Babylon 5 posts by JMS for June 1-15, 1994 This file includes a compilation of posts on GEnie by J. Michael Straczynski in the Babylon 5 category. The posts are copyright by JMS (and compilation copyright is by GEnie). ************ Topic 1 Mon Oct 26, 1992 SF-MARSHALL [Dave ] at 18:50 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series (Non-Spoiler) Welcome to the Babylon 5 category and main topic for the new series. Here is the place for all general information on the series. Topic 2 is the location for SPOILERS. And please, NO STORY IDEAS are to be posted either. 692 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 537 Wed Jun 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:24 EDT Gary: I just don't think that's workable, and in any event, we were planning to rotate the voice-over between cast members. Brett: the one I wrote while utterly sick with the flu was, as I dimly recall, "The Quality of Mercy." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 550 Thu Jun 02, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:02 EDT Note to the above: I most emphatically didn't work on the V series; I thought it was awful for the most part, except for the mini-series that launched it. (We didn't call it V2 for nothing, he said.) I wrote a new 4- hour miniseries that was to have launched a revived syndicated series closer in intent and theme to the original minseries. It proved too expensive for the syndication market, however, and was never produced (though the first 3 acts are in one of the libraries hereabout). Only marginally appropos to the preceding...I lurk on a lot of BBS systems, regional and national, 'cause I find that my presence being known can affect the discussion, and it's nice to have a "control group," or two, for lack of a better term. And I'm amazed at the amount of misinformation out there, preceded by "JMS said...." There's "Joe said a homeworld would be destroyed in the cliffhanger," which I didn't say; "Joe said that the Minbari change sex," which I never said, and was only implied by our casting initially a female to play a male character. It was sorta assumed, and became accepted, but it was never said. (Going with this is, "Joe never referred to Delennin the pilot as "she." Which isn't correct; a tech calls to Sinclair and tells him Delenn wants to see him. "She's in the garden," the tech says.) There's the rumor that Sinclair left the show, and I'm trying to cover my ass (we have options on all our cast, sorry)...the rumor that Michael was fired for bad acting (which is easily enough resolved: we will be shooting a scene in the next few weeks with Sinclair, which will show up *midway* through the first season, and will lay down the foundation for more in the future, something you don't do if it's "bad acting"). I'm not dismayed, just astonished; it's like the ultimate game of telephone, with lots of people wanting to be the *first* to give some kind of information, backing it up with vague sources, or attributing them to JMS comments that were never made. I would love, someday, to diagram all this stuff out and just watch the progression of it all.... Anyway, just woolgathering in-between the religious discussions.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 567 Fri Jun 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:09 EDT I spoke incorrectly; the scene will be used in year two, not year one. We're trying to get them to move the showing of Chrysalis back into August, with the rest of the year 1 episodes, rather than just before the start of year two. Warners logic behind that is their belief that a) they can generate more publicity for the new season, which will spill into Chrysalis and thus get more people to see it, making kind of an event out of it, and b) the HUT (households using televisions) for August are notoriously low, so they feel it would be wasting what's probably our strongest episodes. But I'd still prefer to see it in August, and we're still trying to nudge Warners in that direction. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 590 Sun Jun 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:56 EDT Cindy...yes, it's the characters that keep us coming back. I created Sinclair. I made him interesting to the audience. (I'm not trying to take away from the performance of the actor, I'm talking about the *character* per se, his dialogue, his past, his phraseology, his interests, everything that makes him what he is.) You found him to be of interest. That's good, because he didn't just land here on the back of an asteroid, Sinclair was *created*...the same way I created Kosh, and Garibaldi, and Delenn, and Londo, and G'Kar, and Ivanova.... Those, judging from reactions, are interesting characters. What makes you think that this new character to enter the mix is going to be a shlub? They all come from the same pen. Or keyboard, in this case. YOU, as I recall, kept pushing to shove Takashima out an airlock and bring in someone else...even though there were lots of people who *liked* Tamlyn in that role. They're all replaceable, you said. This isn't a case of someone else taking over Person A's show and changing everything around. These are my characters. My universe. And you can be sure that the new character will be every bit as interesting all all the OTHER characters. I just kinda wish people would allow the time and space to actually SEE what we have in mind before judging if it's going to work or not. A lot of people pronounced us dead after the pilot. We made some changes, came back, and the series was *considerably* better than the pilot (which you yourself said, Cindy, in part because of some character replacements that *you* thought would help the show [though that wasn't why they were made]). Even those who *liked* Takashima, and Dr. Kyle, and who said that as far as they were concerned if those characters were gone the show was gonna be crap, even THEY have come around. Our first year of the series was a jump in quality over the pilot. And our second year will be a jump in quality over the first year. We took a blood oath to make this show consistently better. All I can say, again, is what was said when we made changes from the pilot: wait and see what it is we're doing before you judge. I haven't suddenly developed Alzheimer's or gotten stupid or been possessed by a moron. The characters that appear in this show will continue to be as interesting as the first batch. I don't tend to pull rank very often, because it's a stupid and petty and arrogant thing to do...but if you like Kosh's enigmatic attitude, it's because I wrote it that way (or my writers) and created him to be enigmatic; if you like that Sinclair has a missing 24 hours, it's because I decided he did...on and on. Sometimes I get a little tired of this sense I get that people see these characters as having sprung fully-developed from the brow of Zeus, and that I'm yanking one out to put in some dumb character *I* came up with. I'm not asking anyone to take my word for anything, only to maybe cut a guy a little slack until you actually *see* what's going to be done, and to kinda remember that I came up with these guys to *start* with, and that nothing new in the show will be any less interesting than that which precedes it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 595 Sun Jun 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:48 EDT Thanks, Tom, and really, c'mon, Pee Wee Herman'll make a GREAT commander.... jm(trust me)s ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 616 Mon Jun 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:31 EDT It's my understanding that some or all of the Lightwave software is being adjusted for a Dos platform, and that Foundation will be more or less unaffected by the problem in the long run, though I imagine there will have to be some short-run transitional hassles. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 628 Wed Jun 08, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:55 EDT I've always thought that the kind of people who read the last page of a book should have their thumbs pinned into one of those chinese thumb-traps, then sent into the Nairobi desert to fend for themselves. At least that way, we'll *both* know how it ends.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 632 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:10 EDT I'm still reasonably sure that's what I was told about LW...but then again, at many of these discussions, I fall asleep and pitch forward onto the desk, so there you are. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 633 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:03 EDT Bits and pieces...heard today from Jim Norton, who plays our Ombuds on the show, and is currently in England doing a documentary about Gen. Montgomery (playing the lead), who was wearing his B5 jacket on Kings Road, and just about got mobbed by people. Apparently the show is going over well. Assignments are being made, scripts are in the works. First draft on "Chrysalis, Part Two" is in (JMS), and Larry's working on "A Trick of the Mind" and DC's working on "A Distant Star." We're doing a pretty fair amount of rethinking on some of our sets and costumes, again looking to improve them as much as we can from season to season without making major changes. We'll be doing more with set dressing, making it more layered and personal; building some new sets to let us explore other sides of our characters' lives; coming up with new costume designs for some of the new characters coming in this season, that sort of thing. New production schedule came out, and it looks like if we begin shooting on July 18 we'll be delivering episodes several months before they're due to air. So we're giving some thought to starting filming a couple weeks later, just to give us more time to tinker with the sets and costumes without having to rush. There's a couple of sets in particular that we'll be creating for the first couple of episodes we shoot, and the extra time could be useful in getting them just right, since they're fairly elaborate. (And Londo gets a new coat this season!) I'll probably have a bit more to say about the new additions to the cast later on. Not regulars, but recurring (6 episodes or so) characters. Today went down to Sotheby's in Beverly Hills to look at their stuff for their newest auction, mainly comics stuff. Got the auction catalog, brought it home, started marking pages...wish lists...walked out to where Kathryn was watching the NBA game..."So, like, exactly how do you feel about a second mortgage?" Such a look..... Sigh...I've long described myself as a collector of Superman stuff. HAH! Trinkets. There's some SERIOUS stuff out there, boys and girls. Bottom line...I'm doomed as doomed can be.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 638 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:50 EDT BTW, for those in the San Diego area, Harlan Ellison will be signing books this coming Saturday from 2-5 p.m. at Mysterious Galaxy Books, in the Claremont Square Shopping Center, 4679 Claremont Square. And at 6 p.m., he will read a new short story to an audience of those who've bought Mephisto in Onyx or Mind Fields *and* purchased $25 in books from the store. I'll be there as well, on and off starting about 2, though Harlan is the main show. Any GEIs who want to buy some stuff and come by are of course welcome. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 642 Fri Jun 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:55 EDT Alas, corridor walls that curve in make lighting and setting up camera angles VERY difficult. At this point, not much in the way of new aliens planned; we'd like to get away from the alien-of-the-week story (which though we didn't do it a *lot*, we did it enough that I want to edge away from it a bit), and concentrate on the aliens we already have. If you just keep on throwing new aliens into the mix, soon it loses all impact. We decided to try a whole bunch of aliens over season one, and pick the ones that worked, which we would then work to refine and integrate more fully into the storyline. Right now, I think we've got about 15 races in addition to our primary groups (Narn, Minbari, Centauri). Concomitant with this, we'll be working to make the prosthetics far more detailed and better able to be used in a dramatic context. We scattergunned a lot in season one; now is the time to adjust, refine, focus and improve. We'll still do the occasional new group, I just don't want that to begin driving the show. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 645 Fri Jun 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:59 EDT The vaguely cthulhoid creature to which you refer is a pak'ma'ra. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 657 Sat Jun 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:39 EDT The only things we're doing to the uniforms is adjusting the dress uniforms a bit, and adding a bit of seam to the back of the class-A day jackets to help them fit a little better, and a bit of slightly different piping along the leather collars so they'll read better on camera. Also we'll be making a new set out of a slightly more durable and comfortable gabardine than last season. Re: production...each episode shoots in 7 days, and yes, when one show comes in under the pattern budget (which often happens), we then apply that to other shows. We came in a bit under budget for the full season, and have applied that bit to next season's budget to give us a bit more room to play. I write 10-20 pages a day, usually on more than one script or project at the same time. Net messages in total add proably another 5-7 pages a day to the list. (Currently doing 2 B5 scripts, revising a 2-hour pilot for another series, editing others, awaiting word on an outline for a third pilot, and some other stuff.) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 674 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:26 EDT Argus: of course there are capital ships. We never said otherwise. There's one later this season, for instance, the EAS Hyperion, a heavy Earth cruiser. There aren't as many as they'd like -- the majority having been wiped out in the war -- but they're building 'em as fast as possible. (The Hyperion, though it's never mentioned, is one of the leftover capital ships, not one of the newer ones.) The uniforms are *not* being changed dramatically, only nipped and tucked and tweaked slightly to make them fit better and come across slightly better on-camera, so some details that're being lost now pop better. Re: starfury pilots...some of it is actors in cockpit against a blue screen, some of it CGI pilots with faces mapped onto them. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 679 Mon Jun 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:34 EDT We do see some EA military types from time to time (it was an EA marine who kept trying to pick up on ko'dath in "Purple"). And next season there'll be a bit more of that, with more supplies and people being moved out to the Rim, and stopping off at B5 en route. Re: Babylon...while it didn't end up well, for a long time Babylon was a center of commerce and industry, an important crossroads. The name translated means "the Gate of God," which has double meaning when attached to the jumpgate outside. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 686 Wed Jun 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:54 EDT BTW...appropos of nothing...I would urge all and sundry to check out the CBS special, "Murrow Vs. McCarthy," Wednesday night at 10/9 central. If you don't know who those two people are/were, all the more reason to watch. Some lessons must never be forgotten. jms ------------ ************ Topic 2 Wed Nov 20, 1991 STARR [Arne] at 19:41 EST Sub: Babylon 5 -- The Series!! >>SPOILERS<< Babylon 5 offically became a series on May 28 '93. There will be 22 hour eps for season one (in addition to the pilot). Airs Wednesdays at 8PM in most places starting Jan. 26 '94. This is the SPOILER topic where anything goes. 810 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 701 Wed Jun 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:27 EDT Err...insofar as I know, "I'm Thinking of Thinking" was not an old music hall song. It was composed by Christopher Franke for us. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 704 Wed Jun 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:47 EDT I'll probably be able to say more about the new actor in a couple of weeks. And yes, Ivanova was born on Earth, in the Russian Consortium, though she was educated in large measure overseas. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 724 Fri Jun 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:13 EDT A *lot* of background on the characters appears in the faq file, which I believe is available here. Wouldn't be surprised to see a B5 tech manual sometime next year os (or) so. Workers employed on B5 earn a weekly salary, paid in earth standard credits. Anyone coming from another culture/system with a different financial structure is handled as you would handle going from the US to Germany. You turn over your Drazi currency, and are given a credit chit which is charged with X-amount of EA credits, based on the current rate of exchange. If your system is not recognized by EA, things get a little dicier, and you may be forced to resort to barter. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 735 Sat Jun 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:21 EDT dj...you can tell your spouse that one of my pet bugaboos is loose threads left dangling. I tend to write pretty tightly, and don't like to leave things unresolved too long. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 769 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:54 EDT I read Bugs' note, and to his considerable credit, he had pieced together a *lot* of stuff. Moreso than has just about anyone else to date. It ultimately led him to make one final leap that took him onto the wrong track, so the destination was in error, but he had done his homework, thought things through, and was very much on the right track. There's just some stuff that can't be predicted because the necessary pieces aren't all on the table yet. So good thinking, excellent deductions, careful consideration, just off by a few decimals. It is, I suppose, the difference between E=MC2 and E=MC3; you kinda had to know where you were going and what you were doing to get that far, but the bomb still ain't gonna work. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 796 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:36 EDT I don't think I've really said that much about "Grail." The trick, though, is that I don't approach the episodes in quite the same way that a viewer does. I have somewhat different agendas and goals, and there are times when hassles in *doing* the episode -- which in no way affect the show itself - - affects my *perception* of the episode. I did a small screening of "Grail" here about a week ago, to get some other reactions, and they were all very positive; they enjoyed the episode quite a bit. (Similarly, there were people who thought that "Infection" was one of the best of the season.) There is *no one* who is harsher in critiquing the episodes than I am. I want each one to be absolutely perfect. And sometimes that means that I see flaws that no one else ever will. In any event, I definitely want people to come at this from an open minded point of view. For reasons that have nothing to do with Christy's script, it still isn't one of my all-time favorite episodes; if I said otherwise, I'd be lying through my teeth. But different opinions are what makes horse races, and as stated, most of those who've seen it so far *do* like it, so at the moment I'm considerably outnumbered.... jms ------------ ************ Topic 3 Tue Nov 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:09 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Computer SFX Tech-Talk Some of the new computer EFX used in BABYLON 5 will be revolutionary, a new approach never seen before on this scale. It's all new tech, and this topic will try and address the new technologies involved. 600 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 594 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:43 EDT Arne, let me respectfully disagree with you. An occasional typo is one thing; sometimes there can be SO many typos in someone's message that it becomes twice as hard to read, it can get annoying, and if the author's intent was to say X, a lot of typos can result in communicating Y, or people simply not bothering to read it at all. "core shuttkle...lety me anylyse...teh shodows...seeming huige...on te'he ground...there was abotyher...teh distant...prettyh bnut...." Granted, it's a prejudice, but this sort of thing also makes the writer look illiterate, though clearly he is not, but that nonetheless prejudices the reader, and diminishes the impact of the message. There is nothing wrong with occasional correction; that's one of the problems with SF fandom in general, I think...no one ever dares to correct anyone else. If I can come on here and take comments criticizing my show, then I think that someone critiquing the effects in my show can take a little critiquing of his message, done in a positive way. If he can't take a note or two, then he can tell us. jms ------------ ************ Topic 4 Tue Nov 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:12 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Cast & Characters For discussion of the actors who will be bringing BABYLON 5 to life with their performances...for information before, and discussion after the airing of "The Gathering" pilot. 656 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 591 Fri Jun 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:14 EDT Yes, insofar as can be determined (deals are finalizing tomorrow), all other cast members are returning. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 631 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:34 EDT Desiree...you were in *second grade*? I suddenly feel very, very, very old.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 640 Fri Jun 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:27 EDT Ivanova is exactly who she is; she's not being feminine or tough because somebody told her to be. To call her a "women's liberation activist" in this context, where it isn't an issue anymore, is like pointing to any african- american without shackles and saying he's an "anti-slavery activist." Any chains she has, she forged herself; they are not the ones society on one side or the other forced on her. Re: space exploration...I feel much the same way. Thing is, of course, the SF of the 50s and early 60s, really the golden age of SF, fed the popular consciousness with the idea of space travel, which culminated in a general awareness, and an urge to try it. It's the role of SF to nudge people in the right direction. If more and more TV and print points to the future, and to the stars, it may help wake people up to that possibility. If you make them *want* it today, they will build it tomorrow. jms ------------ ************ Topic 5 Tue Nov 03, 1992 T.ORTH [Mr. Rico] (Forwarded) Sub: Grid Epsilon Irregulars - News & Info. This topic is for information about Babylon 5 fan groups, newsletters, fanzines, get-togethers, B-5 at conventions, and other general fun. 542 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 5 Message 497 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:45 EDT If it were me, and I wanted to have a bit of fun with this, I'd use: "Sooner or later, everyone watches Babylon 5." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 5 Message 525 Wed Jun 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:42 EDT They are...all around you. And if they ate more fiber, they wouldn't *have* this problem. jms ------------ ************ Topic 9 Wed Nov 11, 1992 T.RESTIVO [Little Guy] at 18:27 EST Sub: Babylon 5 Humor From *Beep Beep*, to Top Ten Lists, to full-blown parodies, this is where to put your funny bone in writing! 565 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 9 Message 517 Sun Jun 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:25 EDT I keep constantly fighting the urge to have G'Kar return from a trip to the Narn homeworld with a limp, a cane, and a (temporary) eyepatch, muttering, "Boy, the Thenta Makur have *no* sense of humor." (Now we'll see how many get *that* one.) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 9 Message 543 Fri Jun 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:58 EDT I dread the very idea of what will happen in this topic after folks discover what the pak'ma'ra are.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 9 Message 563 Mon Jun 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:39 EDT In the two-parter, Delenn has quite a few moments when she's laughing, and funny, but always in a dignified fashion; it's a strange but very appealing combination. (And there's one scene she's in that is played *absolutely* straight, but is fall-down funny.) jms ------------ ************ Topic 11 Sat Nov 14, 1992 J.SHEEN1 [Leviathan] at 18:09 EST Sub: B5 Adrift! BABYLON 5 Topic Drift If you feel like talking about it, but it doesn't fit anywhere else... If its only connection to B-5 is that you thought of it in this CAT... This is where to come and get it out. 496 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 456 Tue Jun 07, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:03 EDT I think that the point he was going after in his original posting is that some -- a very few -- take a *proprietary* stance, which I would differentiate from criticism (pro or con) in terms of the sense of perceived ownership. There are a few ST fans, for instance, who feel, and even state to the effect, that as fans they *own* the show. There was the person who said that he has the *right* to *dictate changes* in the show (B5) because he watched it. And the answer to that in both cases is, No, you don't. There is a small section of the fan community that will applaud you for standing up to and resisting input from the suits, the studios, and the network, and then turn *very* cranky when you similarly resist THEIR input, because THEY own the show. This line becomes somewhat easier to cross when someone from the show makes himself available for such things. I think that this was the point at hand, rather than criticism vs. praise. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 459 Tue Jun 07, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:38 EDT I agree, it isn't prevalent. Sometimes though it can be noisy out of all proportion to its size. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 468 Wed Jun 08, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:11 EDT Re: authors here "inhibiting" criticism by virtue of their presence.... nope. There's generally 50% more criticism of B5 on those systems where I'm known to be present than on those systems where I just lurk. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 473 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:37 EDT Not true; I am as gentle as a kitten just as long as someone doesn't go out of his way to fuq with me. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 489 Wed Jun 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:03 EDT The extra footage helps the Abyss a *lot*. jms ------------ ************ Topic 12 Wed Nov 18, 1992 B.WIST [Brad] at 18:12 EST Sub: Babylon 5 Sightings Post here when you've spotted Babylon 5, whether it be on Television, Magazine, or somewhere else. Let us know where we can find it/see it, too. 591 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 569 Wed Jun 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:24 EDT We're discussing it in-house. Claudia's willing to do it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 575 Wed Jun 08, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:58 EDT Yeah...well...we went a little nuts.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 579 Thu Jun 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:17 EDT I don't think they have time for that kind of heavy-duty rendering; the closest they ever got (at least that *I'm* aware of) is a composite shot looking through the observation dome window from the outside, to where Ren Hoek is strangling Stimpy inside. (It's a gif.) And no, you can't have it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 588 Mon Jun 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:40 EDT "Terminal Velocity," a newspaper-stock magazine published out of San Diego, and available free there, just did a cover story on B5's EFX. For more info, call 619-487-9589. jms ------------ ************ Topic 13 Mon Nov 23, 1992 T.ORTH [Mr. Rico] at 21:00 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Science & Technology Jump gates, nanotech, high-tech weapons, starship drives, sound in space, and other subjects of science and technology in Babylon 5. 428 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 368 Fri Jun 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:14 EDT Yikes...and people say *I've* got an evil mind.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 378 Sun Jun 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:08 EDT Jump gates are formed in a particular location within a margin of error; it's not like throwing a newspaper at a door. The gate might form in front or behind. How many ship-mounted generators (which are inside the hull) have you seen to be able to say that they can be of any shape? How do you know they're different shapes? To my knowledge, we've never shown a ship-mounted generator. A ship-mounted generator can open a fairly small opening, and do it maybe twice or three times within a 24 hour period or so, because of the massive energy requirements involved. The rails and chargers along the way are designed to facilitate a *lot* of travel in and out during a day, and to make the entry a little easier, not as abrupt as a ship-mounted jump. We simply haven't shown a jump gate from the side or back yet. We have talked about this at some length, and probably will do so at one point next season. Why doesn't it manifest itself as a sphere, and why a vortex? Because the rails are at opposite sides one from the other. They project out opposing lines of force which in repelling one another create a tunnel into hyperspace. The lines of force on a ship-mounted system are not visible to the human eye, and are less stable, hence more uncomfortable when entering (see above). In-gates and out-gates *are* identical. The only difference is in coloration, based on red-shift. The vortex is *not* an energy booster, which answers that question. Seems to me that most of your questions come from incorrect assumptions and insufficent consideration of the issues at hand, not really thinking things through, rather than logical or scientific flaws on our part. Just one man's opinion. But it's canon. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 395 Mon Jun 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:32 EDT Absolutely. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 408 Sat Jun 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:43 EDT Explorer ships *are* jump-capable. And they survey areas that look like they have good resources to exploit. The problems at Sigma 957 come and go at irrgular intervals, and wasn't there when the explorer vessel came, saw a lot of good worlds to exploit, and left a gate. jms ------------ ************ Topic 17 Tue Jan 19, 1993 C.STOBBE [Colin] at 21:02 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Merchandising A place to discuss all the neat Babylon 5 merchandising coming out (hopefully) soon 595 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 589 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:51 EDT Currently, to the best of my knowledge, no company has officially licensed a B5 RPG, but I'd definitely be interested in seeing it happen. jms ------------ ************ Topic 24 Fri Jun 04, 1993 J.ROY18 [Jonathan] at 21:11 EDT Sub: Babylon 5 - Weapons and Warfare! For discussion about the weapons, counter weapons, armor, shielding, tactics, logistics, and so forth, of small combat and large scale war in the Babylon 5 universe. 296 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 280 Fri Jun 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:31 EDT Yeah, those senatorial funding committees are a real pain in the ass...the station doesn't have *half* of what it should have. Now, B4 had EVERYthing...too bad it disappeared.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 283 Sat Jun 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:45 EDT Bear in mind, though, when suggesting all this heavy weaponry, that Babylon 5 is not a warship. It's not that major a target. It generally has enough to protect itself against small forces. If full-scale war were to break loose, *nothing* could protect it from a fleet of ships, since it can't maneuver and is basically a sitting duck. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 291 Sun Jun 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:52 EDT This season you will see missiles, more Narn heavy cruisers, more Narn capital ships, a Narn military outpost, and lots of closer shots of a Minbari cruiser. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 295 Mon Jun 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:41 EDT No, only some of it.... jms ------------ ************ Topic 25 Fri Mar 12, 1993 S.SHELLENBAR [>> SHANE <<] at 08:47 EST Sub: J. Michael Straczynski Speaks in Public This is the place to find out where and when JMS will be appearing next. JMS has honed his skills as a public speaker and is taking his act on the road. 513 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 497 Mon Jun 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:36 EDT It's just that I *hate* losing in public. I've now been nominated for four awards: an Ace Award, a Bram Stoker award, a Gemini award, and a Writers Guild award, each for writing. And you just go nuts, you at first don't even want to consider winning, then the closer you get to the event you think, well, hell, I've got as good a chance of winning as anybody else...then you wait...and you're there, they're opening the envelope...and you're thinking maybe, maybe it IS me...no it's not...but it might be...and it ain't...and I just *hate* that. On the other hand, as I think about it, you go through the same thing winning in public. That's it. I'm doomed. The universe hates me. jms ------------