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- 5/21/94 - This file contains everything I could find about Michael O'Hare's
- impending leave of absence from Babylon 5. The following information
- comes from messages posted from JMS's account on GEnie; therefore, this
- information is only as valid as his account's security. There is
- absolutely *no* reason to doubt that security, but since the purpose of
- this "mini-FAQ" is to *prevent* rumors from starting, I just want to
- make sure that I'm not starting any myself. -Shawn
-
- 9/25/94 Updated with more messages
-
- -----------------Messages from JMS's account begin here--------------------
-
- Second Science Fiction and Fan Category 18, Topic 1
- Message 560 Fri May 20, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:57 EDT
-
- I have some news that must be imparted. I think that the best way
- to convey that news is to start at the end of the story, make my
- way to the middle, and end at the beginning.
- So: the end of the story.
-
- Everything is okay. Nothing major really changes. All is well.
-
- Now the middle of the story.
-
- I've been asked, several times, what happens if something *happens*
- to me, or one of the cast members, during the five year arc, since
- this is a fully-worked-out novel. Generally, I blow off the question
- with humor. But the truth is, obviously, I've taken every possible
- step to make sure that no one is disappointed. In my case, I've
- made sure the story is available somewhere.
-
- The trouble, of course, is that unlike writing a novel, where the
- characters exist only on a sheet of paper, actors and writers are
- some discussion on the best of days). They can get sick, they can
- get into contract disputes, they can be hit by meteors, they can
- decide to buy a house in Cambridge and raise hedgehogs under an
- assumed name. There are, in short, *always* unpredictables in any
- such endeavor.
-
- Consequently, in drafting the story for Babylon 5, I made sure to
- compensate for any possible changes. For lack of a better term,
- there is a "trap door" built into the storyline for every character.
- Obviously, you don't want to lose anyone, but in *every* case any
- such change momentarily shifts the story about ten degrees to one
- side for a little bit, and then you're back on track again.
-
- Case in point: Dr. Benjamin Kyle and Lyta Alexander. Here are the
- only two humans who have seen or scanned a Vorlon. This is Very
- Important to the storyline. Alas, as later events unfolded, things
- did not work out, and the characters were dropped...but their story
- remained important, in that it was established that they were soon
- afterward recalled to Earth under mysterious circumstances (as noted
- in "War Prayer"), which actually *helps* the storyline in many ways.
- This is not meant to sound callous. As a writer, and as a producer,
- it's my job to tell the story, to be responsible, and to make sure
- every possible contingency is covered. To do anything less would be
- simply irresponsible.
-
- Now to the beginning of the story.
-
- Over the last few weeks, we've been re-activating our cast, making
- the deals for the coming season. One aspect of this has been a
- series of conversations with Michael O'Hare. Having produced one
- full season, and having learned a lot, and having fine-tuned the
- "saga" along the way, it was our goal to expand the show, bring in
- some new characters, and take the show in some new directions, which
- will prove quite interesting, I think. (One sidelight to all this:
- now that we've established the series, we'll be able to spend a bit
- more time on personal stories, to let our audience learn more about
- the characters, particularly the humans, who kinda got short shrift
- this season.)
-
- There is also the question, from an actor's point of view, about
- other opportunities, any possible concern about typecasting, the
- limitations of a continuing role (and the role of the commander
- does have some definite "walls," giving more freedom in many ways
- to other characters). Now is the point where one needs to take
- a breath and assess one's future, because the deeper we get into
- the story, the more problematic it is to change things (though,
- again, it's do-able, as noted above).
-
- As a result of these discussions, it has been agreed that we will
- have a separation, in the role of the commander. Let me emphasize
- this very clearly, so there is no chance of miscommunication: this
- is a mutual, amicable, and friendly separation. This isn't a Tasha
- Yar situation. Moreover, we will be handling this in such a way
- that, down the road, Sinclair could potentially return to the story.
- The character of Sinclair will achieve an important destiny, and the
- mystery of the Battle of the Line will be explained, both in the
- first episode of the new season. His story will still track. And
- the series will still track precisely as planned. I take pains to
- mention this because both Michael and I want it clear that we both
- believe in the show, and want this in no way to interfere with the
- series. He has asked me to convey for him his encouragement, his
- best wishes, and to emphasize that this is, again, an amicable and
- friendly separation.
-
- He has said that he is happy to continue to do the conventions, to
- promote the show, because he believes in it, and because he is an
- important part of this season's success. We can think of no
- finer ambassador for Babylon 5 at conventions than Michael O'Hare.
- He is a dynamite speaker, he cares about the fans of the show, and
- his compassion shows. We think he's a nifty guy.
-
- On our part, we wish Michael only the very best. We know that
- he is very much in demand, and look forward to seeing him in other
- projects over the next year. This will also allow us to pursue some
- new directions avenues for the show that will help to expedite the
- overall story. Sinclair disappearing for an indeterminate period
- after the events of "Chrysalis" will allow us to tighten the screws
- of the story, and heighten the tension of things going on in the
- storyline.
-
- If I can speak personally for a moment...those of you reading
- this on-line know that I've always talked straight with you. If
- I thought this in *any* way would interfere with the story, you'd
- hear about it from me loud and clear. When problems have arisen in
- the past, I've always spoken about them quite bluntly here (much
- to the chagrin of some people). This is okay. We're all still
- very much friends. I speak frequently to Michael, and consider
- him a friend, just as he considers me a friend. This was a hard
- decision, but we both knew that it was the right decision, for
- very different reasons. We both kinda came to the same place
- at the same time from different directions. We've got to do
- what's right for the show, and for each other, and in many ways,
- this does just that.
-
- So both we on the show, and Michael are served by this mutual and
- amicable separation. We will go our separate ways for now, with
- the possibility of meeting Sinclair again down the road a piece,
- as Gandalf disappeared for a time into Mordor, only to return when
- needed most. (We will also be keeping the character of Sinclair
- alive in the comic, and some of the planned novels, to keep that
- option available to us.)
-
- Once again, let me emphasize that the story continues on the path
- that has been set for it, everything you learn this season sill
- obtains, the show remains solid, with all of the other cast members
- coming back for a new season, and that the saga of Babylon 5 will
- continue to reveal itself exactly as planned. And I hope you will
- continue to stay with us for that journey.
-
- Sincerely,
- Joe Straczynski
- Creator/Executive Producer
- BABYLON 5
-
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- SFRT II RoundTable
- Category 18, Topic 1
- Message 565 Fri May 20, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:10 EDT
-
- The arc remains untouched. For starters, the arc as written was designed
- to emphasize the aliens and the Battle of the Line in season one; build the
- universe and set the pieces in motion. Year two brings the humans into play
- in the universe that season one created. There's a reason Morden didn't go to
- the Earth Alliance.
-
- Let me be clear on this: *no* arc-related stories will be sacrificed, at
- all. We're talking mainly in terms of B stories, not A stories. Most of our
- season 1 B stories concentrated on the alien ambassadors; Ivanova really gets
- only two strong B stories, and some smaller ones; Delenn gets something like
- six. It's just a question of finding the balance.
-
- jms
-
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- SFRT II RoundTable
- Category 18, Topic 1
- Message 574 Fri May 20, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:29 EDT
-
- Thanks to all. I'll convey what I can of this to Michael when I next
- speak to him.
-
- Wayne...if your friends feel that way, then they must not like any show
- ever produced in the history of television, because *all* series get five year
- options on their cast. That's considered pro forma.
-
- What they, and to some extent you, fail to understand is that there is a
- difference between a *contract* for five years, and an *option* for five
- years. The former is a guarantee; the latter is at the discretion of the
- producers, though in some cases, as we've just seen, an accommodation can be
- reached. An option means that the producer has the right, but not the
- obligation, to pick up an actor for another season. There's plenty of room
- for random events.
-
- Other than that, you can tell your pessimistic, insulting friends to get
- a life. And I mean that in the best possible sense of the word. I see no
- reason why I have to justify my show to them. It is what it is. If they like
- it, fine, if not, still fine. If they don't like it, tell 'em to stop
- watching. Nothing make me crazier than what I've seen on the Trek forums for
- all these years, of people who *hate* the show, but still watch every single
- episode just so they can go online and grump about it.
-
- jms
-
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- SFRT II RoundTable
- Category 18, Topic 1
- Message 579 Fri May 20, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:30 EDT
-
- I note this here only because it came up on CIS, and I'd kinda like to
- nip this in the bud. Please don't take out any part of this on Michael. If
- you're going to be upset with anyone, be upset with me, since in the final
- analysis, it's Doug and I who have to implement any decision, even when
- mutually made.
-
- What happened at the beginning of the process is that we looked at the
- coming season, and said (as I've noted on another system), that in the second
- year, we can do X and Y, both of which are very cool. But what if we did
- something unexpected? What if we took a chance, and tried a slightly
- different direction, and set Sinclair aside for a while? If we did that, we
- could still do X and Y...and we could *also* do Z...and Z is very, VERY
- interesting. It opened up some very dramatic possibilities, allowing us to
- expand the series and heighten the tension level.
-
- We talked to Michael, and he had some thoughts on this as well. The
- result was, as stated, a *mutual* decision.
-
- People here know how much B5 means to me. I would never do anything, or
- allow anyone else to do anything, to harm it. This is my baby. And this is
- being done not because we will have to overcome this now somehow, but because
- in the final analysis we think this will help the show, and give Michael some
- flexibility as a side-effect. I won't ask anyone to trust me, because in
- Hollywood, "trust me" is a euphemism at best. But this will all work out.
-
- In any event, though, if anyone's going to be upset in any way by this,
- please direct it toward me, not toward Michael. Fundamentally, the
- responsibiliy rests on my shoulders, and Doug's. But since Doug's not here,
- I'll take it.
-
- jms
-
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
- Date: 28 May 1994 04:55:40 -0400
- Subject: Re: RUMOR: Michael O'Hare (Sin
-
- I have, to date, read something on the order of a dozen different
- rumors about the reason for O'Hare's leaving...that Warners marketing
- wanted him out, that he was offered the lead on Voyager, that this was
- actually planned out from the start, that he quit, that we fired him...if
- I were to deal with all of these, I'd be here all day. Rumors are just
- that: rumors.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
- Date: 18 Jun 1994 03:26:25 -0400
- Subject: Re: Message from JMS
-
- Getting in someone else to play Sinclair would be the solution if
- the actor were the problem. He's not. It's a question of looking at the
- character (at least from my side of this) and saying, "Is there something
- different we can do here that's more interesting?" This isn't a question
- of salvaging stuff.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
- Date: 18 Jun 1994 03:39:03 -0400
- Subject: Re: Message from JMS
-
- This to Patrick Rannou...I'm going to try this again, and see if it
- sticks.
-
- We DO have options on our actors. We DO and DID have options on
- O'Hare. It was WE who first approached HIM, not the other way around.
- Your characterization of his actions here is not only inappropriate, but
- absolutely and catagorically untrue. If you've got a problem, you've got
- a problem with me, not Michael.
-
- Once again: this was MUTUAL, and it was AMICABLE.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- SFRT II RoundTable
- Category 19, Topic 24
- Message 95 Sun Aug 14, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:34 EDT
-
- He was looking out a port as the shuttles raced away from B4.
-
- Mike: it'll all hang together in the end. If I'd wanted, if that scene
- with the One revealed would've been a problem, I could've easily cut it LONG
- before delivering it to PTEN, and left it a "mystery yet to be explained." No
- problem. But I didn't. It all still tracks.
-
- Peter: I agree about the exposure the show is(n't) getting. It's just
- very hard to make people understand what we're trying to do here.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: <B^2> #793173
- FROM: J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
- TO: JOHN M GRAHAM
- DATE: TUES AUG 16, 1994 3:01:15 AM
-
- Bear in mind, however, that B2 was edited long after we had
- made the announcement about Michael. It would have been *very*
- easy to simply omit the shot of the One at the end, and leave it
- as a mystery, as we did with the entity at Sigma 957. We
- deliberately chose not to. This if nothing else should be
- *some* indication that we are quite sincere when we say that you
- haven't seen the last of Sinclair.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
- Date: 18 Aug 1994 01:48:19 -0400
- Subject: JMS lying? (was Re: Voyager Ca
-
- If Sinclair was simply to be *gone*, we had *plenty* of time to
- edit OUT the scene in B4 that you saw and refer to. It was self-contained,
- occupied only about 30 seconds, and could've been easily deleted (we ran
- long on that episode, and cut a shot of Delenn leaving the Minbari
- cruiser setting course for B5, which could easily have been put into
- the show in that scene's absence). We only delivered that episode a few
- weeks before airdate, and the news re: Sinclair was announced MONTHS
- before that, while we were still in the process of editing it. (And we
- can make changes literally up to a week or so before delivery.)
-
- We could've deleted it, and left it a mystery, just as with Sigma
- 957. We're not afraid to do that.
-
- In addition, the first four issues of the B5 comic will NOT be about
- the new Captain, they will be about *Sinclair*, and where he is, and where
- he's gone, and what he's doing. Since at this point it would be
- hideously expensive to show that in the series, we're doing it in the
- comic. And will continue to do it from time to time in the comic, AND in
- occasional shots in the series.
-
- This is NOT what you do when the network comes to you and says, "We
- want this guy GONE." When that happens, he's *gone*, period.
-
- No, people should not believe everything they are told.
-
- Nor should you assume that everyone is lying all the time.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: B5 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT!
- FROM: J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
- TO: ALL
-
- **** Announcement ****
-
- Since this has just been released by PTEN, and will be
- on the news wires shortly (and is probably already there),
- I can now announce this here.
-
- The new Commanding Officer for Babylon 5 is Captain John
- Sheridan, former captain of the Earthforce military starship
- Agamemmnon. It was Sheridan who won what is arguably Earth's
- only real victory during the Earth/Minbari War, destroying the
- Minbari war cruiser Black Star and several accompanying
- vessels. He has been appointed to Babylon 5 over the strenuous
- objections of the Minbari Government, by the president's
- insistence that Babylon 5 has had too much influence from the
- Minbari and must begin to pull back and consider Earth's
- interests; Sheridan is a symbol of that desire because of his
- record, which is the reason for his assignment.
-
- Captain Sheridan will be portrayed by the well-regarded
- actor Bruce Boxleitner, known to many as the series lead in
- "Scarecrow And Mrs. King." He has also starred in numerous
- TV movies, miniseries and feature films. He is also a solid
- SF fan (media *and* print), and is very excited about coming
- onto the Babylon 5 team. We're equally excited to have him.
-
- (Those here who've heard rumors about this building, and
- were kind enough to refrain from repeating them here at my
- request, can now speak, and I thank you again for your
- Cooperation.)
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: B5 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT! #805620
- DATE: SUN AUG 28, 1994 6:11:18 PM
-
- We decided to try an even stranger approach, and have Sinclair
- show up again about *mid-way through* the second season once or twice.
- There needs to be some mystery to his departure, which being there to
- shepherd the New Guy would destroy.
-
- And at the same time, the comic from DC will follow the Sinclair
- line after he leaves B5 for the first four issues in particular, starting
- by showing the flip-side of what happens in the first episode.
-
- What you suggest is perfectly reasonable; I agree that the tactic
- should be unusual. And we think this may well qualify....
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: BABYLON SQUARED #806642
- DATE: MON AUG 29, 1994 6:00:22 PM
-
- Nope, the storyline still tracks just fine. There's just
- no reason to have everyone static and stuck in the same place
- for the next X-years.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: B5 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT #815051
- DATE: THURS SEP 8, 1994 12:18:11
-
- Replacing Sinclair? No, not precisely. Boxleitner's character,
- Captain John Sheridan, is coming aboard B5 as its now commanding officer,
- but Sinclair isn't gone permanently. He is being moved off the chessboard
- for a time, allowing us to broaden out the story, and give Michael the
- chance to pursue some interests of his own in the meantime. Sinclair will
- return from time to time as the story requires. (There's a lengthy message
- in library 13 here with more details.)
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- SFRT II RoundTable
- Category 18, Topic 2
- Message 353 Thu Sep 15, 1994
- STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:29 EDT
-
- Sinclair is also a strong character throughout issues 2-5 of the B5
- comic.
-
- jms
- -----------Next Message-----------
-
- BABYLON 5: O'HARE DEPARTURE
- FROM: J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
- IN RESPONSE TO: JASON WONG
-
- ...sigh...it's not that Michael wanted to leave the show
- per se. Again, we came to HIM, it wasn't the other way around.
- With this as an option, there was now the opportunity for him
- to pursue a number of other possibilities, stage and TV, while
- his character was "away" for a bit.
-
- jms
-
- -----------------Messages from JMS's account end here---------------------
-
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- For reference, here's the letter that WWOR (the station that carries B5
- in the New York metropolitan area) sent to many of the fans that wrote
- letters in support of B5. Most people received this letter *before*
- JMS posted anything about O'Hare's leave of absence.
-
- "We have received your letter regarding BABYLON 5 and we are thrilled
- to have such an excited viewer. The program will continue to air on
- Wednesdays at 8pm, but we are expecting Warner Brothers to re-vamp the
- show and change storylines.
- "Unfortunately, we do not know what changes are in store for
- BABYLON 5, but stay tuned. Thank you again for watching WWOR."
-
- =========================================================================
- Messages from JMS are Copyright 1994, J. Michael Straczynski.
-
- This file was compiled by Shawn Bayern <bayern@cshl.org>. I take no
- responsibility for any errors, etc., in the quoted material in this
- file.
-
- Updated by Dan Wood <danwood@pobox.com> to include more information
- and to integrate the information with the Boxleitner announcement.
-
- Thanks to David Strauss <dss2k@poe.acc.virginia.edu>, Jacque Marshall
- <jacquem@netcom.com>, and Brett Jaffee <hbact003@huey.csun.edu>
- for crossposting messages from GEnie.
|