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- <title>Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: The Philosophy</title>
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-
- <h2><a name="philosophy">The Philosophy</a></h2>
-
- <a href="creators.html#jms">JMS'</a>
- main criteria for a good science fiction television series include that it
- must be good science fiction <em>and</em> good television;
- it must be geared towards adults, not kids (one slogan
- on the set is, "No Cute
- Kids, No Cute Robots. Ever!") doing for science fiction what <cite>Hill Street
- Blues</cite> did for police shows. It must be done on a reasonable
- budget and it should look like nothing ever seen on TV. And to make it a
- series, it should not be just individual stories (alien attack/ possession/
- misunderstanding of the week) -- the stories should be part of an overall
- larger story, but still watchable each week as a separate chapter.
-
- <p>
- In keeping with those ideals, a
- <a href="/lurk/universe/five-year-overview.html">five year storyline</a>
- (the "arc") has been planned
- as if the show were a five year miniseries. Events have been planned for each
- season, which will tell a larger story over time. There is plenty of room for
- individual stories within each season and each episode can stand alone,
- though certain episodes (which JMS calls "WHAM" episodes) are pivotal to the
- big picture -- for example,
- <a href="/lurk/guide/013.html">"Signs and Portents"</a>
- from season one.
-
- <p>
- One common complaint about science-fiction shows (and TV in general) is that
- fan input falls on deaf ears. Not so Babylon 5. JMS participates in online
- discussions in several places, such as
- <a href="/lurk/ftp/CompuServe/">CompuServe,</a>
- <a href="/lurk/ftp/GEnie/">GEnie,</a>
- and
- <a href="/lurk/ftp/Usenet/">Usenet,</a>
- actively soliciting discussions and thoughtful criticism about the episodes
- and the show in general. Some of this online discussion even goes onto a
- "Best of the Nets" bulletin board on a wall in the production offices, where
- it's read by many of the staff.
-
- <p>
- In fact, since the airing of the pilot, fan input has had
- <a href="/lurk/resources/fans.html#effect">visible effects</a>
- on the show.
-
- <p>
- All freelance scripts have the original writer as the sole credit. Contrary
- to prevailing practice in Hollywood, any
- rewrites or additions (such as a "B" plot or additional scenes) by Babylon 5
- staff do not add to the writing credit. This allows freelancers to
- get full royalties for the episodes they write.
-
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- <h5>
- Last update:
- October 8, 1995
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