lurkers-guide/guide/113

<!-- TITLE Crusade -->

<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>

<blockquote><cite>
This spinoff series deals with the exploits of a Ranger ship, the Excalibur,
and its search for the cure to a plague that threatens humanity.
</cite>

<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Brooks,+David+Allen">David Allen Brooks</a> as Max Eilerson.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Cole,+Gary">Gary Cole</a> as (Captain) Matthew Gideon.
Jeff Conaway as Zack Allan (rumored).
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dobro,+Carrie">Carrie Dobro</a> as Dureena Nafeel.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Holden,+Marjean">Marjean Holden</a> as Dr. Susan Chambers.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dae+Kim,+Daniel">Daniel Dae Kim</a> as Lt. Matheson.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Scoggins,+Tracy">Tracy Scoggins</a> as Capt. Elizabeth Lochley.
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Woodward,+Peter">Peter Woodward</a> as Galen.
</blockquote>

<pre>
Start date: June 9, 1999
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00061QJSK/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: December 7, 2004

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
           <a href="http://www.psicorps.cnchost.com/">Fiona Avery</a>
	   and others
Directed by many people
</pre>

<p>
<hr size=3>

<h2>Episodes</h2>

<p>
Only 13 episodes (of a planned five years) were produced due to creative
differences between TNT and JMS.

<p>
Chronological episode order (ignoring the uniform change in favor of
maintaining as much storyline continuity as possible):

<ol>
   <li> <a href="501.html">War Zone</a>
   <li> <a href="509.html">Racing the Night</a>
   <li> <a href="510.html">The Memory of War</a>
   <li> <a href="511.html">The Needs of Earth</a>
   <li> <a href="512.html">Visitors from Down the Street</a>
   <li> <a href="513.html">Each Night I Dream of Home</a>
   <li> <a href="502.html">The Long Road</a>
   <li> <a href="503.html">The Well of Forever</a>
   <li> <a href="504.html">The Path of Sorrows</a>
   <li> <a href="505.html">Patterns of the Soul</a>
   <li> <a href="506.html">Ruling from the Tomb</a>
   <li> <a href="507.html">The Rules of the Game</a>
   <li> <a href="508.html">Appearances and Other Deceits</a>
</ol>

<h2><a name="NO">N</a><a name="BP">o</a><a name="AN">t</a><a name="UQ">e</a>s</h2>
<ul>

<p>
   <li>@@@891976541 TNT officially announced the series on April 7, 1998.
	JMS confirmed that the series was a go on April 3, 1998 on Los Angeles'
	"Hour 25" radio program (which he once hosted.)

<p>
   <li>@@@891709627 Shooting began August 3, 1998.

<p>
   <li>@@@903390030 The production team enlisted the help of scientists
	at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help ensure that the series'
	alien worlds are consistent with the latest planetary science.  See
	Netter Digital Entertainment's
	<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/980817/ca_netter__1.html">press
	release</a>
	on the subject.

<p>
   <li>@@@905812458 NASA's
	<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/crusade2.html">press
	release</a>
	has more detail and includes an image of the Excalibur.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 <a name="NO.memo">Some behind-the-scenes machinations</a>
	which will probably prove
	to be good Crusade trivia: On September 8, 1998,
	<a href="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/">Ain't It Cool News</a>
	ran a
	<a href="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=2060">story</a>
	describing a memo from TNT containing a list of proposed changes to
	Crusade, mostly focused on greatly increasing the amount of sex and
	violence.  The next day, JMS
	<a href="#JS.memo1">posted</a>
	on CompuServe and elsewhere that
	he couldn't officially confirm or deny the report. 

	<p>
	The fan community's
	reaction ranged from hostility to skepticism to alarm.  Many
	doubted the story was for real, and TNT would only say that no such
	memo had been sent to the Crusade producers (but not that it didn't
	exist).  On September 19, however, JMS
	<a href="#JS.memo2">verified</a>
	that it had in fact existed, but that it had been withdrawn.  He
	also announced that TNT had decided to spend some extra money on
	Crusade's sets, and for that reason, filming ceased for a month. 

	<p>
	Later, it became clear that the show TNT wanted -- a space shoot-em-up
	with lots of sex and violence -- wasn't the show JMS was producing,
	and that he wasn't willing to change the flavor of the series just to
	satisfy TNT.  As the 13th episode was wrapping up filming, TNT
	informed Warner Bros. and Babylonian Productions that they weren't
	interested in funding any additional episodes, and production stopped.

</ul>

<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>

<h3>About the cancellation and events leading up to it</h3>

<ul>

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-01-30: Rumors abound that TNT has pulled the plug
	on Crusade production.</em>

	<p>
	The plug has not been pulled by TNT, which cannot pull the plug
	because we don't work for TNT, we work for WB.  TNT is a distributor.

	<p>
	All I can say for now is that, like Oliver Stone's project for
	TNT, Witchblade, we have found that TNT (known primarily for westerns,
	historical dramas and wrestling) is not SF-friendly in terms of really
	getting what SF is about, and it may not entirely reconcile with what
	their core audience expects from them...and that a new, more SF
	friendly venue is being explored.

	<p>
	So if folks wanted to drop an encouraging note to, let's say,
	the Sci-Fi Channel, for instance, that would certainly be okay by me.

	<p>
	But in the interim...no, we're not canceled.  We're taking off
	next week to allow WB to work its magic, but that's about it.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-01-31: How about releasing the series to video or a satellite
	service?</em>
	
	<p>
	No, you can't do a series to video, it has to be aired.  And DTV
	is considered a poor man's venue, for stuff that couldn't make it
	elsewhere.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-01-31: Can the show move to the WB Network?</em>

	<p>
	WB Network is out of the question, due to the way WB is
	structured. It's a very long, corporate story, just take my word for
	it...SFC is the best option for us.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-02-10: What are you doing now?  Writing?  Working on your
	new comic?  Sleeping?</em>

	<p>
	All that...plus working on the show, doing post production on the
	episodes already in hand (CGI, music, sound, editing)...I'm actually
	about as busy as we are during shooting.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-02-26: Will the episodes already shot be aired?</em>
	
	<p>
	All 13 eps produced so far will be shown; we'll be doing post
	production (CGI, music other stuff) through April 22nd.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-02-26: Why would TNT change its mind when they'd already
	had good success with B5?</em>

	<p>
	One element to the whole discussion is that B5 was already an
	entity in its own right, and taking on the fifth year entailed
	basically buying what was already there, as opposed to becoming
	involved with the creative process of influencing a new series.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-02-26: The Sci-Fi Channel tried to arrange to pick Crusade
	up after TNT decided to only order 13 episodes.</em>

	<p>
	Well, we took our best shot.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it
	don't.

	<p>
	The SciFi Channel programming guys wanted the show; they wanted
	it a lot.  They crunched numbers for almost two weeks trying to make it
	work.  But at the end of the day, the problem was that they had already
	allocated or spent their budget for the year, and couldn't come up with
	the huge chunk of change necessary to get an entire season.  Had this
	come up prior to January 1st, things would almost certainly have gone
	differently.  But they have their budget, as we have ours, and it was
	already allocated.

	<p>
	So TNT will now air the full 13 produced, and that's the end of
	it for now.  I say for now because WB has told us to fold and hold all
	the sets, rather than scrap them, because they believe strongly in the
	show, and feel that when the ratings come in we may well be able to
	pick up a second season. We'll see.

	<p>
	Meanwhile, I'm taking the day off, and deciding which of a
	number of offers from networks and studios, sitting on my desk since B5
	finished, to pick up.  I had declined to go that route so I could do
	Crusade and keep playing in this universe, but absent that, there's no
	reason not to go back to the networks and apply there some of what
	we've been able to do in B5 and Crusade.

	<p>
	My thanks to all those who wrote, and called, and emailed, and
	lent their support to the process.  And I think that when you see the
	show, you'll be quite pleased by what we did.  We're all very proud of
	it.

<p>
   <li> Bottom line:

	<p>
	The reason we've been waiting so long for news is that the
	SciFi Channel has been crunching numbers for weeks, trying to
	make the deal work with WB, and doing their level best.  The
	programming folks there loved the show (and special thanks has
	to go to Programming Head Tom Vitale at SFC who worked hardest
	to make this work).

	<p>
	The problem is simply this: the money to fund a series is a BIG
	chunk of change.  SFC had already allocated its budget for the
	year as of January 1st, and there simply wasn't enough left in
	this year's budget to pull it off.  Also, the emphasis now is
	on spending money on shows where one owns a piece of it, and
	Crusade is owned entirely by WB.

	<p>
	At the end of they day, they just couldn't make the dollars
	work, though they tried their damndest, and are only to be
	thanked.

	<p>
	I'm told that if the ratings are good on the 13 which TNT will
	still air, all the eps made so far will be shown, there may be
	a second season, but we'll see.

	<p>
	Meanwhile, I'm taking the day off.  There have been seven
	offers for overall deals and multiple network pilot deals with
	both networks per se and studios on my desk for about a year
	now, ever since B5 ended, which I've been putting off to do
	Crusade.  Now I'll pick one of those deals and make it.  So the
	next thing from me you see will almost certainly be on one of
	the major networks.  I'm going back into the deep water
	again....

	<p>
	Meanwhile, my thanks to all those who emailed and wrote and
	called and supported.  It's a good show, as will be seen when
	the shows are aired, and I'd rather lose a show I believed in
	than keep one I didn't believe in.

<p>
   <li> "So, has the success of B5 brought more offers than before?"

	<p>
	Definitely.  It showed that I could run a series and keep it on
	budget and make it an international success.  Right now those elements
	are in heavy demand at the networks.  Even though the pay is half in
	cable what you get at the network level, I was content to stay with
	Crusade if it meant keeping our team together, and playing in the B5
	universe a bit longer.  Absent that, then there's every reason to take
	up one or two of those offers.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-02-27: A fan asks if a letter-writing campaign would
	help.</em>

	<p>
	What you have to understand at this point is that there's
	really no time left.  It takes a large amount of money to hold
	a cast and crew together while other options are being sought,
	and even then options on varoius cast members and others begin
	to expire fast.

	<p>
	WB can't keep spending holding money while they're seeking
	another prospect.  It's a business decision, but a sensible
	one, given the large amounts of money involved.  Their approach
	now is to believe in the show enough to get it on the air, let
	the ratings speak for themselves, and see what happens.

	<p>
	My only regret is for the cast, who are all uniformly terrific,
	and who are caught out in all this.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-03-13: Is there still hope?</em><br>
	"There's always hope, because it's the one thing nobody's figured out
	how to kill yet."  -- Galen.

<p>
   <li> <em>1999-03-13: A fan suggests writing to Bonnie Hammer,
	senior VP of programming at the Sci-Fi Channel, or to Stephen
	Chao, president of television and marketing for SFC's parent
	company, USA Networks, in the hopes of convincing SFC to include
	the show in their next annual budget.</em>

	<p>
	Yes, both those would be good choices.

	<p>
	And the best time for this would be after the episodes start airing in
	June.  I think we have about 5 weeks before the actors' contracts
	expire in July.  (They will be running all 13 straight through, or so
	they tell me.)

</ul>


<h3>About the series in general</h3>

<ul>

   <li> WB has asked for a treatment on a sequel, and TNT is interested in doing
	two original B5 movies set during the B5 main story arc, with one of
	them a prequel.  We'll see....

<p>
   <li> I've worked out the details for 1,000 years in either direction
	for the B5 storyline in general, and in specific for 100 years in
	either direction; there's no chance of anything getting watered down no
	matter what happens...there's enough story there for several novels. 
	And WB is currently very interested in the side-story/sequel series
	that I've mentioned from the beginning is a possibility.

<p>
   <li> Actually, I've said pretty much from the very beginning of the first
	season, that there was a side-story that could go off, which I'd be
	interested in telling.  And that may be a possibility.

	<p>
	And it's not Crusaders (which always makes me think of Crusader Rabbit);
	it's The Babylon Project: Crusade.  (That's the working title, anyway.)

<p>
   <li> It would take place after the main B5 arc.  As for specifics on
	cast, nothing can be said until things get closer to being nailed down;
	there's still a lot that can change on this, and it's a question of
	what works best for the show, and who wants to move on, and other
	aspects.

<p>
   <li>@@@878760330 <em>Does the series touch on the Rangers' work on Earth
	as shown in
	<a href="088.html">"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars?"</a></em><br>
	No, that part isn't the crux of the Rangers series,
	because that takes place 'way down the road, but monks have always been
	around on the show, starting with Brother Theo, so I imagine we'll see
	them in future.

<p>
   <li>@@@854165337 Yeah, the sequel and the fifth year could conceivably happen at
	the same time...or not...or one or the other...it's utterly in flux. 
	Totally fluxed up.

<p>
   <li> It would have an arc, yes, but not as rigorous as the one in B5;
	I've kind of done that now, and would like to try something
	different...I don't like to try and walk in the same stream twice, to
	borrow a metaphor from Greek philosophy.

<p>
   <li> <em>But you've already worked on non-arc shows.</em><br>
	Well, basically, all there *is* are either arc shows or
	stand-alone shows (or maybe somewhat stand-alones with a slight thread
	running through them).  My feeling for now is that I just don't want to
	do the same thing twice in a row...and maybe find some new approaches
	along the way to the next project.

	<p>
	You must understand how hideously difficult and exhausting
	telling a 5 year tightly constructed story like this is...basically,
	over the course of 4 years, I'll have written 3,000 pages all in one
	universe, primarily telling one story.  That's the equivilent of 6 or 7
	full-size novels in 4 years, telling one story.  After something like
	that, you want to do something a little different for a bit.

	<p>
	Four years ago, when I started carrying this elephant, I barely
	had a grey hair on my head...now it's gone almost entirely grey, I look
	as if I've aged 10 years, and people who see me after a gap of a few
	years all say the same thing: "What the hell HAPPENED to you?"  I tell
	them: Babylon 5.

<p>
   <li> I never SAID "Crusade" would not have a story
	arc. I have only said that it won't be as *intense* an arc as that on
	B5, because the tone is somewhat different, because I don't want to do
	the exact same thing twice.  But it will have an arc to it.

<p>
   <li> My general sense for what comes next for me...assuming the B5
	sequel goes...I've done a hard-linked and extremely intense drama with
	an adventure component...and now, having done that, and proved that it
	*could* be done, despite many who said it couldn't, my feeling now is,
	"Okay, we've done that, how can we tweak it so that the sequel has a
	different feel to it?" So I'm looking at something that's a little more
	in the adventurous mode, with a serious underpinning, with an arc to it
	that's not quite as intense in tone, but is still good drama. 
	Characters that grow and change, a definite ending, several mysteries
	enclosed inside other mysteries, with a much larger canvas, and an even
	stronger sense of wonder.  B5 I did to prove a point, to some extent;
	now I'd like to try something where, having achieved that, I can sit 
	back and, knowing the format now, have some fun with it.  Maybe turn
	it on its head in a few places.

	<p>
	As with everything else I do, I try to find what I'd enjoy as a
	viewer, and take it from there.  That was how B5 came about, and that's
	how the new show would come about, should it happen.

<p>
   <li>@@@855739129 "Can you tell us if Crusade is going to be a definite length eg B5
	is/was supposed to be 5 years (still hanging on for season 5
	announcement and sadly for season 4 to start showing in UK)."

	<p>
	There's a definite ending in mind, yes, but there's some room to play
	within that framework.  Again, there's an arc, but not quite as rigorous
	as with B5.

<p>
   <li>@@@864919901 "Crusade" would take place about 3 years
	after the events of season 5, in 2265.

<p>
   <li>@@@864919901 <em>What years would the story span?</em><br>
	2265-2270.

<p>
   <li> In some ways, yeah, I think I will have some real opportunities that
	didn't exist with B5, in that for the first 3 years we had to fight to
	get ourselves taken seriously by everyone, including WB.  Now we have
	some credibility, and that gives you a certain freedom.

	<p>
	Also, the arc was, for me, a relatively new tool which took me about a
	year or so to really figure out how to use...then I used it
	relentlessly for a very long time.  Now it's just one more tool on my
	belt, and I can use it with a bit more precision.  It's the difference
	between using a rapier and a broadsword.

	<p>
	It'll probably start out looking fairly conventional, as did B5 our
	first year, just until the suits get comfortable and start ignoring us
	(they're all OVER you in your first year), and then, again as with B5,
	we'll start getting really subversive...ah loves being subversive....

	<p>
	And there'll be the folks who'll say, "Oh, it's just X," just like
	they did with B5 in the beginning, saying "Oh, it's just like DS9,"
	which is *perfect* because it lets me sneak up behind them and just
	WHACK 'em upside the head when they're not looking, as with B5.

	<p>
	Basically, without saying too much, it'll be a MUCH larger canvas, and
	the kinds of stories I can tell will be CONSIDERABLY more varied and
	have more opportunities to explore all kinds of interesting stuff, so
	I can go a bit more nuts on production values, alien stuff, and other
	areas.

<p>
   <li>@@@884031252 What I want to do with Crusade is take the tools we
	learned to use in B5 and apply them in a different (and in some ways,
	more ambitious) manner.  It'll have an arc, now that we've shown that
	it works, but not as rigorous an arc...less overtly political but more
	thematic.  Also, after 5 years of angst-driven storytelling, I'd like
	to see if I can use the same tools to do something a little more fun.
	I've lived in the dark side of the B5 universe for a long time, and
	while there's plenty of darkness still out there, I kinda want to go
	and do something a bit more adventurous...and which explores all the
	places in the B5 universe that we've heard about, but never seen.

<p>
   <li> Nothing has yet been finalized (or even near to it) on the cast.

<p>
   <li>@@@890000755 <em>Recent reports say you've decided which characters
	from the first series will be in Crusade.</em><br>
	This is not quite correct, but that's all I can say for now. 
	There are one or two actors who might slide to Crusade, depending on
	circumstances, and we have spoken to them on the QT about it...which is
	probably why this was said, because I asked the actors in question not
	to say anything until we got closer to seeing how things were going to
	work out; the inquiries were mainly of an "if we had this role, would
	you be interested in doing it?" nature, checking avails and
	possibilities so we could plan accordingly.

<p>
   <li>@@@895442605 Though nothing has been set yet about Crusade, I would expect at
	least guest appearances by some or many of our previous B5 cast here
	and there.

<p>
   <li>@@@865288769 <em>Have you given thought to the male/female ratio of
	the cast?</em><br>
	I never ever give thought to ratios, or making a political
	statement, or anything other than the story.  If that meant using 100%
	female cast in the movie, or 100% male cast, or some variation thereof,
	then that's what it'll be.  I think the *instant* you start putting
	agendas ahead of the creative process, of saying "What is the story
	*about*?" then I think you're dead. 

<p>
   <li>@@@898572188 <em>What's the optimum cast size for a show like
	Crusade?</em><br>
	There's really no best regular size.  B5 generally had about 9-
	11 regulars and recurring (i.e., in the main credits) actors in any
	given season, which was necessary because you had 4 different,
	competing forces, each of whom required some representation (Earth/B5,
	Minbar, Narn, Centauri Prime). With an ambassador plus aide, that's 8
	minimum, plus at least one or two others for station operations.

	<p>
	In Crusade, we're really dealing with one force encountering
	others on a per-episode basis (mostly), so we've got 6 regulars/recurs,
	with a subset of reappearing characters (a la Morden, Bester or Corwin
	in B5).  That feels about right to me.

<p>
   <li>@@@891976625 <em>Any changes to the production crew?</em><br>
	We're not doing a lot of changing.  One thing that does tend to
	get changed for a new series is the *look* of the show, you
	want Crusade to have a different and distinct appearance, to be
	its own show.  So for instance we're bringing in new graphic
	designers to do screen stuff and signage and other related
	stuff.

	<p>
	Other times it's an individual choice.  Anne Bruice-Aling
	recently had a baby, and she wants to dedicate the next year or
	so toward raising her kid, so while she'll remain available for
	occasional stuff or consulting, we'll have someone else heading
	up the wardrobe department.

	<p>
	Mainly, you want to hold onto as many of your original people
	as you can, because we've trained our folks to work in a
	certain, particular way.  Nobody else really does things the
	way we do them on B5, and it's wiser to hold onto your crew,
	and give incentives, to keep them around.  (We tend to promote
	from within the ranks and reward loyalty rather than bring in
	new folks, that sort of thing.)

	<p> <em>What's in the series "bible?"</em><br>
	I put in it
	basically whatever I think will be useful to anyone, as much as
	I can think up.  Characters' names, backgrounds, descriptions,
	the kinds of stories we are looking for, the kinds of stories
	we *don't* want to see, what is good SF and what ain't, sample
	storylines we plan to develop, that sort of thing.

	<p>
	I'm now in the process of converting over the "sell treatment,"
	done for the network, to a working series bible, which will go
	out to those writers with whom I've either worked before, or
	whose work I know and have wanted to work with for a while (as
	was the case with Neil Gaiman).

<p>
   <li>@@@892111238 I imagine we'll keep about 95% of the production crew on
	the move to Crusade.

<p>
   <li>@@@896374481 <em>How does the new look get decided?</em><br>
	It's hard to define...it's a long process of give and take.
	John Copeland and I both knew we wanted something different, a
	new kind of look, and we went back and forth discussing it
	between us until we were ready to talk to the production design
	folk.  We told them in general terms what we were looking
	for...then they went away, and came back with several
	preliminary designs.  We sat and talked about them, made
	revisions and suggestions, threw one thing out, kept the other
	thing, got another version done, and on and on until there was
	something that we felt worked.  Ditto for the CGI version (for
	which there is a very early version on the B5 fan club site).
	The final look of the CGI is much sleeker and more refined.

	<p>
	<em>And the costume/makeup design?</em><br>
	Same process.  I discuss with Optic Nerve and the costume folks what I
	have in mind.  They go away and come up with drawings.  They submit
	those drawings; John and I go over them, pick the ones we like, suggest
	modifications, toss out what we don't like, and the process of
	refinement continues.

<p>
   <li>@@@921834231 <em>How will the shuttle bay work?  A force field a la
	Star Trek?</em><br>
	No, there is a definite (and very large) airlock door that closes
	after ships enter the flight deck, so it can then be pressurized.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 <em>Who's doing the music?</em><br>
	We haven't yet set a composer for Crusade; we're giving a shot
	to Evan Chen, a chinese-born classical composer with a strong jazz
	background, on A Call to Arms.  How that turns out will determine much
	that follows.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 Evan's an amazing composer...he came out of Shanghai,
	studied music in Russia and Germany, was fast becoming a leading,
	classically trained composer, and discovered jazz in his twenties,
	dropped everything to come to Chicago and study under some of the best
	jazz men around (even if it meant washing dishes to get by).  His stuff
	is the most amazing blend of asian influence, classical instrumentation,
	jazz and rock backbeats I've ever heard, even using asian scales
	(somewhat different from western musical scales) in unexpected places to
	make western music sound totally different.

	<p>
	For a show as different as this, I wanted a completely
	different, totally unique sound, something I've never heard before, and
	Evan Chen has it.

<p>
   <li>@@@906745365 <em>Is Evan playing with any groups right now?</em><br>
	Not that I'm aware of.  I think we got in and found him before
	anybody else could get their hands on him.

<p>
   <li>@@@929221874 "Will a CD of Chen's music be put out?  I can't wait..."

	<p>
	Yep, in fact, I have it right here, having gotten the first
	pressing of the thing for approval.  Chris's company will be putting it
	out.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 <em><a name="JS.memo1" href="#NO.memo">About the TNT
	memo, September 9, 1998</a></em><br>
	At this time, officially, I cannot confirm or deny the report.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 <em><a name="JS.memo2">September 19, 1998</a></em><br>
	The TNT memo was apparently real; however, the egregious points
	have now been withdrawn, and on top of that, TNT has allocated a big
	chunk of change to let us build some new sets and expand stuff.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 I think that to dwell on the thing would be to just open
	wounds that are better left healed.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 Things are going well overall; we've filmed 5 episodes, and have
	just extended a planned 1 week production hiatus (we take two such
	hiatuses -- hiati? -- every year, one in the fall, one in the spring)
	and added three paid weeks in order to allow time for construction on a
	number of new sets.

<p>
   <li>@@@906450790 What we've done is to try and expedite this so we can
	have the new stuff in hand for the maximum number of episodes as quickly
	as possible.  We always take a one-week hiatus in every block of
	episodes we shoot, all the way through B5's history and now.  One week
	around the start of October (depending on the start of filming), then
	the Christmas break, then another one-week hiatus midway through the
	last 10 episodes.

	<p>
	So what we did here was to add on three weeks to the hiatus,
	starting Tuesday.  Well, three paid weeks off for most of the crew
	directly involved with the actual filming, anyway.  Construction, art
	department, props, wardrobe and other departments will still be working
	away to build and dress the sets and stuff so we can get right back
	into shooting on with the new stuff in place.

	<p>
	We're talking here improvements to the corridors, to the
	quarters to enlarge them, adding a wardroom/mess hall, an exercise
	area...other stuff. We generally add sets each season, and wanted to do
	these down the road, but now we have the chance to do them now.

<p>
   <li>@@@906591943 In addition to the Christmas break, we have always taken
	a one-week hiatus in the middle of shooting to avoid burning out cast
	and crew.  This was true of B5 throughout its history.  One week in
	the fall, one in the spring.

	<p>
	TNT has allocated additional money to build some major (large) new
	sets that we had thought we'd have to wait until season 2 to
	implement, and to improve some of the sets.  (We were always fighting
	to spiff up sets throughout B5, and we always had to bring in our new
	sets gradually, like Earharts and the War Room and others.)

	<p>
	Since they're going to give us the money for that now, we figued we'd
	extend the hiatus by a few weeks (a paid break for most of the actual
	shooting crew), though we still have the art department, costume,
	construction, props and several other departments still working away
	to build the sets and stuff.

	<p>
	We start shooting again October 19th.

<p>
   <li>@@@907952425 It's been kinda hectic here, between the new sets under
	construction,
	meetings, and other stuff, some of which has been hinted around by
	others.  At this point, we're still on target for filming to start up
	on October 19th.

	<p>
	One of the issues brought up by TNT had to do with a decision we all
	made early on that the first episode up, Racing the Night, would just
	jump right into the story, without doing the usual pilot-episode thing
	of showing the team coming together, which was our other option.

	<p>
	On reflection, TNT figured that the best thing might be to do that
	"coming together" episode after all, to set the stage for all that
	follows.  It's a lateral change, really, you could have it or not,
	either way, it's dealer's choice.  But if we're going to do that, we
	may as well get the sets and other stuff ready to go for that first
	episode and the ones that will immediately follow.  We're also making
	some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up with a pretty funny
	way to make the transition in the story).  All of the prior produced
	episodes are still in, and still going to be broadcast, nothing's
	changed that as far as I know.

	<p>
	Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate
	first ep is in, and all should be cool from this point on.  Which is
	not to say there haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have
	reached some understandings....

<p>
   <li>@@@908224277 We're still set to go back into filming on October 19th.
	As I mentioned in a prior post, TNT felt the need for an actual
	introductory episode, one that sets the story by bringing together our
	characters together for the first time, more of a conventional pilot
	in that respect.  "Racing the Night" was written to take place about 5
	months after the Drakh attack, so that we got right into things.  The
	"bringing people into the story" story will, therefore, take place
	shortly after the Drakh attack, two-three days later, to be precise.

	<p>
	Since we're doing a first introductory episode, TNT kinda wanted to
	have the new sets in place for the first few eps (though they can't
	appear in the first one for story reasons), and since we're making
	some wardrobe adjustments, they figured they may as well have those in
	place as well.

	<p>
	Nothing in the story has been changed.  The five episodes already made
	will be aired, and you will see that the characters, the story, the
	feel of the show is *exactly* the same between those first 5 filmed,
	and those that follow.  What it comes down to are some cosmetic
	changes, some new sets, and an episode that sets things in place.

	<p>
	As we come back, the first two episodes up to be shot will be scripts
	we already had in hand, then the new introductory episode, "War Zone,"
	another one we already have, one new one, then another one from
	on-hand, which will take us through into the Christmas break.

	<p>
	No scripts are being thrown out, no episodes are being scrapped...none
	of that has taken place, or is taking place.  The show is the show is
	the show.

	<p>
	(And on the costumes themselves...no, they're not going to be "skin
	tight" things; we're actually kinda going in the opposite direction.
	They're more typically military jumpsuits, black, neatly tailored,
	similar to some Air Force or Marine uniforms.  And the only people who
	will be wearing these are the basic technical crew, Captain Gideon
	(Gary Cole) and Lieutenant John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim); the others
	are civilians, and thus are not affected.

	<p>
	Regarding air dates...we have thus far not been told if they want to
	push for a January airdate or not.  Part of the complication to all
	this is that if we make #8 in shooting order the first aired, we have
	to do a hideous amount of post-production on CGI to get it ready in
	time.  Rather than make us rush it, they have said they might consider
	waiting until the February sweeps.  Another option is to go in March,
	if they don't want to go up against the Network sweeps period (which
	is traditionally death for basic cable)...but the problem *there* is
	that you can only air 4 episodes and then TNT would go into the NBA
	playoffs, which means it would be another 6 weeks or so until any new
	eps could be shown.

	<p>
	So on that score, nobody's decided anything yet, we don't know and
	haven't been told because they haven't decided where will best serve
	us, so we hit the ground with the least network opposition.

	<p>
	Anyway, that's where things are.  Hope this puts to rest some of the
	rumors out there.

<p>
   <li>@@@914520472 The intro movie, "A Call to Arms," is still slated for
	January 3rd; the series initially was going to go in January, then they
	moved it to June 2nd to make room for the NBA playoffs, and now that it
	looks like the playoffs may not happen, I'm hearing March/April.

<p>
   <li>@@@908224277 <em>How much of the CGI for the new initial episode
	could be done ahead of time, before filming starts?</em><br>
	Zip.  Because until it's edited, you don't know how long to make the
	shots, or how they'll intercut with the live action...and there's all
	the stuff from other eps to deal with as well.

<p>
   <li>@@@908606256 <em>Do you provide storyboards with ships and beams
	or do the CGI people create something from the script or do you check
	it prior to rendering in wireframe form or similar?</em><br>

	<p>
	Pretty much all of the above, depending on the complexity of the
	sequence.

<p>
   <li>@@@909090496 To the gazillion or so folks who've asked in email...yes,
	we began shooting again on Monday the 19th, as scheduled, making the
	show we desired to make, and we're cranking along just fine.  Actors
	are happy, crew are happy, everybody happy but Zathras...but Zathras
	never happy...Zathras happy once, had friend once, but wheels fell
	off, very sad....

<p>
   <li>@@@856652269 "You have pretty consistently said that you would
	*end* B5, and that there
	would *never* be a sequel.  Instead, you would do something in the B5
	universe, but not realated to the B5 storyline.  The description sure
	sounds like a sequel to me."

	<p>
	What I have said about this from the beginning, and the ONLY thing I
	have ever said about this, was that there was a side-story in the B5
	universe that could go off from the main story.  That has been quoted in
	many different places, and on line, and definitely includes any plans
	for "Crusade."

	<p>
	BTW, that new characters were mentioned does not exclude any current
	cast members...doesn't include them, either, but bottom line, that ain't
	a complete list of characters.  There's room and flexibility in there,
	depending on what happens.

<p>
   <li>@@@859536035 Actually, there'd be no rush at all in terms of getting a sequel
	into prep and out the door.  The discussions now are in the area of
	fall 97 to shoot and January 98 to air (with or without a simultaneous
	S5 of B5).  We have a lot of the stuff we'd need for the sequel
	(costumes, uniforms, some sets, prosthetics, that sort of thing), so
	the lead time would be very short.

<p>
   <li>@@@877274170 With luck, we hope to have this puppy finally negotiated
	and a Real Deal within the next few weeks.

<p>
   <li>@@@883868609 The contract has been sent to me for signing several
	times, and each time it has had some problem or another that needed
	fixing.  (See, this is how the process works: your agent and the studio
	negotiate over the phone.  Come to terms.  Deal memos go out, which
	often don't reflect the conversations, but they hope you won't notice.
	You catch the "errors" and send back the memos. Next come the actual
	contracts, and sonuvagun, more "errors" have slipped through, and now
	THEY need to be corrected, if you can find them in the 90 pages of 8
	point type.  So that's been the only real holdup.  It's standard.)

<p>
   <li>@@@891976541 As has come out in the press today, CRUSADE: The Babylon
	Project, is officially a go project as a series.  We start shooting
	July 27th to go on the air January 6th.  More info will follow over
	time.

<p>
   <li>@@@911667926 Because 108 is now the slated fist episode, so that we
	can use it to introduce the new characters rather than jump in
	in-progress, it means it will take longer to complete the CGI and stuff
	than 103, since it was shot later.  TNT needs the eps a month or two
	prior to airdate for critics...and there's the concern about showing
	only 4 episodes in March (which is when it would all be ready) and
	then being cut off for 8 weeks by the NBA playoffs.

	<p>
	So they figured going June 2nd would avoid all of the problems, and put
	the show out when the network shows were in reruns...meaning it has a
	better chance of scoring large numbers, a strategy that worked well
	with other shows like 90210.

<p>
   <li>@@@882987634 <em>If "Crusade" is made, what will your involvement
	be?</em><br>
	I'll exec produce, same as with B5, develop the overall
	arc, as with B5 (though it's not as rigorous an arc), do all the same
	stuff in editing, post, all the same stuff.  About the only real
	difference I foresee would be my intent to only write about half the
	episodes this time around; I'm looking forward to seeing what other
	writers can do in the B5 universe.

<p>
   <li>@@@883993339 Our first two seasons were roughly 40-50% freelance,
	which is a substantially higher average than most shows.  Years 3 and
	4 were mine, mainly because of the difficulty in farming out stories
	in that situation.

	<p>
	Crusade will almost certainly to back to the 40-50% freelance mode,
	which is frankly my preference, and it's been that way on all the
	previous shows I've done.

<p>
   <li>@@@891709736 There are many other good writers out there who I have
	every confidence can do a good job on Crusade.  And bear in mind that
	any script that comes in generally gets revised by me, so I'll be in
	there.  The plan for now is that I'll do about 11 scripts out of 22,
	and have freelancers doing the other half.

<p>
   <li>@@@921834231 <em>Has Goran Gajic been approached about directing a
	Crusade episode?</em><br>
	Yes, Goran has been slated for a Crusade episode.

<p>
   <li>@@@898572630 <em>Will it start off with a movie?</em><br>
	No, the first episode will be of normal length.  A Call to Arms
	is primarily a B5 movie, which sets the incidents in place that lead to
	Crusade, which then hits the ground running with its first episode,
	regular length, same as the other 21 TNT has signed for.

<p>
   <li>@@@905790074 <em>Is the Biblical reference in Captain Gideon's
	name intentional?</em><br>
	There are certain reasons for that name choice, yes, which is
	all I'll say for now.

<p>
   <li>@@@906591943 Peter is superb as Galen, utterly brilliant.  I think
	we lucked into a character and an actor that is going to be extremely
	popular with fans.  I couldn't be happier with his work to date; I'd
	put his work up there with Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, easily.

<p>
   <li>@@@916729235 <em>Is Matheson's name a reference to horror writer
	Richard Matheson?</em><br>
	Yup.  I fell in love with Matheson's work as a kid, and since we had
	Bester in B5, I figured it might be good luck to have Matheson in
	Crusade.

<p>
   <li>@@@929221492 "But you are saying that dispite the numerical sequence
	being disordered, Crusade remains a contining story rather than
	standalone episodes?"

	<p>
	They're somewhat stand alone that was introducing characters and
	setting up the details that would kick the arc into gear with #14.

</ul>

<h2>See Also</h2>

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