Babylon 5 posts by JMS on GEnie for July 16-31, 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. 732 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 452 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:59 EDT The first batch of mugs are from (you'll pardon the expression) Creation. Currently about 2/3rds finished writing a second-season ep called "Revelations," and though I've written and commissioned others already, this one's sizing up to be a major ass-kicker from a story perspective. Definitely the flip-side of "Chrysalis." Some really, really nice stuff. The hardest part is always writing Kosh, because you have to be very careful how much you use him, and what he says. Too much and he loses his sense of mystery, and you don't want him spouting fortune-cookie type aphorisms. He has a very deliberate way of speaking in which everything, every smallest nuance and inflection means something, but sometimes not what it appears to mean, or comes at it from a very different angle than normal conversation. So I go as minimalist as possible, to get the meaning down to the smallest number of words possible. And in one scene, one of only two he appears in, I got him down to *one word*, and that one word -- and it's a totally inoffensive, neutral word on its own terms -- should scare the hell out of *everybody*. Ah loves this show.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 455 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:22 EDT Telepaths are the ultimate minority, and when it comes to the use of their talents, and the protection of the rights of the hysterical majority, their rights don't mean a whole hell of a lot. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 473 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:18 EDT Yes, Mary Jo is Christian Slater's mom. She keeps nudging us about an appearance, since he loves SF. We'll see. And also correct...the majority of freelance scripts we commission don't tend to need a lot of revision. Certainly not after the first go round. DC's first script needed a bit of work, but that was mainly because she was still feeling her way around the characters and the show. Her second script came in almost letter perfect; move around a few commas and that's about it. And her outline for her next script, for season two, is very cool. Funny story. Saw Ed Wasser ("Morden") the other day, and asked him if he'd had any reaction to his first appearance on the show. Just one, he said. He was in a florist shop, picking out some stuff for a friend who was sick. The proprieter came over, asked, "What do you want?" Ed sorta mumbled about wanting some flowers. "What do you want?" the owner asked again. Ed -- still not getting it -- said he was looking for some nice stuff for a friend who was sick. "Yes, but what do you *want*?" the owner asked. At which point Ed finally twigged to what was going on. He said afterward that it really *is* an unnerving approach, which was kinda the point. Of course, the owner then added that he thought the scene was from DS9, but what the hell, it's an imperfect universe. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 483 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:52 EDT We're re-doing *all* of our computer displays for next year, using some nifty graphic designs. Part of the problem is that the boys at Foundation were doing the displays, and they were swamped doing our main CGI, so that kinda fell by the wayside. This year we've got someone who does ONLY our computer screens with us in-house. Glad you liked the series font, btw; I picked it out me own self. It's Serpentine Medium, for anyone interested. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 499 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:43 EDT Yeah, just about all of our monitor stuff in scenes is done live on the stage, rather than in post; gives it a nice sense of reality, I think. Re: serpentine medium...about 75% of the reason I picked that font was because it looked cool, and 25% because I liked the name and the image it brings to mind. Re: telepathy...yes, it's bordered and proscribed by physical limitations, in many ways; the closer you are, the better you can do. Even Bester, in "Mind War," noted that he could shut Ironheart down, "but we have to be on a line-of-sight to do it." They couldn't just broadcast it into the ether, he had to be *there* in front of them. The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5. There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in general the findings have been inconclusive. But about 125 years or so ago in B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt, and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered. There were some abortive and confused attempts to legislate around this, most of which failed or were overturned in various courts of law. About 2150 or so, the government agencies that regulated and oversaw telepaths were rolled over into the newly established Psi Corps, which became a clearing house for locating, controlling, and licensing telepaths for commercial, some very restricted legal, and military purposes. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 521 Mon Jul 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:51 EDT Yes, a businessman can insist on having his own telepath present, or can ask not to be scanned during negotiations...though it is a sign that one has something to hide, and might screw the deal. Sinclair could have asked for a telepath on his side, but 1) that wasn't the issue, it was allowing NO telepath to have that access, and 2) would've requird a Psi Corps military liaison-type telepath, and none were available on station. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 529 Tue Jul 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:29 EDT There's definitely a crew mess, which you can see in "Babylon Squared," and a couple of other episodes. Next season you'll also be seeing our Officer's Club. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 559 Thu Jul 21, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:44 EDT Of course those two options are profoundly unfair. Some elements of EarthGov are very unfair. Some elements of *our* government are very unfair. So now we see what this does to people, and how they react. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 560 Thu Jul 21, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:49 EDT (hrrmmmm...looks like my internet gateway is down again....) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 580 Fri Jul 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:41 EDT One of the Kosh guesses in this category is correct. But I'm not telling you which one, or which topic it appears in. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 636 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:23 EDT Re: sound in space...I sent out the word to just about everyone to get a consensus on this issue. And I got back some surprising responses from a number of physicists, including none other than Freeman Dyson. The SF community has always accepted, unquestioningly, almost as a shibboleth, the No Sound In Space Is Possible theory. But what came back from Dyson and others says, basically, that this ain't necessarily the case. Eventually, I'll get around to collating all the info and uploading it here. (But as one example, if a ship of very large size explodes, the atmosphere within will expand outward, carrying with it the sound of the explosion. It will fizzle fairly quickly, but if you're within the range of the expanding bubble of air and sound, you'll hear something. Also, if a ship explodes, if you're outside the bubble, floating in space without a ship or a helmet, no, you won't hear it, but then that doesn't matter because you're dead. If you're in another ship, outside the range of the expanding air curtain, you'll hear sounds as the debris, radiation and other effects of the explosion strike your hull, causing it to ring or otherwise reflect the sound.) In any event, I think that this particular shibboleth is going to have to be reconsidered. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 651 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:29 EDT Nothing scanned by a telepath is admissible in court per se. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 688 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:38 EDT Neither "Quality," "Babylon Squared" nor "Chrysalis" start with someone coming to the station. 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. 824 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 653 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:49 EDT We digitally isolated the image of the bike driving away, and then composited it into the shot. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 670 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:22 EDT Correct...Internal Investigations = II's = Eyes. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 683 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:20 EDT I try not to hype shows that I like unless I know beyond a doubt that it's absolutley kickp-ass. I like "Voice" a lot; it is the point at which we really start cranking, speeding things up as we barrel toward "Chrysalis." I think the CGi is nothing less than terrific, Christopher Franke went balls-to- the-wall and did an *amazing* job with the music, the performances are good. I like it a lot. I haven't commented upon it a lot because it's kind of the weird child in the brood; when I write, I generally write tight and fast. By the third act, you're *moving*. In this case, you have to pace yourself out *very* differently, so part of my brain keeps doing this "c'mon, speed it up, speed it up" when I'm watching the first part because I'm used to a different one-hour kind of pacing. Kathryn says I'm nuts. But then this is nothing new. Anyway, I do think it's pretty cool, and does a lot with virtual sets and composite sets. Yesterday, I got the final air-check versions of "Babylon Squared" and "Chrysalis" to QC before delivering them to PTEN. Watched both of them three times in the same day. They're just stunning. Probably the two best episodes of the entire season. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 686 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:36 EDT Yeah...I love Londo's song, that whole scene. The director wanted to cut Ivanova's coda after her mantra, but I really felt we needed it, and it played perfectly with her Russian character, which tends to have this unusual relationship with higher forces (he said vaguely). I love character based humor, because it's very powerful once you know the characters, and it can really blind-side you if done right. Ivanova's reaction in the core area was about as real as would probably happen, but it's funny to hear her *say* it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 689 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:26 EDT Basically, I thought "Legacies" was pretty good, all things considered. I'd put it at around the center of the pack. It didn't exactly leap off the boards at me, but I didn't have any major problems with it, as I did with, for instance, "Infection." (Like the CGI composite shot of the rotunda, looking out at the garden before panning down a lot.) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 691 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:27 EDT Generally, that stuff is generated by Ron's elves, since they do the rendering and have the specs on-line, and yes, that stuff will show up in the CDRom. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 698 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:32 EDT How did I get what CD of my CGI? I'm not sure I understand the question. The CD Rom (I believe these are two separate issues) will be out from Compton's around January or so. And yeah, we definitely gave Ron's elves a workout on this one.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 717 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:58 EDT This ought to mess you up...take all the stuff we learn and stuff we do in "Voice," multiply the whole two hours times two, and you get some idea of what's in "Babylon Squared" and "Chrysalis." The latter is the closest thing I've ever seen to a blipvert...yikes! jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 721 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:53 EDT How does one come up with stuff like Londo's song? Easy, really; you start by putting yourself in the position of an alien trying to understand us. And if you step back for a second, we do some *very* weird stuff. What he says about the song is exactly right in terms of its meaning. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 728 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:49 EDT Tom: I just think that you gotta push the car to its limits, and beyond, and beyond, cranking it further and further until your buttons fly off, the windshield cracks, the roof buckles and the doors blow off. That, to me, is a *ride*. And I want B5 to be a *ride*. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 739 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:42 EDT And there we get into the contradiction; Ivanova and Sinclair down on the planet would be mainly more run-and-jump...Draal talking about his feelings, Delenn showing she is upset that her friend is going away and will never be seen by her again, their obvious friendship, that to me is characterization. And not just throwaway stuff, either, but important down the road. But hey, what do I know.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 746 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:52 EDT "...a few minutes of Sinclair and Ivanova telling each other what's going on in their heads while they explore the city." *zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*nort jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 749 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:08 EDT On the question of dialogue, this comes under the heading of General Editorializing, not directed to anyone in particular.... I love monologues. They are a legitimate part of any drama. The MTV generation has had its tastes so thoroughly bastardized by quick cuts, lowering the attention span further and further, that any bite of more than ten seconds and they start to wander, it becomes a block of words and they blur out. Go rent Network by Paddy Chayefsky, watch nearly any of the TZs by Rod Serling, go see "The Lady's Not for Burning" by Christopher Fry...all chockablock with moments where you park for a moment and let fly with a chunk of dialogue that smashes your head against the wall. Not every single exchange has to be foreshortened so that you lose the *impact* of what's being said. Because people's attention spans have been greatly foreshortened, suddenly more than 3 lines at a time is somehow viewed as wrong. It ain't. Just that lots of folks are afraid to try it, afraid to rely on just the words and the actors. And sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But it's legitimate. The monologue in particular, done right, isn't just to convey information, it's to create a mood, to paint pictures with words, to expand on the obvious. Yeah, I could've just written, "The narns hate us, we hate them, it's equal math." But that doesn't carry the same meaning, the same sense as "so here we are...victims of mathematics." The use of the word "victim" connotes, hey, it's not my fault. Yeah, the former is shorter, but you lose the rhythms, the imagery, and the *sense* of what is intended. You could say, "The narn hate us." But to say, "if the narns gathered together in one place, and hated, all at the same time, that hatred would fly across dozens of light years and reduce Centauri Prime to a ball of ash," draws a picture, lends power to the emotion. Point being...I like 'em, there's nothing wrong with them, and they're staying. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 765 Fri Jul 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:46 EDT Actually, sadly, that was Londo's first wife, who he was forced to divorce later. Eventually I'll get into this. Londo and Garibaldi really are two sides of the same coin, in some ways. There's an odd friendship there, almost grudging; Londo had little to gain by cheering up Garibaldi, except a drink perhaps, but that's what friends do. Re: the XO and second going down...my theory is that there's a First Contact Protocol that doesn't currently exist because there's no need for it in the present. No aliens yet. The Earth/Minbari War started with a botched First Contact that nearly wiped out humanity. You don't want junior officers anywhere even *near* the scene. You send your two best, who are trained in FCP (which Sinclair referenced in "Soul Hunter," btw). If they die, they're replaceable. Earth isn't. Two really great quotes above, btw. We get some more nice ones in season two, in the first two episodes. One is from Lincoln (a little bit about saving or losing the last best hope of Earth), the second from Yeats (what rough beast slouching toward Bethelehem, to be born). 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. 656 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 620 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:21 EDT Yes, that building is in the Garden. You can see buildings there in many shots, some better than others. It's a big place. The Fresh Air restaurant is also in the Garden area, and you can see buildings there in "Purple," also upcoming in "Quality." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 632 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:33 EDT Hey...sooner or later...boom. 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. 574 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 500 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:45 EDT ...grumble mumble ramma framma overrated tradition bah humbug.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 511 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:24 EDT The address to send the photos is the generic B5 address: 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Re: Jarvis...I have a little something planned in our first episode, just a little thing, really...a small stilletto between the ribs.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 523 Tue Jul 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:30 EDT It's okay, both addresses will work fine. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 538 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:53 EDT Thank you, thank you, *thank you* for giving me the name of the pinhead who's been spreading that information around. I've been trying to backtrack it for a few weeks now. It's been really infuriating because it simply ain't true. Oh, good, this means tomorrow I get to call somebody up and yell at him. I *enjoy* that. There's nothing more wonderful in all the universe that a justified, righteous mad. I get all tingly just thinking about it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 552 Fri Jul 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:48 EDT Filming begins on August 10th. Probably some time next week I'll be able to give you the name. We've pretty much closed the deal, after considerable and lengthy negotiation, but I don't want to come out with it just yet. 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! 715 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 9 Message 703 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:23 EDT This is a terrible story, but Paul Simon, in an interview, swears that it's true. Someone asked him about his songs. He said he was in a restaurant down south, stopped in for a sandwich, long time ago. Asked for a chicken and egg sandwich. The waitress called back the request to the cook, "One mother and child reunion." And that's where he got the title.... 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. 642 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 634 Tue Jul 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:24 EDT Just did an on-camera interview for E! News Daily. Expect to see this on the E! channel (if you get it) on the 25th of this month. The topic: on-line services. (Fairly straightforward introductory stuff, frankly.) 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. 485 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 456 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:26 EDT Actually, would red light tend to produce red eyes, or green eyes? Through a red filter, red on red, everything would kinda vanish, yes? jms ------------ ************ Topic 14 Thu Dec 31, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:59 EST Sub: Lurkers/Introductions: Please Sign In A place for newcomers to come in, say hello, whether you want to jump into the conversation or not, just to let us know you're here. 755 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 14 Message 721 Wed Jul 20, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:34 EDT "JMS is not a god." Oh, great, fine, you had to wait until AFTER they found the nails and hammer to mention that.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 14 Message 726 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:26 EDT Regarding why I generally don't respond to flirtings...does the name Bobbitt ring a bell? 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 716 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 667 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:23 EDT Not yet, but we've been talking about it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 669 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:23 EDT No, they are not. Any script broker selling copies of B5 scripts is doing so without permission. They are engaging in copyright infringement. The contents of the scripts belong to PTEN, but the physical copies belong to the writers, who get nothing out of this. It ruins, for instance, Christy's chance to make a few dollars selling what is hers, if her script gets on the open market. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 672 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:28 EDT One of the things we're thinking of doing, once and if we can get this B5 fan liaison office going, is to sell scripts from the show. But unlike any other script house (and a certain other show that sells its scripts), the writers of the scripts sold will get a royalty off the sale of their scripts; or, if they don't want them sold, we won't do so. And it won't be exclusive in any event. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 674 Mon Jul 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:46 EDT That is one of the things we hope to do with the B5 fan liaison office, when and if we can get it going; to help defray expenses, we think we can market a few things, including scripts of aired shows, with the proviso that the original writer gets a royalty off the scripts, and/or can opt not to have their script sold if they so desire. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 678 Mon Jul 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:27 EDT Probably within a month or so after being aired. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 689 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:27 EDT The EA game fell through, for various and sundry reasons. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 696 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:56 EDT Yeah, I had the same conversation...suggested a structure rather like the Winds of War, set during the Earth/Minbari War, in that we have all of our characters in different places, seeing the story and the war from their perspectives, and how their paths intersect during that time in odd or unlikely ways. Dell didn't think that was the way to go, that unless it was set in the present, people would feel disappointed. Oh, well...eventually we'll get around to that part of the story. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 707 Fri Jul 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:51 EDT John: we discarded a title for this season, "A Trick of the Mind," which we changed to "A Spider in the Web." The former, now available, might work well for the book. jms ------------ ************ Topic 23 Fri Feb 12, 1993 V.VAIDY1 [Vijay] at 23:00 EST Sub: "OtherWorks" by JMS Before there was "B5" and when "JMS" was just another Plain Joe, there was OtherSyde [A discussion of the other works of J. Michael Straczynski] 201 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 196 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:24 EDT Actually, the eps I wrote for AW were never released; they were part of the batch done for the last season, which never got aired or released. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 200 Mon Jul 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:28 EDT Didn't write it, your honor. Had nothin' to do with it. The ones I wrote (and the ones Larry wrote) are the only ones with single writing credits. 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. 331 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 325 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:59 EDT Insofar as I know, the designs entered in on the cruisers hasn't been modified at all, so I can't account for any perceived differences. And I believe that the Minbari flyer used was the same model as Deathwalker used, though without checking the tapes I can't be 100% sure. It's a fairly standard flyer. 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. 596 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 581 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:59 EDT San Diego Comic Con *Flash*.....I've been asked to do two major B5 presentations (well, major in that I'll be there...which is kinda major, I guess...okay, maybe a lieutenant...second lieutenant...actually, it's not a big thing....) at the convention: one is still slated for that Friday from 2-4 p.m., and they've added a second presentation from 11-1 Saturday. (If you saw the Chicago presentation, there isn't much need to hustle to see the one on Friday; but you may want to be there for the Saturday one, which will be in a larger room.) Possible that Bill Mumy will be there; don't know (doubt it) if Harlan will be able to show up in time; John Iacovelli (art/production designer extraordinaire) will try to show up for one of these. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 584 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:57 EDT I'll tell you a true thing, and I'm not saying this to get any kind of reassurance or pats, this is the god's honest truth...I never feel that way. If one of the cast shows up, if one of our other folks shows up, that's a big deal, from my perspective. Me is just me, and I'm forever *astonished* when people actually show up. I'm constantly sure that I'm going to go to the room and find that no one is there. I'm told by people that I'm supposed to be some kind of "celebrity," whatever the hell THAT means this week...but I've never transitioned into accepting that notion. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 586 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:43 EDT Nothing that I know of, meself included. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 592 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:10 EDT I'd recommend Saturday. jms ------------ ************ Topic 31 Sat Jul 09, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:23 EDT Sub: Really Stupid Questions from JMS Every so often, I need Information. (You won't get it!) Technical stuff, research or reference stuff...and given the brain trust here, I figured this could be a useful resource from time to time. With appreciation. 99 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 38 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:28 EDT Can I get SCSI installed with the computer from Dell? Does PCI take the place of SCSI? Will Jeff marry Sally? Question: the Native American practice of "wars" in which you bonk each other with gourds while riding on horseback, not really hurting anyone but racking up points...that's called "counting coup," yes? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 45 Mon Jul 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:54 EDT (as he lay there on the mat, the referee counting slowly to ten, he decides whether to get up, and face another barrage, or just lay there contemplating how amazing the lights look from this perspective....) My problem with my current system is that it works fine with the first item on the SCSI system, a rewriteable optical disk. It's when I plug that into the second device, a 6-CD rom jukebox (Pioneer 604X) that suddenly the system begins resetting and resetting and resetting when I turn it on. I can only make ti stop resetting by unplugging the jukebox. There's not a conflict in the device number, that seems fine. And insofar as I can tell, the terminatin switches are set fine. Ultrastor thinks that a jumper of some kind needs to be installed on the car. All I want...please...is a computer that I can plug in, not have to mess with, and will be able to do everything I want it to do with the DOS software (sorry, macs) that I've grown accustomed to. It seems like every computer I've ever owned needs massaging, nudging, configuring, constant prayer and occasional exorcism. I just want it to *work right* out of the box. Is that really so much to ask? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 61 Sun Jul 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:33 EDT Other stupid question moment. Back in the 50s, there was an SF series called "Planet Patrol." No, not "Space Patrol" (though that was what it was called in England), "Planet Patrol." Aired in New York on WPIX. We're talking here puppets, okay? Cool martians and tube cars and rockets and space stations and stuff. Used to watch the show all the time when I was a kid, and am looking for copies of the episodes. (It was made in B&W.) For *years*, nobody even believed it existed; it isn't in ANY book that I'm aware of. Finally, about 2 years ago, I got my hands on one copy of one episode from a contact, which wasn't much, but was enough to convince everyone from holding that planned sanity hearing. It DOES (or did) exist. So once every year or two, I put out the word...if anyone here has copies of this show, or knows where same can be gotten, I'd *very* much appreciate hearing about it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 69 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:27 EDT Kathy, it'd be great if you could find out. Basically, if it's a show with real actors, it's not the show I'm looking for; if it's got puppets, then it is. (Though sometimes I wonder at the distinction....) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 73 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:03 EDT Klaatu: not the Tom Corbet space patrol, this is a different thing. Yeah, finally decided to screw it and bite the bullet (to mix my metaphors a bit) and get the damned thing. Reality is, if you wait for the next Big Thing, you'll never buy anything. I'd gotten paralyzed, and finally just figured to do it. Going for the Dell Dimension 90mhz Pentium, 32 megs ram, 17" monitor (.26 mm resolution), 3x CD Rom, 2 1-gigabyte drives, 2 floppies, IDE controller, soundblaster 16, peavy speakers, trackball keyboard, and a bunch of other stuff that's pretty much maxed out the system. #9GXEPro video card with 2 megs memory (option of getting 2 more megs). It's got everything short of warp drive, and that only because it wasn't available. We'll see how long this one lasts.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 81 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:59 EDT The entire Men Into Space series is available from Stephen M. Russo, Box 3250, McCormack Station, Boston MA 02101-3250 (based on his ads in Filmfax and others). Re: the video card, it's the #9GXEPro, a 64 bit card. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 88 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:54 EDT It *is* a PCI. It's already been ordered. And you may be thinking of the Omniplex; the Dimension was rated the highest on winmarks and sysmarks by every magazine I could get my hands on. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 96 Sun Jul 31, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:31 EDT Pat: thanks. Unfortunately, I really can't take the risk that everyone has seen all prior episodes; the information needed for episode B to be clear has to be included, even if it's a restatement of something we saw in a prior episode. Otherwise, I don't think we're really playing fair with the audience, and people will start tuning out. jms ------------ ?aut=straczynski dat>940716 noreply ************ Topic 20 Sun Apr 17, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:50 EDT Sub: #122 - "Eyes" by Larry G. DiTillio. Directed by Jim Johnston. 113 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 20 Message 57 Sat Jul 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:20 EDT "Memo to myself: don't ever compare an episode of B5 to an episode of Star Trek without first researching the entirety of written fiction for non- Trek precedents." That's a snotty response that has nothing to do with the issue that I gigged you on. You can compare anything to anything, I really don't care. All that I have asked you to do is be aware of your language when you accuse someone of stealing something? Why is that so difficult for you to grasp? You keep trying to distort my point into something that it's not, and I have no intention of letting you get away with it. You said we did a remake of an ST episode. You didn't discuss the issues, you said it was a remake. You implied the story was lifted from ST. That is what you said. I'm sorry if it's now inconvenient for you, or that you got your nose caught in the doorjam, but words mean what they mean, not what you want them to mean. And I find it very telling that when confronted, you announced that your only options were to slink off or throw this in my face. Odd that you wouldn'd consider something like, "Sorry, it wasn't my intention to indicate that Larry had stolen the idea. I regret if that was implied." Guess that never even occured to you, did it? You can dance around re-interpretations all you want, Halliwell, but your comment was rude, and pejorative, and an insult to Larry, and by association to me. And it's got nothing to do with comparisons or the entirety of written fiction. And that's clear to every person here but you. You're evading and backing and filling. You get very cavalier here about other people, about the work that others do, their talents or lack thereof...you're always the first in line to criticize somebody...but you don't much like it when it's you, do you? Why should I treat you with any more respect than you treat others? Now, on another day, maybe I'd just turn the other cheek, which I do a *lot* around here, and let it go. But today, now, here, I don't much feel like it. Maybe I've heard this line once too often from people, and you're just the latest one to get in my face with it. Either way, maybe you'll learn something about running one's mouth, and that words have meaning, and if you accuse somebody of remaking somebody else's idea, you'd damned well better be prepared to back it up, or back off and apologize. Or is even that modicum of civilized behavior completely beyond your comprehension? We'll know in your next post whether you intend to act like a man, or a weasel. It's your call. jms ------------ ************ Topic 22 Sun Apr 17, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:54 EDT Sub: #120 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 1 by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek. 101 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 13 Tue Jul 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:50 EDT I believe it's a musical sound, rather than an EFX. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 17 Wed Jul 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:01 EDT The Starfuries are absolutely non-aerodynamic, and in the gravity well of a planet, would simply plummet; they're not set up to function within that kind of environment. It isn't the re-entry, it's gravity and maneuvering once you're *in* the thing. One sidelight to the speed question...it's sometimes hard to judge speed when there are no handy landmarks. The shuttle moves with INCREDIBLE speed as it orbits Earth...but to look at it from any of the nearby cameras, when they do a spacewalk, you can't tell it's moving at ALL. Basically, we're between a rock and a hard place; if we portrayed motion a la the Space Shuttle, nothing would seem to move; if we portrayed the pure speed AS pure speed, using some kind of landmarks or visual cues, it would go by SO fast that you *wouldn't be able to see it*. If you're moving at 15 klicks a second...it's gone by the time you look at it. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 23 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:36 EDT The Mars Colony situation will be raising its ugly head on and off again for quite some time to come. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 31 Thu Jul 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:50 EDT As I recall, as we see Sinclair's ship descend, there are small rockets fired from the top of the nose, which points the nose down, and orients it toward atmospheric entry. No, nothing was missing from the CGI shot that I know of. Ivanova's line: "We don't know if we can find our way back or not," not that it was closed off. So showing them wandering around to find another open tunnel seemed not dramatically interesting; you have to pick what's important and what's not, and what will work dramaticall on screen. If she had said "there's no other way out," then you would've had to show it. She didn't. One can also argue that the alien showed them which way to get out. Either way...all you've got is one hour to tell your story. You can't show everything, you have to let your audience assume some things. Roy: there is a quantum difference between a computer game and a TV show. It's not "lowest common denominator," which means making the story stupid; I'm saying that if you showed the missiles at full speed, YOU WOULD NOT SEE THEM AT ALL. And, again, there's nothing nearby with which to get a sense of how fast they're going, no landmarks, so it's very hard to convey that. Again, look at space footage; the shuttle is going *incredibly* fast...but as far as we can tell it looks nearly motionless, because there are no landmarks. Re: not explaining WHY the Starfuries can't enter the atmosphere, we did that. Ivanova says that they're not built to function within an atmosphere. Now, I could stop the scene for a long dissertation on the relative aerodynamics of planes with wings vs. starfuries, but here you say only what you have to. You show, don't tell. It seems like in the same breath, it's accused of catering to the lowest- common denominator, and being over the head of its viewers by requiring them to *think* about what they're seeing. Which means we're probably doing it right. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 61 Fri Jul 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:39 EDT No, a shuttle like this, which is designed to function in alternate atmospheres, and may have to evacuate groups, has about 7 standard or most common atmosphere cannisters. Medlab has the same thing, but in larger numbers. This is SOP on the show. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 81 Sun Jul 31, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:07 EDT No, the sets weren't redresses of regular sets; they were built new and entirely for the two-parter; you can get a better look at them in the second part, and some angles of the first. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 22 Message 85 Sun Jul 31, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:31 EDT Don't offhand know what you're referring to; will have to check. It's J. Michael Straczynski because the first two let you gradully creep up on the last name in increasing increments. To go from Joe to Straczynski in one jump in print always seemed to me a bit much. jms ------------ ************ Topic 23 Sun Apr 17, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:56 EDT Sub: #121 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 2 by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek. 8 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 23 Message 4 Sat Jul 30, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:11 EDT Haven't seen the trailer for B-squared; hope nothing much is given away. jms ------------ ************ Topic 25 Mon Apr 18, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 00:00 EDT Sub: #115 - "Legacies" by D.C.Fontana. Directed by Bruce Seth Green. Co-stars John Vickery. 112 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 7 Sun Jul 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:20 EDT Yeah, the audio thing with Talia is something I thought of during the final audio mix. We wanted to convey somehow her trying to get through and initially it was just distortion. Then I figured, wait a second, she is going to be thinking what she's going to say before she says it, why not pre-lap the dialogue? Unfortunately, for some damned reason, the high-tech studio wasn't set up to do that effect, so we took Talia's dialogue, digitized it, laid it in on a second side track, and played the one over the other, one preceding the other by I think about 20 frames or so. The key was to make the *second* voicing the one synched to her lips, not the first one. Worked out pretty cool. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 38 Fri Jul 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:36 EDT In at least some of those cases, Kiwi, it's not writer's laziness; you're not paying attention. Delenn knew the ship was coming in at the top of the episode; when she realized that the gun ports were open, she went immediately to Sinclair. Story logic. Also story logic for the appearance of Sinclair and Garibaldi at the cargo bay; they didn't just "wander in," they determined what had happened, and went there knowing that there was a Minbari transport about to head out. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 43 Fri Jul 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:22 EDT Actually, Anne, I don't agree...I'd say that the majority of comments come with constructive observations. You get unvarnished "it's perfect, change nothing," about as often as "it sucks, change everything." Those are rare individuals. Mostly you get something in between. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 51 Fri Jul 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:38 EDT The use of insulting language does not guarantee a response from me. What it does guarantee is contempt. It also takes a breathtaking degree of stupidity to want to take on a writer, any decent writer really, in a written medium. Re: the question at hand...no there was still plenty of room for docking. It's hard to gauge distances because of the sheer *size* of the station and the cruiser. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 56 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:10 EDT Generally, the religious caste takes precedence over the warrior caste. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 74 Sat Jul 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:07 EDT From cradle to grave, the Minbari are taught that there is no greater goal, no nobler thing than to serve. They are raised to be totally self- sacrificing. The only exception is when someone in the religious caste believes he or she has received a calling, which if sincerely felt cannot be contravened (since usually this too involves serving). So for a Minbari telepath, this is their means by which they may serve, and they are given great respect. It never even occurs to them to do otherwise. Lately, there has been a bit of a change brewing; "a self-involvement above the needs of others" (as someone notes in "Voice") that has begun creeping into the Minbari race. And they're not happy about it. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 84 Mon Jul 25, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:26 EDT It's bone, growing from the back of the head outward. Originally, this ep was to be broadcast later in the run, because I didn't want two PsiCorps episodes back-to-back, and for one little detail that will become clearer after "Babylon Squared" airs; it would've been better to have followed that episode, but again, these eps are made to be watched in just about any order, so it's okay in the long run. jms