lurkers-guide/ftp/GEnie/jms94-07-16

Babylon 5 posts by JMS on GEnie for July 16-31, 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.
732 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 452       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:59 EDT

     The first batch of mugs are from (you'll pardon the expression) Creation.

     Currently about 2/3rds finished writing a second-season ep called
"Revelations," and though I've written and commissioned others already, this
one's sizing up to be a major ass-kicker from a story perspective.
Definitely the flip-side of "Chrysalis."  Some really, really nice stuff.

     The hardest part is always writing Kosh, because you have to be very
careful how much you use him, and what he says.  Too much and he loses his
sense of mystery, and you don't want him spouting fortune-cookie  type
aphorisms.  He has a very deliberate way of speaking in which  everything,
every smallest nuance and inflection means something, but sometimes not what
it appears to mean, or comes at it from a very different angle than normal
conversation.  So I go as minimalist as possible, to get the meaning down to
the smallest number of words possible.  And in one scene, one of only two he
appears in, I got him down to *one word*, and that one word -- and it's a
totally inoffensive, neutral word on its own terms -- should scare the hell
out of *everybody*.

     Ah loves this show....

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 455       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:22 EDT

     Telepaths are the ultimate minority, and when it comes to the use of
their talents, and the protection of the rights of the hysterical majority,
their rights don't mean a whole hell of a lot.

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 473       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:18 EDT

     Yes, Mary Jo is Christian Slater's mom.  She keeps nudging us about an
appearance, since he loves SF.  We'll see.

     And also correct...the majority of freelance scripts we commission don't
tend to need a lot of revision.  Certainly not after the first go round.  DC's
first script needed a bit of work, but that was mainly because she was still
feeling her way around the characters and the show.  Her second script came in
almost letter perfect; move around a few commas and that's about it.  And her
outline for her next script, for season two, is very cool.

     Funny story.  Saw Ed Wasser ("Morden") the other day, and asked him if
he'd had any reaction to his first appearance on the show.  Just one, he said.
He was in a florist shop, picking out some stuff for a friend who was sick.
The proprieter came over, asked, "What do you want?"  Ed sorta mumbled about
wanting some flowers.  "What do you want?" the owner asked again.  Ed -- still
not getting it -- said he was looking for some nice stuff for a friend who was
sick.  "Yes, but what do you *want*?" the owner asked.  At which point Ed
finally twigged to what was going on.  He said afterward that it really *is*
an unnerving approach, which was kinda the point.

     Of course, the owner then added that he thought the scene was from DS9,
but what the hell, it's an imperfect universe.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 483       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:52 EDT

     We're re-doing *all* of our computer displays for next year, using some
nifty graphic designs.  Part of the problem is that the boys at Foundation
were doing the displays, and they were swamped doing our main CGI, so that
kinda fell by the wayside.  This year we've got someone who does ONLY our
computer screens with us in-house.

     Glad you liked the series font, btw; I picked it out me own self.   It's
Serpentine Medium, for anyone interested.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 499       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:43 EDT

     Yeah, just about all of our monitor stuff in scenes is done live on the
stage, rather than in post; gives it a nice sense of reality, I think.

     Re: serpentine medium...about 75% of the reason I picked that font was
because it looked cool, and 25% because I liked the name and the image it
brings to mind.

     Re: telepathy...yes, it's bordered and proscribed by physical
limitations, in many ways; the closer you are, the better you can do.   Even
Bester, in "Mind War," noted that he could shut Ironheart down, "but we have
to be on a line-of-sight to do it."  They couldn't just broadcast it into the
ether, he had to be *there* in front of them.

     The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5.
There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in
general the findings have been inconclusive.  But about 125 years or so ago in
B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt,
and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered.  There were some abortive and
confused attempts to legislate around this, most of which failed or were
overturned in various courts of law.  About 2150 or so, the government
agencies that regulated and oversaw telepaths were rolled over into the newly
established Psi Corps, which became a clearing house for locating,
controlling, and licensing telepaths for commercial, some very restricted
legal, and military purposes.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 521       Mon Jul 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:51 EDT

     Yes, a businessman can insist on having his own telepath present, or can
ask not to be scanned during negotiations...though it is a sign that one has
something to hide, and might screw the deal.  Sinclair could have asked for a
telepath on his side, but 1) that wasn't the issue, it was allowing NO
telepath to have that access, and 2) would've requird a Psi Corps military
liaison-type telepath, and none were available on station.

                                                      jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 529       Tue Jul 19, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:29 EDT

     There's definitely a crew mess, which you can see in "Babylon Squared,"
and a couple of other episodes.  Next season you'll also be seeing our
Officer's Club.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 559       Thu Jul 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:44 EDT

     Of course those two options are profoundly unfair.  Some elements of
EarthGov are very unfair.  Some elements of *our* government are very unfair.
So now we see what this does to people, and how they react.

                                                            jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 560       Thu Jul 21, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:49 EDT

     (hrrmmmm...looks like my internet gateway is down again....)

                                                          jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 580       Fri Jul 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:41 EDT

     One of the Kosh guesses in this category is correct.

     But I'm not telling you which one, or which topic it appears in.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 636       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:23 EDT

     Re: sound in space...I sent out the word to just about everyone to get a
consensus on this issue.  And I got back some surprising responses from a
number of physicists, including none other than Freeman Dyson.  The SF
community has always accepted, unquestioningly, almost as a shibboleth, the No
Sound In Space Is Possible theory.  But what came back from Dyson and others
says, basically, that this ain't necessarily the case.

     Eventually, I'll get around to collating all the info and uploading it
here.  (But as one example, if a ship of very large size explodes, the
atmosphere within will expand outward, carrying with it the sound of the
explosion.  It will fizzle fairly quickly, but if you're within the range of
the expanding bubble of air and sound, you'll hear something.   Also, if a
ship explodes, if you're outside the bubble, floating in space without a ship
or a helmet, no, you won't hear it, but then that doesn't matter because
you're dead.  If you're in another ship, outside the range of the expanding
air curtain, you'll hear sounds as the debris, radiation and other effects of
the explosion strike your hull, causing it to ring or otherwise reflect the
sound.)

     In any event, I think that this particular shibboleth is going to  have
to be reconsidered.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 651       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:29 EDT

     Nothing scanned by a telepath is admissible in court per se.

                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 1
Message 688       Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:38 EDT

     Neither "Quality," "Babylon Squared" nor "Chrysalis" start with someone
coming to the station.

                                                       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.

824 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 653       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:49 EDT

     We digitally isolated the image of the bike driving away, and then
composited it into the shot.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 670       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:22 EDT

     Correct...Internal Investigations = II's = Eyes.

                                                                     jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 683       Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:20 EDT

     I try not to hype shows that I like unless I know beyond a doubt that
it's absolutley kickp-ass.  I like "Voice" a lot; it is the point at which we
really start cranking, speeding things up as we barrel toward "Chrysalis."  I
think the CGi is nothing less than terrific, Christopher Franke went balls-to-
the-wall and did an *amazing* job with the music, the performances are good.
I like it a lot.  I haven't commented upon it a lot because it's kind of the
weird child in the brood; when I write, I generally write tight and fast.  By
the third act, you're *moving*.  In this case, you have to pace yourself out
*very* differently, so part of my brain keeps doing this "c'mon, speed it up,
speed it up" when I'm watching the first part because I'm used to a different
one-hour kind of pacing.

     Kathryn says I'm nuts.  But then this is nothing new.

     Anyway, I do think it's pretty cool, and does a lot with virtual sets and
composite sets.

     Yesterday, I got the final air-check versions of "Babylon Squared" and
"Chrysalis" to QC before delivering them to PTEN.  Watched both of them three
times in the same day.  They're just stunning.  Probably the two best episodes
of the entire season.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 686       Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:36 EDT

     Yeah...I love Londo's song, that whole scene.  The director wanted to cut
Ivanova's coda after her mantra, but I really felt we needed it, and it played
perfectly with her Russian character, which tends to have this unusual
relationship with higher forces (he said vaguely).  I love character based
humor, because it's very powerful once you know the characters, and it can
really blind-side you if done right.  Ivanova's reaction in the core area was
about as real as would probably happen, but it's funny to hear her *say* it.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 689       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:26 EDT

     Basically, I thought "Legacies" was pretty good, all things considered.
I'd put it at around the center of the pack.  It didn't exactly leap off the
boards at me, but I didn't have any major problems with it, as I did with, for
instance, "Infection."  (Like the CGI composite shot of the rotunda, looking
out at the garden before panning down a lot.)

                                                             jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 691       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:27 EDT

     Generally, that stuff is generated by Ron's elves, since they do the
rendering and have the specs on-line, and yes, that stuff will show up in the
CDRom.

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 698       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:32 EDT

     How did I get what CD of my CGI?  I'm not sure I understand the question.

     The CD Rom (I believe these are two separate issues) will be out from
Compton's around January or so.

     And yeah, we definitely gave Ron's elves a workout on this one....

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 717       Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:58 EDT

     This ought to mess you up...take all the stuff we learn and stuff we do
in "Voice," multiply the whole two hours times two, and  you get some idea of
what's in "Babylon Squared" and "Chrysalis."  The latter is the closest thing
I've ever seen to a blipvert...yikes!

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 721       Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:53 EDT

     How does one come up with stuff like Londo's song?  Easy, really; you
start by putting yourself in the position of an alien trying to understand us.
And if you step back for a second, we do some *very* weird stuff.  What he
says about the song is exactly right in terms of its meaning.

                                                             jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 728       Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:49 EDT

     Tom: I just think that you gotta push the car to its limits, and beyond,
and beyond, cranking it further and further until your buttons fly off, the
windshield cracks, the roof buckles and the doors blow off.   That, to me, is
a *ride*.  And I want B5 to be a *ride*.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 739       Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:42 EDT

     And there we get into the contradiction; Ivanova and Sinclair down on the
planet would be mainly more run-and-jump...Draal talking about his feelings,
Delenn showing she is upset that her friend is going away and will never be
seen by her again, their obvious friendship, that to me is characterization.
And not just throwaway stuff, either, but important down the road.

     But hey, what do I know....

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 746       Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:52 EDT

     "...a few minutes of Sinclair and Ivanova telling each other what's going
on in their heads while they explore the city."

     *zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*nort

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 749       Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:08 EDT

     On the question of dialogue, this comes under the heading of General
Editorializing, not directed to anyone in particular....

     I love monologues.  They are a legitimate part of any drama.  The MTV
generation has had its tastes so thoroughly bastardized by quick cuts,
lowering the attention span further and further, that any bite of more than
ten seconds and they start to wander, it becomes a block of words and they
blur out.

     Go rent Network by Paddy Chayefsky, watch nearly any of the TZs by Rod
Serling, go see "The Lady's Not for Burning" by Christopher Fry...all
chockablock with moments where you park for a moment and let fly with a chunk
of dialogue that smashes your head against the wall.  Not every single
exchange has to be foreshortened so that you lose the *impact* of what's being
said.  Because people's attention spans have been greatly foreshortened,
suddenly more than 3 lines at a time is somehow viewed as wrong.  It ain't.
Just that lots of folks are afraid to try it, afraid to rely on just the words
and the actors.  And sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.  But it's
legitimate.

     The monologue in particular, done right, isn't just to convey
information, it's to create a mood, to paint pictures with words, to expand on
the obvious.  Yeah, I could've just written, "The narns hate us, we hate them,
it's equal math."  But that doesn't carry the same meaning, the same sense as
"so here we are...victims of mathematics."  The use of the word "victim"
connotes, hey, it's not my fault.  Yeah, the former is shorter, but you lose
the rhythms, the imagery, and the *sense* of what is intended.  You could say,
"The narn hate us."  But to say, "if the narns gathered together in one place,
and hated, all at the same time, that hatred would fly across dozens of light
years and reduce Centauri Prime to a ball of ash," draws a picture, lends
power to the emotion.

     Point being...I like 'em, there's nothing wrong with them, and they're
staying.

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 2
Message 765       Fri Jul 29, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:46 EDT

     Actually, sadly, that was Londo's first wife, who he was forced to
divorce later.  Eventually I'll get into this.

     Londo and Garibaldi really are two sides of the same coin, in some ways.
There's an odd friendship there, almost grudging; Londo had little to gain by
cheering up Garibaldi, except a drink perhaps, but that's what friends do.

     Re: the XO and second going down...my theory is that there's a First
Contact Protocol that doesn't currently exist because there's no need for it
in the present.  No aliens yet.  The Earth/Minbari War started with a botched
First Contact that nearly wiped out humanity.  You don't want junior officers
anywhere even *near* the scene.  You send your two best, who are trained in
FCP (which Sinclair referenced in "Soul Hunter," btw).  If they die, they're
replaceable.  Earth isn't.

     Two really great quotes above, btw.  We get some more nice ones in season
two, in the first two episodes.  One is from Lincoln (a little bit about
saving or losing the last best hope of Earth), the second from Yeats (what
rough beast slouching toward Bethelehem, to be born).

                                                                     jms
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Topic 3         Tue Nov 03, 1992
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:09 EST
Sub: Babylon 5 - Computer SFX 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.
656 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 620       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:21 EDT

     Yes, that building is in the Garden.  You can see buildings there in many
shots, some better than others.  It's a big place.  The Fresh Air restaurant
is also in the Garden area, and you can see buildings there in "Purple," also
upcoming in "Quality."

                                                                 jms
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Category 18,  Topic 3
Message 632       Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:33 EDT

     Hey...sooner or later...boom.

                                                              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.
574 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 500       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:45 EDT

     ...grumble mumble ramma framma overrated tradition bah humbug....

                                                                jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 511       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:24 EDT

     The address to send the photos is the generic B5 address:

     14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.

     Re: Jarvis...I have a little something planned in our first episode, just
a little thing, really...a small stilletto between the ribs....

                                                          jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 523       Tue Jul 19, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:30 EDT

     It's okay, both addresses will work fine.

                                                                  jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 538       Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:53 EDT

     Thank you, thank you, *thank you* for giving me the name of the pinhead
who's been spreading that information around.  I've been trying to backtrack
it for a few weeks now.  It's been really infuriating because it simply ain't
true.

     Oh, good, this means tomorrow I get to call somebody up and yell at him.


     I *enjoy* that.  There's nothing more wonderful in all the universe that
a justified, righteous mad.  I get all tingly just thinking about it.

                                                                   jms
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Category 18,  Topic 4
Message 552       Fri Jul 29, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:48 EDT

     Filming begins on August 10th.  Probably some time next week I'll be able
to give you the name.  We've pretty much closed the deal, after considerable
and lengthy negotiation, but I don't want to come out with it just yet.

                                                             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 parodies, this is where to
put your funny bone in writing!
715 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 9
Message 703       Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:23 EDT

     This is a terrible story, but Paul Simon, in an interview, swears that
it's true.  Someone asked him about his songs.  He said he was in a restaurant
down south, stopped in for a sandwich, long time ago.  Asked for a chicken and
egg sandwich.  The waitress called back the request to the cook, "One mother
and child reunion."

     And that's where he got the title....

                                                                 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.
642 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 12
Message 634       Tue Jul 19, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 19:24 EDT

     Just did an on-camera interview for E! News Daily.  Expect to see this on
the E! channel (if you get it) on the 25th of this month.  The topic: on-line
services.  (Fairly straightforward introductory stuff, frankly.)

                                                                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.
485 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 13
Message 456       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:26 EDT

     Actually, would red light tend to produce red eyes, or green eyes?
Through a red filter, red on red, everything would kinda vanish, yes?

                                                               jms
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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.
755 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 721       Wed Jul 20, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 22:34 EDT

     "JMS is not a god."

     Oh, great, fine, you had to wait until AFTER they found the nails and
hammer to mention that....

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 14
Message 726       Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:26 EDT

     Regarding why I generally don't respond to flirtings...does the name
Bobbitt ring a bell?

                                                                  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
716 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 667       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:23 EDT

     Not yet, but we've been talking about it.

                                                              jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 669       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:23 EDT

     No, they are not.

     Any script broker selling copies of B5 scripts is doing so without
permission.  They are engaging in copyright infringement.  The contents of the
scripts belong to PTEN, but the physical copies belong to the writers, who get
nothing out of this.  It ruins, for instance, Christy's chance to make a few
dollars selling what is hers, if her script gets on the open market.

                                                                    jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 672       Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:28 EDT

     One of the things we're thinking of doing, once and if we can get this B5
fan liaison office going, is to sell scripts from the show.  But unlike any
other script house (and a certain other show that sells its scripts), the
writers of the scripts sold will get a royalty off the sale of their scripts;
or, if they don't want them sold, we won't do so.   And it won't be exclusive
in any event.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 674       Mon Jul 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:46 EDT

     That is one of the things we hope to do with the B5 fan liaison office,
when and if we can get it going; to help defray expenses, we think we can
market a few things, including scripts of aired shows, with the proviso that
the original writer gets a royalty off the scripts, and/or can opt not to have
their script sold if they so desire.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 678       Mon Jul 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:27 EDT

     Probably within a month or so after being aired.

                                                                     jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 689       Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:27 EDT

     The EA game fell through, for various and sundry reasons.

                                                               jms
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Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 696       Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:56 EDT

     Yeah, I had the same conversation...suggested a structure rather like the
Winds of War, set during the Earth/Minbari War, in that we have all of our
characters in different places, seeing the story and the war from their
perspectives, and how their paths intersect during that time in odd or
unlikely ways.  Dell didn't think that was the way to go, that unless it was
set in the present, people would feel disappointed.

     Oh, well...eventually we'll get around to that part of the story.

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 17
Message 707       Fri Jul 29, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:51 EDT

     John: we discarded a title for this season, "A Trick of the Mind," which
we changed to "A Spider in the Web."  The former, now available, might work
well for the book.

                                                               jms
 ------------
 ************
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]
201 message(s) total.
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Category 18,  Topic 23
Message 196       Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:24 EDT

     Actually, the eps I wrote for AW were never released; they were part of
the batch done for the last season, which never got aired or released.

                                                                    jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 23
Message 200       Mon Jul 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:28 EDT

     Didn't write it, your honor.  Had nothin' to do with it.  The ones I
wrote (and the ones Larry wrote) are the only ones with single writing
credits.

                                                                  jms
 ------------
 ************
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.
331 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 18,  Topic 24
Message 325       Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:59 EDT

     Insofar as I know, the designs entered in on the cruisers hasn't been
modified at all, so I can't account for any perceived differences.  And I
believe that the Minbari flyer used was the same model as Deathwalker used,
though without checking the tapes I can't be 100% sure.  It's a fairly
standard flyer.

                                                                jms
 ------------
 ************
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.
596 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 25
Message 581       Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:59 EDT

     San Diego Comic Con *Flash*.....I've been asked to do two major B5
presentations (well, major in that I'll be there...which is kinda major, I
guess...okay, maybe a lieutenant...second lieutenant...actually, it's not a
big thing....) at the convention: one is still slated for that Friday from 2-4
p.m., and they've added a second presentation from 11-1 Saturday.  (If you saw
the Chicago presentation, there isn't much need to hustle to see the one on
Friday; but you may want to be there for the Saturday one, which will be in a
larger room.)

     Possible that Bill Mumy will be there; don't know (doubt it) if Harlan
will be able to show up in time; John Iacovelli (art/production designer
extraordinaire) will try to show up for one of these.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 25
Message 584       Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:57 EDT

     I'll tell you a true thing, and I'm not saying this to get any kind of
reassurance or pats, this is the god's honest truth...I never  feel that way.
If one of the cast shows up, if one of our other folks shows up, that's a big
deal, from my perspective.  Me is just me, and I'm forever *astonished* when
people actually show up.  I'm constantly sure that I'm going to go to the room
and find that no one is there.  I'm told by people that I'm supposed to be
some kind of "celebrity," whatever the hell THAT means this week...but I've
never transitioned into accepting that notion.

                                                            jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 25
Message 586       Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:43 EDT

     Nothing that I know of, meself included.

                                                              jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 25
Message 592       Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:10 EDT

     I'd recommend Saturday.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 31        Sat Jul 09, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 20:23 EDT
Sub: Really Stupid Questions from JMS     

Every so often, I need Information.  (You won't get it!)  Technical stuff,
research or reference stuff...and given the brain trust here, I figured this
could be a useful resource from time to time.  With appreciation.
99 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 38        Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:28 EDT

     Can I get SCSI installed with the computer from Dell?  Does PCI take the
place of SCSI?  Will Jeff marry Sally?

     Question: the Native American practice of "wars" in which you bonk each
other with gourds while riding on horseback, not really hurting  anyone but
racking up points...that's called "counting coup," yes?

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 45        Mon Jul 18, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:54 EDT

     (as he lay there on the mat, the referee counting slowly to ten, he
decides whether to get up, and face another barrage, or just lay there
contemplating how amazing the lights look from this perspective....)

     My problem with my current system is that it works fine with the first
item on the SCSI system, a rewriteable optical disk.  It's when I plug that
into the second device, a 6-CD rom jukebox (Pioneer 604X) that suddenly the
system begins resetting and resetting and resetting when I turn it on.  I can
only make ti stop resetting by unplugging the jukebox.  There's not a conflict
in the device number, that seems fine.  And insofar as I can tell, the
terminatin switches are set fine.  Ultrastor thinks that a jumper of some kind
needs to be installed on the car.

     All I want...please...is a computer that I can plug in, not have to mess
with, and will be able to do everything I want it to do with the DOS software
(sorry, macs) that I've grown accustomed to.  It seems like every computer
I've ever owned needs massaging, nudging, configuring, constant prayer and
occasional exorcism.  I just want it to *work right* out of the box.  Is that
really so much to ask?

                                                                  jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 61        Sun Jul 24, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:33 EDT

     Other stupid question moment.  Back in the 50s, there was an SF series
called "Planet Patrol."  No, not "Space Patrol" (though that was what it was
called in England), "Planet Patrol."  Aired in New York on WPIX.  We're
talking here puppets, okay?  Cool martians and tube cars and rockets and space
stations and stuff.  Used to watch the show all the time when I was a kid, and
am looking for copies of the episodes.  (It was made in B&W.)  For *years*,
nobody even believed it existed; it isn't in ANY book that I'm aware of.
Finally, about 2 years ago, I got my hands on one copy of one episode from a
contact, which wasn't much, but was enough to convince everyone from holding
that planned sanity hearing.  It DOES (or did) exist.  So once every year or
two, I put out the word...if anyone here has copies of this show, or knows
where same can be gotten, I'd *very* much appreciate hearing about it.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 69        Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:27 EDT

     Kathy, it'd be great if you could find out.  Basically, if it's a show
with real actors, it's not the show I'm looking for; if it's got puppets, then
it is.  (Though sometimes I wonder at the distinction....)

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 73        Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 16:03 EDT

     Klaatu: not the Tom Corbet space patrol, this is a different thing.

     Yeah, finally decided to screw it and bite the bullet (to mix my
metaphors a bit) and get the damned thing.  Reality is, if you wait for the
next Big Thing, you'll never buy anything.  I'd gotten paralyzed, and finally
just figured to do it.

     Going for the Dell Dimension 90mhz Pentium, 32 megs ram, 17" monitor (.26
mm resolution), 3x CD Rom, 2 1-gigabyte drives, 2 floppies, IDE controller,
soundblaster 16, peavy speakers, trackball keyboard, and a bunch of other
stuff that's pretty much maxed out the system.  #9GXEPro video card with 2
megs memory (option of getting 2 more megs).  It's got everything short of
warp drive, and that only because it wasn't available.

     We'll see how long this one lasts....

                                                                    jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 81        Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:59 EDT

     The entire Men Into Space series is available from Stephen M. Russo, Box
3250, McCormack Station, Boston MA 02101-3250 (based on his ads in Filmfax and
others).

     Re: the video card, it's the #9GXEPro, a 64 bit card.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 88        Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:54 EDT

     It *is* a PCI.  It's already been ordered.  And you may be thinking of
the Omniplex; the Dimension was rated the highest on winmarks and sysmarks by
every magazine I could get my hands on.

                                                                     jms
 ------------
Category 18,  Topic 31
Message 96        Sun Jul 31, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 17:31 EDT

     Pat: thanks.  Unfortunately, I really can't take the risk that everyone
has seen all prior episodes; the information needed for episode B to be clear
has to be included, even if it's a restatement of something we saw in a prior
episode.  Otherwise, I don't think we're really playing fair with the
audience, and people will start tuning out.

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

?aut=straczynski dat>940716 noreply
 ************
Topic 20        Sun Apr 17, 1994
STARR [Arne]                 at 23:50 EDT
Sub: #122 - "Eyes"                        

by Larry G. DiTillio.  Directed by Jim Johnston.
113 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 20
Message 57        Sat Jul 16, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:20 EDT

     "Memo to myself: don't ever compare an episode of B5 to an episode of
Star Trek without first researching the entirety of written fiction for non-
Trek precedents."

     That's a snotty response that has nothing to do with the issue that I
gigged you on.  You can compare anything to anything, I really don't care.
All that I have asked you to do is be aware of your language when you accuse
someone of stealing something?  Why is that so difficult for you to grasp?

     You keep trying to distort my point into something that it's not, and I
have no intention of letting you get away with it.  You said we did a remake
of an ST episode.  You didn't discuss the issues, you said it was a remake.
You implied the story was lifted from ST.  That is what you said.  I'm sorry
if it's now inconvenient for you, or that you got your nose caught in the
doorjam, but words mean what they mean, not what you want them to mean.

     And I find it very telling that when confronted, you announced that your
only options were to slink off or throw this in my face.  Odd that you
wouldn'd consider something like, "Sorry, it wasn't my intention to indicate
that Larry had stolen the idea.  I regret if that was implied."

     Guess that never even occured to you, did it?

     You can dance around re-interpretations all you want, Halliwell, but your
comment was rude, and pejorative, and an insult to Larry, and by association
to me.  And it's got nothing to do with comparisons or the entirety of written
fiction.  And that's clear to every person here but you.  You're evading and
backing and filling.

     You get very cavalier here about other people, about the work that others
do, their talents or lack thereof...you're always the first in line to
criticize somebody...but you don't much like it when it's you, do you?  Why
should I treat you with any more respect than you treat others?  Now, on
another day, maybe I'd just turn the other cheek, which  I do a *lot* around
here, and let it go.  But today, now, here, I don't much feel like it.  Maybe
I've heard this line once too often from people, and you're just the latest
one to get in my face with it.  Either way, maybe you'll learn something about
running one's mouth, and that words have meaning, and if you accuse somebody
of remaking somebody else's idea, you'd damned well better be prepared to back
it up, or back off and apologize.

     Or is even that modicum of civilized behavior completely beyond your
comprehension?

     We'll know in your next post whether you intend to act like a man, or a
weasel.  It's your call.

                                                               jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 22        Sun Apr 17, 1994
STARR [Arne]                 at 23:54 EDT
Sub: #120 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 1

by JMS.  Directed by Janet Greek.
101 message(s) total.
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Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 13        Tue Jul 26, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 15:50 EDT

     I believe it's a musical sound, rather than an EFX.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 17        Wed Jul 27, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:01 EDT

     The Starfuries are absolutely non-aerodynamic, and in the gravity well of
a planet, would simply plummet; they're not set up to function within that
kind of environment.  It isn't the re-entry, it's gravity and maneuvering once
you're *in* the thing.

     One sidelight to the speed question...it's sometimes hard to judge speed
when there are no handy landmarks.  The shuttle moves with INCREDIBLE speed as
it orbits Earth...but to look at it from any of the nearby cameras, when they
do a spacewalk, you can't tell it's moving at ALL.  Basically, we're between a
rock and a hard place; if we portrayed motion a la the Space Shuttle, nothing
would seem to move; if we portrayed the pure speed AS pure speed, using some
kind of landmarks or visual cues, it would go by SO fast that you *wouldn't be
able to see it*.  If you're moving at 15 klicks a second...it's gone by the
time you look at it.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 23        Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:36 EDT

     The Mars Colony situation will be raising its ugly head on and off again
for quite some time to come.

                                                                jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 31        Thu Jul 28, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:50 EDT

     As I recall, as we see Sinclair's ship descend, there are small rockets
fired from the top of the nose, which points the nose down, and orients it
toward atmospheric entry.

     No, nothing was missing from the CGI shot that I know of.

     Ivanova's line: "We don't know if we can find our way back or not," not
that it was closed off.  So showing them wandering around to find another open
tunnel seemed not dramatically interesting; you have to pick what's important
and what's not, and what will work dramaticall on screen.  If she had said
"there's no other way out," then you would've had to show it.  She didn't.
One can also argue that the alien showed them which way to get out.  Either
way...all you've got is one hour to tell your story.  You can't show
everything, you have to let your audience assume some things.

     Roy: there is a quantum difference between a computer game and a TV show.
It's not "lowest common denominator," which means making the story stupid; I'm
saying that if you showed the missiles at full speed, YOU WOULD NOT SEE THEM
AT ALL.  And, again, there's nothing nearby with which to get a sense of how
fast they're going, no landmarks, so it's very hard to convey that.  Again,
look at space footage; the shuttle is going *incredibly* fast...but as far as
we can tell it looks nearly motionless, because there are no landmarks.

     Re: not explaining WHY the Starfuries can't enter the atmosphere, we did
that.  Ivanova says that they're not built to function within an atmosphere.
Now, I could stop the scene for a long dissertation on the relative
aerodynamics of planes with wings vs. starfuries, but here you say only what
you have to.  You show, don't tell.

     It seems like in the same breath, it's accused of catering to the lowest-
common denominator, and being over the head of its viewers by requiring them
to *think* about what they're seeing.

     Which means we're probably doing it right.

                                                               jms
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Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 61        Fri Jul 29, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:39 EDT

     No, a shuttle like this, which is designed to function in alternate
atmospheres, and may have to evacuate groups, has about 7 standard or most
common atmosphere cannisters.  Medlab has the same thing, but in larger
numbers.  This is SOP on the show.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 81        Sun Jul 31, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:07 EDT

     No, the sets weren't redresses of regular sets; they were built new and
entirely for the two-parter; you can get a better look at them in the second
part, and some angles of the first.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 22
Message 85        Sun Jul 31, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:31 EDT

     Don't offhand know what you're referring to; will have to check.

     It's J. Michael Straczynski because the first two let you gradully creep
up on the last name in increasing increments.  To go from Joe to Straczynski
in one jump in print always seemed to me a bit much.

                                                              jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 23        Sun Apr 17, 1994
STARR [Arne]                 at 23:56 EDT
Sub: #121 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 2

by JMS.  Directed by Janet Greek.
8 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 19,  Topic 23
Message 4         Sat Jul 30, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 01:11 EDT

     Haven't seen the trailer for B-squared; hope nothing much is given away.

                                                                 jms
 ------------
 ************
Topic 25        Mon Apr 18, 1994
STARR [Arne]                 at 00:00 EDT
Sub: #115 - "Legacies"                    

by D.C.Fontana.  Directed by Bruce Seth Green.  Co-stars John Vickery.
112 message(s) total.
 ************
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Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 7         Sun Jul 17, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 23:20 EDT

     Yeah, the audio thing with Talia is something I thought of during the
final audio mix.  We wanted to convey somehow her trying to get through and
initially it was just distortion.  Then I figured, wait a second, she is going
to be thinking what she's going to say before she says it, why not pre-lap the
dialogue?  Unfortunately, for some damned reason, the high-tech studio wasn't
set up to do that effect, so we took Talia's dialogue, digitized it, laid it
in on a second side track, and played the one over the other, one preceding
the other by I think about 20 frames or so.  The key was to make the *second*
voicing the one synched to her lips, not the first one.  Worked out pretty
cool.

                                                                      jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 38        Fri Jul 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 02:36 EDT

     In at least some of those cases, Kiwi, it's not writer's laziness; you're
not paying attention.  Delenn knew the ship was coming in at the top of the
episode; when she realized that the gun ports were open, she went immediately
to Sinclair.  Story logic.  Also story logic for the appearance of Sinclair
and Garibaldi at the cargo bay; they didn't just "wander in," they determined
what had happened, and went there knowing that there was a Minbari transport
about to head out.

                                                              jms
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Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 43        Fri Jul 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 04:22 EDT

     Actually, Anne, I don't agree...I'd say that the majority of comments
come with constructive observations.  You get unvarnished "it's perfect,
change nothing," about as often as "it sucks, change everything."  Those are
rare individuals.  Mostly you get something in between.

                                                                   jms
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Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 51        Fri Jul 22, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 16:38 EDT

     The use of insulting language does not guarantee a response from me.
What it does guarantee is contempt.

     It also takes a breathtaking degree of stupidity to want to take on a
writer, any decent writer really, in a written medium.

     Re: the question at hand...no there was still plenty of room for docking.
It's hard to gauge distances because of the sheer *size* of the station and
the cruiser.  

                                                                 jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 56        Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 00:10 EDT

     Generally, the religious caste takes precedence over the warrior caste.

                                                                  jms
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Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 74        Sat Jul 23, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 18:07 EDT

     From cradle to grave, the Minbari are taught that there is no greater
goal, no nobler thing than to serve.  They are raised to be totally self-
sacrificing.  The only exception is when someone in the religious caste
believes he or she has received a calling, which if sincerely felt cannot be
contravened (since usually this too involves serving).  So for a Minbari
telepath, this is their means by which they may serve, and they are given
great respect.  It never even occurs to them to do otherwise.

     Lately, there has been a bit of a change brewing; "a self-involvement
above the needs of others" (as someone notes in "Voice") that has begun
creeping into the Minbari race.  And they're not happy about it.

                                                               jms
 ------------
Category 19,  Topic 25
Message 84        Mon Jul 25, 1994
STRACZYNSKI [Joe]            at 03:26 EDT

     It's bone, growing from the back of the head outward.

     Originally, this ep was to be broadcast later in the run, because I
didn't want two PsiCorps episodes back-to-back, and for one little detail that
will become clearer after "Babylon Squared" airs; it would've been better to
have followed that episode, but again, these eps are made to be watched in
just about any order, so it's okay in the long run.

                                                              jms