lurkers-guide/ftp/GEnie/jms94-03-15

Babylon 5 posts by JMS on GEnie for Second half of March, 1994

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


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Topic 1         Mon Oct 26, 1992
SF-MARSHALL [Dave ]          at 18:50 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series  (Non-Spoiler)

Welcome to the Babylon 5 category and main topic for the new series. Here is
the place for all general information on the series. Topic 2 is the location
for SPOILERS. And please, NO STORY IDEAS are to be posted either.
773 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 627       Fri Mar 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:19 EST

     Less than one week left of filming on Year One.  Eek.

]*D,2

     If I can put a word out onto the electronic web...usually, in the network
shows, a series runs its course, and at the end of the season, the network
decides whether or not to renew.  Because of the schedule of PTEN, the
decision to renew or not comes in April/May.

     While the ratings are good -- mention of the B5 ratings got a headline in
today's "Hollywood Reporter" along with ST -- there's a new wrinkle in the
situation.  The new Paramount Network.  They're making deals with stations as
fast as they can, snatching up the independent stations and trying to secure
the few remaining available timeslots (which with the glut of programs now are
continually growing smaller in number).  So for a station, it's a choice
between two or more shows that might rate equally fine, but there's outside
pressure.

     Point being this (and anyone who wants to upload this entire message to
other nets, feel free): if -- IF -- you genuinely enjoy the show, and would
like to see it renewed, this would be a very good time to drop your local TV
station a letter indicating this.  The stations have a direct input as to
whether or not shows are renewed.  It certainly couldn't hurt.

                                                            jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 634       Fri Mar 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:35 EST

     The reference was not to "V," but to the military use of this over the
last several decades, particularly in WW II.  (And I didn't work on the V
series, only the new (and never produced) 4-hour miniseries that was intended
to revive the series.)

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 679       Mon Mar 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:37 EST

     Whenever I have spoken of Berman and Pillar to the press, I have
characterized them as honorable people.  The press goes out of its way to
foment controversy, and after my initial reaction to the DS9 premise, it was
my eventual decision to simply produce the show and, at that point, it
survives or falls on its own merits.  If Pillar is going to get into name-
calling and characterizations and this kind of playground vernacular, I see no
reason to join him there.

     BTW...flew back this morning from Houston, where on behalf of B5, I
received the award from the Space Frontier Foundation for Best Vision of the
Future.  Based in part on our attempt -- within the confines of dramatic TV --
to stick with real science...ships that move the right way in space,
commercial use of space surveying, civilian ships, the use of an O'Neill-type
station for the first time in TV or movies, and so on.   At my table was co-
recipient astronaut Pete Conrad.  (I commented to him that, as someone who
*writes* about space, to sit across from someone who LIVED there, was like
being a lay priest called upon to say High Mass at the Vatican, before the
Pope, on Easter sunday.  He laughed.)

     We have worked hard to make B5 as accurate a presentation of a possible
future as we can, and the receipt of this award, from a national group of
scientists, engineers, astronauts, researchers and others (some involved
heavily in the Delta Clipper project) makes it equal to the Emmy, in my view,
however much more emphasis the media may place on the former.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 719       Sun Mar 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:19 EST

     Some international info...B5 goes on the air May 16th on Channel 4 in the
UK.  Other places that'll be carrying the show starting around that same time:
AUM Trinidad; Canal Plus, France; Set Eitz, Germany; RCTI, the Philipines; Sky-
TV; 7 Network, Australia; and miscellaneous places I don't have full info on
(some just station IDs, some areas): Taipei, TV3, TVNZ, TTV, IBC, BEC, Canal
Sinco, ICP, Proziba, and Italy.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 733       Mon Mar 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:31 EST

     Actually, we came very close to doing a black-and-white segment this
season, and might do so next.

     Well, last night was the B5 wrap party, at Pickwick Bowl here in the
valley, opposite the equestrian center.  I think I bowled about nine games in
a row, and currently ache in muscles I didn't know I had.  About 325 cast,
crew, writers and producers.  Harlan showed up, and after a slow start bowled
180 and whomped hell out of us.  I averaged about 160 in my later games.  Or
less.  David Gerrold showed up, Larry, Andreas, Michael, Peter, Mira, Caitlin,
Bill...and the B5 Blasters, the art department bowling team with their own
bowling shirts.  When I left, about 12:30 am, things were still going pretty
strong.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 742       Wed Mar 30, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:37 EST

      Well, now I've heard it all...was speaking to Walter Koenig tonight,
 and he mentioned being at a convention this past weekend, and hearing a
 lot of positive B5 comments.  Along the way, he overheard a discussion
 between a bunch of folk, many of whom were defending TNG and DS9's rather
 minimal SFX and smaller cast and other stuff by saying that it wasn't
 a fair comparison, "since B5 has a lot more money to spend than TNG or
 DS9."

      I could've plotzed.....

      P.S. A schedule for those interested:

      CONFIRMED schedule....
      April 20th, "Deathwalker," by Lawrence G. DiTillio
      April 27th, "Believers," by David Gerrold
      May 4th, "Survivors," by Marc Scott Zicree
      May 11th, "Signs and Portents," by jms
      May 18th, "By Any Means Necessary," by Kathryn M. Drennan
      May 25th, "The Quality of Mercy," by jms

      Then repeats from June 1 through October 5th, in order to stretch
 new episodes through the November sweeps.  TENTATIVE schedule of final
 episodes....

      October 12th, "Grail," by Christy Marx
      October 19th, "Eyes," by Lawrence G. DiTillio
      October 26th, "TKO," by Lawrence G. DiTillio
      November 2nd, "A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 1," by jms
      November 9th, "A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 2," by jms
      November 16th, "Babylon Squared," by jms
      November 23rd, "Legacies," by D.C. Fontana
      November 30th, "Chrysalis," by jms

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 746       Wed Mar 30, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:59 EST

     About time you started to put out....

                                                            jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 760       Thu Mar 31, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:22 EST

     Quickies...apparently (I'm told) Howard Stern mentioned B5 favorably in
both his Tuesday AND Wednesday broadcasts, though I haven't heard it myself.
This after a prior mention some time ago.

     We must be doing *something* right.

     Also...apparently, at a convention, Rick Sternbach from ST said that the
ST shows (DS9 and, subsequently, Voyager) would be shifting over to primarily
computer EFX rather than models.  They're going to start coming over to OUR
turf...and engaging in the usual learning curve, trial and erros, which we've
already gone through.

     Me...I just sit here and smile...and on one level, despite the way it may
appear, I'm pleased.  It shows we were right.  And if they start doing CGI,
it'll force both sides to again be competitive in terms of doing more, pushing
things.  And that friendly competition is good for the blood, it should keep
both shows on the cutting edge.  It'll also enable other shows to come in
using CGI, meaning more SF on the air.

     It also ties into what I've heard lately, that Paramount is getting
hammered by some of the stations asking why the hell DS9 episodes often cost
1.7 to 2 million dollars an episode to produce, where B5 is doing more, with
half the budget.  I would love to hear the response to that.

     We're putting the finishing touches on the two-parter this week, and this
one's really a blow-out episode.  More and bigger sets, more CGI than just
about any prior episode, and more *elaborate* CGI, a big story...we keep
trying to get more ambitious as we go along.  So far it looks like we'll have
at *minimum* one real blow-out action episode in each ratings cycle; "Signs
and Portents" in May, and the two-parter in November (though I probably should
include "Babylon Squared" and "Chrysalis" in that same category...November is
going to be the month we fry VCRs around the country).

     As well as appearing at ICON mid-April, I plan to be at the Chicago Comic
Convention around July 1-3, and at San Diego ComicCon afterward.

                                                        jms
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Topic 2         Wed Nov 20, 1991
STARR [Arne]                 at 19:41 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 -- The Series!! >>SPOILERS<<

Babylon 5 offically became a series on May 28 '93. There will be 22 hour eps
for season one (in addition to the pilot). Airs Wednesdays at 8PM in most
places starting Jan. 26 '94.  This is the SPOILER topic where anything goes.

833 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 713       Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:11 EST

     Longshot: it was a tip of the cap to the Prisoner, yes.

     Episodes are all in various stages of post-production; they come out
helter-skelter, higgeldy-piggeldy, you name it.  We're pretty much caught up
on all the episodes filmed; we have to finalize editing on the two-parter,
then edit the last episode, and that's done.  A bunch of the others are still
being scored, mixed, composited, you name it.  So that's really a very hard
question to answer.  Just today finished editing on "Babylon Squared," which
looks really cool, will mix "Signs and Portents" in two days, and finalized
the mix on "The Quality of Mercy" today.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 767       Tue Mar 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:02 EST

     Teaser, four acts, tag.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 789       Fri Mar 25, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:39 EST

     Mike: see my comment in 19.

     There's some more fun between Garibaldi and Talia down the road, and one
elevator scene in particular that I think you'll like.

     We've killed off all of Ivanova's close family, yes.  Maybe some cousins
are left, but that's about it.

     A little aside for you...at one point this season, Delenn goes to the
Grey Council.  There's a ritual she has to observe when she joins the ranks of
the Nine.  Part of it is this statement she makes upon entering the circle: "I
am Grey.  I stand between the candle, and the star.  We are Grey.  We stand
between the darkness, and the light."

                                                           jms
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Topic 4         Tue Nov 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:12 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 - Cast & 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.
439 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 418       Sun Mar 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:41 EST

     I don't think Mira or her husband have that much direct communication
with her countrypersons anymore.  But that's an assumption based on some but
not a lot of talk with her on this subject.  Obviously it's a delicate
subject.

                                                            jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 420       Mon Mar 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:23 EST

     Episode 9 and a bunch of others are finished and delivered; have been for
some time.  The stations need to stretch episodes through the November sweeps,
hence staggered reruns.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 433       Thu Mar 31, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:28 EST

     Well, I'd love to try to get Patrick McGoohan again...we'll have more
appearances by Koenig, of course...possible we'll see Christopher Neame again
(he said mysteriously)...I'd like to use Robert Vaughn,  Robert Culp, and even
some actors without Robert as their first name.  If I applied a real wish-
list, it wouldn't do any good, since the actors I'd love most to use are way
beyond TV syndication prices (Edward Woodward, for instance).  I'd kinda love
to drag Bill Windom over from M,SW to do a quick episode for us.  Tom Baker,
definitely.  I've spoken to Colin Baker about the possibility, and that could
probably be arranged easily enough.  Anyway, a lot of it depends on the
scripts, and on schedules.  So we'll see....

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

Jump gates, nanotech, high-tech weapons, starship drives, sound in space, and
other subjects of science and technology in Babylon 5.
596 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 573       Mon Mar 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:44 EST

     I dunno...that's an *awful* big cruiser, given the specs.  The thing to
bear in mind is that in space, you don't really have a reference point.  So if
something is in the foreground, it can look large against the background (the
cruiser), making the cruiser look small.  (It's the same effect as holding a
tennis ball in front of your eye, and using it to block out the sun; the
tennis ball isn't bigger than the sun, it's a matter of where you're
standing.)  Sinclair's ship is a LONG ways from the cruiser when last you see
it.  That maw is a massive launch area.   It's really *huge*.  Perhaps you'll
get a better understanding of how big it is in a certain later episode, where
you'll be able to see a single ship entering the maw *at* the maw itself,
which should put it all into the correct perspective.

                                                             jms
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 575       Tue Mar 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:14 EST

     Will look into some new gifs soonest....


                                                   jms
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Topic 23        Fri Feb 12, 1993
V.VAIDY1 [Vijay]             at 23:00 EST
Sub: "OtherWorks" by JMS                  

Before there was "B5" and when "JMS" was just another Plain Joe, there was
OtherSyde
 [A discussion of the other works of J. Michael Straczynski]
168 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 23
Message 163       Mon Mar 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:55 EST

     I wrote a total of, as I recall, 12 or so episodes of new TZ.  Some of
the better ones of mine include "The Mind of Simon Foster" (which you noted),
"Dream Me a Life," "Special Service," "Acts of Terror" and "Rendezvous in a
Dark Place."

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 23
Message 166       Sat Mar 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:04 EST

     Yep; the Zone with Skerrit was mine, and all the CBS TZs were edited to
fit into the half-hour slot.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 23
Message 168       Sun Mar 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:43 EST

     Thanks; that one came out pretty well, actually.

                                                                    jms
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Topic 24        Fri Jun 04, 1993
J.ROY18 [Jonathan]           at 21:11 EDT
Sub: Babylon 5 - Weapons and Warfare!     

For discussion about the weapons, counter weapons, armor, shielding, tactics,
logistics, and so forth, of small combat and large scale war in the Babylon 5
universe.
545 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 24
Message 504       Mon Mar 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:57 EST

     It's 23E, yes.  And the ships have been somewhat upgraded, but the basic
configuration remains.  Also, after the war, a LOT of the EA's fleet was wiped
out, so it's been a very slow process of putting out new ships.  Even B5 isn't
completely armed as of this time; they'll be getting in their final squadron,
Zeta Squadron, in "Survivors."  (Right now all they have are Delta and Alpha
flights.)  The budget is very tight.

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 24
Message 513       Wed Mar 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:31 EST

     Correct; the fighters enter via the main docking bay, are lowered into
maintainance bays, repaired/recharged, then set back in place.  You will see a
goodly portion of this in "Survivors."

     And the Narns didn't really have the resources for an invasion of Earth
at that time.

     Nor would much be gained, either.

                                                                jms
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Topic 25        Fri Mar 12, 1993
S.SHELLENBAR [>> SHANE <<]   at 08:47 EST
Sub: J. Michael Straczynski Speaks in Public

This is the place to find out where and when JMS will be appearing next.  JMS
has honed his skills as a public speaker and is taking his act on the road.
434 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 25
Message 434       Wed Mar 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:32 EST

     Saturday, April 2nd, Burbank Airport Hilton, 2:00, appearing at Phil and
Ed's convention.

                                                                jms
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Topic 3         Sat Oct 16, 1993
STARR [Arne]                 at 10:43 EDT
Sub: The Gathering -- the pilot film      

This topic is for discussion of the 2 hour pilot film.

104 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 3
Message 99        Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:01 EST

      Kosh was the only occupant that we know of, and the ship is still there,
except when he takes it out on occasion.

                                                                  jms
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Topic 4         Sat Oct 16, 1993
STARR [Arne]                 at 10:46 EDT
Sub: Midnight on the Firing Line  (#103)  

The first episode of the new series appearing in late January.

197 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 4
Message 192       Wed Mar 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:21 EST

     The fighters are launched from the cobra bays.  The cobra bays rotate.

                                                               jms
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Category 19,  Topic 4
Message 195       Thu Mar 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:52 EST

     No comment.

                                                             jms
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Topic 9         Sat Oct 16, 1993
STARR [Arne]                 at 22:58 EDT
Sub: And the Sky Full of Stars  (#106)    

by JMS. Time to find out about Sinclair's "hole in his mind".
216 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 32        Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:44 EST

     What?  Who, me?  Near as I remember, the Question was, "What happened at
the Battle of the Line?"  Answer: Sinclair was taken aboard the Minbari
cruiser, tortured, interrogated, mind-wiped and shoved back into his ship.

     The Question *now* is, "WHY was Sinclair taken aboard the Minbari
cruiser, tortured, interrogated, mind-wiped and shoved back into his ship?"

     That question was not asked heretofore...so how could it be still
unanswered?

                     jm(who took two semesters of Logic in college)s
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 34        Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:34 EST

     Nope.  You can't string folks along that long.  A goodly portion of it
will be out by season's end.  Not all, but a *lot*.

                                                              jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 58        Thu Mar 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:01 EST

     Goodman: the CGI won't look as good in slow motion because we step-
printed them deliberately, in order to give them a more dream-like appearance.
For us, this wasn't about the ships, it was about one of the men in the ship,
which is why we kept him in sharp focus, and went to step-printing whenever we
went outside (and since we're seeing this from his memory, clearly he wouldn't
actually have *seen* most of this, it's his *sense* of what happened).  You'll
get plenty of clear CGI in "Signs and Portents," airing in May.

                                                        jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 79        Fri Mar 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:10 EST

     Some random thoughts:

     I would *never* pull a "he wakes up and it was all a dream" on the
series.  I hate that kind of story.

     There's more in that newspaper than meets the eye....

     Note in the episode that when Sinclair's wheeled down the hall, still in
his uniform, he's not bloodied up.  But is later.

     This is, as stated, one of my favorites from this season.  (And the
person behind the lighting is the same one behind all the episodes, John
Flinn, our cinematographer, working with Janet Greek, our director.)  I would
put at this approximate level (some better, some as good) the following
episodes (for varying reasons): "By Any Means Necessary,"  "Babylon Squared,"
"Signs and Portents," "A Voice in the Wilderness," and of course "Chrysalis."

                                                               jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 137       Tue Mar 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:10 EST

     What will be revealed over the course of the series?  All of it.

     By the time the series has run its five-year course (Neilsen willing),
there will only be ONE unanswered question left: "NOW what?"

                                                                  jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 143       Wed Mar 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 14:45 EST

     The platform is the zero-g cargo area; you'll see it in more detail later
in the season.

                                                                  jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 162       Fri Mar 25, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:35 EST

     Let me just offer an observation here.

     A number of people have commented that they weren't much surprised by
Sinclair being taken aboard, because on the nets -- and this has ONLY taken
place on the nets -- this speculation has been bandied about for some time.
We now have ten zillion speculations on the reason *why*.  I will not comment
on them one way or another (though I suppose I could point, without making the
real comparison between types of typists, to the idea that an infinte number
of monkeys typing on an infinite number of keyboards would eventually produce
Hamlet simply by chance combination; sooner or later, something close to the
reality might be stumbled upon...and let me ask a simple question: what
purpose does that serve?  It only lessens the enjoyment of those who would
simply like to enjoy what happens WHEN it happens).

     Any good detective knows that you can't really begin to speculate about
motive until you have all the information right at hand.  At this point there
is information you don't have...and absent that, any guesses will either be
wrong, or close enough to hinder the fun but still essentially incorrect.
It's like trying to guess the contents of a box without knowing the size of
the box...it could be a marble, it could be an elephant or a pre-fabricated
house.

     All I'm suggesting is that you consider not trying to come up with every
possible angle, and let the show progress on its own.  Right now everybody
seems to be scrambling to make sure every even remotely feasible possibility
is covered, and there an infinite number.  As an organized activity, this will
in time only prove frustrating.  By the end of the season, as with being near
the end of a movie, you'll have enough info on hand to start making some
educated guesses.  To do so now is to begin the process of calling out
possible endings during the first five minutes of a movie...you'll miss the
important things, and annoy the people sitting behind you.

     I'm not saying stop; I'm just saying...relax, a little, I guess, and
simply be aware that you *cannot* scatter-shot this thing without having
access to all the information.  It's like trying to guess the beginnings of
World War One without knowing *any* of the background of the countries
involved.  Suffice to say that the reason would not be simplistic, or cliched,
or *easily deduced*.  One thing I learned in two years on "Murder, She Wrote"
was to come up with a fairly complex mystery, something that can't be easily
solved going in, but which makes perfect sense after you have all the facts
and know which clues were the real ones, and which were simply red herrings.

     Just a thought....

                                                                 jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 170       Sat Mar 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:42 EST

     It's not so much story ideas (though I suppose there is some validity to
that point) as...I dunno...just seeing one speculation after another after
another, going through every conceivable possibility and
combination...granted, some is inevitable, it was just the systematic and
extremely...*energetic* hammering that made me wonder if this might not end up
hindering people's enjoyment of the show and its revelations rather than
assisting it.

                                                                  jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 178       Sat Mar 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:58 EST

     There are no apologies to be made, and I do understand, that's the point.
I was just echoing the comments just preceding this one.  Which is all I'll
say on it henceforth.  Just trying to help.

                                                                 jms
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Category 19,  Topic 9
Message 191       Sun Mar 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:36 EST

     The episode of "Mind War" broadcast henceforth will be the one with
slight alteration.

    What's the difference between a story idea and a speculation...eek. The
problem with this whole discussion -- perhaps the main problem -- is the
fuzziness, because it *hasn't been defined yet*.  We are now in the OF
defining it via this exchange.  It's what a person might choose to sue over.
And there's no way to quantify or predict that.

     I do think there's *some* difference between the two.  I think that
primary way this discussion can get into trouble is in the level of detail.
It's pretty much impossible to sue for a brief *idea*; but the more elaborate
a suggestion or speculation gets, the more points of potential comparison
emerge, and the greater the liability.  "See, your honor?  My speculation on
what happened contained 57 specific plot points, and what Straczynski later
produced had 54 of those points.  I submit that he saw what I wrote, decided
it was better, stole my idea, and took it for his own!"

     Bottom line...I only got into this discussion, really, because I didn't
want people futilely spinning their wheels, because minus the 4 or 5 main plot
points you don't have yet, it's nearly impossible to guess what's going on.
It's like trying to determine who committed a murder when all you've been told
is that there's a dead body...not when it was committed, or where, or how the
person died, or what clues were found, or where all the suspects were at the
time.  My primary concern was in not letting the frustration level get too
high.  The other matter was tangential.


     But since it has come up...again, I'd say that the main point of
differentiation is in the level of complexity.  The longer and more detailed
the speculation, new histories for characters, new behind the scenes stuff,
plot complications, motivations, on and on -- the more something is built that
one could sue over.

     This is a very difficult area, and there are all kinds of ways that it
can bite you.  Over on CIS, for instance, Paramount came down on a series of
messages with speculative plot info on ST 7 with lawyers and in injunction and
major-leage threats against the people involved, CIS itself and anyone else
they could think of.  We're trying to find a more personable way of handling
this situation. And for the most part, I think we're doing fine.  But every so
often this little issue raises its ugly head, and has to be dealt with.

                                                          jms

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Topic 10        Sat Oct 16, 1993
STARR [Arne]                 at 22:59 EDT
Sub: The War Prayer   (#107)              

by Dorothy Fontana.

95 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 10
Message 83        Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:05 EST

     It wasn't a reference to the Heinlein book, only to the historical use of
that design.  Re: the breather masks...in cases of riot, sometimes they pump
in gas.  Also, if they have to chase any of the aliens into the alien sector's
alternate-atmosphere sections, they have to be wearing breathers.  (Believe
me, we had a *long* discussion about this.)

                                                                 jms
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Topic 13        Sun Oct 17, 1993
STARR [Arne]                 at 15:15 EDT
Sub: Mind War   (#110)                    

by JMS. Co-Starring Walter Koenig.
206 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 13
Message 202       Wed Mar 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:06 EST

     "Commander" wasn't dubbed onto Walter.  That was Ironheart speaking with
his back to us.

                                                                 jms
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