------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 77 Sun Oct 08, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:19 EDT There's a misapprehension here; it did *not* take until August for B5 to be renewed. I'm trying to remember the date, but it was somewhere in June. We were already shooting on year three by late July, and we need 6 weeks prep before shooting. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 117 Tue Oct 10, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:10 EDT I'm told, btw, that Captain Power has finally been sold to the SciFi Channel...now if only they can find all the master tapes.... jms* (*who, when he heard the former, fell down went BOOM) ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 141 Wed Oct 11, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:28 EDT Hmmm...I think the episode must be "Dust to Dust," with a quick scene between Sheridan and a merchant...good scene. BTW, for those in the LA area, the comic store Phantom Zone (formerly Outer Limits), on Ventura Boulevard half a block west of Van Nuys (tucked away next to the Coogee Bay Cafe) has quite a few complete boxes of the B5 cards that just came in. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 168 Thu Oct 12, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:22 EDT Harlan Ellison has requested that I post this in places where those likely to have ordered the forthcoming CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER limited-edition hardcover can find it. Message begins: Here is the answerto the question of why a three-week delay in shipping THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER became necessary. A minor production glitch. Nothing more mysterious or ominous than that. Once the book had gone to Thomson-Shore in Dexter, Michigan for printing, and was in production, it was discovered that more than 150 corrections to the text--some significant, others of a niggling nature--but all troublesome to a greater or lesser degree--had slipped past, and had not been integrated. Tom Monteleone of Borderlands Press was out of the country. But his concerns for shipping on time--we've been paying the price for a premature announcement of this title four years ago ever since that miscalculation was made--were preeminent. Nonetheless, because of my insistence that this book (a book of great personal importance to me) be as close to perfect as possible, I took the necessary action to hold the production at a pre-final stage till Tom returned and we could get the changes made. That has been accomplished. Tom Monteleone has been very gracious in accommodating my concerns, and the book is back in the tube at Thomson-Shore right now. Three weeks max is what Dave Raymond, Customer Services Manager, tells us. Three weeks and the book, a beautiful beautiful package, will be in the hands of those who've ordered it. It is unfortunate that Tom Monteleone's interim message on the Borderlands Press 800-order line has been misinterpreted by some people. All is well, and the CITY is on its way to waiting eyes and hands. Thank you for asking. Harlan Ellison ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 187 Thu Oct 12, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:31 EDT Mike: my first, truest and only possible reaction to your note was to instantly look around and wonder who the heck you were talking about. "...you're starting to become an SF superstar, perhaps the biggest since Gene Roddenberry." I wish I could take this as having anything whatsoever to do with me, as far as B5 goes, but I can't. I don't see myself or my position any different now than 5 or 10 years ago. I look in the mirror and half the time I see a doofus. The other half of the time I see someone trying desperately not to *be* a doofus. The other day, I was interviwed by a reporter with a major newspaper syndicate, and kind of the same question was asked. What I told her, and I'll say here, is...I just can't apply it to me. When I go up on stage at a convention, and there's this mass of applause...the terrible thing is, I don't hear it. I'm worrying about what the first thing I should say ought to be, will it be entertaining, why on earth do these people want to see *me* fer chrissakes...one feels like a fraud. Because the story kinda lives outside me somehow...it's like the sculpter who look at a block of stone and knows there's a sculpture of a horse in there somewhere, that it was *always* there, he just has to get a hammer and chisel and *find* it. There's a difference between the talent, the story, and the vessel; sometimes the vessel thinks it *is* the talent, that it *is* the story, and that way, I think, lies madness and an ego of monstrous proportion. I can't think in those terms. I wouldn't mind, I'd probably enjoy it, I just *can't*. When I hear applause -- and on one level, like I said, I really can't -- it's not for me, it's for the story, for the show, for the performances, for Christopher's terrific music. I'm sitting here on a writing break, in a torn up pair of jeans, a superman t-shirt, with a barely adequate cafe mocha in a Daffy Duck mug in front of me; how seriously can I take this person? The guys at the local comic store know who I am -- I come in every Wednesnday night for my weekly fix -- and it ain't no big thing. I'm just one more customer. The only perk is that they set aside the comics about to sell out so I don't miss one. But when I walk in the door, those who might recognize me don't seem to pay much notice, and the majority just *don't* recognize me, because my face isn't plastered all over the place. Which is as it should be; the actors deserve that honor. (This is something else the reporter bugged me about, "The ST creators have their faces all over the place, where in the press kit are your photos, why aren't *you* out there visibley?" To which the only answer is, "That ain't why I'm here." As Meatloaf said, "I ain't in it for the power, and I ain't in it for the wealth, I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all, and I sure ain't in it for my health. But I'm in it till it's over.") So there's no need for any awkwardness or hesitancy, Mike. I'm a fan, same as you and most of the other folks around here. Ain't nothing around here to be intimidated by; it's just me. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 233 Sat Oct 14, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:15 EDT Okay, here's What Joe Believes: I don't believe in deities, heavens, hells, spirit guides, leprechauns, or any continuance of the individual after death. Consciousness is an abstract, but it is finite. When the game is finally called on account of darkness, you don't get to come back tomorrow and finish the game. The work we must do, must be done today, now, or not at all. What I believe in is the power of the human being singular to rise above every challenge, obstacle, tyrant and misfortune. We are where we are because in the evolutionary crap shoot, we were smarter, and faster, and *thought* ourselves out of the mud (with a little help from the opposable thumb, natch). The brass ring of consciousness has made us not only aware of our environment, and how to control it, but has made us, when we are at our best, self- reflective, aware of the struggle of those around us, made us conscious of the fact that we work at our best when we work together, when individuals can reach for the stars and pull the rest of us along with them...for company, for pleasure, and to help the next guy leapfrog to the next star. Given nurturing and direction and purpose, it makes us compassionate. Stunted, hindered, corrupted by circumstance or hopelessness, it makes us into monsters. I believe that we can touch greatness *now*, and that if we remove the notion of second chances, lifes after this one, no backsies, there is the added impetus to *achieve* it now. (Witness those who think there's no point in saving the redwoods because Christ is going to come back soon and the point will be moot. Remember James Watt's statement on that one?) This, I believe, is *it*. And so we must do all we can. For those who are raised well, directed well, that means doing all they can to the good; for those who fall between the cracks, that may mean something quite different. But that's the way it is now anyway, really. Religion can be used as justification to murder, or not to murder, depending on how you approach it. Religion has been used to rationalize, and attack, slavery. For my money, religion and science came out of the same impulse, the desire to understand who we are, and where we came from, and where we're going, and what we're supposed to do when we get there. Before we had the tools to grasp the mechanics of sunlight and solstice, we cobbled up pantheons and spirits and deities who watched over the functioning of the universe like benign watchmakers. With time and codification, religions began, warred, absorbed, schism'd and sunk their hooks deep into the world around us. Those hooks are too deep and tied to too much of our language, our culture, ever to be removed; they are part and parcel of our human heritage, I accept that and welcome that element. But from this side of the modem...it's still just myth. Myth with billion dollar empires on the one hand, and myth that lives in little steepled whiteframe churches in the Appalachias, but myth nonetheless. It can be myth that elevates, myth that ennobles, myth that destroys, myth that causes war and myth that heals after war...but myth it remains. Just like the myth of language, of art, of politics and polemics and philosophy. They are all the constructs we have made, the lenses we have cobbled together through which we can see the world around us. That is what I think, that is what I believe. Your mileage may vary. I have no desire to propagandize my personal beliefs; if you do that, they're not personal anymore, and my job is to entertain, and to ask questions, not to persuade anyone to my own perspective. In the pursuit of this story, I will use myth and math interchangeably, whichever tool best serves the task most effectively. If anything, I believe closest to what Delenn said, my one moment of slippage, of letting my own attitudes creep in, that we are better than we think, and nobler than we know; that we have the seeds of greatness within us, and our greatest flaw is that we do not always know this as well as we should. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 258 Sun Oct 15, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:34 EDT Kwicker: then in the two options you present, assume the latter, that I'm "an exceedingly better writer than I had even expected," since the other doesn't parse for me. I don't believe. Not even cellularly, or subconsciously. If one can write Narns well, that doesn't mean one believes they exist; why should this change for writing about beliefs? Tom: not a "recovering Catholic," but an ex-catholic who was never really much of a practitioner at all...one of these twice-a-year church family types. I had no choice going in, being born into that, and as soon as I hit confirmation and was told it was the sacrament of free choice, I was out of the room so fast I doppler'd. Not sure there was any one particular thing that led me to where I am, just sort of the preponderance of things. I've read a lot of varying scriptures -- the Bible cover-to-cover twice, the Gita, a number of Egyptian and Judaic religious texts, less of the Koran than I'd like (some tough slogging in there), I'm quite charmed by much of what I've read in Zen Buddhism, I've looked into Native American, South American and African myths and religious beliefs...and to be honest, in all of this, I've never yet "met" a Deity that was really much nobler or better than the average person. They're all prone to eccentricities, fits of anger, flaws, jealousies, illogic, pettiness, violence, inconsistency and a thousand other traits we'd be ashamed to see in ourselves. And I've never seen much of anything outside to convince me that there's order in the universe...so here I am. Do not, btw, take this as an invitation to debate, convert, or try to convince. I've come to this by long and difficult roads, there's nothing you can say to me that hasn't been said before, by others, and if I respect the beliefs of othres enough not to try and change them, I'd ask that this same respect be returned. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 275 Mon Oct 16, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:41 EDT I'll confess...for the time period from the Hubble's launch, until it got fixed...I called it the Wobble...I'm sorry, I'm sorry.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 280 Mon Oct 16, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:16 EDT Yes, I've read Campbell. Leery of applying it directly or too consciously to the work, though; it can make the process too self-conscious. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 290 Tue Oct 17, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:46 EDT "I am a leprechaun." Fine. Give up the pot of gold or die. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 313 Wed Oct 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:28 EDT Lots of interesting stuff...new main title is finished and scored, with the first two new episodes arriving in the hands of critics and reviewers this week...finished writing script #11, "Confessions" (which title may change if I can think up something better), which is now the exact midway point, both in the series overall, and this season in particular...also finished writing the first issue of a 4-part miniseries for the DC comics B5 book, which will still come out at irregular periods, titled "The Book of the War." Also got in the first volume in the next batch of Dell novels, "Clark's Law" by J. Mortimer, and so far it's really extremely good, I'm quite pleased. The other two are by S. M. Stirling and Neal Barrett, Jr. Should be getting them in soon for review. The B5 AOL and WWW pages should jointly be up in the next 2 weeks. And in Los Angeles, B5's first new ep got a 6.5 rating with a 10 share (very good), while DS9, an hour before, got a 5.9 rating and a 9 share. Have begun shooting episode 11, "Messages From Earth," a hideously complex episode, outmatched only by #10, "Severed Dreams," which is the single most visually ambitious episode we've done in the three years of the show. It's just totally outrageous, and it'll probably kill us in sheer man-hours to produce...but the result should drop jaws all over the place. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 321 Wed Oct 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:58 EDT Did I type "Confessions?" I meant to type "Ceremonies." Thought that's what I did type. Anyway, I've decided to change it to "Ceremonies of Light and Dark." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 322 Wed Oct 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:00 EDT Just checked; I *did* type Confessions. Yikes. This is how I sometimes type west instead of east (you'll get it next week). I think I'm linguistically or philosophically dyslexic... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 344 Thu Oct 19, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:58 EDT Kevin: yeah...real fragging funny...at times like this I long for a REAL Narn bat squad. Re: "fanboys"...actually, there's been precious little of that. The only ongoing problem that I've yet encountered is the occasional net-weasel celebrity stalker who goes out of his way to constantly post absolute untrue lying crap to try and hurt either me, or B5, or some cast members, or all three. Day after day after day. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 393 Sat Oct 21, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:02 EDT We've been consistently giving Jeff Conaway more and more to do in the show because he's a very gifted actor; there are some moments in the coming month's episodes, particularly "The Fall of Night," that should knock the word "mediocre" out of anyone's mouth. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 402 Sun Oct 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:03 EDT On the other hand, it would certainly be a writing challenge, one I hadn't even considered prior to seeing it here.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 431 Sun Oct 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:28 EDT The sound came through okay on my system here in LA on KCOP. Odd; I'll look into the sound question overall, and the out of phase stuff. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 440 Mon Oct 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:40 EDT Almost finished writing script #12, "A Late Delivery From Avalon." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 463 Tue Oct 24, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:00 EDT You cannot prove the non-existence of something; you can only require proof of the *existence* of something. If I say, "There are green penguins at the North Pole," it is not incumbent upon you to prove they're *not* there; however you search I could always say, "Well, you missed a spot." The burden of proof is incumbent upon the person making the assertion. This is basic, critical thinking, which is often not taught in places where it *should* be taught. Quickie note on the clip-show discussion...this is starting to veer into story suggestions, so I'd suggest a slight retreat. BTW, for those also on AOL, Bruce and I are doing an on-line conference tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7p.m. Pacific to officially open up the B5 AOL page. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 466 Tue Oct 24, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:45 EDT I'd be very surprised; it's finding its audience, and it isn't a bad show. I know it's hideously expensive -- I hear about $2 million per episode - - and they've had a lot of problems with CGI, but all of that can be either overcome of compensated for. It'd be a loos. Er, loss. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 556 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:28 EST It may be the tape stock WWOR is using when it downlinks the show; it goes up pretty pristine on the uplink. Would love to get a copy of the Denver article, btw. jms (PS, at the SciFi Universe Awards last night, Bruce tied with David Ducovney for best actor, and Andreas got best supporting actor.) ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 566 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:28 EST The article can be sent to me via the B5 mail drop, which is: 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Sometimes I write shows with a lot of EFX, sometimes I write shows with zip EFX. "Parliament of Dreams" was that way, so was "Inquisitor," which had almost no EFX. Same, as I recall, for "The Quality of Mercy." It's whatever the story requires. 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. 621 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 394 Wed Sep 20, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:18 EDT Working title for episode 10: "Severed Dreams." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 444 Tue Oct 10, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:13 EDT Episode #11, "Ceremonies," written by JMS, to be directed by John Flinn III. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 497 Sun Oct 15, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:38 EDT Sounds like a definite glitch; anyone else notice this on the satellite uplink? Ron: yes and no. We hadn't heard of the Bureau 13 game when we did the episode, it was just something we came up with 'cause it sounded neat. Later, we found out there was a game by that name. At which point I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate to use that name again, and had a good conversation with some folks at the game company about it. There was no problem, I just didn't want to walk on their turf intentionally or otherwise. Logically, any secret group is going to change its name from time to time *anyway* (it's not like they're in the yellow pages or anything), so the organization would remain under varying names. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 535 Thu Oct 19, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 06:02 EDT A statement is anything; everything ever written can be taken as one kind of political statement or other. (Often read in after the fact.) The question is one of political *agenda*, and that I don't have; I've fronted episodes on every end of the political spectrum, because I'm not enough of a follower to think *any* party, group or affiliation has the market on right answers. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 565 Sun Oct 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:32 EDT Mr. T, Louise is correct; also, in the TOS show, that revelation was the whole *point* of the episode, where here it's a filligree, dropped in at the last. It also *has* to be that character, as the flip side of the story, to contrast with Sheridan's "holy cause" as warning, and because of his own reflection of what Delenn might have been if she went the wrong way for the right reasons. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 574 Tue Oct 24, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:02 EDT George: you're starting to learn my tricks. When I point to the east and say "Look! A comet!" you can generally be sure you're about to get thumped on the head by an interstellar snowball coming in from the west. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 597 Sat Oct 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:34 EDT George: the mistake everyone makes is in going for somebody famous, a celebrity. I've done a lot of looking into this, and have spoken with a number of other Ripperologists, and the single most likely person is one who's name you've never heard mentioned as a suspect, but if you read the record, his name keeps coming up again and again and again. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 609 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:31 EST To the "how much information is needed?" question, the best answer, I think, is that every week more folks find B5 for the first time and get into it with very little need for backgrounding. The more you see, the more threads you're aware are there, otherwise it's just interesting color. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 612 Mon Oct 30, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:34 EST Nope, Sebastian wasn't the name of the one I'm thinking of. And from what I've read, a lot of folks *did* need to hear the name to get it.... 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!?!? 163 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 7 Message 146 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:05 EDT Shane: once we're finally, totally, completely done, I'll probably need to walk away from the eps for about a year before I can look at them again, so that I can *see* them with fresh eyes. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 7 Message 150 Mon Sep 11, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:26 EDT The other thing to bear in mind -- and as a video editor, you understand - - is that by the time we've finished an episode, I've seen it maybe 15-20 times, and personally, with Copeland, edited every single frame of every episode. After a while, much as you like it, you just don'wanna see it no more.... 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 331 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 193 Sun Sep 10, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:02 EDT Yeah, it's the CP experience, and others, that kinda soured me on merchandising a little. I walked off CP when it looked like the sponsor was going to get increased say in episode content. And other shows have thrown stuff in just so they could include it in merchandising...so I'm just a bit leery of it all. 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. 513 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 490 Thu Sep 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:42 EDT Nothing's set yet; I was only asked 2 days ago to be there. At this point I don't know who's going to be in-town for it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 493 Wed Oct 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:18 EDT Well, start by asking her that very question; she'll be very happy to answer it there, and thus give everyone a better grasp of what she does. Then record it and send it to me so we can figure it out. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 497 Sun Oct 22, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:35 EDT Ah...is *that* what Haley said her job is? Well...yes, very nice, very nice, big, warm laugh.... She's sweet. "Hello, Guido? Got a job for you...." jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 26 Message 507 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:31 EST It's all part of the same credit. 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. 327 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 280 Sat Sep 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:15 EDT SO, HAS, LIKE, *ANYONE* IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND *EVER* MADE IT PAST LEVEL NINE IN TETRIS? HUH? IT'S JUST A PLOT TO MAKE ME CRAZY, ISN'T IT? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 300 Wed Sep 27, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:53 EDT Just to clarify: Classic Tetris only goes to level 10. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 31 Message 308 Thu Sep 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:42 EDT It's actually an interesting experiment in learning, in that it's absolutely clear what the brain does...when you stop playing, your brain keeps seeing these falling blocks every time you close your eyes, and what it's doing is working out each possible combination, so you can react more instinctively (yellow Ls go on the left, green Ls on the right, both top down, to slide in)...it's really mental evolution in action, the learning process given color and shapes. It's also absolutely a useless skill. jms ------------ ************ Topic 42 Mon Oct 16, 1995 C.MACLEOD2 [Cam] at 23:18 EDT Sub: Promoting B5 on a local level Lots of station have moved B5 to "graveyard" timeslots. What can we do on a local level to boost interest and increase viewership? 13 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 42 Message 2 Tue Oct 17, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:51 EDT Y'know...this is a nutty idea...maybe just ignore it...but I got wind last year about a station in...Italy? Greece?...one or the other that went bankrupt and shut down *literally* in the middle of airing a B5 episode. The next day, during the lunch time period, hundreds of protesters showed up with placards demanding they show the rest of the episode. This got substantial coverage, apparently, and convinced another station to pick up the show. So I look around at the net, at the sharp local people who want to help, the great graphics that are out there that can be used, the organizational resources on the net..... It's a nutty idea. jms ------------ ************ 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. 353 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 207 Sat Sep 09, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:02 EDT Dave: yup. Londo's never coughed before, and this was very deliberately placed. He's on the path, like it or not. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 212 Sun Sep 10, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:11 EDT Question one I'll leave for later...to question two, Kosh *appears* to us as a being of light...doesn't mean that's entirely what he is, that's how we've been programmed to see him. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 218 Mon Sep 11, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:53 EDT As it happens, I worked closely in designing Kosh with Steve Burg, who was one of the main designers on The Abyss, Terminator 2, Waterworld, and other films. So I'm not surprised some element of that gracefullness came through. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 219 Mon Sep 11, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:54 EDT PS, to Brett's comments above...someone observed that what we've seen...is Kosh's encounter suit *inside* his encounter suit, given the way in which we perceive him...sounds about right. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 324 Fri Oct 06, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:48 EDT Rob: you're absolutely correct that you shouldn't be talking about those "even more unusual planes" in public. Good for you. That's what email is for. I look forward to hearing more about this. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 328 Sat Oct 07, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:12 EDT Yeah, well, *I've* got Ultraviolet Level Clearance, personally assigned to me by President Santiago (before his unfortunate demise), so there. Actually, the Pentagon likes me...was invited to the Air Force Academy 2024 Study Group as a participant at Maxwell AFB by a Lieutenant General (unfortunately had to decline for various reasons), we get care packages from some folks at the Pentagon...hey, if you can't tell us, who CAN you tell? jms* (*who used to be a reporter and still honors the confidentiality of sources) ------------ Category 19, Topic 1 Message 352 Sat Oct 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:23 EDT Teri: unless your station did something, it's not physically possible for the US version to be *shorter* than the UK version in any scene like that. There was no additional material ever provided to C4 to expand it beyond what's seen here. jms ------------ ************ Topic 23 Sat Apr 29, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn] (Forwarded) Sub: #219 - "Divided Loyalties" Lyta Alexander returns with a warning that one of Babylon 5's officers may be an operative for a top secret government organization. Patricia Tallman returns as Lyta. Written by JMS. 195 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 23 Message 14 Wed Oct 11, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:04 EDT You're looking into this too much. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 23 Message 55 Sat Oct 14, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:21 EDT Actually, Delenn was never told the whole situation, so she would have had no way of knowing to stick around; also, it was something they had to do on their own. The Talia "incident" is referenced again in "Dust to Dust," and possibly one more episode in the first 11. None of the actors have *contracts* for five years, we have options ON them for that period, which we can exercise at our discretion. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 23 Message 59 Sun Oct 15, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:11 EDT It means we have first call on their services, and if we choose to renew an actor, they *must* comply; if we choose not to, we're not obliged to. This is standard in TV. jms ------------ ************ Topic 24 Sat Apr 29, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn] (Forwarded) Sub: #220 - "The Long Twilight Struggle" The Narn-Centauri War reaches a major turning point. Delenn is contacted by an old friend who offers assistance. Written by JMS. 126 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 14 Wed Oct 18, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:14 EDT Re: G'Kar's position on the council...Sheridan could have carried on, but it would've been basically useless. The Centauri now occupy and run Narn, and as its conquerers call thanks to the surrender and agreement to the Centauri terms, call the shots as far as who can legitimately speak for Narn. Sheridan could've kept G'Kar *in the room*, but he'd still be powerless, without portfolio, and the whole concept of the council would be shot. He is now simply Citizen G'Kar, same as any other Narn. No, Londo isn't of higher rank in the council than Sheridan, but he speaks for the Centauri, and the Centauri speak for Narn. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 27 Fri Oct 20, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:35 EDT Re: Earth's attitude toward the Centauri...stick around for 2 more episodes. Re: not recognizing the Centauri rule...on what basis would or could Earth do this? If the Narns had not agreed to total and unconditional surrender, sure, there might be a case you could make...otherwise, one doesn't have a leg to stand on. Vampyr...okay, (poink), I've now made you Babylon 5 Person here. So how could Sheridan "take Londo down a peg" in any manner consistent with reality? Yell at him? Sure, but to what effect? He had nothing to back it up. Before, in "Shadows," he had a bluff he could run; now that's not relevant because the actions have all been taken, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Sometimes, things happen in the real world, and we'd love to see the person taken down a peg, as you say...but sometimes actually *doing* that in a real world situation, or a fairly rigorous fictional situation, is a different matter. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 40 Sat Oct 21, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:24 EDT Vampyr: don't worry, your reaction is exactly right. If Londo's actions bug one, they should, because we hate to see them. And what makes this show strong, I think, is that we *are* very rigorous and logical in how we put together the politics of our universe. There aren't a lot of holes you can point to in this one. Could G'Kar try and form a government in exile? He probably could, and they may be worried about that...so who knows what they might do...? jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 76 Mon Oct 23, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:45 EDT A-TC: yes, Londo *does* have his moments when one almost likes him in spite of oneself; the second episode of year three has scenes in which you don't like him, and then you *do* like him enormously...then you don't again. He's caught in the scissors...and trying madly to find some way out of the situation he's in. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 84 Tue Oct 24, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:43 EDT Or are you just happy to see me. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 92 Wed Oct 25, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:17 EDT Debs: *extremely* good points, and well considered. We go through great pains on the lighting, to add dimension, texture, and to play with helping create the characters. Thanks for noticing. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 24 Message 104 Thu Oct 26, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:47 EDT He's Centauri. They have an accent. He puts stress on the darndest word sometimes. jms ------------ ************ Topic 25 Sat Apr 29, 1995 SF-HUDGENS [Fenn] (Forwarded) Sub: #221 - "Comes the Inquisitor" by JMS 69 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 3 Wed Oct 25, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:10 EDT General Answer For What Comes Now: Yes, I *know* it's the East End not the West End; I looked right at my notes when I was writing the script, and they said East and I typed West and nobody noticed it until it went out. I could've replaced it with a looped line prior to first airing here, as this was found during the UK airings, but looping never improves only diminishes the performance, and he's on-camera and the words wouldn't match his mouth. So I decided to let it go out this way once for performance, and we'll correct this aspect with a loop in later airings, even though that will somewhat lessen the performance aspect. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 6 Thu Oct 26, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:32 EDT Yes we have. In the pilot and elsewhere. It comes out engines first to decelerate more quickly, then turns around to actually dock. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 15 Fri Oct 27, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:00 EDT Maybe a subtitle or caption on-screen with the words, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 25 Sat Oct 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:30 EDT You can't exclude or include anything in your story just because a character or concept has been used by others. If we were to do that, then we might as well never make the show, because others have shown starships and hyperspace and aliens. Okay, yes, others have used Jack. But not in the same way. It was *right* for this show...should it not be used because others have also used this character? I think that the moment you begin constantly course- correcting your show in reaction to other shows, you're dead in the water. You have to do what's right for *this* story, in *this* episode. And I think we showed a very different aspect of the character and the situation than has been shown before. If we just did the same old gag -- Jack comes to B5 and begins murdering people again -- then I'd agree. But we didn't. I think you have to judge a show by what's IN the show, and how well it's done, not against what has been done in other places. Otherwise we might as well throw out starships and beam weapons and aliens and all the rest, since those have ALL been done a lot more than Jack. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 27 Sat Oct 28, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:27 EDT In his situation, who wouldn't...? jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 31 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:33 EDT Never thought the ep was being trashed, just responding. If one picks nits with shows, one should also be free to pick nits on messages. Just the usual give and take. Remembered an interesting quote this afternoon: "Of course everything has already been said. But since no one was listening, we must begin again." jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 39 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:24 EST Well, this certainly helps explain the growing popularity of Senator Dole. Shaving off that mustache was a definite smart move. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 44 Sun Oct 29, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:24 EST Jim: never hesitate to bring something up because it's me; if we can't discuss the issues, there's no point. On the question of Dole and politics in general...yeah, Bruce and Jerry and I tend to go 'round and 'round about this stuff at our lunch gatherings. Sometimes for laughs, sometimes earnestly, but we generally tend to respect the other's viewpoints. I don't personally subscribe wholecloth to a liberal or conservative agenda; I think you have to take each individual issue as it comes. I'm pro- choice and pro-death penalty (UNLESS one can guarantee that when a court says, "life inprisonment," it MEANS life, not 5 years, then I flip to the other side of the issue). There are a number of interesting democrats, and a number of intersting republicans out there. Dole, however, strikes me as a mean, venal little man who would make Nixon (also not high on my hit parade) look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm if he ever got into high office. It ain't the party, it ain't the issues (well, not entirely)...it's just that this guy worries the hell out of me. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 25 Message 67 Tue Oct 31, 1995 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:31 EST "He wishes confirmation." Any catholics in here want to comment a little further on what that means? Re: Colin Powell...I'm cautiously optimistic. One of the real dangers is that, not knowing perhaps as much as we should about him, is that he has the potential to become the empty vessel into which we pour all of our expectations about what he *could* be, or what we *think* he is...and see not him, but our own reflection, which is always appealing to a restless population seeking the next tall rider on a horse. That said...I do find much of what I've seen quite intriguing, and if the rest is revealed to match what seems to be his personality and record, I think I might be inclined to vote for him. jms ------------