If I've missed something, let me
know.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 8
Message 335       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:31 EST

     Rob...my friend, it took me five years to get this one show into
production.  The rest...I'll leave those to somebody else.

     Re: colors and uniforms...we decided against using color that much as
service designation (red for security, and so on) for two reasons: one is that
it's so associated with Trek.  We're not Trek.  We allowed a touch of it in
the insignia, but in a very limited way.  Second reason, you're dealing with
aliens who see various colors and don't see others, and alien sectors where
the lighting may wash out or totally change the color codes, which is why we
went for specific *symbols* for different areas (security, maintainance,
command and so on).  If you're in the alien sector that uses red light
heavily, and you need help fast, you don't want to try and figure out of
that's a blue stripe or a purple stripe  when asking somebody for help.

                                                                    jms
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 ************
Topic 9         Wed Nov 11, 1992
T.RESTIVO [Little Guy]       at 18:27 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 Humor                      

From *Beep Beep*, to Top Ten Lists to full-blown paradies, this is where to
put your funny bone in writing!
172 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 9
Message 150       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:24 EST

     Kosh as in "gosh."  There's actually a last name, btw...Naranek.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 9
Message 156       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:50 EST

     Pronounced Nuh-RAH-nek.

                                                                   jms
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 ************
Topic 10        Thu Nov 12, 1992
SANDMAN [Henry]              at 19:25 EST
Sub: Sex in Babylon 5                     

Can't do without this one!!


104 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 18,  Topic 10
Message 101       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:49 EST

     Yep.

                                                                   jms
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 ************
Topic 11        Sat Nov 14, 1992
J.SHEEN1 [Leviathan]         at 18:09 EST
Sub: B-5 ADRIFT!                          

 BABYLON 5 Topic Drift
 If you feel like talking about it, but it doesn't fit anywhere else... If its
only connection to B-5 is that you thought of it in this CAT...
 This is where to come and get it out.
373 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 18,  Topic 11
Message 323       Fri Jan 15, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:48 EST

     Definite no on the question of matter transmitters.  That's a little too
much in the magic/science-fantasy area for my preferences.  Space travel is
done in ships.

     Re: Captain Power...it aired in 1987/88 in syndication.  Was set in the
future, after the MetalWars, in which one man, who caused the war (in the best
interests of humanity) decided that to save humanity it must be digitized and
stored in machines for the day when perfect metalloid bodies could give
mankind immortality.

     Re: Twilight Zone...yes, I worked on the syndicated version.  Among the
episodes I wrote (I was also story editor) are "The Mind of Simon Foster,"
with Bruce Weitz; "Dream Me a Life," with Eddie Albert; co-wrote "The Curious
Case of Edgar Witherspoon," with Harry Morgan, and co-wrote "Our Selena is
Dying" posthumously with Rod Serling, from a long lost TZ outline.  Other TZs
that I wrote around that time, but whose stars I can't consistently recall:
"The Wall," "The Call," "What Are Friends For?" "Something in the Walls,"
"Acts of Terror," "Special Service," "Rendezvous in a Dark Place," and have
another shared writing credit on "The Trance."

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 11
Message 356       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:50 EST

     No, I wasn't previously aware of "Agony" (except what I've gone through
these last six months), but will look for it in future.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 11
Message 372       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:43 EST

     Shot on 35mm film.  Transferred to tape for post.

                                                                jms
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 ************
Topic 12        Wed Nov 18, 1992
B.WIST [Brad]                at 18:12 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 Sightings                  

Post here when you've spotted Babylon 5, whether it be on Television,
Magazine, or somewhere else.  Let us know where we can find it/see it, too.
190 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 12
Message 174       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:22 EST

     I think you'll see the biggest push 7-10 days before, yes; and given that
the PTEN ratings have been quite good overall, it's kinda hard to argue too
strenuously with that approach.  I imagine that reviews and stuff will be
coming out about the same time.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 12
Message 176       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:01 EST

     BTW, I've been hearing more and more from our Warners liaison that the
reviewers who've gotten copies of the B5 pilot have had their corneas melted
by what they've seen.  Half a dozen have already scrapped plans for other
covers in their weekly television magazine/supplements in deference to a cover
story on B5 (and this during Sweeps Week, no less!).

     Keep your eyes peeled, folkses...the stuff should start hitting the
streets in the final week of our countdown.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 12
Message 186       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:29 EST

     Getouttatown...really?  I know Somtow, and I'm surprised he didn't tell
me he snuck this in.  That's funny....

     Oh SOMMMMMMtow...c'mere...I wanna talk wit'cha....

                                                                jms
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 ************
Topic 13        Mon Nov 23, 1992
T.ORTH [Mr. Rico]            at 21:00 EST
Sub: BABYLON 5 - Science and Technology   

Jump gates, nanotech, high-tech weapons, starship drives, sound in space, and
other subjects of science and technology in Babylon 5.
269 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 152       Sat Jan 16, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:02 EST

     The defense system for B5 consists of a system of moderate level
defensive grids, hull-mounted weaponry (which is generally concealed behind
large plates, which would be blown off with explosive bolts to reveal the
weapons beneath), and a small number of individual fighter  craft stored in a
docking bay at the rear of the station.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 158       Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:37 EST

     The two things on front -- the spikes, as it were -- are on either side
of a second loading bay, this one expressly for cargo held in the zero-g cargo
hold.

     The vanes in the back are heat radiators, as I recall from the original
design notes.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 164       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:26 EST

     Yes, there are definitely different levels in each section of B5.

     And yes again, down the road there will be both small flyers and
individuals with air-packs in the zero-G section at the center of the Garden.
Ron's worked out how to do it.

     How's it illuminated?  Quite nicely, actually....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 172       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:41 EST

     250,000 is the *maximum* number of beings who can be there at one time;
that's not necessarily the maximum number of living quarters.  In some ways,
B5 is like an airport; you come in, linger, then move on to your eventual
destiny (catching a few winks in the customs area waiting for the right ship
to come in or go out).

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 187       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:07 EST

       Yes, if a big ship went into hyperspace on its own power, it would
likely have to accellerate first, but if it were near B5, it might well just
use the jump-gate that's already there to save on energy and fuel.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 189       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:49 EST

     I'll ask Ron.

     This is one of those areas in which I'll have to defer until such time as
we get a regular science advisor on the show.  I know *some* of this stuff,
but fact is, I ain't a techie, and this genre is best served by getting that
kind of information from someone who knows what the hell he's talking about.

     (Which means we *will* be getting a science advisor once this thing gets
rolling, btw...no one's set yet, but will probably cull from one or two strong
possibilities over at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  My plan is to also bring
on a freelance linguistics consultant to invent a few languages for us...and
that may be somenoe I encountered right here on GEnie, as a matter of fact,
but will wait until something Happens to give more info on that.)

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 199       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:04 EST

     As to what happens to their inertia/velocity when they come out, if they
accelerate going in...yep, we deal with that.  It's in the pilot, and we make
it clear that they have to take time to decelerate prior to docking.  I think
in Kosh's case it took something like 2-3 hours to decelerate.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 214       Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:22 EST

     MATH!  MATH!  YOU SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MATH ON THIS TEST!  I DIDN'T
STUDY!  HOW MUCH OF MY GRADE WILL THIS BE?!  AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 219       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:59 EST

     That's actually fairly close to what we were planning...have you been
hanging around Ron again...?

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 221       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:40 EST

     Disagreement: the coolest show ever made is THE PRISONER.  I hope to
capture a little of the flavor of that show, mainly by playing a little with
surrealism, what's real and what's not...but it'll pale beside that show.  THE
PRISONER, for me, is the perfect television program.  I've never really seen
its equal.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 241       Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:24 EST

     I'd expect a comment like that from someone who watches GI Joe....

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 243       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:24 EST

     Nope, the music is all original to our composer, Stewart Copeland.

     And it be WAY cool.

     (On the B5 blooper reel, there's a shot of all these alien faces, and
that rock song with the lyric, "Everyone's strange, when you're a stranger,
faces look strange, when you're alone" going on in BG.  Very funny.)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 246       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:59 EST

     That's probably something that'll have to be worked out between the
Language Person and Warners.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 253       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 06:34 EST

     Okay, okay, I got the lyrics wrong, but I got 'till *right*.

     Thing is on the language stuff...it honestly isn't my choice.  There is a
little thing called "separation of rights."  Publishing rights would probably
accrue to whoever does the language stuff.  It's not my call.  I would be
giving away something that ain't mine to give.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 266       Sun Jan 31, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:30 EST

     Just for clarity, I don't want to "slip Prisoner elements in" in the way
described.  Was only referencing the show as the kind of show to emulate with
a beginning, middle and end, and a sometimes surreal aspect that leaves you
questioning what's real and what isn't.

                                                                   jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 14        Thu Dec 31, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:59 EST
Sub: Lurkers/Introductions: Please Sign In

A place for newcomers to come in, say hello, whether you want to jump into the
conversation or not, just to let us know you're here.
187 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 132       Sun Jan 17, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:15 EST

     Hey, Mark, good to have another H-25er around.

     Pat: I taught at Grossmont College for about one semester, it's a pretty
good place.  (Went to San Diego State and  meself.)

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 135       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:52 EST

     I taught writing (what else?)...I *think* it was around 1979 or 80.
After a while, everything blurs.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 143       Mon Jan 18, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:59 EST

     Re: SDSU, no, I had very little to do with the cinema/telecom dept.
there.  I crashed two courses -- mainly because I wanted to learn from a
particular instructor, Norman Corwin -- and had one or two others, but that's
it.  My interest was in other areas...one degree in Clinical Psychology with a
minor in Philosophy; another in Sociology with a minor in Creative Writing,
that sort of thing.

     BTW, if you go down to the offices of the Daily Aztec, and ask to see the
archive volumes of the paper around 1977/78 or thereabouts, you'll see several
zillion articles by me in there.  At more or less the same time, I was the
resident book reviewer, film reviewer and theater reviewer, had two weekly
humor columns ("A View from the Rabbit Hole" and "A Modern Cynic's
Dictionary"), as well as regular feature articles and profiles, and the
occasional investigative article, including one on the CIA.  The frequency of
articles led some to describe the paper as The Daily J. Michael.  At the same
time I was doing cover stories for the San Diego Reader, the Daily
Californian, features for the SD edition of the Los Angeles Times, and
entertainment reviews for KSDO-AM Newsradio.

     But the Daily Aztec stuff was great fun.  I worked without pay, the only
one on staff who did, in fact...because I didn't want to be beholden to
anybody, could write what I wanted, nobody had any leverage.  Which was all
for the good, given the massive numbers of angry letters and the occasional
bomb threats elicited by what I wrote.

     Can't imagine why....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 147       Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:57 EST

     Yes, a VERY large blunt object.

     The one point of any possible interest to draw from this comes from
something I tried to beat into incoming students when I was an orientation
counselor at SDSU: if you go to college, and all you see are the class rooms,
the bathrooms, the parking lot and the cafeteria, you will cheat yourself of
99% of your possible education.  Any university or college has vast
opportunities for writers and others.  In the former case, write for the
university newspaper, or the university theater (and most schools have an
ongoing one-act production program)...take classes in acting or film, to get a
sense of history, or the hands-on process of being on stage...the range of
experience open to you is enormous.  Don't just follow your major to its
conclusion.  There is a world of experience you can get while you're there
*that you may never have the chance to experience again*.   Take it.

     End of sermon.  I shouldn't even be here, frankly, this is for the new
folks and others to sign in and introduce themselves...both for the interests
of our own private party, so we know who's come into the room, and for any
possible future mailings or opportunities.

     Let's hear from y'all.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 152       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:28 EST

     KBHK Channel 44 in San Francisco.

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 160       Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:08 EST

     Shane...imagine, if you will, a slow fuse being lit...as I stare at the
name, thinking, "There was something...something I was supposed to do,
something...writing?"  Then, finally, the fuse works its way through the dense
foliage I laughingly call my cerebral cortex and explodes with the words "THE
ARTICLE, STUPID!  YOU NEVER FINISHED PROOFREADING THE ARTICLE HE SENT YOU!"

     A thousand apologies, Shane.  The piece came in right when I was in the
midst of finishing B5 and leaving M,SW, my life was degenerating into stark,
staring madness, and I put it down, intent upon taking care of it that
evening, and next thing I know...I see your message here.

     Hope I didn't screw anything up....

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 165       Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:13 EST

      I forget...which one of us was wearing the rabbit outfit that night?

                                                                  jms
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Topic 15        Thu Dec 31, 1992
J.ROY18 [Jonathan]           at 21:29 EST
Sub: BABYLON 5 - Alien races              

Aliens races in Babylon 5... their politics, abilties, technology, history,
and any other discussion specificly about non-humans.

128 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 15
Message 71        Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:01 EST

     Yeah, that's one thing I've kind of slated in as a B story in a given
episode...an alien comes aboard and they just can't quite manage to
communicate, it's just too damned foreign in its thinking.  (What I'd love is
for them to find out at the end that it's some other alien's damned cat or
something, and they've been spending all this time trying to communicate with
something that ain't sentient...but with aliens, how can you tell sometimes?)

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 15
Message 88        Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:40 EST

     Yeah, you kinda need binocular vision for survival purposes and the
utilization of tools.

     Re: alien plans...that's something that we'll have to work out down the
road with our prosthetics people.  I don't think we used the full range of
aliens (both versions) as well as we might have in the pilot.   We get only
one medium-long shot of Black Eyes, for instance, and that's one that I feel
came out VERY well and should be highlighted more.  Some of the others were
less effective, but were kept to the background.

     I'd like to keep a mix going, about 50/50.

                                                             jms
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Category 18,  Topic 15
Message 96        Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:51 EST

     An entire planet of mimes.....AN ENTIRE PLANET OF MIMES!?!

     NUKE 'EM!

     NUKE 'EM TILL THEY GLOW THEN SHOOT 'EM IN THE DARK!

   YAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 15
Message 118       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:02 EST

      till (til) conj. & prep until
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                        Oxford American Dictionary

                                                                       jms
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Category 18,  Topic 15
Message 122       Thu Jan 28, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 06:38 EST

     Your teacher was wrong.  The dictionary accepts till.  If required, I can
call Mrs. Nash, assuming she survived the process.

     Re: aliens...yeah, there was a somewhat naturalistic look to the things
that I'd like to experiment with come the series.  This was a deliberate
choice on Criswell's part.  And by and large, it worked out okay.  I just
think that for the series, it would limit us.

     Criswell's elves actually did a *lot* of research, trying various
textures and color combinations drawn from nature.  Of course, that's all
nature as would evolve in an oxygen atmosphere, 1g.  We have to go beyond
that, and I think there's some nifty stuff that can be done down the road.

                                                               jms
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 ************
Topic 16        Fri Jan 15, 1993
T.ORTH [Mr. Rico]            at 01:02 EST
Sub: "No kids or cute robots, ever!"      

This is a topic for discussion of the unofficial slogan of Babylon 5.
99 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 2         Fri Jan 15, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:31 EST

     On the other hand...maybe it might be better if our Sysoptrix took the
last, oh, 100 or so messages from 1 about this and transplanted 'em here.  Get
the whole context in place.

     And lord knows, it's not like she has anything ELSE to do, other than
nudzhing me....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 21        Sun Jan 17, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:19 EST

     Something I forgot to mention uptopic, when asked if I can write a story
with kids...it's appeared in a lot of my prose.  The two leading protagonist
in my most recent novel, OTHERSYDE, were around 16...the lead character in one
of the first short stories of mine ever to be published ("Your Move," in
Amazing SF) was about 13, and the second story of mine published ("A Last
Testament for Nick and the Trooper," Shadows 6)  featured two kids maybe 19.

     Provided only for the sake of completeness.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 26        Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:03 EST

     Absolutely.  I love being proven wrong.

     Though there are few survivors to carry the story....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 42        Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:25 EST

     Ah LAHKES Crow an' Tom Servo....

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 57        Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:47 EST

     If you can find Harpo, we'll book him on the show....

     Or Chico, or Groucho...but definitely not Zeppo...or Flammo, the Marx
Brother who ended up on the cutting room floor.

     "Getta you tootsie-fruitsie ice-a cream...."

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 64        Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:29 EST

      Rob: that was very funny stuff.  And believe me, I know from Gummo;
 the Flammo reference was from a play by Louis Phillips, "The Last of the
 Marx Bros. Writers," very surreal, where they mention Flammo.  The play
 is about...well...the last surviving Marx. Bros. writer, who is living in
 a one room flat, doesn't go out, and keeps having delusional conversations
 with God.  "Make Me Laugh," God says.  The writer starts a joke.

      "Heard it," God says.  Which is, of course, the problem...he's heard
 ALL of them.

      BTW, if you're a true-blue Marx Bros. fan, you might want to find (if
 you already haven't) the book "Flyweel, Shyster and Flywheel," which
 contains many of the radio scripts of that Marx Bros. show, no surviving
 audio copies of which have survived.  Very, very funny stuff.

      "How much do you charge to perform?"
      "Ten dollar."
      "How much to perform but leave out the rehearsal?"
      "Twenty dollar."
      "How much not to perform at all?"
      "Oh, no, boss, you couldn't afford it...."

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 16
Message 81        Wed Jan 27, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:36 EST

     KL: though it galls me to quote commercials, I heard something on one the
other day that's actually quite telling...some restaraunter quoting something
his father told him: "The guy who says he never had a chance, never TOOK a
chance."

     What you say is correct: write it, send it out, write another, send it
out, write another...on and on and on...if it's good, sooner or later
somebody'll notice.

                                                                 jms
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 ************
Topic 17        Tue Jan 19, 1993
C.STOBBE [Colin]             at 21:02 EST
Sub: BABYLON 5 - Merchandising            

A place to discuss all the neat Babylon 5 merchandising coming out (hopefully)
soon
55 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 3         Tue Jan 19, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:00 EST

     I'll know more about the computer game next week or so.  Best thing in
general is to write to Licensing Corporation of America to get on their
mailing list for future B5 promotional stuff and merchandising.

     The Creation designs for shirts look okay, if a tad prosaic...there has
got to be one central image to promote this show, but I'm darned if I can
figure out what it is at this stage.  The logo looks swell, though, in any
event.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 21        Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:59 EST

     Jack's message is correct.  The only "sale" aspect was that the GEIs in
question had to send $1 to help cover postage; the shirt was free.  (I hear a
few have shown up at auctions for sale; $50 for one, in fact.)

     And yes, the triangle logo has been pretty much officially dropped.
Whether or not we'll find another use for it down the road is an open
question, but for now...yep.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 25        Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:47 EST

     Oh, yeah, before I forget (again)...look for ads in People Magazine and
elsewhere to start appearing in the next few weeks.  And local TV reviewers
are going to start getting their copies this week.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 27        Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:08 EST

     Well, this IS a science fiction topic.....

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 32        Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:11 EST

     BTW, for anyone going to NATPE -- wherever the hell it is -- this coming
week, there's going to be a big B5 display at the Warners booth,  and some
posters available.  I've asked to get one of the posters for my archives.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 39        Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:30 EST

     Boy, those time distortion fields are tricky, aren't they?

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 42        Tue Jan 26, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 07:13 EST

     Go ahead....YOU tell G'Kar he's ToTo.  Me, I wanna live a while....

                                                                   jms
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 ************
Topic 18        Fri Jan 22, 1993
SF-LAWRENCE [Katherine]      at 01:57 EST
Sub: Law and Order on Babylon 5           

The sociology of the B5 station is already being discussed and has generated
so many messages, they deserve their own topic.  Here's where we can discuss
Law, Order and Penalties for breaking the law, on B5.
85 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message   1       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            (Forwarded)

     The death penalty question is one I've been debating in terms of B5 for
quite some time.  Look at the math involved...if you find someone guilty of
murder, do you spend all the money and time and effort and so on to ship them
to a penal colony?  The cost would be ENORMOUS.  Do you keep them imprisoned
on B5?  If so, eventually you'll run out of room.  So the question becomes, Do
you space them?  Kill them humanely?

     There's a B5 story I have in mind that will explore this question, but
I'm not yet sure which way I want to go on it.

     And to the question above...some stations air PTEN shows on different
nights, yes, there's some flexibility.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message   4       Thu Jan 21, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            (Forwarded)

     Ah, but you see, for starters, the issue may not be one of reform; okay,
A kills B, so we transform A into a better person...this by you is a
punishment?  What is the purpose of the law, to reform or to avenge?

     Plus you run into the other problem...what of the other species out there
who may require death for certain offenses, such as murder of their own
species?

     And consider this: A kills B.  B happens to be your little sister, age
12.  A gets transformed by the psychs.  And you're now living side by side
with A, you see him every day, in a closed station...would thisn ot lead to
MORE murders?

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message  31       Fri Jan 22, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            (Forwarded)

     Yes, but of course the problem *there* (making them work it off) is that
it begins to institutionalize slavery.  How can you safeguard against
situations leading to indentured slavery...Person A is *falsely* accused of a
crime for the purpose of shipping him off to the work colony where he will
slave away for the Company indefinitely?

     In a way, when you're dealing in this context -- far space -- the
question of "is murder humane?" is really less and less the operative
question.  (By "murder" I mean the death penalty in the above.)  You're living
in *very* small quarters, when you get down to it.  It costs quite a lot in
time and money to get there.  And to send someone away.  How  much time and
money do you allocate for extradition across, potentially, x-number of light
years?

     The best metaphor, I suppose, is a boat at sea.  There are ten people in
the boat.  A kills B.  You don't really have the resources to rehabilitate
there.  And barring that option, there's no way of knowing if A won't kill C
in his sleep...or that D, B's friend, won't kill A at the first opportunity.
Meanwhile, you've got to put your attention to getting this ship to port
without totally disrupting operations and sinking before you reach port.

     On Earth, if someone commits a crime, you send them to prison upstate,
out of sight, out of mind.  But where do/can you send them in such closed
quarters?  I raise this mainly because what I've always tried to do with B5 is
to Ask The Next Question.  Very often the answers to those questions aren't
easy, or comfortable...but they have to be asked, and answered, if your
universe is to make any sense or have any degree of consistency.

     (And just in general, btw, everyone who comes to B5 operates under EA
laws, so Earth laws have jurisdiction under *most* circumstances.  But there
are always exceptions.  And those would be a *real* test.)

     As to the idea that the death penalty costs more than life...yes, that's
true as far as it goes on Earth...but a station wouldn't have time or money or
resources for those kind of endless appeals.  Justice wold (would) have to be
fairly swift, or the entire operation would come to a screeching halt.  So
what happens to civil rights?  To the question of cruel and unusual
punishment?  Where does one draw the line?

     They're very hard questions.  And the thing is...there IS no right
answer.

     On to other things (meanwhile, feel free to keep this discussion
going...there are a lot of sides to this argument, and it's good to hear all
of them).

     Yes, there are starmaps around, some are visible in Sinclair's briefing
room, although they got kinda washed out to a light blue and you really can't
see them well.  We'll fix this later.

     There are weapons, and we'll see them eventually.  Can the station move?
Yes, but only marginally, as required to maintain its L5 position.   As for
the engine room...since this isn't a starship, the engine room is not exactly
the same.  There's not much of an engine per se; it was built IN one place to
STAY in one place.  There are maintainance areas and operational sections, the
blue-collar stuff, though, and that we will be seeing.

     Had something great happen today.  Got a call from a friend, and there
was a guy in town from Magazine X (I can't give the title), which covers
computers, and SF, and other related areas.  He wanted to see B5 and do a
quick interview/review.  Now, this guy is very skeptical and not a little
cynical, even by his own admission.  I said okay, and he came to the house
where I cranked up the system and showed him the finished pilot.

     This is the first time a civilian has seen the *completed film*, sound,
music, pic all.  And a reviewer, no less.  His responce, (response), when the
pilot was over?  He pronounced it the best SF pilot ever made, the "most
significant SF event" he had ever seen.  He was just croggled by it.

     I am a happy man.  It's a start.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message 41        Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:03 EST

     And there I agree...in our current situation, I much prefer live (er,
life) imprisonment to the death sentence, first because it allows for more
time to correct errors if the person's innocent; and second, if the person's
guilty...deny him an easy way out.

     But again, that's *here* and *now* and may not necessarily reflect  the
sorts of problems and considerations that may exist on a station such as B5.

     Leviathan: you say that the law should "protect, not avenge."  But
protect how?  How do you protect against the lover who, in a fit of jealous
rage, knifes his fiancee to death?  Do we have cameras in every room of every
house, monitoring for potentially dangerous behavior?  What is the dividing
point between privacy and endangerment?  Is not the aspect of protection or
prevention hinged upon the idea of retribution if  caught?  If there is no
avengement, where then is the prevention?  If there is any privacy at all,
where is the protection?

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message 53        Sat Jan 23, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:52 EST

     I think that, to avoid a western-centered show, you have to work from the
assumption that the EA has incorporated laws other than those of the good old
US of A.  Which will add some color to things.

     As for how dangerous a place B5 is...the comment about the prior Babylon
stations is a good and telling one.  There are almost two levels of
understanding on this...the sense of those who work there and maintain the
environment, who know just how fragile this situation really is, and the sense
of those who come and go, whose sense of safety has to be reinforced if B5 is
to be commercially viable.  Which opens up some interesting moral and ethical
dilemmas for some of the crew....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message 61        Sun Jan 24, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:14 EST

     Little Guy: there is, admittedly, a certain advantage to throwing a topic
out there, and watching a number of intelligent, articulate people who know SF
debate the thing...it opens your mind to many possibilities.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message 66        Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 05:50 EST

      Jim...hmm...interesting...an inquisitorial system could make for a good
adjunct to something I'd been thinking of...something Harlan suggested,
actually, during our first B5 brainstorm session last year.

      Which I'll elaborate on at some point in the future, but in the
interim...good idea.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 18
Message 72        Mon Jan 25, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:32 EST

     Re: the use of psi's in the judicial system...there was a whole long
discussion of this in another topic...which answered all of the questions
asked.  In fear of being redundent...does anyone out there remember where that
discussion took place, so we can send this fellow to the right message(s)?

                                                               jms
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 ************
Topic 20        Fri Jan 29, 1993
SF-LAWRENCE [Katherine]      at 06:32 EST
Sub: "Babylon 5" - Information Only 2     

Topic 1 is for old messages, already archived into the library.  This topic is
for newer posts, and like topic 19, will remain a CLOSED topic. Get your hot
Straczynski messages here!  Hot off the topics! <g>
1 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 20
Message   1       Fri Jan 29, 1993
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            (Forwarded)

     The command level uniforms (Sinclair, Laurel, Garibaldi) are pretty much
the same in cut, though Garibaldi's (and all of securityard grey more than
blue.  Medical uniforms have a somewhat different cut and lean toward charcoal
grey.

     There's a slightly different cut for grunt-level security, and a slightly
greener look.  Station techs (maintainance crews and the like) generally get
yellow outfits with the B5 logo (and are not directly part of the EA
structure; they work at and for the station per se).  Control techs, in the
observation dome, for instance, generally don't wear jackets on duty, but
rather shirts with the B5 logo.  The shift commander, though, does wear a
jacket with his uniform.  (When B5 opens, you see Laural give a command to the
shift commander, who then relays it to others.  You can trace the line of
command in the dome from there.)

     There are, and will be, other variations in uniform, but those are pretty
much the ones you'll see in the show.  (In addition, of course, to more
conventional clothing such as that worn by casino workers, marked only by a
glitter-B5 logo.)

                                                                 jms