lurkers-guide/ftp/Usenet/jms94-04-usenet

===========================================================================
| This text is compiled from posts by J. Michael Straczynski on the Usenet
| group alt.tv.babylon-5.  This document contains material Copyright 1994
| J. Michael Straczynski.  He has given permission for his words to be
| redistributed online, as long as they are marked as being copyright JMS.
| This document, as well as other Babylon-5 related material, is available
| by anonymous FTP at ftp.hyperion.com.
|
| Note: JMS switched over from alt.tv.babylon-5 to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5
|       this month.
===========================================================================


From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 02:32:54 -0500
Subject: Re: schedule please!!!!!

     Insofar as I know, should we be renewed, the new season would begin
in January, same as last one.

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 03:14:29 -0500
Subject: DS9 vs B5 question

     Babylon 5 was conceived in 1986; the screenplay for the pilot (which
was more or less what was shot) was written in 1987.  Also in 1987, art
was commissioned and used to help in pitches to networks and studios.  The
full project -- artwork, screenplay, series bible, treatment and sample
stories -- was shopped to several places, including Paramount in 1989.  As
for the rest...ehhhh.  Old news.  And the show stands on its own, which is
the important thing.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 03:14:52 -0500
Subject: Minbari motivations/ Ellison

     Your wife is wrong.  The B5 story arc has nothing to do with anything
ever appearing in Harlan's work.  They are separate and distinct.  I thunk
up this story all on my lonesome....

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 17:46:55 -0500
Subject: JMS: Euro catch-up?

     I'm afraid I haven't a clue about the European rerun schedule; I'll
try to ask around, though.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 18:00:28 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Euro catch-up?

     Actually, it's my understanding that the series has been sold to, and
will shortly begin running in: Channel 4 U.K., AUM Trinidad, Canal Plus in
France, Taipei, Sky-TV, 7 Network Australia, Set Eitz in Germany, Proziba,
Italy, and several other countries.

                                                                          jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 18:12:58 -0500
Subject: Re: schedule please!!!!!

     Yeah, I'd say if you're looking for some cool CGI, you'll see it in
"Signs."  I'd say overall that our most effects-heavy episodes are "Signs,"
"Babylon Squared," "A Voice in the Wilderness" parts 1 and 2, and maybe
"Chrysalis."  The first three in particular are real blow-outs.

                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 18:14:35 -0500
Subject: JMS: Icon schedule?

     Insofar as I know, my B5 presentation will be sometime Saturday.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Apr 1994 22:44:27 -0500
Subject: Quote List & Legal Question fo

     Insofar as I know, no, there doesn't seem to be anything legally
inappropriate in what you describe.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 3 Apr 1994 01:54:54 -0500
Subject: Centauris, Narns, and Earth: q

     The Centauri never really got around to us.  They've been in a
decline for a long time; the Narn occupation was one of the last of their
imperialist rampages.  Now they're pulling back further and further.  And
also as re: Earth...space is big.  100 years ago, we weren't putting out
any radio or television or microwave transmissions; they can't check EVERY
planet.  We got overlooked for a long time by lots of different groups.

     Re: weapons...the Narns got their hands on the Centauri leftover
weapons, and the manufacturing systems put in place there during the
occupation that nearly strip-mined their world.  Using that as a base,
they got heavily into the weapons business, and continue to do so.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 3 Apr 1994 01:55:23 -0500
Subject: About Creative Stories for B5

     The best solution I've seen offered here is to create a *mailing list*
rather than a newsgroup for the exchange of this stuff.  That guarantees
the users some measure of privacy.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 4 Apr 1994 01:59:11 -0400
Subject: Character Building Episodes?

     We're doing a number of such character-building stories; in the
foreground with "Believers" and in background with "Survivors," in the
first part of the next batch, for instance.  And more to come.

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 4 Apr 1994 20:44:18 -0400
Subject: Re: Sound in Space

     Here's an interesting new element to throw out.  I've taken the
time to call in some folks who know this stuff better than I do -- folks
involved in the space program, who've been willing to do a little free
work/research/thought -- and have asked them to *really* go over this
whole sound in space issue.  What I've gotten back is interesting.

     One of the questions I asked if, "If you're 100 feet away from a
large ship that explodes, will you hear anything?"  The first answer I
got back was, "Depends on who the "you" is that we're talking about.  If
by "you" you mean the tympanic membrane in your ear...no, because you'll
be dead, killed in the explosion at that kind of range."

     But if we're talking about the microphone...things get different.

     Ships contain atmosphere.  The bigger the ship, the greater the
volume of atmosphere.  Now...a ship explodes.  Inside the ship, you can
definitely hear it.  The hull ruptures.  The atmosphere blows out in all
directions.  Within the range of that atmosphere, before it dissipates
(which would be very fast), *you will hear sound in space*.  For as long
as that atmosphere bubble extends.  You'll also hear objects whizzing
past you within that curtain (provided that they're not moving past the
speed of sound).  Then, very quickly, it'll fizzle out.

     To the camera's POV, then, what you get is a sequence: flash, sound
within a VERY limited range depending on the volume of air in the ship,
quick whizz and quick fizz.

     Then silence.  Obviously, any ship beyond that range exploding will
be silent.

     On the second question, "Could you hear a ship passing by?" there
were also interesting responses.  In order for a ship to move through
space, it has to be pushing out some sort of medium to propel it
forward.  If that medium is in any way gaseous, and you pass directly
in its wake, you have the same situation as the explosion: limited
sound.  But you can't hear it from the side, or in front of the ship.
And again, it's *very* short range, only within the residual gases being
emitted.  Though there might be a shockwave effect if a ship passes your
ship in VERY close proximity.

     We're still getting some opinions on this from other experts, but
this seems to be kind of a growing consensus.  All of which I find very
interesting.  The sound-in-space issue has become something of a
shibboleth among SF fans...if it's there at all, it means someone's being
sloppy.  But the way it's shaping up, this may not be an either/or issue,
dead silence or full sound.  I'll post more on this later, but thought
y'all might like a preliminary report on this issue.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 6 Apr 1994 00:49:57 -0400
Subject: JMS: The Gathering Please

     The pilot MOW will eventually be re-broadcast, but as of this time
I don't know when that will be.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 6 Apr 1994 01:24:20 -0400
Subject: JMS: Gene Roddenberry biograph

     This was bound to come up, so let me dive into this now and tell
the full story.  (I hope someone will archive this out there, so that if
and when it comes up again, the reply will be available.)

     I have no vested interest in Joel Engel or his book.  My first
contact with Engel was when he wrote a bio of Rod Serling, and I booked
him on Hour 25 -- my L.A. based talk show on KPFK-FM -- in order to rake
him over the coals.  (Needless to say, I'm a major Serling fan.)  We went
toe to toe for two hours, and many listeners felt that I was very hard on
him.  (And, in fact, I probably was; it's not easy when someone tackles
one of your icons in full view.)

     What I found was someone who had no agenda but to get out the story,
as fully and factually as he could.  Whatever he said, he had at least
two and usually more sources on.  As a former journalist myself, I could
find nothing wrong in his methodology or his motivation.  I built a
grudging respect for him over the length of that interview.

     He caught a *lot* of flack over that book, and I guess it was about
a year later when he called and said that he was going to do his next book
after a subject that would not be as controversial.  Roddenberry.  He knew
of Roddenberry's work, though he had no connection with the person
himself, and figured the book would be a cakewalk.

     Much to his dismay, he discovered that he was wrong.  The story was
riddled with controversy, and a very different image than the one usually
projected.  He lamented in one phone conversation (we spoke maybe six
times in the course of writing the book, it's not any kind of real
relationship; mainly he was hoping I could point him in one direction or
the other for sources, one journalist to another) that those who spoke
most positively of GR were those who never worked with him, while he wdas
having the devil's own time trying to get anything positive out of anyone
who *had* worked with him.  This was NOT what he had wanted to get into,
and apparently several times offered to give back the advance, just to get
out of the book....but a contract is a contract, and he was under an
obligation to tell the story as best and as accurately as he could.

     Engel -- who has worked for the NY Times -- has *no* connection to
Star Trek, *no* axe to grind, *no* interest in doing a hatchet job on
anyone.  If anything, he was hoping to *avoid* this kind of book.  He made
it a point *not* to sensationalize in the book.  If anything, it's rather
dry in places, specifically because he's trying to avoid even the
appearance of exploitationalism.  He is a very thorough, careful reporter,
and is careful not to say *anything* for which he doesn't have multiple
sources.

     Once word got out about the book coming out, many of those closest
to GR began a process of damage control, accusing -- falsely, in my
judgment -- Engel of bias, of doing a deliberate hatchet job, of having
an agenda, on and on and on.  I have made it a point to try and speak
honestly and frankly on this and other systems, and I can tell you point
blank that he operates under none of these.  He did not set out to "dig
up dirt" or to "do a hatchet job."  He wanted to tell the full story, as
much as could be verified factually.  There's a *lot* of stuff he got
that didn't end up in the book, which *would* have been sensational, but
because he didn't have multiple sources, or because he felt it really
didn't belong in the book, were omitted.

     When he finished the book, he asked me to read it in case I wanted
to give him a quote.  I accepted the book, figuring that I probably would
NOT give him a quote, simply because I wanted to stay out of the line of
fire.  When I finished it, I found that it was an honest, straightforward
job of good journalism, and knew *instantly* that it would come under a
great deal of fire, most of it unfair, and total misrepresentation by
certain portions of the fan community.  In light of that, I felt honor
bound to give some sort of quote.

     And that, as they say, is that.

     This isn't an easy area for anyone.  As somebody once said,
biography has lent death a new horror.  Probably 25 years from now,
somebody'll write a book telling about how Larry DiTillio was really the
secret brains behind Babylon 5....

                                                                jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 6 Apr 1994 04:32:49 -0400
Subject: Re: Sound in Space

     Re: using ship's drives as weapons...we've kind of established that,
in one episode where a certain party wants off the station, and indicates
that unless his ship is cleared to leave, he'll use the ship's engines to
burn through the hull.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 6 Apr 1994 04:33:15 -0400
Subject: Re: Sound in Space

     By now, you've probably seen the note I sent regarding the ideas by
some who work in the space community that there *is* sound in space, in
a limited fashion (as when a ship, containing lots of atmosphere, blows
up in the seconds prior to the atmosphere vanishing, and within that
brief bubble).  One person in the space program told me that when the
last satellite was fired from the space shuttle, they could feel the
vibrations of its thrust inside the shuttle.  One poster here, at JPL,
commented that the space probes get a shock wave when they pass the sound
barrier in space (though I'm going to check this one out before I take it
as fact).

     That SF fans have for years insisted that there is no sound in space
does not mean *de facto* that it's correct.  I've asked more people in the
space community to look into this, and we'll see what they have to say.  I
think the issue is greyer than you insist it is.

     (And the attitude of, if there's sound in space, "we're being talked
down to, we're idiots," is one that I find personally offensive.  If a
story is complex, challenging, innovative, fresh...to then toss all of that
out the window because it has some sound element in it seems to me rather
narrow.)

     There's no soundtrack in space, either.  Also no camera.  Also no
actors.  Also no space station (along the lines of B5).

     But to take another tack...you just come out of watching a cop movie.
 The characters were well rounded, the story interesting.  Do you feel
they made you an idiot?  That they talked down to you?  You should.
Because to use your criteria, they did the same thing.

     The sound of a gunshot you hear in the movie is *nothing* like the
real sound of a gun; it's been magnified and boosted and had the lower
range boosted up; it's probably been mixed with some other sounds to make
it louder, so you can hear it half a block away.  The sound of a fist
hitting someone's jaw is nothing like the real thing; what you heard in
the film was likely a cross of various different sounds, from wood
breaking to meat being slammed to synth material.  (There are some folks
who work in town who've formulated punch-sounds and carefully protect
the "ingredients" that went into it, each saying theirs is dramatically
better.)  The sound of a knife entering someone's body is nothing like
the real thing.

     The footsteps you hear have usually been added by foley artists.
Sometimes footsteps are removed because they're dramatically inconvenient.
That group of people standing in the background talking?  You shouldn't
be able to hear them from here, for starters, and in addition, that isn't
THEM you're hearing; for filming purposes, the background extras say
nothing, with the voices added by walla groups after production.

     Just a reality-check here.  If you take the attitude that any time
fake sound is added, one should feel insulted, then one must end up
feeling insulted 100% of the time, in any movie or TV show ever made.
Which seems just a tad silly to me....

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:02:40 -0400
Subject: Message to JMS

     Insofar as I know, virtually *all* of our craft -- fighters,
shuttles, personal flyers -- have seat restraints.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:23:58 -0400
Subject: DRINKING GAME: DIANE'S FIRST D

     I see many people getting drunk this season from this game...but
mainly from *whole drinks*.

     Surprise....

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:23:59 -0400
Subject: Psy-Core

    The Psi Corps doesn't exist just to help telepaths avoid infringing
on the privacy of others.  They service the business community, the
military, some other governmental agencies...it's important that they
control, regulate, and profit from telepaths.  You can't just leave the
corps.

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 20:54:02 -0400
Subject: JMS - dumb question below.

     The voice-over at the end of the show is George Johnston, one of our
producers involved in post-production.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 23:54:48 -0400
Subject: JMS - Sound in Space

     Thanks for the additional info.  It's very interesting.

                                                                  jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 23:55:59 -0400
Subject: babylon 4

     No commander had yet been assigned to Babylon 4.  One Major Krantz
had been assigned to oversee the final stages of construction, and was on
board -- along with about 1300 others in the construction crew -- when
the station vanished.  The station had only been on-line 24 hours, and the
discussions of a commanding officer had just begun when it disappeared.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Apr 1994 23:56:02 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS Speaks (long!)

     We've had some talks with merchandisers about the patches; we'll see.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 8 Apr 1994 02:24:35 -0400
Subject: Save The Universe In 60 Minute

     Let me dive in and take issue with you.  The problem you seem to
have with the show(s) is alas a part of basic dramatic structure.  You
have an introduction, a rising action, a climax, and then a denouement.
Aside from experimental theater kinds of things, that is the basic
underlying structure to all movies, plays and television series.

     "Twin Peaks," which you cite, really isn't a very good example
because, in my view, TP *never* resolved ANYthing.  Thus it became an
exercise in viewer frustration that eventually was a major reason why the
show was canceled.

     The first batch of B5 episodes tended to be a little more self
contained because, remember, we're trying to bring viewers in here, and
do so without startling or pissing them off.  We get a little funkier the
deeper into the show we get.  In some cases, as with "Sky," parts of the
story are resolved, parts aren't.  Generally, it's our feeling that if
you have an open-ended B story, you generally have to include an A story
that has some measure of closure.

     "Signs and Portents" and "Babylon Squared" are two episodes offhand
that I think are emblematic of what you're asking for.  The A story in
"Signs" is resolved...but that episode really isn't *about* the A story,
it's about something unusual that happens with the B story that begins to
set a lot of things in motion for this season.  And that story is ended,
but not *resolved*, if you get the distinction.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 8 Apr 1994 16:49:40 -0400
Subject: "Off the scale"

     The other thing on "off the scale," of course, is that meters do have
a finite end-point beyond which they're fairly useless, at least on the
level a tech would have.  You design a system for what you're likely to
encounter, plus some extra.  And some of the stuff they encounter is just
beyond the parameters of that equipment.  Some of it is for dramatic
impact, of course, but that was my reasoning, such as it is.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 8 Apr 1994 17:13:54 -0400
Subject: Could I build a space craft?

      Alas, as much fun as this might be, can't be done.  It all has to do
with the development process, which must be work for hire, in order to be
owned properly by PTEN.  Ron's designs must be developed while under
contract, not purchased or used later.  And he provides them exclusively.
It's a real knotty situation, and frankly, a pain in the butt....

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 8 Apr 1994 17:13:54 -0400
Subject: Could I build a space craft?

      Alas, as much fun as this might be, can't be done.  It all has to do
with the development process, which must be work for hire, in order to be
owned properly by PTEN.  Ron's designs must be developed while under
contract, not purchased or used later.  And he provides them exclusively.
It's a real knotty situation, and frankly, a pain in the butt....

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 8 Apr 1994 18:02:59 -0400
Subject: B5 merchandise

     I decided early on to take the same approach on marketing B5 as
was taken with Calvin and Hobbes (my favorite strip) by its creator: do
either nothing or as little as possible for the first period of the
show.  Don't become merchandise driven.  Concentrate on the story, on
doing your *job* right, then later worry about the fringes.  So I've been
dragging my feet on this.  But if and when we get picked up, I'll likely
expedite this a bit.  The main one that has been approved so far has been
Compton's CD Rom of the B5 universe, mainly because I can also see a lot
of educational use in that one, how a show is made and how you create an
SF universe, which makes it an exception in my view.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Apr 1994 03:09:25 -0400
Subject: Will we see more soul hunters

                         Eventually.

                                                                          jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Apr 1994 05:08:18 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS - Sound in Space

     "JMS reminds me a little of Kosh...or is it the other way around?"

     If it helps, bear in mind in which brain Kosh was *created*, and where
he resides in off-hours, in this big circle running around in my skull
with Delenn, Kosh, G'Kar and Londo chasing one another endlessly, like
white mice in a wheel....

                                                               jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Apr 1994 05:21:32 -0400
Subject: Re: B5 merchandise

     The CD rom will cover EVERY aspect of production, from start to
finish, giving the user a firm idea of how a show is assembled.  I want it
to be VERY detailed.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 01:27:50 -0400
Subject: Upcoming cons?  Chicago, maybe

     I tentatively plan to be at the Chicago Comic Convention July 1-3.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 01:27:54 -0400
Subject: Re: Sound in Space

     Nowhere have I said, nor do I believe, the line, "who cares if the
science is stupid."  We have, as you note, taken great pains to try and
get the science right.  But if you've been watching this discussion, you
have seen people with equal qualifications -- physics folks, space types
-- arguing over the sound in space issue.  Indicating that it's not an
absolute issue.  Is there sound within the atmospheric bubble of a ship
as it explodes and moves outward for a certain period of time?  Many say
yes.  And there's some disagreement on other areas.

     So the reality of this is that there isn't a concensus, where
everybody agrees.  I have 5 email notes from people who work in the space
program explaining how it might work.  And just as many from people who
tell me how it *won't* work.

     So as long as there is not absolute, definitive proof one way or the
other...one has to take a position one way or another...why not this way?
 To my knowledge, no one has yet conducted an experiment in space one the
sound issue.  Until then, it's guesswork, extrapolation, educated debate.
We try to take a position somewhere in the middle.

     If there were nothing here to debate, no one here would be debating
it...especially not in the clinical, expert way many have so debated the
issue.  If it's not a closed issue, resolved once and for all...then we
will keep the issue open dramatically as well.

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 01:33:57 -0400
Subject: RE: B5 merchandise

     Thanks for the comments on the show.  On the CD-Rom, more than a
"making of" product, which is of course part of it, what I want to do is
use it to help de-mystify TV production.  There's an awful lot of
mythology about how things are done, and if we can help dispell some of
that, all the better.  We've come up with some very nifty and innovative
interactive stuff for it that'll help that process.  It'll also have
extensive sections on the aliens, their homeworlds, cultures, language,
music, future Earth history (between now and 2258)...a substantial guide
to the B5 universe itself.  Hell, *I* want a copy....

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 01:38:54 -0400
Subject: Newbie Question....

     The sector of space was chosen for B5 because a) it's pretty much
in neutral territory, and b) of the neutral territory areas, this is the
one that seems to have nothing of value in it, so nobody will be
interested in fighting over what's there.  This may not necessariliy be
true in the future.

     The interior of the station does have some farm-land, orchards, an
open-air hedge maze, and other green areas.  We'll be seeing them in
varying degrees of detail throughout the series.  No specs are yet
publicly available.

                                                            jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 04:44:38 -0400
Subject: "Sky" and pet theories...

     I missed this one in my mailbox...if any right speculations come
along, I'll either a) not comment, b) lie, or c) change the story to
avoid the possibility of entanglement.

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 04:53:24 -0400
Subject: JMS: Sinclair's brother

     You won't see Sinclair's brother this season...and that's all I can
say for now.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 05:00:30 -0400
Subject: JMS -- Character similarities?

     Actually, no...Catherine Sakai is based more closely on another
woman of my acquaintance, with whom I was involved for quite some time.
And that's all you'll get out of me on the subject.

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 05:00:33 -0400
Subject: Re: Poll: Sexiest B5 character

     Actually, the planet to whom Adira refers is, "Davo."

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 05:01:44 -0400
Subject: Silly Question

     I've always spelled it the Grey Council.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Apr 1994 23:52:03 -0400
Subject: JMS: Lies!  Lies!  Lies!

     Hey, c'mon, trust me...I would never tell you anything that was not
in your best interests....

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 12 Apr 1994 03:26:54 -0400
Subject: quick questions for JMS

     The budget is classified, but roughly half of TNG's.

     Yes, there is the potential for planetary visits.  It may even be
seen this season.

     Yes, we're doing virtual sets...and there's a doozy in the first
little bit of act one in "Signs and Portents."

     Sinclair's hole will be filled in as we go.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 12 Apr 1994 03:26:57 -0400
Subject: JMS - What is the Hist. of the

     Great Maker is a term for the creator or god that has currency among
many different races.  Its origins are lost in history.

                                                                          jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 12 Apr 1994 23:29:28 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS: Lies!  Lies!  Lies!

     And of course, if I said I would lie, who's to say I was telling the
truth when I said I would lie?  I might've been lying about lying; why
should I tell the truth about that?  Or this?  Or perhaps I'm being
totally truthful, in which case I will cop to admitting being untruthful
in this eventuality.

     I need a vacation.

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 12 Apr 1994 23:59:09 -0400
Subject: JMS- How's Harlen???

     Harlan's doing just fine....

                                                                jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Apr 1994 01:59:14 -0400
Subject: Re: quick questions for JMS

     Actually, the virtual set can be seen in "Signs" in May.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Apr 1994 04:29:43 -0400
Subject: JMS: Offended?

     I work with Larry DiTillio.  Nothing offends me.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:01 -0400
Subject: JMS Questions: God & Schedules

     The post to which you refer is correct; I'm an atheist.  But as part
of that comes the attitude that, if I want my position respected, I must
respect the position of others, and the fact that the religious impulse is
a sincere part of the human race's attempt to understand itself.

     And I wouldn't mind seeing some Hill Street folks making a trip
through B5 sometime, either....

                                                                          jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:05 -0400
Subject: The Starfuries aren't new...

     Your message is correct; there are various "weights" of Starfuries,
some much more massive and impressive.  The ones on B5 are light, fast,
not overly complicated, and quick-strike machines.  Another kind, which
you'll see in the two-parter, has cockpits fore *and* aft, a two-person
ship with much heavier shielding and armaments; the "Black Omega" version
is made for top speed as an interceptor with advanced stealth components.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:08 -0400
Subject: Second Season pickup?

     We'll know about year two around mid-May.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:11 -0400
Subject: JMS: a cuppula questions

     No real plans yet on what, if anything, to do with the scripts.  As
for time now...we're still deep in post-production and meetings, so the
days are still *very* full....

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:16 -0400
Subject: JMS:  Q. about the April/May E

     Yes, there will be arc-oriented material in the May programs.  The
"Signs and Portents" episode in particular.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:21 -0400
Subject: Dear Santa Kosh.

     Well, this season, you will get 2.5 of your requested gifts, says
Santa Kosh.  But he won't tell you which ones.

     And you will get 5 of them the next year.

                                                                     jm

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:25 -0400
Subject: JMS: Autographs'n'Photos

     Actually, at this time, there *is* no office handling autographs,
photos or scripts.  We really aren't doing any of that at this time.  If
there is a second season, we might set up an office to handle some of
this, but we'll have to wait and see...sorry this wasn't a more positive
reply.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:49 -0400
Subject: Quick praise for Babylon-5

     Many thanks....

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Apr 1994 23:45:57 -0400
Subject: G'Kar's song in PoD

     The song is an original, by our series composer, Christopher Franke.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Apr 1994 02:15:30 -0400
Subject: babylon 4

     B1-B4 were located in roughly the same sector, with B4 using some
of the materials from 1-3 leftover.  B5 was constructed about 3 hours
(traveling time in real-space) from the location of B4.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Apr 1994 06:47:47 -0400
Subject: JMS: Sinclair Memorabilia

     As I recall, the photo and article is about Sinclair's ancestor, who
fought in the Battle of Britain.  And the framed piece is indeed a
Sinclair Aircraft logo.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Apr 1994 05:06:51 -0400
Subject: JMS: DeathWalker questions (mi

     The Dilgar War was one of the first conflicts that the EA got into,
soon after establishing a presence in space.  We mainly entered it to
try and make a "rep" for ourselves, then got more morally involved when we
saw what was going on.  That and the Minbari War are the only real major
conflicts Earth has been involved with, and Earth was not directly at risk
in the Dilgar war, though if they hadn't been stopped, that might have
changed eventually.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Apr 1994 05:43:54 -0400
Subject: Re: Hologram Question

     Of course, your argument assumes no other means of projecting a 3D
image being developed in the next 200 years....

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Apr 1994 05:55:59 -0400
Subject: JMS: Why rec.arts.sf.tv.babylo

     What do I get from the newsgroup?  A "sense of the room," primarily,
I suppose.  And knowing that someone's looking over your shoulder, and
that this person is *right in your face*, and you can't avoid it, and you
will havae to answer hard questions if you screw up, tends to keep you
honest.  One can hide behind isolation.  One of the problems in TV is that
if you get to a position high enough, lots of people around you start
saying everything's just wonderful, you get "yes-men" and nobody tells you
the truth anymore.  I don't think I have that problem here.  If anything,
it's just the opposite; because I expect criticism...or, more accurately,
because people *expect* that I expect criticism, that critiques are
expected of them, there's MORE of it than on the systems where I lurk and
my presence isn't generally known.

      Beyond that...I've always felt that SF fans, particular SF media
fans, are the most exploited group of viewers around.  They're expected to
watch the show, pony up the dough for merchandise, then shut up and be
good little viewers.  It's very difficult at times -- emotionally, and in
terms of time and energy -- to stick around (there are currently 1,154
messages in my GEnie internet mailbox), but I think that it's important
to keep with it.  Because it's a way of showing respect to the viewer, to
be open and accountable and responsive.  Sometimes I get cranky, but I'm
human, and that'll happen from time to time.  Usually I avoid that.

     It just seems the courteous and proper thing to do.  Does that make
ANY kind of sense to anybody...?

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 03:33:14 -0400
Subject: JMS:When are you going to be i

     No plans for Texas at this time, alas....

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 03:33:17 -0400
Subject: JMS or anyone else on B5 unifo

     Yes and no.  All Earthforce uniforms in this division are blue; EA
marines are olive/brown; security and other NCO areas get grey.  Within
those areas, it's further subdivided, and is distinguishable by the
horizontal bars below the EA insignia.  Gold is command; silver is for
command staff.  (Ivanova, being in between, has a divided bar, half gold
and half silver.)  Red is medical, green is security.  Yellow is for
science division.  The rank bars are on the shoulder.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 03:33:19 -0400
Subject: Deathwalker Comments (Spoilers

     Sinclair was taught by Jesuits...and as far as Kosh goes, better to
have him where you can see him, than not.  They *are* a powerful group,
and it wouldn't serve to ignore them.  We courted them for 10 years for a
first contact...and now we're stuck with them.

                                                                           jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 03:33:21 -0400
Subject: Re: Babylon5 On Set Romance

     Re: the relationship between these two, and your statement that, in
looking at the characters of Garibaldi and Talia, the relationship "seems
so contrived...."

     Errr....I don't know how to tell you this, but this wasn't referring
to a relationship between the *characters*, but to one between the
ACTORS.  Jerry and Andrea are, shall we say, very much involved.  That
will not bleed into their characters.

     Is this, perhaps, a shade *less* contrived...?

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 03:36:06 -0400
Subject: Babylon 5 Blooper Reel?

     At some point in the future, we may make this available, yes, but
at this time we're in no special hurry.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:02:22 -0400
Subject: question for jms

     Nope, Jason Ironheart will not be seen again, insofar as I know.  I
don't like beings with that much power running around the plotline....

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:25:20 -0400
Subject: RE: JMS: Why rec.arts.sf.tv.ba

     Anything I say here is public record...quote away.

                                                                  jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:23 -0400
Subject: Cliche in Deathwalker

     "It also adds another piece of miracle tech never to be seen again."

     Wrong.

     In point of fact, virtually *none* of the new tech stuff is just
gone...you'd be surprised what'll be showing up again down the road a
piece....

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:25 -0400
Subject: Deathwalker: EEEVILL!  (spoile

     Re: B5's roster of strong women characters...this is something of a
bugaboo/obsession with me.  I *love* writing strong women.  (For that
matter, I love strong-willed, independent, smart women in real life as
well; I love being outsmarted, love it when someone can go toe-to-toe
with me on something.)  Generally, and this isn't entirely intentional,
women on shows I work on tend to get some of the best lines, as is often
the case with Ivanova.  It's not a case of being "one of the boys," but
being one of the *people*.  There's a subtle difference.

     The women I write are often very close to many of the women I've been
involved with over the years.  So far, no one's sued....

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:27 -0400
Subject: JMS: Can your posts appear in

     By all means, quote away....

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:29 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS: Why rec.arts.sf.tv.ba

     Thanks...it's an interesting ongoing experiment.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:31 -0400
Subject: Re: B5 realism vs. ST idealism

     While we were in an agrarian state, and an early industrial state,
we a) were of very little use, b) had little to offer, and c) came at a
time when the Centauri were starting to fall back into isolationism just
a bit.  The Narn had the misfortune to be strategically well located, had
many resources the Centauri wanted, and provided other advantages.  One
doesn't just conquer worlds helter-skelter; it takes time, money, effort
and some blood to conquer worlds.  You only choose those which offer you
enough to make the process worthwhile.  That simple.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Apr 1994 04:37:33 -0400
Subject: Why Babylon?

     Ancient Babylon kind of began with a good idea, to form a central
location for business, commerce, trading...and gradually went downhill
from there.  The *idea* was solid, and that was the goal of the Babylon
project...to form a place, a freeport, of trading, where cultures could
come together.  And it sounded exotic.  Naturally, no one expects Babylon
5 to go the way of the original Babylon....

     After all, we're *so* much smarter now.

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:18 -0400
Subject: Re: Poll: Sexiest B5 character

     I have spoken today to Andreas Katsulas regarding the charges you
raise, and he was unaware of any charges being pressed until he today
called and spoke with the officer in charge.  He does not have any such
problem as you describe, and is taking action.  Your statement that he
"chose to let it lay" is untrue because he was unaware of it.  It is my
understanding, through him, that you have called his home, tracked down
his employment (as indicated by your own message concerning his agents),
and have engaged in all the behavior typical of stalkers.  You are in the
process of defaming and libeling Andreas, and I urge you to stop now while
you can.  Lawyers are now being called into the situation, and a report
containing all of your behavior on this issue, particularly your printed
statements here, is being filed with LA police.

     The kind of person who comes on line and makes allegations such as
this -- and a charge filed by someone proves *nothing*, by the way, only
that the person involved chose to do so, as with the recent filing of
assault charges by Roseanne, which she has now retracted saying that she
was "just upset" -- is the lowest form of human being, who must find some
way to strike out at someone.  If you've got a case, make it, otherwise
shut up.

     This is the kind of thing that most dismays me about the nets, the
way in which one person can get on and use them to try and destroy another
person's career, personal life and reputation.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:23 -0400
Subject: Re: Poll: Sexiest B5 character

     I just left Diane a message similar to yours in the Katsulas
thread.  People, this is an untrue rumor being spread around and jumped
on.  Please check the other message I just left for more info.

                                                                  jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:28 -0400
Subject: JMS - Call out the lawyers!

     Info logged.  Will look into this.  Thanks.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:32 -0400
Subject: Katsulas, was Re: Poll: Sexies

     Let me just dive in on this.  I hadn't really been following this
thread, and only learned of the ugly direction this had taken when I got
a call today from Andreas.  He was hurt, and angry, and confused.  The
incident in question, he emphasized, *never happened*.  He also indicated
that he had received harrassing phone calls from one party involved, and
that he had spoken with the police department where the "report" was
filed, and that they consider it of dubious origin.

     This discussion, and the allegations, are clear libel, and it's
dismaying to see people taking up libel and innuendo without *any*
background whatsoever.  This is an ugly thing that happens on the 'nets
from time to time, sometimes from people who are disturbed, or want
attention, or have an agenda.  One person, for instance, spread the rumor
on the nets that I had been fired from B5 after the pilot; another put
out a rumor that I was a coke fiend, when in fact I don't drink, don't
smoke, don't do drugs, don't do *anything.*  The problem becomes that one
person can log on here, make an irresponsible or untrue allegation, other
people pick it up, and suddenly it's all over the place, and it becomes
self-reinforcing.

     Let me be clear: I have worked with Andreas for two years.  I have
seen him at conventions, seen him with women, and he has never been
ANYthing but polite and careful to treat EVERYONE well.  There has never
been a single other complaint raised about him, from anywhere.  He is a
gentleman of the old school.

     Police here on the West Coast are being alerted to this problem, to
the harrassing/stalking-like phone calls, and lawyers are being brought
into the equation.  This is one of the dangers in gaining some measure of
notoriety; one becomes a target.

     I ask *all* of you to stop this thread at once.  It's untrue, and
damaging, and libelous.  This will be dealt with by Andreas,  officially,
and that will take care of it.  You are judging and condemning a good,
decent man who has done nothing deserving of that.  This is an ugly
example of rumor-mongering, character assassination, libel and probably
verges on stalking.  Everyone...stay OUT of this, and let the legal
process take care of itself.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:37 -0400
Subject: JMS: Ellison caricature in "De

     The vicker has *nothing* to do with Harlan; it was originally written
with Gilbert Gottfried in mind, but he was apparently unavailable at the
time.

                                                                jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:29:45 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS: Why rec.arts.sf.tv.ba

     Generally, I'm able to tell mail from public messages if I've seen
the header before.  Otherwise, I tell folks to put ATT:JMS in the subject
line, so I'll know to check it when I see the list go by.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:30:33 -0400
Subject: JMS: EA badge?

     At this time, the EA badges are not available anywhere but in the
B5 prop room.  In time, that may change....

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:30:38 -0400
Subject: My beef with Bablyon 5

     What I don't understand is why in order to qualify as SF, one MUST
have non-humanoid aliens in large numbers?  (You already mentioned Kosh
and n'grath, that's two.)  Leaving out the practical side of the
argument -- that actors are (generally) human, and if you want ANY kind of
characterization, you need an actor, animatronics aren't generally at the
level yet that can give solid long-term performances -- the argument seems
dubious from a scientific point.

     To become a spacefaring race, one has to go through some measure of
evolution, avoiding becoming prey, and becoming adept at making tools,
using fire (or its equivilent), and so on.  From the biologists I've
spoken with, the species with the best chance of survival are those with
their sensory equipment at the highest point of their body, for instance;
as with humans, that puts your eyes, ears and scent organs at the top of
your body.  To avoid predators, you need legs, at least two.  Four is a
possibility, but aren't as suited to handle difficult terrain or squeeze
through narrow openings.  To ward off predators, and build devices of a
technological origin, you need forelimbs, minimum two, and given that the
universe tends toward bilateral symmetry, you'll probably get pairs.  And
an opposible thumb (or other similar appendage) is certainly useful as
well.  What you get is something fairly humanoid.

     (As an aside, it's interesting to note that in all tales of UFO
encounters -- and I'm not taking sides in this, just dealing with the
subject -- the aliens aren't huge lobsters or insects, they're fairly
humanoid.)

     You can have a character who can relate to our characters, show
emotion, carry on a long story...or you can have puppets.  Choose one.  I
know there was Yoda (on whom was spent VAST amounts of money, and time
that is only available on film projects), and that was well done, but
even that was clearly a puppet.  The technology doesn't yet exist to do
what you ask.  You might as well say, "It's not SF unless Straczynski is
able to fly around the room on his own power."  The resources to do it
aren't here yet.

     Nonetheless, we're continuing to try and find some ways of doing
this.  There's a *very* non-humanoid creature in "Grail," created by CGI,
which is about 60-70% of what you got in Jurassic Park.  It's a start.
Maybe in another few years, we'll have the tech to do more of this.  But
for now, it's not good enough to do the job *convincingly*, and I'd rather
not do it than do it badly.

                                                                jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Apr 1994 22:33:44 -0400
Subject: Re: "Deathwalker" (spoilers)

     Except of course that Sinclair said that the non-aligned worlds would
have observers there at all times...there are no other Dilgar to help
break her out...the Narns have no desire to attack Earth installations to
break her out as long as they get their share of the serum...and there
really was no other alternative short of war.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 01:39:41 -0400
Subject: Hey, why all the gloves?

     Talia, like all Psi Corps members, wears gloves because she has to,
when in public, to minimize physical contact and accidental scans.  As
for others wearing gloves...sometimes it's a fashion statement...and
other times, well, space is very very cold....

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 01:40:57 -0400
Subject: Re: My beef with Bablyon 5

     Okay, but then you're going to have an actor trying to emote in
scenes with an air-breathing octopus.  It's going to look *silly* because
the tech doesn't exist to make it look REALLY good.  There are some things
that work in fiction, and some things that won't work when you have to
FILM them.  This is one of them.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 02:14:21 -0400
Subject: Re: Katsulas, was Re: Poll: Se

     I understand; it's easy enough to do.  I just encourage everyone to
engage in critical thinking whenever something like this comes along.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 02:23:52 -0400
Subject: creativity

     would babylon5.creative be acceptable for *what*?

     lost in a fog, as always....

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 04:25:43 -0400
Subject: ATT:JMS (was: Sexiest)

     I didn't bother getting the name on the message; others here likely
know it and can provide that info.  Killfile seems best...just ignore
the guy.

                                                                    jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 04:28:10 -0400
Subject: Deathwalker: SPOILERS and obse

     Your statement about the serum being a means of getting to the truth
-- or her truth at the very least -- is quite correct.  And appropos to
current reality.  We look back at the Nazis, and others, and say, "Well,
WE could never do that."  But of course we could.  Fine tune your
attention to the frequency of misery and inhumanity, and in short order
you'll pick up Rwanda, and Bosnia and a host of others.

     Our capacity for greatness is as substantial as our capacity for
evil.  And we must constantly be reminded of that duality; to pretend
it simply isn't there, or is somebody else's problem, inevitably leads to
tragedy.  (For those interested, btw, I would encourage you to check out
a short story by Mark Twain, called "The Man
Who Corrupted Hadleyburg."  I think you will find it *most* illuminating.)

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Apr 1994 23:27:58 -0400
Subject: att jms

     The doings of local stations are utterly beyond my comprehension.
I have little to do with that aspect of it, and mainly suggest that you
contact via phone your local station and see what the hell's going on....

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 25 Apr 1994 14:35:48 -0400
Subject: The Garden

     There is some limited life within the garden...some birds (which
you can hear sometimes), and insects, and the like.  (In one shot you
can see an insect fly off one of our actors.  Yeah, sure, like we
planned that....)  It's generally one season in the Garden, and plants
requiring variation are raised in a separate hydroponics area, such as
the orchard (seen in "War Prayer").

                                                                   jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 25 Apr 1994 14:35:52 -0400
Subject: DiTillio, GURPS, P5

     You're grasping at straws.  If you take the full extent of what a
telepath can do, split it in half, and you'll get what a lot of folks
would consider a mid-ground, or a 5.  I've never read anything from
GURPS.

     As for Larry...he did the Grey Knight RPG, and co-wrote the Call
of Cthulhu, and wrote Masks of Nyarlathotep, among others.

                           jm(who can actually spell Nyarlathotep from memory)s

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 02:54:42 -0400
Subject: Re: DiTillio, GURPS, P5

     "I'm sure you can spell just about anything if you can spell
Straczynski."

     *

     C'mere...no, c'mere...I just wanna talk to you a second...no, I'm
not gonna hurt you, the bat is just for decoration...just stand still for
a second, that's all I ask....

                                                                           jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 03:22:08 -0400
Subject: JMS: Worst Case Scenario...

     "What happens to Babylon 5 if...say, you're walking down the street
and a wandering asteroid crash lands on you, three years into the story
arc?"

     What happens is this:

     First they scrape up my remains.  Then they put me in the morgue.
After a cursory examination, the death is ruled an act of god, which is
the ultimate insult to an atheist.  Then they stick a big needle in one
arm, and in my heel, and embalm what's left of me.  Then there's a
service.  All of my friends come.  What they do with the rest of the rows
after one is filled is anyone's guess.  Rent them out, I guess.  Next they
plant me.  I lay there for a while, gradually coming to the realization
that when they stuck me in this crummy suit, they yanked the pants into
my butt and now I have to go through all eternity with a snuggie.  In time
I get really annoyed by this, my essence rises up out of the coffin, AND
HAUNTS YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE!

     Or, put another way, if you want to see the end of the story, it's
in your vested interest to keep my ass ALIVE for the next 4.5 years.

     Ever read Sheherazade?  Think about it.

                                                                jm(rosebud)s

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 03:22:11 -0400
Subject: JMS: Will we see missiles? (or

     Oh, believe me, you'll get your missile-wish in spades, come the
two-parter....

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 03:23:27 -0400
Subject: JMS: Kosh's "Voice"

     "Kosh's voice-the rumblings and bells and stuff, not the translation-
seemed to be missing a lot of the lower tones and bass that I remembered
hearing previously."

     He had a cold.

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 03:23:29 -0400
Subject: JMS: Doesn`t this get tir

     "Are there any other print or comic writing credits we should know
about?"

     Yikes....

     There's an *awful* lot out there, in one form or another, most of it
in the area of journalism.  Something over 500 published articles, in
VIDEO REVIEW, SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE, L.A. READER, PENTHOUSE, WRITER'S DIGEST,
THE L.A. TIMES, TIME INC., way too many to list.  The fiction's a bit
easier.  "Your Move," in Amazing Stories Magazine, my first published
short story (that counts anyway); "A Last Testament for Nick and the
Trooper," in Shadows 6; "Say Hello, Mister Quigley," in both Pulphouse and
the Midnight Grafitti anthology; "Demon Night" and "OtherSyde," both
novels from St. Martin (hardcover); the TZ comic, plus an issue of Teen
Titans Spotlight: On Cyborg (Cyborg vs. Two Face) "Face to Face Two Face,"
and an issue of the Star Trek comic, "Worldsinger."  Also a collection,
"Tales from the New Twilight Zone."  And others.  But those are the
highlights.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Apr 1994 17:45:08 -0400
Subject: critters/evolution, was Re: My

    In Gharlane's long post, the JMS quotes attributed to me are not in
fact by me.  Just a reply.

                                                               jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Apr 1994 03:37:41 -0400
Subject: ATTN JMS!

     "Where are the children of Babylon 5?"

     Where are the children of Los Angeles International Airport?

     Answer: going and coming, but not generally staying for any period
of time.  B5 is like a massive airport or airport/hotel complex.  The
only people who generally LIVE there are those who WORK there; everybody
else is going or coming.  It's not a place you'd bring kids (remember what
happened to the LAST Babylon stations).

     As it is, a kid -- adolescent -- appears in three stories this
season: Purple, Believers, and Legacies...and that's at least two more
than I'm comfortable with.

                                         jm(bah, humbug)s

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 00:33:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Enough White Man's SciFi..

     And of course there still *are* conflicts between Earth countries
at the time of B5.  Including conflicts over space.  In a news broadcast
featured prominently in the upcoming two-parter, because of another item
in the broadcast that's important for that episode, it's noted that the
representatives in Earthdome from several countries have pulled out in
protest on the grounds that since they do not benefit equally from the
exploitation of space, they should not be expected or required to help
pay for it on an equal basis as everyone else.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 00:33:49 -0400
Subject: Earth Alliance is a farce

     To: Carroll, Patrick C.

     Glad you could join our little group.  I'm glad to see you here.  It
proves that the prison work programs are indeed capable of some measure of
rehabilitation.  Just keep on the lithium, and jump in whenever you like.

     I look forward to it.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 00:33:58 -0400
Subject: JMS: Why Vorlons on B5?

     The Vorlons are the great unknown.  They occupy a *huge* sector of
space.  No expedition ever sent to Vorlon space has ever returned, or
sent back word.  No human had ever even *seen* a Vorlon prior to Kosh's
arrival on B5.  Their technology is vastly superior to just about everyone
else's.  To unravel the mystery, to maybe get a *piece* of their tech, is
more than sufficient inducement, I'd think.

                                                                  jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 00:34:05 -0400
Subject: Re: "Believers" (SPOILERS)

     "The concept of loving parents being able to kill their child for
their religions seems to be unrealistic."

     Funny...I seem to recall this little story in the Old Testament
about how a good and wise man was asked by god to sacrifice his own son,
to himself kill his own child, and he was willing to do it, and was only
stopped by god saying, in essence, "April fool."

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 04:20:08 -0400
Subject: "Believers" & DS9 novel: Great

     A couple points.  1) When "Believers" was written, Peter's book
hadn't yet hit the stands.  2) Peter likely got his notion of the sick
kid and the religious parents from the same basic source we did: the
headlines.  This has been an ongoing problem in real life for some time.
So he took that real premise, and did one story based on it, and we did
another extrapolation.  This notion did *not* originate in the Trek
universe....

                                                                          jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Apr 1994 04:20:11 -0400
Subject: Re: JMS: Appreciative Viewer

     It was important to tell David to pull no punches because in TV,
most producers *want* you to do so, and he had to know going in that this
was the way the story would go.  David's a great writer, and David's a
professional...meaning he understands where the general limits of TV are.
If you're going to move the lines around, it behooves you to tell your
writer that.  Knowing the rules, he went out and did a bangup job on the
episode.

                                                                         jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Apr 1994 04:43:13 -0400
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS!

     Oops, I misspoke myself...I meant kids in Believers, Legacies and
War Prayer, not Purple.  After a while, this stuff blurs....

                                                                      jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Apr 1994 22:19:29 -0400
Subject: Burden of Proof (Was Re: "Beli

     Well, I disagree with you.  (Big surprise.)  You say, if God showed
up, and walked around my pool, would that be enough to convince me, then
show why that's a flawed argument in any event.  But that's not what I
said

     Empirical proof must first be defined with a question.  You ask,
"What constitutes proof of green penguins in the south pole?"  In that
case, producing a green penguin, and putting it through tests to make sure
it isn't just green lime dye, is sufficient.

     Penguins are things; god is as much concept as thing.  So first you
have to determine the *question* before you can determine what is
reasonable evidence.

     The main criterion for god would seem to be creation.  Just about
every major belief system has some kind of creation myth, and that their
god was responsible.  (Or one of their gods.)  So that would seem to me
a good universal test.

     So now we go with your scenario: God shows up at my front door.  (One
hopes he has made an appointment.)  As you say, walking on the pool and
glowing ain't sufficient proof.  But I never wanted that as proof.  So I
say the following: "If you are who you say, provide empirical proof that
is directly related to the assumption of your beingness, that is crucial
and *specific* to the definition of god.  Create a planet in orbit
between Mars and Earth, without disturbing the orbits of either of these."

     Now...if this being could do THAT -- and creating a planet with a
wave of the hand is arguably FAR beyond that of even aliens -- I think
that 99.99999? of the human race would accept that as proof positive that
this is either god, or something so astonishingly similar that any
difference is no difference at all.

     So yes, empirical proof IS possible.  By using the "walk on water"
analogy, you picked something that is by nature flawed, wasn't what I
had said, and really has nothing to do with the nature of god.  As any
good scientist, you first have to find a reasonably acceptable definition
of what would CONSTITUTE genuine proof.

     Planet-building is *definitely* proof of godhood.

     Please alert me as to when this demonstration will take place, so
that I may cancel all other plans for the day.

                                                                        jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Apr 1994 22:19:32 -0400
Subject: Jumpgate colors...

     Correct; red-shift is the reason for the changing jumpgate colors.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Apr 1994 22:46:26 -0400
Subject: Is starfury a bad word?

     The starfuries are referenced as such many times in the series; I
think this starts with "Survivors," airing this week.

                                                                       jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Apr 1994 22:46:28 -0400
Subject: JMS: Black Omega Starfury Ques

     Black Omega Starfuries are *hideously* expensive, rather like
Stealth Bombers.  They have to be carefully maintained, and their
existence isn't generally trumpeted.  (Like the Aurora, for instance.)
They're not mainly a defensive system, but rather an infiltration unit
used on black projects/covert missions.  They're not really meant for an
operation like B5.

                                                                     jms

From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Apr 1994 22:46:31 -0400
Subject: Re: "Believers"

     Through a miscommunication, Warners thought TKO was in the slot in
which we'd placed Quality, so that went out to TV Guide, and it's now
too late to change the order back.  Doesn't matter; neither are really
arc-stories, though it was hoped to hold back some of Susan's development
in TKO just a tad longer.

                                                                      jms