=========================================================================== | This text is compiled from posts by J. Michael Straczynski on the Usenet | group alt.tv.babylon-5. This document contains material Copyright 1994 | J. Michael Straczynski. He has given permission for his words to be | redistributed online, as long as they are marked as being copyright JMS. | This document, as well as other Babylon-5 related material, is available | by anonymous FTP at ftp.hyperion.com. =========================================================================== From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 2 Mar 1994 19:47:35 -0500 Subject: Re: JMS... A question about te Episode #5 is the two year anniversary of B5 going on-line; not two years since the pilot movie. It took about a year and a half to grow to this point, and for the final of the Big 5 ambassadors, Kosh, to arrive, completing the group. It's now roughly six months after that, into the new year. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 3 Mar 1994 07:16:15 -0500 Subject: to JMS-thoughts on gay/bi and Yes, you will eventually become aware of a character with an alternative perspective. And the Sinclair thing wasn't a statement one way or another; simply a logical extension of their relationship. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 4 Mar 1994 03:11:58 -0500 Subject: Re: JMS: Two small questions.. In addition, if an ambassador was *known* to have an unlawful object, it *could* be subject to seizure...but the ambassador could not be arrested for possessing it due to immunity. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 4 Mar 1994 03:12:15 -0500 Subject: Assassins' Guild (was Re: POD Re: your analysis of the assassin's guild...dead on. Obviously you have known some Narns in your time.... Keep spilling those secrets and pretty soon the Thenta Makur will want a *professional* word or two with you as well.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 5 Mar 1994 06:14:38 -0500 Subject: Re: Little touches I live for "So, I've been wondering who made up Londo's line in Parliament, `but in purple, I'm stunning!'" Ummmmm.....the scriptwriter? jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 02:40:22 -0500 Subject: Parliament Glasses Re: the glasses...whether or not I'm ever to actually get into it or not, the Narns put a *high* premium on physical perfection. They're not supposed to ever indicate any weakness. It's a matter of shame to admit to it. So there's not much of a market for body-aids such as eyeglasses back there. It's something you hide. So some among them buy elsewhere, as in the case of buying human glasses with the right prescription (then, as the assassin did, hiding them from view whenever not absolutely necessary). jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 02:40:23 -0500 Subject: Mind War (Ivanova spoil) Thanks for noticing that. Yes, it *was* very important (to me, at least, whether or not anyone noticed it), that Ivanova was the one who handed Talia the water, and had that brief moment with her. For those who understand their relationship, it adds a tiny layer; for those who don't, because the dialogue keeps on going over it, it's not obtrusive. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 02:40:36 -0500 Subject: Psi rating Talia is a P5, as Lyta was in the pilot. Lyta was recalled to Earth shortly after the events of the pilot; as was the doctor who saw Kosh. The only two humans exposed that closely to a Vorlon were shipped back to Earth as fast as possible (which you'll find out in, I believe, "War Prayer"). jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 02:40:52 -0500 Subject: JMS and the Five-year Plan When that time comes, we'll likely look for writers whose scripts show they can *write* for our characters, and then assign stories to those writers. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 06:04:01 -0500 Subject: JMS: Spellings, Ages, etc. 1) Morobuto: African philosopher and leader who united several of the warring countries in that area under one banner; the Ghandi of his time (2075-2124). 2) The race was the Xon. 3) The Third Fane of Chu'Domo. 4) There weren't many takes, but there's one *GREAT* out-take on the gag reel. 5) Yes, revealing ages 1 and 2 would reveal 3. Be patient. 6) Never got around to using the t-shirt in a shot this season. With luck, next one.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 18:18:36 -0500 Subject: Disappointed in Babylon-5 Just some brief responses: 1) Aliens aren't *alien* enough. You mention that the other shows get gigged on this too, so B5 shouldn't be exempt, though you then go on to note that we still have to cast on earth. Question is, therefore, is the expectation realistic? Fact is, no matter what ANYONE does, ANY alien on ANY tv series or movie is going to be written from a human point of view because it's a human writing it, and a human acting the part. There will never be an authentic alien until an alien really appears; the rest is just human speculation. (And if you want to go for a really weird approach, remember that this is a visual medium, and having someone talking to a clam doesn't work *visually*. You can do stuff in a novel that you simply cannot do in TV or movies.) 2) The episodic format. I take the liberty of disagreeing with you, both in your premise and your conclusion. Forget what anyone else ahs (has) said, or what you intuit. What I said from Day One was this: that every episode *will stand on its own*, offering a complete story, but that over time, the accumulation of those stories will begin to present a much larger arc. That was the promise. Yes, stories are for the most part wrapped up in an hour. That's precisely the point. What we're going for is a *cumulative* approach, not a *consecutive* approach. The more you learn about the characters and the situations, the more you can pick up on stuff. Further, threads introduced in one episode *do* carry over; you see the problem with Ivanova, her mother, and the Psi Corps recurring in a very major way in "Eyes," "Legacies" and other episodes. It is a *cumulative* process. You have thus far seen 5 or 6 episodes. We're talking long term here. Further, don't hold me to a promise that I didn't make. I said the shows would stand alone...and now you say that it's a broken promise, that the shows are resolved. Yes, they are; that was the intent. It's the *characters* and the larger threads that are not resolved within the hour. 3) The politics aren't very political. Again, you're making a conclusion based on insufficient evidence. "Deathwalker" is almost ENTIRELY politics and back-room deals between not only the Big Five governments, but also the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, just for starters. Politics back home makes a MAJOR impact on the show in such episodes as "Eyes," "A Voice in the Wilderness," "Survivors" and other upcoming, filmed episodes. You're looking for immediate gratification, as if this were a short story. I'll say it again: this is a *novel* for television. Every promise made will be kept. The sciences...we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. My main point is, you're alternately holding me to promises I didn't make, or gigging us for not doing things when in fact we *have* done them, *have* filmed them, they just haven't aired yet. Having said all of that...the biggest hit TV series, according to ratings and research services, have a large number of viewers who love it, a smaller number who think it's okay, and a smaller number who *hate* it. No TV series is ever going to appeal to 100% of the audience; it hasn't happened, and will never happen. It just may not be your kind of show. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 6 Mar 1994 22:27:43 -0500 Subject: Pilot Laser Disc - WOW! Just curious, where did you obtain the B5 laserdisk from? I don't have a copy myself, and would love to obtain one. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 7 Mar 1994 03:20:15 -0500 Subject: Re: War Prayer: what went wron We'd at one point considered setting B5 at Chi Draconis, but have pretty much decided to leave it in the Epsilon star system. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 7 Mar 1994 03:20:15 -0500 Subject: Richard Compton Richard directed two more episodes for us: "Grail" and "Believers." jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 7 Mar 1994 03:47:11 -0500 Subject: JMS: More Questions I see no problem with the synopses. The Xon did evolve into fair amount of intelligence. There are a very few land masses on Centauri Prime, separated by huge oceans. The two species evolved pretty much separately, on different continents that were absolutely unreachable until one or both sides developed sufficient technology for extended sea travel...and that's when all hell broke loose. Psi ratings vary a little, but not much; a P5 can be made into a P6, but not much more. Generally, what you are is what you are. (Many lower-level psi's, P1-P2s, are tracked by the Psi Corps, but don't officially belong to it or function in any official capacity, as their skills are *so* minimal or erratic as to be of virtually no real use. Still, they have to be tracked and logged for genetic purposes.) With only one exception, you won't see time travel anywhere in the five-year run of the B5 story. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 7 Mar 1994 04:04:13 -0500 Subject: My JMS questions To reveal the first two ages would be to reveal the third. Yes, negotiations have been ongoing for a comic book series, and it seems to be finalized, though I can't comment officially yet. The PPGs are Phased Plasma Guns, using superheated helium. It doesn't ricochet like conventional slugs, dissipates quickly after a hit, can be adjusted to produce surface damage, or cut straight through the body, or to make a big impact without burning through. At full strength, they burn straight through any kind of body, causing massive internal burns and damage to the internal organs. The clothes melt right into the skin. It's not a pretty thing. Generally they're operated at a lower or less lethal setting. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 8 Mar 1994 04:57:12 -0500 Subject: Re: JMS: More Questions The number of psi's in each category, from 1-12, gets rarer as you get higher. Lots of folks have a minimal tendency, very few have any real talent. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 8 Mar 1994 05:19:11 -0500 Subject: G'Kar is sexy! (re Cinefantast Re: G'Kar appearing in only 12 episodes this year...that's all that his character was required for. Prior to the season beginning, before one word was committed to paper, I broke out all 22 stories for this season. (Note: in one case, D.C. Fontana walked in with a different story than was on the agenda, which I thought was better than what I had in mind for that slot, and used the same characters, so that worked out.) We determined how many episodes all the characters were needed for, and made our deals accordingly. Next year, as the story escalates, the plan is to make all of our alien ambassadors available for 22 out of 22, allowing us to be far more flexible. jms(hoping for a new year)s From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 9 Mar 1994 20:42:23 -0500 Subject: Re: Inside of B-5 reminiscent Re: the Rama discussion....I'd just like to point one and all toward the Gerard O'Neill speculations about space habitats, which contained the kinds of things done in B5 and Rama and many other books about rotating space habitats. Again, this stuff has a backing in real science. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 11 Mar 1994 17:05:05 -0500 Subject: Straczynski: Racist or Cute Malcolm Biggs was just a name, nothing more. Nor should anything more be read into it. You're seeing something that's not there. Lots of people have the first name Malcolm. I have to confess that I'm angered at your message. A character is named Malcolm, and you dig up a whole context that doesn't exist and call someone a racist because of it...a matter strictly of perception that doesn't touch reality at any point, and here we are working very hard to be ethnically balanced, showing primarily inter-racial relationships between our characters...I think you owe me and this show an apology. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 12 Mar 1994 23:55:25 -0500 Subject: JMS: Couple questions about te The first question I can't answer, for story reasons. For the second question, we'll delve deeply into the use of telepaths in criminal cases -- particularly their limitations -- in "The Quality of Mercy." Also, there was a *long* thread about this not long ago, and I'm not sure I'm up to going through it all again...perhaps someone here can point to where the discussion is in the archive. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 14 Mar 1994 00:31:25 -0500 Subject: JMS: "Mind War" was mind blowi Glad you enjoyed it. As for Bester...no, you've got it somewhat reversed. We'd initially offered Walter the role of Knight Two in "Sky," but when his health prohibited using him, we went to Patrick McGoohan, who loved the script, wanted to do it, but was going to be out of the country at the time of shooting. We then shifted Walter to "Mind War." jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 14 Mar 1994 05:09:13 -0500 Subject: JMS: Time Online? I think, to cover all the net bases, I'm on...maybe 3 hours a day, just to keep up with the traffic. It's very hard; that's a LOT to stay current with. About 400 messages a day zip past my eyes. But it continues to be an interesting experience.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 14 Mar 1994 05:28:50 -0500 Subject: Re: Straczynski: Racist or Cut Perhaps you wouldn't have so many people "pounding" on you if you avoided the tendency to run your mouth out of turn. First you posted a false notice from VARIETY stating that I had been fired off my own show, and posted it on various nets as though it were the real thing. You were caught out in this, mumbled about being unfairly targeted, but never showed the *least* regret over doing it. You smeared my name, and never once apologized. Nonetheless, I offered an open hand, and said "We begin again," if you recall, figuring that everyone is owed one act of boorishness. Then came your current screed. You backtracked and said that you didn't understand the context, that you assumed wrongly...did it occur to you to ASK FIRST? No. You started throwing around messages with allegations of racism. You didn't ask for clarification, you started screaming "Racist." And once it was explained to you...again, no apology, just a mumbled comment about being confused and making assumptions. Have you ever considered not running your mouth for a change, not smearing people, not spreading rumors, not calling people offensive names? Just because you were born with fingers doesn't mean you have to use them at a keyboard when your brain is clearly vapor-locked. I don't know what problem causes you to engage in this kind of behavior, but in future keep it far away from me. I didn't care for your hoax, I didn't care for your malicious rumors, I didn't care for your allegations, and I don't much like your "poor me" act now that you've gotten your dick caught in the door again. Grow up and act like a man or get the fuck out of public view, because you're an embarrassment to anyone who considers himself a fan of SF; the kind of person who gives the rest of us a bad name. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 14 Mar 1994 05:28:57 -0500 Subject: JMS: The Twilight Zone Correct; I worked on the new Twilight Zone as story editor, also writing about 12 or so episodes. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 00:18:35 -0500 Subject: JMS: Please help! (problems wi We're looking into the KSTW situation, along with some others, but there may not be a lot we can do. This kind of thing really has to be addressed at the local level by local viewers. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 01:04:55 -0500 Subject: B5 Character development? Re: seeing more character development in TNG at this time (you cite knowing Picard's role in the Crusher death, Riker and Troi, and that Data and Worf were orphans). "We've seen nothing" you conclude in B5. What we've seen so far in this show: that Sinclair has a missing 24 hours during the war; that he was involved with Sakai on and off ever since the academy, and now has a monogamous relationship with her; that his father was a fighter pilot...that Garibaldi has been fired from the last several jobs he's had, and has a questionable reputation, and has a drinking problem...that Sinclair has a death wish...that Londo has three wives and a penchant for having affairs...that Ivanova's father has just passed away, and her mother committed suicide, and her brother was killed in the war.... I could go on, but I'm not sure what the point would be. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 01:06:20 -0500 Subject: More G'Kar questions Yes, he does have a wife, who may or may not show up in year two. What does he mean by pleasure threshold? This is one of those questions that can only be answered through demonstration.... I'd always conceived that the name was prounoucned GUH-kar. Andreas started pronouncing it SHUH-kar. I asked him why. Andreas shrugged and said that he'd decided his character was French. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 03:01:53 -0500 Subject: And the Sky Full of Questions (From memory)...we'll know on the pickup in May; TKO and Eyes are separate scripts, by those names; we're finishing shooing 121 and about to start 122 (episode 22); the Narn fighters came out of the local jumpgate. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 03:17:59 -0500 Subject: B5 Presentation at Phil & Ed's I'm told I'm supposed to do one, but haven't been told when at this point. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 15 Mar 1994 03:18:04 -0500 Subject: Defensive Grid Rather than explain the defense grid, I think I'd prefer to let you see it in action. Which you will, in May, in "Signs and Portents." Its' one of our heaviest action episodes of this first batch. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 16 Mar 1994 01:24:19 -0500 Subject: JMS at Pasadena Con????? I'm told my presentation will be at either 1 or 2 pm on Sunday, which will be tight since I'm flying back from Houston that morning, from receiving an award Saturday night from the Space Frontier Foundation for Best Vision of the Future. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 17 Mar 1994 04:50:48 -0500 Subject: Re: SKY.... more space scenes The CGI scenes were deliberately step-printed to give the shots a more dreamlike look. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 17 Mar 1994 20:03:57 -0500 Subject: JMS: Straightforward Question There will be new episodes in April through the end of May, then a long break of reruns, then new ones starting in September or October, through November. (This is because the stations need to have new eps for the November sweeps.) jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 17 Mar 1994 20:47:20 -0500 Subject: Re: JMS at Baycon????? Nope, no plans to attend BayCon at this time. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 01:56:48 -0500 Subject: Re: Telepath a bad idea? There will be no more Ironhearts, and that character will not return. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 02:18:56 -0500 Subject: Sky -- comments and other thou Since I don't know how to send an individual message to this alt section -- I can only reply to notes in my GEnie mailbox -- I would like to pass along the following. Networks usually renew their shows at the end of the season, when they've seen all the shows. Syndication, and PTEN in particular, works differently. The decision on whether or not to renew will be made in April/early May. One factor complicating all of this is the new Paramount network, which is grabbing up stations and available timeslots by the bucket. They are, apparently, making very good deals. Point being...if you truly enjoy Babylon 5, I would suggest that the next two weeks would be the ideal time to write your local TV station -- which has a *direct* say in whether or not B5 is picked up -- and tell them so. It's kinda unfair to have to decide on a show after only a handful of episodes, but that's the hand all the PTEN shows have been dealt. Would definitely be appreciated. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 02:19:08 -0500 Subject: Re: And the Sky Full of Questi Casual mating between species *cannot* take place accidentally in the B5 universe. There would have to be *massive* genetic engineering on someone to make it even remotely possible. (And thanks for the comments on the show.) jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 04:46:35 -0500 Subject: JMS How have you been influenc The conversation is most useful as a sort of "sense of the room," if the comparison is clear. I find that a lot of it reinforces what I suspected. As for yeaer two...won't know until next month sometime. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 04:54:10 -0500 Subject: SKY...JMS / Writers Digest...P There are over 200 pages of single-spaced notes, plus individual files with background stuff, for the full five-year span of B5. I don't think it's fair to set up questions unless you know the answer well in advance. So yes, it is all worked out. I tried to take a fairly Tolkein-esque approach, fleshing out as much as possible of the B5 universe, whether or not it ever gets actually used. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 21:42:49 -0500 Subject: JMS - Q: San Diego? I live in San Diego from 1974-1981, and it's actually a great place, so I'm inclined to tweak it once in a while, just for funsies.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 21:42:52 -0500 Subject: Re: And the Sky Full of Stars The ONLY reason that they were able to pick up the blasts in "Infection" was because they were SO powerful that they registered on the station's sensors. Ordinary PPG blasts don't show up. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 18 Mar 1994 21:42:57 -0500 Subject: ...And Every Star... My only reaction is that you know more than you know...you just don't know it yet. Nicely thought out. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 19 Mar 1994 01:52:27 -0500 Subject: Welcome to alt.tv.babylon-5 Unfortunately, I'm home at the moment, and all those specs are either at the office, or in Ron's custody. You might best direct the question toward Foundation, which looks on here. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 21 Mar 1994 03:57:25 -0500 Subject: Schedule? Repeats already?!? Here is the dilemma in which we find ourselves. In the Good Olde Days of TeeVee, the new season (remember when there WAS a "Fall season?") began around September (in time for the November and February sweeps), and ended around the May sweeps. Then Summer reruns through August. The sweeps periods are the very competitive periods in which stations are monitored in order to set the price they can charge for commercials. This is a VERY important time for the stations, and they want new product. We go on the air in February. No problem hitting the May sweeps. But the stations need new shows to also air in November. So that means you have to stretch 22 episodes so that you'll still have new ones come November. It's a pain, but that's what we're stuck with. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 21 Mar 1994 21:54:24 -0500 Subject: P5: And The Sky Full of Stars( Okay, now noting that Janulewicz voted to give "Sky" a score of ZERO...here comes my question. How legitimate can your poll be if there are clearly votes thrown in to skew the thing? I've noted this guy's votes before, and he tends to vote *substantially* lower, often in a random-seeming way. Obviously he sent in a 0 vote simply to screw things up. Is there no way to filter these things out? Because otherwise it just encourages mindfuckers to play at keeping the numbers low, in a way that has *nothing* to do with the show itself. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 22 Mar 1994 01:13:47 -0500 Subject: Re: ATSFOS-Tossing bodies out "But the line about the body being bound to the station by gravity was idiocy of the most annoying kind, because it blatantly screams that the people writing and producing the show don't bother to check the most trivial elements of the science they portray. What they happen to get right, they get right by sheer coincidence." The only thing that I would agree with in your analysis is the word "idiot." I would, however, apply it in your direction, since you so willingly applied it in mine, as the person who writes and produces this show. 1) We do fairly thorough research into the science of our show. We work hard at it. We subscribe to the various scientific journals, we use advisors on stuff we don't fully understand ourselves. We make a concerted, conscious and deliberate effort to get the science *right*, as much as is practical within a TV format. 2) Your attitude is the kind of reprehensible crap I get from people who aren't paying attention, and just assume that if something isn't done to what THEY consider satisfactory, that people are just sluffing it off, that they're idiots, they don't bother. My response: who the fuck are you? Where the fuck were YOU when we were having production meeting after productin meeting trying to determine how to do some of this stuff? I didn't see your name on the list, didn't see you in the room, where do you get off characterizing our attitude? And now for the good part. 3) This weekend, I was at the Space Frontier Foundation to receive an award for Babylon 5 for Best Vision of the Future, part of which was its recognition of our *deliberate efforts* to get things right. Zero-G maneuvering, civilian use of space, a working O'Neill station, on and on, all the stuff you think happens by "coincidence." And which has not generally HAPPENED on TV before. In attendence were the Delta Clipper team of engineers, astronaut Pete Conrad, leading researchers with NASA, JPL, McDonnell-Douglas, you name it. And one of the people there, who had been with SDI and the Space Program for 12 years, currently a top-level NASA consultant, pulled me aside and said that after seeing the line about the gravity not letting the body get very far -- and THAT is what was said in the script, and in the episode, NOT your characterization of a body "bound" to the hull -- he said he sat down to do the math required to come up with the actuall MASS of B5, starting with the 2.5 million tons of actual structure, plus likely vegetation, quarters, occupants, ships docked inside...and when you add it all up, it came to about the same mass as a fairly small moon...and IT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO KEEP THE BODY FROM -- AS STATED IN THE SCRIPT -- GETTING VERY FAR. The body would drift from the station a bit, get pulled back, hit the hull, bounce, drift a bit, and be pulled back. Or go into a slow elliptical orbit. (He mentioned that in the history of the Apollo program, little bits of debris that would flake off the outside of the ship would remain in proximity to the ship, just on the basis of ITS mass and gravity, and it's not very big.) A couple of other high-level engineers backed him up, and said that it was quite reasonable. What's the difference? THEY sat down and did the math. YOU just sat down and ran your mouth, and decided to go around insulting people for being inaccurate when in fact YOU are the one who "didn't bother to check the most trivial elements of the science." I don't think you really grasp how big this place is, and how massive it is, and its effect on the surrounding area. I, however, DO know how massive the station is, and DID bother to call around to a few people I know who know this stuff even better than I do, to ask them about this *before I wrote it*, just to be sure. I put your message on the same level as the occasional screed that flies through here blathering on about how there shouldn't be gravity in the observation dome since it's in the center of the station WITHOUT stopping to LOOK at the goddamned thing and see that it's 1/3rd of the way down FROM the center, giving at least 1/3rd G. Let me tell you a story. It's about Van Gogh. He was due to be visited for the first time by his idol, Gauguin. He covered the walls of his home with his paintings, and awaited Gauguin's arrival. Gauguin came. One by one, he walked down the line of paintings. Upon coming to the end of the paintings, he turned to Van Gogh and said, "You paint too fast." "No," Van Gogh said, "you LOOK too fast." You look too fast. And next time, you might want to actually CHECK your figures before you go around calling people idiots. Blockhead. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 22 Mar 1994 01:59:32 -0500 Subject: "Stars" *SPOILERS* Re: your note about tense useage in those two lines you quote...you unfortunately got the tenses wrong in both sentences, which takes care of the concerns you raised. Line #1: "He must never find out what happened." Line #2: "Maybe you're still inside...maybe we're BOTH still inside." jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 23 Mar 1994 16:03:11 -0500 Subject: Re: ATSFOS-Tossing bodies out Yes, it was always my assumption that the body was dumped out through the zero-g section, since that has more traffic with cargo loaders and unloaders and less security than the passenger-oriented bays and airlocks. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 23 Mar 1994 16:03:28 -0500 Subject: JMS: praise The only problem with a personal log is that that's pretty much associated with Trek, and I think that the way we've got it mapped out, it won't be necessary. Any info a person needs for an episode will be contained or restated within that episode. Thank for the note. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 23 Mar 1994 16:30:00 -0500 Subject: JMS: ok on bodies, how about s There is a security problem on B5, yes. And we hope to deal with it at some point. It's inevitable, really; 250,000 residents, huge crates being moved in and out every day, people going and coming...they try to confiscate what they can, but a lot slips through. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 23 Mar 1994 16:30:00 -0500 Subject: Re: Three ages of mankind An Indian interviewed by a friend of mine commented that while white peole have only one B.C., the native-american populatin has *three* BC's -- Before Columbus, Before Custer, Before Costner. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:26:06 -0500 Subject: Kosh Quote We filmed it, but don't know if we'll ever use the "when it's gone " line. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:47:39 -0500 Subject: QUESTIONS The EA pin on the chest (stylized) is for the Earth Alliance; the color-coded bar beneath is for division (gold is command, silver is command staff, green is security, red is medical division, and so on), and ranks go on the shoulders. (Ivanova, as liaison between the commander and the command staff, has a split bar, gold and silver.) jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:57:34 -0500 Subject: JMS: Mind Wars, the alien. No, this isn't the mysterious sixth race. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:57:39 -0500 Subject: Re: What the hell is "Quantium That's weird...I thought Quantium 40 was another term for Element 115. Ah, well...I think I like your math better. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:57:45 -0500 Subject: JMS - planetary surveying (min The gate was set up in what was believed to be a reasonably fertile and useful sector of space; the explorer craft can't take too long in any one area. They find likely areas for exploitation, take a fast look around, drop a gate, and move on. This allows other ships to come in and scope out the place in detail. That's when they ran into whatever's walking around Sigma 957. (And it's not there all the time, only from time to time.) jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:57:46 -0500 Subject: Walter Koenig's characters Koenig was originally on tap for Knight Two in "Sky." When conditions changed, we went to others. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 03:57:55 -0500 Subject: JMS: Ivanova Question A Psi-rating comes through training and examination of a person's skills over time. Ivanova's mother never went through the full sequence to get rated. (Although they generally don't bother with P1s through P2s, so she was at least a P3 or above, in terms of raw ability.) A psi rating isn't hereditary. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 04:09:19 -0500 Subject: Re: Defensive Grid Correct; "Signs and Portents" is the overall title for year one; but just as one may entitle a chapter in a book the same as the book itself, this episode has the year-title in it (which may signify that this one is, well, significant....). jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 04:19:14 -0500 Subject: Re: Straczynski: Racist or Cut Who did pick Malcolm for the guy's name? I did, in the premise that I gave Dorothy Fontana. I liked the sound of it. I often go for the *sound* of a name, and how it matches the character. Anybody who makes more of it than that has some issues of his/her own to deal with. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 04:19:15 -0500 Subject: B5 arc There is a five-year story arc, yes. What's planned? Cool stuff. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 04:19:15 -0500 Subject: JMS: contracts? Yes, at this point telling who's up for what episodes/seasons would be a bit of a spoiler.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 04:47:09 -0500 Subject: Show support! Write! At this point, given that Paramount's making inroads with the stations, I'd say that's where any letters should go, rather than to Warners...but the effort is appreciated, make no mistake. Thanks. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 24 Mar 1994 05:49:49 -0500 Subject: JMS: Trivia question Jeffrey David Sinclair. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 27 Mar 1994 04:54:29 -0500 Subject: B5 in Australia? It's my understanding that B5 has been sold to 7 Network in Australia, premiering sometime this summer. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 27 Mar 1994 18:27:50 -0500 Subject: Spoil me!!! In some areas, the B5 cover is alternated with a cover on Stephen King's new miniseries, so that may be why you're not seeing it. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 28 Mar 1994 05:22:13 -0500 Subject: That Cinefantastique article.. It is unfortunate that because ST has for so many years been the only game in town, everything gets measured next to it. Part of this is the fact that there have *been* very few marginally successful SF shows, unlike mainstream shows, in which there have now been so many cop series that comparisons to any one show get kinda lost or drowned out. As for the Gene Roddenberry comparison...I cringed at that as well, not in any kind of insulting way, but just because I want to do my own stuff. I'm not the next Roddenberry; I'm the first jms. He did what he did, and I'm doing what I'm doing. (Another article used the phrased, "is inheriting the mantle of Gene Roddenberry." When this hit the stands, Harlan called and asked when the mantle arrived, did it come FedEx or regular mail, could he come see it, and where did I intend to hang it?) It is the nature of the journalistic beast.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 29 Mar 1994 16:34:01 -0500 Subject: Re: JMS: Ivanova Question Enquiring minds that want to know, will...in the fullness of time. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 29 Mar 1994 23:54:51 -0500 Subject: schedule please!!!!! Here's what looks ilke the final April/May schedule of new Babylon 5 episodes: April 20th, "Deathwalker," by Lawrence G. DiTillio. April 27th, "Believers," by David Gerrold. May 4th, "Survivors," by Marc Scott Zicree. May 11th, "Signs and Portents," by jms May 18th, "By Any Means Necessary," by Kathryn M. Drennan May 25th, "The Quality of Mercy," by jms Reruns will be scheduled from June 1st through October 5th in order to stretch new episodes into the November sweeps. The tentative schedule thereafter looks like this: October 12th, "Grail," by Christy Marx. October 19th, "Eyes," by Lawrence G. DiTillio October 26th, "TKO," by Lawrence G. DiTillio November 2nd, "A Voice in the Wilderness, Pt. 1," by jms November 9th, "A Voice in the Wilderness, Pt. 2," by jms November 16th, "Babylon Squared," by jms November 23rd, "Legacies," by D.C. Fontana November 30th, "Chrysalis," by jms jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 29 Mar 1994 23:55:35 -0500 Subject: Another Prisoner Ref. What you're seeing is a standard TV series "bumper," same as is used on most shows. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 30 Mar 1994 02:23:46 -0500 Subject: JMS: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5? I believe Ron will be shifting over my gateway, yes (and we all know how painful that can be....). jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 30 Mar 1994 05:07:56 -0500 Subject: JMS: Contract Renewal? We'll know by the first part of May whether or not we're picked up for year two. Here's hoping.... jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 31 Mar 1994 01:59:56 -0500 Subject: Christy Marx Yup, that's the same Christy Marx. (She also wrote an episode of the new Twilight Zone for me.) jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 31 Mar 1994 02:04:31 -0500 Subject: Re: RE: Harlan Ellison UL The "little fuck" story is absolutely, completely untrue. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 31 Mar 1994 02:07:44 -0500 Subject: JMS: Season structure (was Re: I dunno...I really don't think of it in those terms. There are gaps, and we'll deal with them. Whether or not that changes over time will remain to be seen; certainly I'd like it. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 31 Mar 1994 02:54:35 -0500 Subject: *NOT* an urban legend; was Re: Nope, Harlan doesn't mention the "little fuck" story in Glass Teat or elsewhere, as it didn't happen. He's bemoaned to me many times that this story has attached itself to him. Didn't happen. jms From: straczynski@genie.geis.com Date: 31 Mar 1994 14:33:59 -0500 Subject: JMS at Phil & Ed's Excellent C BTW, I can *bring* some video to show, if it's desired; just wasn't asked. (IF a suitable projection monitor can be arranged.) jms