From: smiale@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (steven miale) ************ Topic 1 Mon Oct 26, 1992 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 18:50 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series >>NON-SPOILER<< Welcome to the Babylon 5 General Category. This is the main discussion topic for the hit SF series. This topic is general discussion - NO SPOLIERS - put those in Cat 18 Topic 2. DO NOT POST STORY IDEAS in any B5 topics. 628 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 402 Tue Aug 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:23 EDT We use the normal TV part of the frame. And yes, Mary Jo was doing casting for lots of other shows, including Walker, Outer Limits, and others, as well as B5. We felt we needed someone who could concentrate more heavily on B5. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 412 Wed Aug 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:54 EDT The *quality* of performers was generally fine, it's the question of diversity. We felt we were seeing the same faces again and again over 2 years and the pilot. Casting directors tend to have very defined areas of interest. And, again, she was working on lots of other projects. So this year we changed casting directors to Fern Champion (yes, that's her real name, and she's from New York, so watch it), who's been great, and is giving us a real breadth of actors, particularly in terms of a wider ethnic range, which is something I've been pushing for for two years, and never felt I was getting as well as I'd've liked. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 421 Thu Aug 24, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:23 EDT Fern's mainly done a lot of feature films, but at this hour, the only one that comes to mind is the Naked Gun movie. But there's been a lot more than just that. Currently, we're shooting an episode with Stephen Macht as guest star, playing Na'Far, a Narn, in "A Day in the Strife." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 440 Sun Aug 27, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:58 EDT Stuart: we had a brief production glitch, but it seems to have all been resolved now. Not a problem. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 447 Sun Aug 27, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:00 EDT No, the final four of this season will be rerun, probably during the first rerun break in season three. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 468 Tue Aug 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:30 EDT Oops, I thought you meant the final four of year two, not year one; that batch will only go into syndication later, I'm afraid. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 478 Wed Aug 30, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:02 EDT Correct, the penny was/is a keepsake. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 501 Fri Sep 01, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:43 EDT Dan: are you having trouble getting photos *now*? 'Cause we had a very long talk with WB PR about this, and they said it wouldn't happen anymore. If it is, lemme know, and I'll beat the crap outta somebody. As for the rest...yes, we're hitting that point where many parts of the media simply cannot ignore us any longer. We're here, we're not Trek, and you're Going To Have To Deal With Us. If for no other reason than the readers keep asking for coverage. Though of those you list (Mike), about half are British publications. We generally get much more respect,and better coverage, there than here. I haven't gotten a copy of the Foundation magazine yet; hope it came out okay, and I don't end up looking like too much of a doofus. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 528 Sun Sep 03, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:14 EDT Minbar was an intentional co-opt of the term for a pulpit in a mosque; seemed appropriate. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 565 Mon Sep 04, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:26 EDT ...surely there must be a Disney forum SOMEwhere.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 591 Thu Sep 07, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:05 EDT Mike Cooney: not much on foreplay, are you? If you pull out all your stops in the first season or two, Mike, where do you go from there? First time out, we saw just one shadow vessel; then we saw two; then we saw fighters; then we saw fighters and shadow ships, three, then four. There's a reason for this progression, though I can't get into it now. If you blow everything out this early, you've got nowhere to go. So this is being paced logically and carefully. Me, I *love* foreplay. Changing topics for a moment.... Episode #5, "Passing Through Gethsemane," guest stars Brad Dourif, and is being directed by Adam Nimoy. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 604 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:37 EDT Who? (Here's the alternate first episode opening, if we had these huge shadowships, miles across, right from the git-go.... EXT. BABYLON 5 - ESTABLISHING As a jump point begins to form. INT. OBSERVATION DOME As Ivanvoa and Sheridan move to the window. IVANOVA Jump point forming...look at that, it looks like a five mile long spi-- EXT. SPACE - SHADOW MEGAWALLOPCRUISER As it blows up Babylon 5, Epsilon 3, and every ship in the vicinity. FADE OUT: End of Series ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 610 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:17 EDT (Not saying *anything* about the dynamic of a bunch of guys sitting around telling each other that it really *isn't* size that matters....) jms ************ Topic 2 Wed Nov 20, 1991 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 19:41 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series >>SPOILERS<< BABYLON 5 is nearing the end of its second season, with four episodes left to air in October. :( This topic is for SPOILERS only. And as always, NO STORY IDEAS are to be posted. Them's da rules. 364 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 337 Fri Aug 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:25 EDT Nope. Not the right topic. jms ************ Topic 7 Thu Jan 13, 1994 M.BELL14 [Mike] at 18:18 EST Sub: Forcible conversions at gun point :) What kind of sick, weird things have you done in the last year to tell people about B5? How many people have you driven mad? Why on Earth are you this nuts!?!? 143 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 7 Message 138 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:23 EDT Just dialed in here...demographics are a dirty word where I come from. Basically, I write the story that I would like to see as a viewer. If my tastes reflect that of others, folks watch; if not, not. This is how I've always written, all the way back to when I began in animation. "This would be a cool story." And that's the be-all and end-all of it. Same with everything else. Back a few years ago, I was looking for a particular kind of horror novel. Couldn't quite find what I wanted. So I sat down and *wrote* it, wrote the novel I wanted to read. Finished it, and shoved it in the closet for, I think, about two years. One day, my agent suggested I really should write a novel someday. Reluctantly, I dragged it out of the closet. Gave it to her. She gave it to a NY editor, who sold it to the first editor who got it. It really wasn't written for anyone else but me; had it stayed in the closet forever, it would've accomplished that task. I take that approach with everything I write; if I wouldn't watch it, I won't write it. So, basically, my demographic is me. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 7 Message 142 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:59 EDT The book in question was Demon Night, published by Dutton. 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. 354 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 351 Sun Sep 03, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:08 EDT BTW, for those who get the British publications, there's a huge B5 story (several, actually) in SFX...and the critical review of SF called Foundation just published a very long piece of mine about B5, and SF in general, with a fair amount of personal background stuff as well. 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] 304 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 277 Sun Aug 20, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:11 EDT BTW, for those interested, another of my Murder, She Wrote episodes is on next Tuesday, "Incident in Lot 7," which is kinda fun. One of the guest stars, Paula Prentiss, isn't exactly the way I had envisioned the role, but overall, it's not bad. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 279 Tue Aug 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:53 EDT It's on USA Network, not CBS, and since it's listed in my TV Guide, it should be in yours. (I don't *think* it was supposed to be Wednesday...) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 282 Wed Aug 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:55 EDT Anybody. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 288 Fri Aug 25, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:51 EDT The watch is one of my favorites, a Hamilton Ventura, and as a matter of fact, there IS a story behind it. Each time I finish working on a series, I buy myself a little item which becomes tied to that experience. After finishing work on The Twilight Zone, I was in an art deco store on Ventura Boulevard here in the valley. I spotted that watch, and instantly fell in love with it, the design, the unusual shape, and had to have it. As I'm buying it, the dealer mentions that this watch just came on the market, that it's a recreation from the same parts of the first electric watch on the market, again, the Hamilton Ventura, which came out in the late 1950s. This new but identical version had *just* come out a few weeks ago. So he's giving me the whole long history, very knowledgeable guy, and in the course of talking, he asks what I do. I mention that I'm a writer. He perks up. See, he's been in the business a long time, and he sold this exact same kind of watch to another TV writer, long time ago. "Who's that?" I ask. "Rod Serling." Suffice to say I was floored. I went home, dug through my books, and right there in one of them -- I think it's the Joel Engle bio -- there's a full-page shot of Rod, and you can see very clearly that the watch on his wrist...is a Hamilton Ventura, identical to the one I'd just bought to commemorate finishing working on The Twilight Zone. I still wear it, now and again, for special occasions.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 291 Fri Aug 25, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:00 EDT Forgot to add the final irony to all this...one of the last scripts I wrote for The Twilight Zone was entitled "Our Selena is Dying," based on a never-produced outline by Rod Serling. So I did the script, based on his outline. So the episode has a shared credit, me and Rod. So finding that watch has kinda special significance. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 298 Wed Sep 06, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:56 EDT Still waiting for the producers to make a deal with me. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 23 Message 301 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:39 EDT Yeah, it was one of a cluster of art deco stores on Ventura, but a number of them have moved around, and I'll be damned if I can remember which one now. jms ************ Topic 26 Sun Jan 22, 1995 SF-VENTERS [Jan] at 17:15 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Conventions and Appearances This is the location where you can post and find out about SF/F conventions where some of the Babylon 5 cast and Executive Producer will be guests. 484 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 447 Thu Aug 17, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:47 EDT Had a very good and productive discussion with Visions today; I think they can be most helpful. They seem like good people caught in a bad situation. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 , croll, uit ?s Message 456 Fri Aug 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:26 EDT Not that I know of. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 477 Sun Sep 03, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:09 EDT Bruno Kirby? Ehhhh...how about Rondo Hatton? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 480 Thu Sep 07, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:05 EDT It doesn't help. jms ************ [some SPOILERS follow... be warned] Topic 1 Sat Oct 16, 1993 STARR [Arne] at 10:29 EDT Sub: The British Aired Final Four Episodes This is the Babylon 5 Episode Category, and this topic is for discussion and spoilers on the final four episodes of Season Two which will air in Britain months before the American airings in October. 205 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 127 Mon Aug 21, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:56 EDT Thanks...we're trying... jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 131 Wed Aug 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:51 EDT , croll, uit ?s Yeah, that's about the desired reaction.... jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 140 Sun Aug 27, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:59 EDT Steve: you can say all you want here in this topic. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 149 Thu Aug 31, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:03 EDT The key to the questions is that you generally have to first be able to answer "who are you?" before you can intelligently determine "what do you want?" To deal right with "what do you want" before you know who you are is destructive in almost any situation. We will see Lyta again. RE: alternate lifestyles...I said when stuff happened, we wouldn't make a big deal out of it, it'd just be there...and I said we'd address it in our own way, in our own time. We've done a bit here, we'll do a bit more down the road. I won't give you or anyone a timetable; I'll do stuff as the integrity of the story permits, not sooner, not later. I will not allow this to become a political football. If you do nothing, folks yell at you for ignoring it; if you do a little, they yell for not doing more; if you do more, they yell for not doing it sooner. Screw it. I do what the story calls for, as the story calls for it. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 153 Fri Sep 01, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:26 EDT That would not be an unfair assessment. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 166 Sun Sep 03, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:13 EDT See, here's where I start to have a problem. For starters, I don't do any thing to be politically correct, or politically incorrect, I do what I do in any story because that's what the story points me toward. Anybody who says "It's not necessary" isn't entitled to that judgement, frankly; you don't know what's necessary to the story. And by framing it in the "is this NECESSARY?" way is designed to make you defend your position when such defense isn't the point; is it NECESSARY to have humor? to have a romance? to have correct science? No, *nothing* is NECESSARY. It's what the writer feels is right for that scene, that story, that character. "Oh, well, I saw it, but was all that violence NECESSARY?" This is, frankly, a BS observation usually offered by someone with an agenda, who wishes to invalidate the notion of an artistic view and impose some kind of quota, or objective criterion to what is and isn't necessary for a movie or film. As far as I'm concerned, the first person to throw this into a discussion has, frankly, just lost the argument. Point the second: one of the most consistent comments I get, in email and regular mail, is the spirituality conveyed in the show, that we have shown, and will continue to show, tolerance toward religion, even created sympathetic religious characters. "Thank you for your tolerance," they say...until we show somebody or some action THEY don't like...and at that point suddenly it's a lot of tsk-tsking and chest thumping and disapproval; so okay, how about I just stop all positive religious aspects of the show? It seems to me, that if I do *all that* with religion, and with thje (the) simple act of showing maybe ONE PERSON in all the long history of TV science fiction across 40 years has a different view of life, that the show is somehow degraded, or downgraded, or dropped in opinion...this simply reinforces the notion, held by many, that a lot of folks in the religious right wish to make sure no other perspective or lifestyle is ever shown on television, at any time, unless in a negative fashion. The thing of it is, while on the one hand I'm getting praise from religious folks for addressing spirituality in my series (speaking here as an atheist), I've gotten flack from others who think it has no place in a SCIENCE fiction series, and why the hell am I putting something in that goes right against my own beliefs? "Because," I tell them, "this show is not about reflecting my beliefs, or yours, or somebody else's, it's about telling this story, about these people, with as much honesty and integrity as I can summon up. That means conceding the fact that religious people are going to be around 260 years from now." Well, fact is, all kinds of people are going to be around 260 years from now. And what did the anti-religion folks say specifically about including spirituality in my series? "It's not *necessary*," they said. Translation: they didn't like it. Well, tough. It was right for this story, and this show. And it seems to me rather hypocritical for some folks, who applaud the show for tolerance, for my standing up to those who want to exclude religion from TV, to then turn around and say the show is diminished because it showed that same tolerance...to another group or perspective. I guess tolerance is only okay as long as it's pointed one way. You say that as a christian, you think any sex except that between a husband and a wife to be wrong. Well, as I recall, the bible also speaks against murder. We've depicted deaths by the hundreds of thousands. (And we're talking here about the *depicting* of the act, simply showing it, not the value judgements made after the fact.) Why does the one (which is so barely hinted at as to be almost invisible) cause the show to be diminished where the other does not? My job is not to reinforce your personal political, social or religious beliefs. My job is not to reinforce MY personal political, social or religious beliefs. Then it isn't art or storytelling anymore, it's simply propaganda. My job is to tell this story, about these people, AS people, as mixed and varied as they are today. And there is no outside objective criteria as to what is, or isn't *necessary* in a story; that is the sole province of the author. You may or may not like it. You may or may not choose to watch it. Just as people who don't like to see religion and god discussed on TV may dislike it or choose not to watch it. But you'll excuse me if I see complaints about this one little thing from the religious side, after all I've done to present religious characters and the religious life in a positive fashion, to be hypocritical and frankly somewhat ungrateful. It's as though all this means nothing because of one thing, one outside-imposed litmus test that disregards anything and everything else that has been done. So straight up...if I should stop tolerating or showing viewpoints that are not my own (spoken as someone who is absolutely straight), then should I now stop showing religion as well? Because that's what this comes down to. Is that what you want? Because religion is included at my discretion as well as anything else on this show. You want me to be less tolerant? Just say the word. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 170 Sun Sep 03, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:13 EDT Yes, we'll see both the tines being repaired, and the core shuttle being fixed, in ep 1 of year 3. The tines are mainly to stabalize incoming cargo ships so they can be offloaded (something we've shown there from time to time) into the zero-g cargo bay. Ken: yes, showing does not mean endorsing, showing just means saying "this is here," not to make an issue of it. If I'm going to start endorsing ANYbody's POV around here, it's going to be mine, and I think we all know how dreadful THAT would be. Re: Kosh...we'll see him again outside his suit in "Dust to Dust," but in a somewhat unconventional fashion.... As for "including controversy rather than skirting it," this is more or less the point. The goal here is to not have our characters or our show make *value judgments* about what our characters do, because then you're hitting the audience over the head with the MESSAGE. "Believers" is a good example of that; some came away using parts of that to argue pro and anti interference in medical situations; ditto for "Confessions" which hit squarely on BOTH sides of the issue (no, you can't blame morality for disease...but then, we had our characters openly requiring blood testing, which annoys many on the other side of the issue)....my sense is that our audience is smart enough to take the elements we present them with, and discuss them, and come to their own conclusions and draw their own meanings from them. It's the part of objecting to even *presenting* the situation that seems to me a marginal position at best. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 189 Mon Sep 04, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:25 EDT We're trying to moderate the jumpgate sound a bit; it may have gotten a bit too hot there for a while. As for Ivanova...remember that the core of good drama is conflict. So here we have a situation where a possible romantic involvement is shaping up for her in year three. It shouldn't be made too easy. So you create a situation that really hurts her deeply; she made a difficult step, got over her distance, opened herself up, became vulnerable...and got hurt very badly as a result. The same thing that happened in first season, when her old flame was discovered to be a big guy with Home Guard. You now have someone who's freshly hurt, who is going to be unwilling or slow to open up again, who's now experienced every kind of relationship and NONE of them have worked...in short, she's one exposed nerve ending, perfect for someone now to come in who may be right, but for whom she has little time, and is disposed not to get involved. Sounds a lot like my own dating history...keep them razor blades and salt sprays a'comin..... jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 194 Wed Sep 06, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:54 EDT What is the origin of the Human/Minbari connection? You'll find out this very season (year three), in no uncertain or ambiguous terms. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 197 Wed Sep 06, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:55 EDT Comics may sometimes provide advance information ahead of the series, but all this is eventually covered in the show. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 202 Fri Sep 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:31 EDT Allen: thanks. jms ************ Topic 27 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:37 EDT Sub: #301 - "Matters of Honor" by JMS 1 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 27 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:39 EDT Directed by Kevin Cremin. Introducing Jason Carter. Written by jms. jms ************ Topic 28 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:38 EDT Sub: #302 - "Convictions" by JMS 3 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 28 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:40 EDT Directed by Mike Vejar. Guest starring Louis Tureen as Theo. Guest starring Patrick Kilpatrick. Written by jms. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 28 Message 3 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:14 EDT Correct. Louis was not available to use for "Twilight" for health reasons, but we like Louis a lot, and vowed to use him in another, even better role, at the first opportunity. We seized it. jms ************ Topic 29 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:38 EDT Sub: #303 - "A Day in the Strife" by JMS 3 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 29 Message 3 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:42 EDT Directed by David Eagle. Guest starring Stephen Macht and Marshall Teague. Written by jms. jms ************ Topic 30 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:39 EDT Sub: #304 - "Voices of Authority" by JMS 1 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 30 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:44 EDT Directed by Menachem Binitsky. Guest starring Shari Sutliff. Written by jms. jms ************ Topic 31 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:40 EDT Sub: #305 - "Passing Through Gethsemene" by JMS 1 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 31 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:44 EDT Directed by Adam Nimoy. Guest starring Brad Dourif. Written by jms. jms ************ Topic 32 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:40 EDT Sub: #306 - "Dust to Dust" by JMS 1 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 32 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:45 EDT Directed by David Eagle. Guest starring Walter Koenig. Written by jms. jms ************ Topic 33 Sat Aug 26, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn Shysa] at 13:41 EDT Sub: #307 - "Exogenesis" by JMS 2 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 33 Message 1 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:46 EDT This episode is now #308, to be directed by Mike Vejar. 307 is now "Exogenesis." jms