The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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  1. [1][ISMAP]-[2][Home]
  2. ### GUIDE ### [3][Background] [4][Synopsis] [5][Credits] [6][Episode
  3. List] [7][Previous] [8][Next]
  4. _Contents:_ [9]Overview - [10]Backplot - [11]Questions - [12]Analysis
  5. - [13]Notes - [14]JMS
  6. _________________________________________________________________
  7. Overview
  8. When the Narn attack a Centauri colony, Londo and G'Kar nearly come
  9. to blows. Meanwhile, raiders are attacking transport ships near the
  10. station. [15]Paul Hampton as The Senator. [16]Peter Trencher as
  11. Carn Mollari.
  12. Sub-genre: Action/intrigue
  13. [17]P5 Rating: [18]6.99
  14. Production number: 103
  15. Original air date: January 26, 1994
  16. Written by J. Michael Straczynski
  17. Directed by Richard Compton
  18. Watch For
  19. * The campaign issues in the presidential election, especially the
  20. pledges of the winner of the election.
  21. _________________________________________________________________
  22. Backplot
  23. * Earth's first contact with an alien race was with the Centauri. At
  24. the time, the Centauri claimed to be the dominant species in the
  25. galaxy, a "huge empire" - but (according to Garibaldi) this hasn't
  26. been true for almost a _hundred_ years. Furthermore, they tried to
  27. convince the Terrans that they were actually a Centauri lost
  28. colony, which genetic analysis proved also false.
  29. * All Centauri foresee the circumstances of their deaths in a dream.
  30. In Londo's dream, it is 20 years in the future and he and a Narn
  31. have one another by the throat. When Londo first saw G'Kar, he
  32. recognized him as the one from his dream.
  33. * According to G'Kar, the Centauri occupation of his homeworld was a
  34. "_hundred_ year reign of terror."
  35. * The Sinclairs have been fighter pilots since the Battle of
  36. Britain. Jeffrey Sinclair's father taught him everything he knows
  37. about flying and combat.
  38. * The Narn sold weapons to Earth during the Earth/Minbari war.
  39. * The first Mars colony was destroyed by an enemy sneak attack.
  40. * Ivanova's mother was a long-undiscovered telepath, never able to
  41. use her powers very well. When the Psi Corps finally caught up to
  42. her, they put her on very potent psi-retardant drugs. "Every day
  43. we just watched her drift further and further away from us. The
  44. light in her eyes went out bit by bit. And when we thought she
  45. could go no further, she took her own life." (cf. [19]"Eyes" and
  46. [20]"Legacies".)
  47. * Londo has enough clout to get a member of his family assigned to
  48. an agricultural colony rather than admitted to the military.
  49. Unanswered Questions
  50. * There are [21]two references in this episode to a major event in
  51. the Centauri empire about a hundred years ago. What happened back
  52. then? (cf: [22]"Signs and Portents", perhaps)
  53. * How did Kosh get into his encounter suit so quickly? When Sinclair
  54. visits to ask about his position on the Ragesh 3 situation, Kosh's
  55. suit is in plain view but un-animated, the "shoulders" at rest
  56. about two feet below the "head" (which they normally encircle).
  57. Sinclair can see a large light moving behind a translucent screen;
  58. Kosh's voice also appears to come from behind the screen. When
  59. Sinclair turns his back to go, the light flashes across him for a
  60. moment, and when he spins around the encounter suit is just
  61. reaching its full height, with Kosh as in it as he ever is.
  62. * When Londo tells Garibaldi he couldn't possibly understand his
  63. situation, Garibaldi replies, "I understand better than you'll
  64. ever know. I know it burns, I know the things it makes you want to
  65. do." What was he referring to? (cf: [23]"Survivors", perhaps)
  66. * How did G'Kar know about the Centauri decision to make no response
  67. to the Ragesh 3 attack?
  68. * Why did Kosh attend the council session?
  69. * Is it part of a larger Narn plan to supply the raiders with
  70. weapons?
  71. * What _is_ Garibaldi's most favorite thing in the universe?
  72. Analysis
  73. * From the things they say about each others' races at various times
  74. during this episode, neither Londo nor G'Kar seem likely to strive
  75. for lasting peace:
  76. _Londo:_
  77. "We should have wiped out your kind when we had the
  78. chance!"
  79. "On the issue of galactic peace I am long past innocence
  80. and fast approaching apathy. It's all a game, a paper
  81. fantasy of names and borders. Only one thing matters:
  82. blood calls out for blood."
  83. _G'Kar:_
  84. "Your time has come and gone! It's our turn now. One
  85. night you'll wake up and find our teeth at your throat."
  86. "I will confess that I look forward to the day when we
  87. have cleansed the universe of the Centauri and carved
  88. their bones into flutes for Narn children. 'Tis a dream I
  89. have."
  90. * Londo was absolutely consumed by anger and hatred. He would have
  91. sacrificed peace and justice for personal vengeance. (cf: [24]"By
  92. Any Means Necessary")
  93. * The Narn attack a distant easy target with little military value.
  94. This must have been to test the Centauri reaction - see how many
  95. ships they send in response, how hard they're willing to fight to
  96. defend any part of their territory. The Narn are forced to
  97. withdraw for non-military reasons, but they learn a great deal
  98. about their enemies with that move.
  99. * Ivanova is surprised to hear Sinclair defend the honor of the
  100. Minbari. (cf: [25]"The Gathering")
  101. * The EA is not in a strong enough position at home to take an
  102. ethical stance toward its neighbors. "The Earth Alliance can't go
  103. around being the galaxy's policemen," says the senator, "They want
  104. to fight it out, let'em. Just keep us out of it - at least until
  105. after the election."
  106. * One of the most alien moments was watching Delenn try to
  107. understand Garibaldi's cartoons and popcorn. She is at times a
  108. sage, and sometimes an innocent.
  109. * Sinclair claims he confiscated data crystals detailing Narn
  110. communications that confirm Londo's claims about the situation at
  111. Ragesh 3. However, Sinclair has bluffed before (cf: [26]"The
  112. Gathering"). There is no proof that the crystals actually
  113. contained data.
  114. Notes
  115. * Centauri have no major arteries in their wrists.
  116. * Garibaldi knows about the habitual movements of the senior staff
  117. (Sinclair turning off his link during down time at C&C, Ivanova
  118. going to the bar after work).
  119. * Garibaldi has had prior experience with the raiders. ("I knew
  120. they'd be back sooner or later.")
  121. * Ships move to and from the "secondary jump point" through
  122. hyperspace via the primary.
  123. * Starfuries can take multiple hits from Narn heavy weapons without
  124. losing function.
  125. * Earth is ruled by a Senate and a popularly elected President,
  126. though it remains to be seen how much these positions resemble
  127. those of today's USA. America, Russia, and China are among the
  128. "states" in this democracy.
  129. * A Senate subcommittee can dictate Sinclair's vote on the council.
  130. * G'Kar's [27]spoo was quite fresh that week.
  131. * Sinclair attributes two aphorisms to his father:
  132. "The best way to understand someone is to fight him, make him
  133. angry. That's when you see the real person."
  134. "Ignore the propaganda. Focus on what you see."
  135. * _Kosh speaks:_
  136. K: They are alone. They are a dying people. We should let them
  137. pass.
  138. S: Who, the Narn or the Centauri?
  139. K: Yes.
  140. * Shipping companies buy access to the jumpgates in bulk, then sell
  141. it on the open market. However, the schedules are kept secret to
  142. protect against piracy.
  143. * All incoming ships log their routes through Ivanova's console.
  144. * A Narn weapons deal always includes an advisor who instructs the
  145. buyer in the weapons' use and insures they aren't sold to a third
  146. party.
  147. * All Earth Telepaths are given three options: join the Psi Corps,
  148. go to jail, or [28]take drugs. Unlicensed telepaths are heavily
  149. controlled in the name of protecting public privacy.
  150. * Luis Santiago wins the presidential election over challenger Marie
  151. Crane. His platform included promises to cut the budget and keep
  152. Earth out of war. His agenda for his coming term includes
  153. cultivating a closer relationship with the Mars colony and
  154. "preserving Earth cultures in the face of growing non-Terran
  155. influences" (cf: [29]"The War Prayer", [30]"Survivors")
  156. jms speaks
  157. * The first one-hour episode of the series, "Midnight on the Firing
  158. Line," does a fair amount of re-introduction, for those who've
  159. seen the pilot and need to be up to speed, and some introducing
  160. for those who haven't. It is, however, largely an action-oriented
  161. story, into which we weave the characterization. It manages to
  162. convey some of the same info as the pilot, but in a *much* more
  163. dramatic fashion.
  164. * No, the show isn't a year and a half late. As it is, it's less
  165. than one year since the pilot aired. It was our initial hope, and
  166. my initial belief, that we'd go straight into the series as soon
  167. as we finished the pilot. But the studio, in its infinite wisdom,
  168. decided that since they HAD a pilot, it kinda behooved them to air
  169. it and get the ratings before committing to a series. So we then
  170. waited until February for the airing, got the go-ahead to
  171. production around April/May, began shooting in July, got a whole
  172. bunch of episodes in the can, and now we're hitting the air. That
  173. is the sum and substance of it.
  174. * We'd always figured on going right to series, but once we had done
  175. the pilot, the studio said, in essence, "Well, we've got a pilot,
  176. we don't know if the market will sustain more than one space SF
  177. series, no other SF series has done well lately...maybe we ought
  178. to air the pilot first, and get the ratings, before committing to
  179. a series." And that's what happened...much to our consternation at
  180. first, but in the long run it was a blessing in disguise, because
  181. that interim period allowed us to really do a lot to make the show
  182. better.
  183. * Approximately nine months have passed since the time of the pilot
  184. and the birth of the series.
  185. * I *love* [31]"Duck Dodgers." I have virtually all of the WB
  186. cartoons on tape or disk, and from where I sit, that's wonderful
  187. stuff that'll be around for a long, long time. No omens, just
  188. something I thought would be fun. (Again, connecting
  189. past/present/future, sort of our B5 theme.)
  190. * "Midnight on the Firing Line" as a title was more my feelings
  191. about the episode and the series. I knew we'd come under
  192. considerable fire, figured it was cool.
  193. * _"...and if our future lies on the firing line, are we brave
  194. enough to see the signals and the signs...."_
  195. -- Harry Chapin
  196. Just a thought.
  197. * Ah, but you're assuming that the Londo-strangling-scene is as it
  198. seems to be; maybe it is, but maybe it isn't. You don't know the
  199. context yet.
  200. * Down the road, we will be seeing more of Londo, and his people,
  201. and realize that they aren't as human looking as they first
  202. appear.
  203. * The Raghesh 3 claim is only about 20 years old; the Centauri came
  204. to Narn over a hundred years ago.
  205. * You're correct in your appraisal of the "coincidences" in the
  206. first episode. Upon finding that Londo's nephew was there, they
  207. would of course trot him out to try and undermine Londo's
  208. credibiltiy (you'll note that G'Kar made special mention of this,
  209. as if to say, "Is the Centauri ambassador calling his own nephew a
  210. liar?"). It'd be the same thing if the son of an American
  211. ambassador was on-hand when hostages were taken. As for the choice
  212. of the attack's location...Londo wanted his nephew "far away from
  213. all this." Someplace safe. A fairly safe, mundane place is not
  214. going to have a major military presence...and hence is a perfect
  215. target for attack.
  216. * RE: the spotlights, we'd figured that since the transport had been
  217. freshly attacked, there'd be debris all over the place, and lots
  218. of particulate matter which would show up in the light.
  219. * Quick replies to your questions: Spoo is. What else can one say
  220. about spoo?
  221. The Centauri station actually was rotating, as I recall, it's the
  222. camera angle that I believe doesn't showcase it as well as it
  223. might.
  224. The scanners on the Starfuries detected no movement, no
  225. atmosphere, no signals, no warmth of bodies.
  226. The lights on the fighters during the examination of the rubble
  227. were visible due to particulate matter spewed out during and after
  228. the attack.
  229. * What is spoo? Spoo....is.
  230. (Spoo is also Oops spelled backward.)
  231. * Spoo is/are (the plural of spoo is spoo) small, white, pasty,
  232. mealy critters, rather worm-like, and generally regarded as the
  233. ugliest animals in the known galaxy by just about every sentient
  234. species capable of starflight, with the possible exception of the
  235. pak'ma'ra, who would simply recommend a more rigorous program of
  236. exercise. They are also generally considered the most delicious
  237. food in all of known space, regardless of the individual's
  238. biology, almost regardless of species, except for the pak'ma'ra,
  239. who like the flavor but generally won't say so simply to be
  240. contrary.
  241. Spoo are raised on ranches on worlds with a damp, moist, somewhat
  242. chilly climate so that their skin can acquire just the right shade
  243. of paleness. Spoo travel in herds, if moving a total of six inches
  244. in any given direction in the course of a given year can actually
  245. be considered moving. They stay in herds ostensibly for mutual
  246. protection, but the reality is that if they weren't propped up
  247. against one another, most of them would simply fall down. They do
  248. not howl, bark, moo, purr, yap, squeak or speak. Mainly, they
  249. sigh. Herds of sighing spoo can reportedly induce unparalleled
  250. bouts of depression, which is why most spoo ranchers wear earmuffs
  251. even when it's only mildly cold, damp, wet and dreary outside. If
  252. there is any life-or-death struggle for dominance within the spoo
  253. herd, it has not yet been detected by modern science.
  254. Spoo ranching is one of the least regarded professions known.
  255. Little or no skill is required, once you've got a planet with the
  256. right climate. You bring in two hundred spoo, plop them down in
  257. the middle of your ranch, and go back to the nearby house. Soon
  258. you've got more. When it comes time to cull out the ones ready for
  259. market (the softest, mealiest, palest, most forlorn-looking spoo
  260. of the pack), little physical effort is required since they're
  261. incapable of rapid movement without falling over (see above). They
  262. do not resist, fight, or whine; they only sigh more loudly. When
  263. spoo harvest time comes, the air is full of the sound of whacking
  264. and sighing, whacking and sighing. Even an experienced spoo
  265. rancher can only harvest for brief periods of a time, due to the
  266. increased volume of sighing, which even the sound of whacking
  267. cannot altogether erase. (also see above) Some have simply gone
  268. mad.
  269. Spoo are the only creatures of which the Interstellar Animal
  270. Rights Protection League says, simply, "Kill 'em."
  271. Fresh spoo (served at an optimum temperature of 62-degrees) is
  272. served in cubed sections, so that they bear as little resemblence
  273. as possible to the animal from which they have just been sliced.
  274. Spoo is usually served alongside a chablis, or a white zinfandel.
  275. Further information on the care, feeding, eating and whacking of
  276. spoo can be found in the second edition of the Interstellar Guide
  277. to Fine Dining.
  278. * Re: your desire to make and eat spoo at home...depends on whether
  279. or not you ever want to have children later....
  280. * _What does spoo taste like?_
  281. Meat Jello.
  282. Served chilled.
  283. * At the point in which we join the tale of the last of the Babylon
  284. stations, *everything* is in a state of flux...one government is
  285. on the rise, another is declining, Earth is taking some new and
  286. disturbing directions...so yes, they all feel there is a change
  287. coming. It's a little thing, but we keep it alive to keep a sense
  288. of something moving on a web, and each movement makes the whole
  289. thing shake just a little.
  290. * Re: the "last" of the Babylon Stations...y'all might want to bear
  291. in mind the syntax of the narration. It speaks of B5 in the *past
  292. tense*. "Bablyon 5 WAS the last of the Babylon stations...it WAS
  293. the dawn of the third age of mankind." The narration is the voice
  294. of future history, the storyteller, long after the fact, spinning
  295. for us the tale of the last of the Babylon stations.
  296. * I never said it was an isolationist president. The reporter doing
  297. the commentary at the election talked about preserving earth
  298. culture in the face of growing alien influences, which isn't quite
  299. the same thing as cutting off trade agreements.
  300. * You'll get a pretty good glimpse into why Sinclair jumps into a
  301. fighter any chance he can get in "Infection." Part of it is to
  302. escape from stuff...the other goes much deeper, and much
  303. darker....
  304. * Here's what I find curious (not necessarily in direct response to
  305. anything you said, but in general on this topic)...is that when
  306. Ivanova makes her remark to Garibaldi about snapping his hands off
  307. at the wrists, many people have assumed that she was insulting
  308. him, berating him, being bitchy, truly disliking and threatening
  309. him.
  310. But the same words, put in the mouth of another male, wouldn't
  311. have drawn that reaction, and would've been classified under,
  312. "kidding around" or affable sarcasm.
  313. Which is exactly what it is in this case. In this place and this
  314. time, they're comfortable enough to mess with each other without
  315. it being taken seriously (among these characters, that is). There
  316. are times they kinda like to phuque with each other a bit, justfor
  317. the hell of it, as comrades will sometimes do. ("Babylon Squared"
  318. has a great example of Sinclair and Garibaldi messing with
  319. Ivanova.)
  320. * Sinclair's line, "Cut acceleration," was in regards to forward
  321. momentum, so he could more easily spin the fighter around.
  322. * RE: the Raider ships...they turned by a less effective system of
  323. thrusters put in here and there, not nearly as powerful as the
  324. systems used by the Starfuries. The reason -- verifiable by the
  325. shape of the Raider ships -- is that Raider ships are handicapped
  326. by the fact that they're made to function both in space *and*
  327. within an atmosphere (hence the aerodynamic wing shapes), which
  328. gives it something of a problem when dealing with the Starfuries,
  329. which are made ONLY for fighting in space, and are most ideally
  330. suited to it. The Raider ships make compromises for greater
  331. utility, which is generally okay unless they run into superior
  332. forces of ships designed for spaceborne combat.
  333. * The symbol Talia wears isn't a Link or any other kind of
  334. communications system; it is *strictly* a form of identification,
  335. tagging her as a telepath and a member of the Psi Corps. It serves
  336. no other function.
  337. * Correct, Christopher Franke designed Kosh's voice.
  338. * That the Centauri *claimed* that we were a lost colony is not the
  339. same as indicating that we *believed* them.
  340. * I like it when people lie in television, and we find out about it
  341. over time. The "lost colony" routine was one such. At one point,
  342. Garibaldi confronts Londo with this as reason for why he doesn't
  343. trust the Centauri. Londo shrugs it off as a "clerical error."
  344. There will be a few points in the series when we'll get
  345. information, and we'll buy into it...and discover after a while
  346. that that character bald-facedly lied to the other character (and,
  347. by proxy, to us). And naturally there will be consequences to
  348. this....
  349. * In "Midnight," Sinclair is really not given a chance to show his
  350. character, since it's basically a reintroduction to the series,
  351. and there is a lot to cover. He functions throughout the episode
  352. only in his official capacity. In other episodes, you'll get to
  353. see some very different sides to his character, particular in
  354. "Parliament of Dreams."
  355. * Re: Sinclair getting into a fighter...there were a number of
  356. reasons for this, one of which being he wanted a good reason to
  357. avoid being in on the counsel vote, given his marching orders. But
  358. more than that ...I would point out that this isn't Star Trek, and
  359. Sinclair isn't Picard; he is first and foremost a pilot. He loves
  360. to get into a fighter and take it out He's a fighter. That's when
  361. he is most at ease. That's what his character *is*.
  362. At the same time, however, there are consequences for that kind of
  363. behavior, as you point out. And there are deeper reasons for what
  364. he is doing than even he want to admit. Tell you what...table that
  365. aspect until after you've seen the last part of "Infection," which
  366. deals *with this exact issue*.
  367. * My thought, at the time, was that if we play the reality of this
  368. for a moment, probably *all* of the ambassadors have some kind of
  369. weapon, smuggled in via diplomatic pouches. Garibaldi and Sinclair
  370. know they're there...question is, is it worth starting a
  371. diplomatic incident over, as long as they're not being used?
  372. Garibaldi is saying, in essence, "Okay, you know it's there, and I
  373. know it's there, but now you've made a point about it. Lose it or
  374. hide it, or I'm going to have to charge you, and we're BOTH going
  375. to be up to our ears in it." If Garibaldi confiscated it, there'd
  376. be a whole diplomatic hassle... and Londo would just have another
  377. one sent to him via diplomatic pouch.
  378. * It's interesting what we can read into faces...in Delenn's
  379. reaction, I saw concern, angst, but not that she believed the
  380. story. That certainly wasn't the intent of the scene, or the
  381. script...faces are interesting things. As for the rest, you're
  382. right; not everyone wants to do the Right Thing For The Right
  383. Reasons. Some would prefer not to get involved. So some might want
  384. deniability, want a reason not to go up against the Narns, or have
  385. sold out their votes. A human looking at that screen could tell
  386. that the person was being coerced...but what about the other alien
  387. races, to whom a downcast face could be a sign of joy? In any
  388. event, suspicion is one thing, but *proof* is another, and the
  389. legal system works on *proof*. Nothing could be done until they
  390. had the proof that Sinclair got at the end, and chose to use
  391. behind closed doors to the same effect.
  392. * You may think it was obvious that the nephew was reading at
  393. gunpoint, and in fact, he was...but thinking something or
  394. suspecting something isn't the same as proving it. Londo could
  395. say, "He was reading at gunpoint!" And G'Kar could say, "No, he
  396. wasn't." Where do you go from there? (And, in fact, that's
  397. *exactly* what Londo said...only to have G'Kar deflect it.)
  398. Re: why Londo didn't show the clips...at this point, there's not
  399. any quesion in anyone's mind about the attack taking place. The
  400. Narns say they were invited in to help quell internal strife. That
  401. the events took place isn't at issue; it's *why* and whether or
  402. not they were invited in. (As with Germany in WWII indicating that
  403. some places "invited" them in.)
  404. Had Sinclair shown the evidence, it probably would've just
  405. hardened G'Kar. Also, most politics is back-room dealing. You do
  406. this in public, and you make a terrible enemy who'll strike back
  407. as soon as he has a chance. Let him have his dignity, save face,
  408. BUT get what you want, and there's room to maneuver in future.
  409. It's the difference between being a punch'em-out hero, and someone
  410. who has to be diplomatic, within limits.
  411. * Sinclair did not -- repeat, did NOT -- "tell Ivanova to defy
  412. Earth's orders and deceive the council." He set up a situation in
  413. which he would say that he was unable to catch up with her and
  414. pass along the Senator's instructions before he had to leave. Her
  415. line would be that "The Commander never told me," and he would
  416. back this up. (And that he would hedge the truth this way is
  417. hardly "perfect.")
  418. Defying the Senator's orders would be telling them that the vote
  419. will NOT be made as ordered. That never happened.
  420. * In "Midnight," Sinclair had to be pretty much in command mode all
  421. during the episode as a character, so that influences the result.
  422. But in later episodes, we get him out of those situations, out of
  423. uniform, and into other settings where he can be more relaxed. So
  424. that's coming, and you'll see it *very* early on in the first
  425. season.
  426. * Yeah, the Sea Witch is the one that rotates and fires at one of
  427. the Raiders. It's a woman's face in a green and blue background.
  428. * As a matter of fact, in a couple of episodes you'll see a photo of
  429. the Earth Alliance president. The photo itself is of Doug Netter,
  430. my associate on the show and fellow executive producer. (The woman
  431. running against the incumbent president in the election featured
  432. on "Midnight" is played, in photo, by our wardrobe designer, Ann
  433. Bruice.)
  434. * Yes, Vir is very obsequious in "Midnight." That's done in order to
  435. give his character somewhere to go, as gradually he begins to
  436. stand up to Londo and talk back.
  437. * Re: Vir...that was the first episode filmed with his character,
  438. and he wasn't directed as well as he might have been. We pulled
  439. him back a lot in later episodes.
  440. * Vir calms down. Trust me.
  441. He even manages to nail Londo from time to time...as he does when
  442. Londo suffers a rather nasty hangover in "Born to the Purple."
  443. * If there's anything about "Midnight" that I would change...ehh...
  444. that's a tough question to ask any producer or writer. I can't
  445. think of anything I've done that I wouldn't want to go back and
  446. tweak. The only real drawback we had was that we were still
  447. building sets as we filmed our first few episodes, so we didn't
  448. have access to all of the full range of sets. Not that we really
  449. needed them, the story works fine in the sets we had, but we
  450. could've moved one or two shots around into different sets just
  451. for variety.
  452. But aside from general tweaking, I don't think there's really
  453. anything I'd change in it. My problem is that I'm too close to it,
  454. and there are a number of episodes we shot afterward that blow it
  455. right out of the water in terms of quality, production values and
  456. the rest; I'd have to say that my favorite shows to date, in
  457. order, would be The Parliament of Dreams, Mind War, And the Sky
  458. Full of Stars, Soul Hunter, Born to the Purple, Midnight,
  459. Believers, Infection, The War Prayer, Survivors and Grail.
  460. Chrysalis, which we're shooting now, will probably take over the
  461. Favorite #2 spot from Mind War. We're fighting to make every
  462. episode better than the one before it.
  463. We're going to have a brass plaque put up here in the offices one
  464. of these days, before we finish, saying, "If you're not here to
  465. kick ass, get out."
  466. * What you and the others seem to be pointing out is what I've been
  467. trying -- imperfectly, as best I can -- to communicate for some
  468. time. In the case of "Midnight," can you follow that show and
  469. enjoy it absolutely on its own terms? I believe that is the case.
  470. There's another level there, the "little clues and hints" you
  471. mention, which will just skate past most casual viewers and not in
  472. any way interfere with their viewing of the episode...but if
  473. you're paying attention, and you catch them, it adds a new level.
  474. The more you see, the more you begin to perceive that second
  475. level. It's a cumulative effect that doesn't diminish the single
  476. episodes as stand-alones.
  477. * (Lost the last paragraph of my message.) In any event, what I'm
  478. striving for is the idea that you can watch the episodes for the
  479. character stories, OR the story arc, OR the individual stories, OR
  480. all three at the same time, all in the same exact episodes. You
  481. can get out as much as you're willing to find.
  482. It's a very weird kind of writing...but at least on this end, it's
  483. kinda fun, actually.
  484. * I agree, most of the plot lines are tied up pretty well (except
  485. for the telepath issue introduced at the end, which comes back at
  486. us again...as does, incidentally, the Raghesh 3 incident and other
  487. stuff). In responding to some of the criticism of the pilot, I
  488. tried to make this one far more self-contained. Which is why I
  489. much prefer "Parliament," "Mind War" and "Soul Hunter" over
  490. "Midnight."
  491. * Did we save anything for the rest of the season? Lemme put it to
  492. you this way...you ain't seen *nothin* yet. "Midnight" makes just
  493. about everything done before for TV look lame...but there's stuff
  494. coming down the pike that'll make "Midnight" look pale by
  495. comparison. With each show we get better, we learn more, and we
  496. can *do* more.
  497. * In the teaser scene you refer to in "Midnight," you've got a
  498. couple dozen fighters coming in alongside about 3-4 motherships
  499. (or capital ships, either term will suffice). We've always said
  500. that big ships can punch through and form their own jump points.
  501. That's how the jump gates get there in the first place: a big ship
  502. comes through, on its own, and leaves behind a jump gate. There's
  503. no contradiction. One (or more) of the big ships was creating the
  504. point of entry as it went.
  505. * During the con appearance, Jerry told a story that *I* hadn't
  506. heard before. There's a scene in the script "Midnight on the
  507. Firing Line" in which Talia (Andrea) goes into a transport tube,
  508. finds Garibaldi, and asks some questions about Ivanova. They
  509. rehearsed it several times, this being Andrea's first time on the
  510. set, and filmed one take. She comes down the hall, comes to the
  511. pen...and Garibaldi's pants are down around his ankles. Needless
  512. to say, that shot did NOT end up in dailies....
  513. There are days I think -- between Jerry, Harlan, me and some
  514. others involved on the show -- we ought to name this Loose Cannon
  515. Productions....
  516. * Behind-the-scenes humor: because it had been so long since the
  517. pilot, it took a few of our actors a bit of time to get back into
  518. their characters, to find the characters' "fingerprints" for lack
  519. of a better term. This is quite understandable given the long
  520. waiting period. When he needed to find his character for a scene,
  521. Peter Jurasik mentioned that he would just stand up straight and
  522. yell, "MISter GariBALdi!" and he'd be right back in character.
  523. Sort of the B5 version of "Shazam!"
  524. Minus the lightning bolt, of course.
  525. _________________________________________________________________
  526. Originally compiled by Matthew Ryan _matt@uhs.uchicago.edu_
  527. [37][Next]
  528. [38]Last update: January 13, 1998
  529. References
  530. 1. file://localhost/cgi-bin/imagemap/titlebar
  531. 2. LYNXIMGMAP:file://localhost/lurk/maps/maps.html#titlebar
  532. 3. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/background/001.shtml
  533. 4. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/001.html
  534. 5. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/credits/001.html
  535. 6. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
  536. 7. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/000.html
  537. 8. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/002.html
  538. 9. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#OV
  539. 10. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#BP
  540. 11. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#UQ
  541. 12. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#AN
  542. 13. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#NO
  543. 14. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#JS
  544. 15. http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Hampton,+paul
  545. 16. http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Trencher,+Peter
  546. 17. file://localhost/lurk/p5/intro.html
  547. 18. file://localhost/lurk/p5/001
  548. 19. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/016.html
  549. 20. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/017.html
  550. 21. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#BP
  551. 22. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/013.html
  552. 23. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/011.html
  553. 24. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/012.html
  554. 25. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/000.html#AN:5
  555. 26. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/000.html#nanobluff
  556. 27. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#JS:spoo
  557. 28. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#BP:6
  558. 29. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/007.html
  559. 30. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/011.html
  560. 31. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/245.html
  561. 32. file://localhost/lurk/lurker.html
  562. 33. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/001.html#TOP
  563. 34. file://localhost/cgi-bin/uncgi/lgmail
  564. 35. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
  565. 36. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/000.html
  566. 37. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/002.html
  567. 38. file://localhost/lurk/lastmod.html