Messages from Babylon 5 executive producer J. Michael Straczynski on the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5. Date: 1 Aug 1995 06:17:49 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: Female characters Writing women has never been a problem for me. I like women, both romantically (when I was still in the marketplace) and intellectually, as friends. For as long as I can remember, the majority of my friends have been women. I have a goodly number of men friends, but what can I say, I like the way many women think. Specifically, I like women who are usually smarter than me, who are funny, independent, self-assured and know their own mind. So it's not much of a stretch, therefore, that when I sit down to write female characters, *that's* what tends to come out most of the time. I've had a *lot* of relationships in my time; the total number of intimate relationships (yeah, I'm talking about *that*) I once figured worked out to about 50. On one level, I'm not terribly proud of that figure, it reflects a period when I was trying to find...I dunno... SOMEdamnthing...but on the other hand, it's given me a LOT of material from which to draw. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 03:28:16 -0400 Subject: The Long Twilight Struggle. Thank you. I'm quite frankly thrilled beyond words at the preliminary reactions from the UK to this episode; we worked *really* hard on it, and I can't tell you what the reactions mean to us. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 21:44:28 -0400 Subject: "Downbelow" a ref to Cherryh's Actually, no, there was no intended not; I wanted the sense that this place was down, as in downtown, downtrodden...briefly considered Down Under but figured our viewers in Oz might be (rightly) bugged by it. So Down Under became Down Below, and I put them together into one word for slang, DownBelow. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 21:46:18 -0400 Subject: QUES#1: Before the Agamemnon? Sheridan was captain of a smaller ship, somewhat Hyperion-sized, during the war. When the Aggy became available, he was given that command. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 21:47:32 -0400 Subject: JMS: What's delaying VHS/LD in Warners isn't sure there are enough people out there who'd want to buy the show to make producing them worthwhile. So we're trying to help them over this. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:41:20 -0400 Subject: ATT JMS: Well, how did the fir Our first three days of shooting have gone terrific; everyone's in fine spirits. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:42:46 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Script book Actually, I keep hoping to get the revised version of that book out one of these days. As for sharks...one can choose to become one, or not to become one. Ask anybody. Ask Londo. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:44:11 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Question about Black Yes, he did send a fake distress call, and took out the Black Star when it came in to (they thought) wipe out a disabled ship. He's never denied this to anybody. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:44:37 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Change of Terms Babcom is for local, in-station calls, and inter-ship stuff; StellarCom is for long-range planetary calls. jms Date: 2 Aug 1995 22:47:41 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Where can I get one I think costuming customizes the shirts that way. jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 03:21:07 -0400 Subject: = Attn JMS: Psi Corp Question Of *course* the telepath issue will have to be dealt with; this is a logical progression of the story, no? jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 03:52:51 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Twilight(spoilers) "how can it get any better?" Has to, though. We took a blood oath on this show that each season must be better than the one preceding. In many ways, we're still the new kids on the block, and we can't afford to ever once let our guard down and settle for anything less than constant striving. And, frankly, though it's endless struggle, it's kinda fun on another level; we discover and invent new ways to do things, and new approaches to story and production, on a regular basis (tomorrow we're seeing some new CGI tricks from Ron via some beta-test software that should let us do some truly nifty stuff...). jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 03:56:25 -0400 Subject: Re: Trend: Fan Interaction This is one of the more delicate areas in viewer/producer interaction here on the nets. On one side, if you say, "Yeah, we fought the studios, the networks, nobody tells us how to do our show," and viewers respond with enthusiasm, then another viewer has a suggestion, and you don't take it, suddenly it has the potential to come off like a snub. Yes, on one level, shows don't exist without fans. Shows also don't exist without networks and studios to finance and produce them. There are two masters at work here. My take on this is very simple: nothing good has been done by committee since the pyramids and Stonehenge. The bigger the committee, the more watered-down or diffuse the final result. B5 viewers, as cute a bunch as they might be, basicallyk constitute the largest committee on record. If somebody finds a glitch in the show, points out an error, asks a good leading question, I (or frankly any reasonable producer) would be a fool to ignore it. But you've got to know your own mind, and what it is you want to do with your show, and be absolutely, totally committed to following your inclinations and your instincts, or very shortly you'll end up wandering in the wilderness beyond hope of recall. jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 03:56:41 -0400 Subject: B5 Magazine A deal has been closed with Sendai to produce a regular, official B5 glossy magazine, yes. jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 04:01:22 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS- Actors( & Accents) Actually, the lead guest character in the first episode of year three, one Mr. Endawi, is a Nigerian, and our new recurring character, Marcus Cole (a Ranger) is British, and played by Jason Carter. So you have two non-American accents occupying major parts of the first ep next year. jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 04:25:33 -0400 Subject: Quotes from Jeri Taylor on sto There's nothing even remotely askew in anything Jeri said. There are two philosophies at work here (arc vs. non-arc), and neither is intrinsically or inherently better than the other. It's a matter of personal tastes, and what you're trying to accomplish. The Martian Chronicles was written as a series of short stories within a universe, somewhat loosely, but which together make enjoyable reading in one volulme. That's ST or most conventional series. The Dune books are tightly plotted stories over a long, pre-planned arc. This is the structure B5 employs. jms Date: 3 Aug 1995 04:48:36 -0400 Subject: JMS: Animated Series It's a good idea, but I kinda stay away from animation these days, having been somewhat burned out on the area. jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 01:48:55 -0400 Subject: ATTN Rangers: Are ep. title s If the episode titles are based on previously established real quotes (as "the long, twilight struggle" is excerpted from a Kennedy speech), then it's okay. jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:22:06 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Twilight(spoiler "If what's coming is truly nifty, then what do you call what you've shot so far?" The stuff we did yesterday. Never look back. jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:22:13 -0400 Subject: JMS: Production Q - Sound FX Yes, insofar as I know, all the sounds we use in B5 for items we created (PPGs, hyperspace, starfuries, shadow ships, on and on) are original creations. Hyperspace was a real toughie. One thing I wanted was a kind of hollow sound, like when you cup your hands over your ears. So the sound designer put together a LOT of different sounds, including putting a condom over a microphone and putting it deep into his swimming pool. (How he explained the open condom wrappers to his wife later is anyone's guess. "No, really, I needed them to do some sound design.") I kept a fairly tight rein on sound stuff in the beginning, until the sound designers caught what we were after, and now mainly what happens is that when we do the audio spotting for the episode, we stop at a point where a new sound is needed, or we introduce a new locale in the station and have to discuss the audio mapping. We talk about it in general terms, unless I have something terribly specific in mind, and the sound folks go off and do it, and I don't think I've had much of a problem with anything they've done. Sometimes, a sound will consist of various pieces, and when we get in to do the final audio mix, I/we may go through the pieces and if there's a conflict between a sound effect and a music cue (if both are taking up the same space in the low end), we may adjust the sound effect or omit one of the pieces to carve out room in the audio and make sure they don't just mush together. This is particularly true given that often Chris Franke incorporates lots of natural (and unnatural) sounds in his music, and we have to make sure to give emphasis to the right one for the dramatic moment. jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:26:30 -0400 Subject: JMS' "Murder, She Wrote" on US Ah, yes, that episode was the first I wrote for Murder, She Wrote while engaged there as writer/producer. So yes, there should be others coming up in the current batch by me. It really was a fun show in many ways; I'd still be there now in all likelihood had not B5 come along when it did. It's hard to find a truly literate show to write for. And the cast was uniformly great, inclusive of Angela and Bill Windom. jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:26:38 -0400 Subject: ATTN: JMS or Ron Thornton (if Oh, good, one more church from which I'm going to have to become an apostate.... jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:26:47 -0400 Subject: Twilight struggle subtext- spo Without spoiling anything...yes, in this regard, I've always noted that there are some echoes of WW II in the overall storyline, and some applies here. Also, again, the purpose of a large measure of the show is to elicit discussion of such issues as this...where are the mora, (moral) responsibilities in such a situation? What are the ethics of mass warfare? Where does expediency begin and compassion end? *Should* compassion have to end for the greater good? If we can start some bar fights, I'll have done my job. Fact is, I don't have one single damned good answer. But I've got a whole LOTTA questions.... jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 04:26:54 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS- Actors( & Accents) Actually, Lord Refa has an accent almost identical to Londo's, and Emperor Turhan had quite an accent as well, so we'e done a lot of this already (also Londo's friend in Knives). jms Date: 4 Aug 1995 05:00:33 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Dialogue writing Let me just start off by disagreeing with your thesis, that the length restrictions and format of TV writing tend to mitigate against good writing. By that same token, sonnets (which use a very strict formula or format) can't be good, or haiku, we should toss out iambic pentameter altogether, and short stories, often considerably shorter than a half-hour TV script, must also be unable to contain quality writing. The form doesn't matter. It's what you bring to the table. Similarly, the issue of rushed writing...many of the classic SF tales of the 50s and 60s were written as fast as humanly possible because back then writers were paid a penny a word, and you had to really crank the stuff out there to make any kind of living. It was quite common for writers of many of the SF magazines of the time to go into the publisher's office, see the cover for an issue a few months down the road, and on the spot come up with a title, a story premise, go home, write it, and bring it in the very next day. We're talking here margins. Margins aren't important. It's what you choose to fill the margins, the care you exercise, the passion you bring to the page, that makes the difference. Yeah, a lot of TV writing is pretty marginal. Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crap. How many novels are turned out each year that sink of their own weight in zero time? How few novels are really and truly substantial? How many short stories? Out of all the SF novels and short stories and short-shorts and novellas and novellettes published each year, how many will survive on the shelf 5, 10, or 15 years from now? Mark Twain said, "If you would have your fiction live forever, you must neither overtly preach nor overtly teach; but you must *covertly* preach and *covertly* teach." That, to me, is one primary ingredient; it must, at its root, be *about* something more than car chases and bomb blasts and shootouts. On some level, however cellular, it must instruct and ennoble and elevate and enrich, make us question or consider. Then there is the basic level of writing style, but that is a very personal flavor. Hill Street had an elegance of simplicity, the writing was often raw and piercing on a sheer gut level. I loved it. When I sit down to write, I tend to drift toward a somewhat more literary-sounding or theatrical style, probably because of my own influences. It comes down, really, to whether or not you have the inclination to sit down, whichever style you use, and stare at the screen for half an hour until you find just the right word, the mot just, that serves better than any other possibly could. Some writers will do that, some won't. David Kelly does it on ER and Picket Fences and other shows. So do the folks on The Simpsons. And many other shows. A lot of folks dump on TV, ignoring similar failinlgs in literary SF or other genres, but like any exercise in accepted cliche, the reasoning is flawed and often (though not always) unjustified. As for my personal list of writers whose work I admire...Kelly, as noted, definitely. Mainly, though, I grew up on the genre TV writers of the 50s/60s, like Rod Serling, Charles Beaumond, Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch (that should be BeaumonT, not Beaumond), Ernest Kinoy, Harlan Ellison, Joe Stefano, and though he was fading from view by then, Arch Oboler, and the kinetoscopes of Paddy Chayefsky, Reginald Rose and others. Later, I added Norman Corwin to the list, as a chief point of inspiration, stylistically. (There are a number of writers who call or consider themselves "Norman's Kids" in that we've learned much about writing, and the integrity of writing, from Norman Corwin...including Ray Bradbury, Charles Kuralt, Walter Cronkite, Stan Freberg, and many others.) jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 02:51:48 -0400 Subject: ATTN:JMS Will the Us ever cat The US will be back ahead of the UK very soon, with year three, for one vital reason: the US breaks up new shows with reruns; the UK runs straight through and stops. The rerun schedule generally allows us to coast along at a reasonable schedule for delivering episodes. If the UK started at the same time as the US in year 3, we'd hit snags as we hurried to deliver shows. (We shoot in 7 working days, or 2 days longer than a conventional week...so if you're showing a new ep every true 7 days, once a week, you're going to get ahead of production very quickly.) So year 3 starts in the US in November; it will likely start in the UK in January/February. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 02:51:58 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: tLTS Reporter Quote Yes, "They're being bombed back to the stone age" is a Vietnam era quote. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 02:54:06 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Slight sound glitch "I can't wait to see how ou torture us next week!" Funny line, that, which you'll understand in a few days. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:22:58 -0400 Subject: ATTN:JMS What's the latest on It should be up on the web by late September. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:23:04 -0400 Subject: ATT JMS: Twin Peaks I liked Twin Peaks a lot, though the truth is they really had NO idea where the heck they were going, and they kinda threw stuff in randomly a lot. (This from one of the staffers over there at the time in the writing department.) If you missed one ep you were screwed in trying to follow it, but jeez, it was a great ride while it lasted. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:23:10 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS- Actors( & Accents) I've never, ever said that the aliens/humans in B5 got language translation implants, VIPs or otherwise; that's strictly a Star Trek device. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:35:55 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: TLTSdubbed No, his voice wasn't dubbed, or changed, by anyone; might've been a glitch in local audio or something. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:50:12 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: The making of CGI s An extensive video clip tape is something we're considering for the fan club, yes. jms Date: 5 Aug 1995 03:50:19 -0400 Subject: JMS: Profit participation Because if agents ask for gross points on the part of writers or certain others, they'll be flatly denied and somebody else will be hired. jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 05:20:33 -0400 Subject: Attn: JMS-What will "Official" We've had some preliminary discussions about what would be on the official B5 web page, and at the moment, I can't talk about any of the things we have in mind until they've been realized. Much of it is stuff definitely not included in other web sites. Plus some interesting opportunities. Be patient...we haven't dropped the ball elsewhere.... jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 05:20:40 -0400 Subject: JMS: Writing changes? Every show is on deadline, to one extent or another. As for the rest.... It's hard to say. I know that my style has changed somewhat since B5 began, and the approach I take *to* the writing has changed a bit, but it's a very hard thing to put into words. It's like learning a new little trick during sex...you're not quite sure where it came from, it's still the same concept, but something about it works a little better for you. In one way, because it's my own show, I'm no longer having to yoke myself to somebody else's conception. Whenever you're working for a writer/producer above you, a certain measure of your time is spent in second-guessing, however much you may also be trying to expand that character at the same time. " "Okay, I'm going to go this far, but I know if I go *too* far, the guy's gonna lean on me, say the character wouldn't do that, and I'll have to go back and restructure." So that problem doesn't exist for me now. In some ways, it's given me greater latitude and confidence, but at the same time it's caused me to be *much* more intensely critical in examining my own work. I know that creatively, I'm pretty much out on my own here, and if I don't take great care to be sure that the work is up to par, there's nobody to backstop it above me. "With great power comes great responsibility." Peter Parker. Probably the main thing that's happened is that I've grown slowly comfortable enough with things to begin taking real chances; doing scenes without any dialogue whatsoever (the Emperor's fall in "Coming," certain long segments of "Twilight"), and some fairly intense monologues; it's let me be free enough to do some radical stuff visually, to stretch to the limits of what I think I can do. What happens, if you're a writer who cares about your work, is that you write along at one level for a certain amount of time, you hit a plateau, this is as good as you are...but you keep poking at the edges, and after a while you get frustrated, because your reach is exceeding your grasp, and you know this should be *better* than it is, but you don't quite know why, or where, you can't conceptualize it...then suddenly you break through the ceiling, to another level, and your writing changes from that point on...until the next time. I'm very aware of having gone through several of those since starting the B5 series. jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 05:24:42 -0400 Subject: Excuse me, I may be ignorant.. "I am become" is perfectly acceptable useage, albeit somewhat archaic. It's even in my oft-quoted "Ulysses" by Tennyson: "I am become a legend." jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 05:34:44 -0400 Subject: JMS: Possible plot twist That turn is coming. jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 22:24:38 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS or anyone: The three Only one of the novels is likely to be an actual arc novel; the rest are pretty much on the fringe. jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 22:21:58 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: What about next yea All I can really do for now is hope that they don't do it again next year; my gut says probably they won't, but what the heck does my gut know? jms Date: 7 Aug 1995 22:23:33 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: More soundtracks? I would be very happy to see a series of soundtracks out there. jms Date: 8 Aug 1995 06:17:30 -0400 Subject: Attn: JMS B5 & CU-See Me On t No, but we *are* investigating the very real possibility that we may do some CU-see-me stuff live from the B5 stage during the season, once per episode, cast interviews and the like. Not finalized yet, though. jms Date: 8 Aug 1995 22:39:26 -0400 Subject: Nitpicky question for JMS Actually, ben-Zayn is an Middle Eastern/Arabic name. jms Date: 8 Aug 1995 22:40:43 -0400 Subject: Re: Marcus the Ranger The actor playing Marcus is Jason Carter, British, most lately on Viper and other shows. jms Date: 9 Aug 1995 19:32:40 -0400 Subject: Ellison TREK Book! (from jms) It's the story that followers of STAR TREK have been discussing, analyzing, disseminating and hearing for nearly thirty years, involving what polls and conventions have consistently shown to be the single best episode of the original STAR TREK series ever produced: "The City on the Edge of Forever." What *really* happened? Who *really* did the final produced script? How did the original script come to be, what was in it (and almost as important, given rumors, what *wasn't* in it), and what do those most directly involved have to say about it? For the first time, you'll hear directly not only from Harlan Ellison (the article in the TV Guide special ST issue was basically just a warm-up), but also from Leonard Nimoy, Peter David, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, D.C. Fontana, Melinda Snodgrass and George Takai...not in interviews, but in essays they have themselves written on the subject, for publication for the first time. Publication where, you ask? In THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, the definitive book on the subject just completed by Harlan and those indicated above. The limited edition book contains not only the first version of the script, but subsequent revisions, two of the original treatments, actual correspondence printed here for the first time which will dispell many of the rumors circulating for over 30 years, afterwords by those noted in the paragraph above, and a 20,000 word introduction by Harlan Ellison. Publication of this book is one of the most eagerly awaited events by followers of STAR TREK. Advance orders have been pouring in, and only 330 copies of the special limited edition remain, at $75 plus $5 shipping and handling (UPS insured) from Borderlands Press, a noted and prestigious publisher of quality limited edition books. These will be shipping on October 1st. The book has already been completed, and is now at the printers being typeset and bound. A regular trade hardcover edition will be available later, starting December 1st, at a price of $25, plus $5 S&H. This, as they say, is the Real Deal, with information withheld from publication for 30 years, made available here for the first time, along with the ability to show the progression through various stages of the script that became "The City on the Edge of Forever." For writers interested in studying scripts, for followers of the show who want exclusive behind the scenes info, for anyone with an abiding interest in things Trek...this is going to be *the* book to buy, the only Star Trek-based book ever likely to come from Harlan Ellison, and thus a sure collector's item. Visa/Mastercard orders can be placed at 1-800-528-3310, or send check or money order to BORDERLANDS PRESS, PO Box 146, Brooklandville, MD 21022. Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:40:00 -0400 Subject: Re: Comes the Inquisitor (Coul Kosh always speaks of himself in the plural form. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:40:16 -0400 Subject: (no subject) Who has time to talk to other writers...? jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:40:30 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS:Comes The Inquisitor Your friend Sharon is clearly a woman of infinite taste and refined sensibilities. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:40:40 -0400 Subject: Toronto Trek 95 Thoughts I've now heard this report re: Majel several times, and suffice to say I'm *most* intrigued. If anybody out there has a recording -- audio or video -- please let me know in private mail. May be able to swap something in return. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:38:10 -0400 Subject: Help: Big Bang Refunds? I've been informed of late that, in addition to Michael O'Hare and Mark Hammil getting stiffed for, respectively, appearance fees and fees plus travel expenses, to the total of $26,000, that the photographer who was contracted to shoot the con wasn't paid, neither was security, neither were the travel agents for the airline arrangements. I'm told that Tom has gone to ground, and am trying to confirm if he's just blipped off the map. Nearly all these other people, btw, are fans...which is what I was worried about, that fans would be the ones hurt by this, which is what I said from day one, but the Big Bang apologists came out and said I was over-reacting, exaggerating, that *I* was the problem...and now they see what's happened, and suddenly they've gone silent and also can't be found. Cassandra, indeed.... jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:39:35 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: Babylon 5 started in I hadn't been aware of much of this, and alas I'm powerless to do anything about it. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:39:47 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Comes the Inquisitor Mentioning just the first name may not have been necessary for UK viewers, but it was necessary for the rest of the planet. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:37:57 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: slander vs. you on " I have never, at any time, owed anybody for a spec script because I don't BUY spec scripts, ever; the shows on which I have worked have on rare occasions bought spec scripts, but then they've been bought; the only time you owe on a spec is if you used it or produced it, and I've never done that. So this person is frankly nuts. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:38:22 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Query re Comes the I "Jack" was the media appellation; whether Sebastian is a first or last name is left open. I looked at who this historical figure could be, but no one else fit into the area I wanted. It was a decision born of necessity, not whim. I needed someone far enough removed not to have any current victims' families still alive; someone known to a worldwide population (anonymous wouldn't have worked because why would Sheridan have known about him, why should we care, why should it resonate, and we'd spend time explaining what he did that would have meant cutting out other material in the episode); the other serial killers tend to have clear fates, whereas Jack vanished and is thus "available" to us; visually that period makes for a striking contrast to 2259. And, again, you have to look at who he *was*...a fanatic, trying to clean up Spittlefields (good cause) by hatred (wrong reason) and murder (wrong means), the EXACT thing Delenn warns against at the very start of the show. (Did you know there's a letter in the London Times for that period that tries to explain the Ripper's motives as a cry ofr (for) understanding about conditions in that part of London?) He felt he was a divine messenger, learned he was not, and in bitterness has become the single best inquisitor you could've had in that job. Every single thing about Jack made him *perfect* for that role, as mirror, menace and warning sign. So I used him. And I'd do it again. You have to find what works best for the story, and do it. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:38:37 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: You've done it again Thanks; it's actually a favorite episode with a lot of folks on the show. Not too dusty, I think.... jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:42:03 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS Fleer cards are due out in September. Sheridan sent an EA distress signal; the Minbari were in genocidal mode, so it didn't matter to them the condition of their enemy. RE: religion, my atheism, and religion in the show...my own background...is my own background. Suffice to say I came to my position as an atheist through a long, difficult and trying road. Have I studied other religions? Yes. I was sufficiently interested in the subject sui generis that I minored in philosophy during college, to the point where I was about 9 credits short of a degree in the area. (Well, and a thesis, but why quibble?) I've read the Bible cover to cover, twice; the Bahagavad-Gita, the Book of Mormon, I've got a whole shelfload of Zen books, books on Judaism, oriental and occidental mythology and religion, the Koran, you name it, I've probably got it. It falls under the general heading of, "Humanity trying to understand itself, and its role in the universe," and that seems to me a perfectly valid impulse. We just all take different roads to get there. jms Date: 13 Aug 1995 00:42:12 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: B5 Addiction The purpose of writing is that it should have an effect on the audience/reader/viewer. Insofar as that happens, on what grounds could I possibly object to folks getting into the show? (Heck, I live the darned thing 24 hours a day, with Londo and G'Kar and Kosh and Garibaldi and Ivanova chasing each other around in my head all day and all night; why not spread it around a little?) So far there's been none of the "Oh, god, what have I created here?" you cite, because really, I've found that in general, the show tends to attract a fairly thoughtful, bright bunch, given some of the complexity of the story, so I'm nothing other than thrilled. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:23:23 -0400 Subject: Delenn@TorontoTrek BTW, anybody who has a copy (audio or video tape) of Majel Barrett's talk at Toronto Trek, in which she mentioned (positively) B5, I'd love to get one, may even be willing to swap for it. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:26:30 -0400 Subject: Re: JMS and unauthorized merch Yeah, any info on these guys would be great. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:26:46 -0400 Subject: Second Year Show Sequence Denise/D.D. ...thanks! jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:26:59 -0400 Subject: Brits as villians (was Comes T This really is one of the nuttier threads I've seen...we've had plenty of Brits on both sides of the issue...David Warner in Grail, the character of the Ombuds, many others, plus our new recurring character, Marcus Cole, a Ranger played by British actor Jason Carter...I think some people are being just a *bit* too sensitive on this. (Also the doctor in "Hunter/Prey" who's on the side of the angels, others.) jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:22:32 -0400 Subject: Re: Ellison TREK Book! (from j Robert: Harlan is not on the nets, nor does he have a modem, so he does not have access. He is part of the B5 team, and as such I feel no more compunction in announcing the book than any appearance at a con by one of our actors, or the appearance of an actor in another show or play, which I've done from time to time. People have gone to great length to locate my own books, and I figured the same folks would like to know about his book, for the same reason. Finally, Harlan asked if I would do it as a friend, since again he doesn't have ACCESS to the nets, and I obliged. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:24:00 -0400 Subject: JMS: What Does Your Wife Think ...! I have a *wife*? Good heavens, why wasn't I informed? I mean, I know I've been busy, but really.... jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 03:04:17 -0400 Subject: JMS: Reflections at the Midpo The overview still holds up pretty well, I think. Toward the end of season two, I think things got just a *tad* too convoluted in places, so that's being cleared up a bit, the dry brush trimmed back, the red herrings cleared away, because we've got to start focusing on the real story, not the misdirections. That's probably the one thing I'd go back and revise, because in general, you can't just bring something up and walk away form (from) it later; it's got to either fit, or be reasonably, logically explained away. So some time has to be spent on that now. But that's been done pretty effectively in this first batch of episodes, and now we're down to really cranking on the shadow war. In four more episodes (writing-wise), I'll be at the exact midpoint in the story, which on one level is a little hard to believe; it's gont (gone) by so fast. Seems like yesterday that we just got started. Which is why the overview is very helpful; by constantly reminding me where we should be, it doesn't let me get lost in the neverwhere of TV production. All things considered...we've had some bumps on the ride, a detour here and there, the occasional flat tire, but doggone it if the old jalopy ain't still going exactly where it's supposed to go. Some days the thing seems to have a mind of its own; I started writing #7 the other day, and I'm well past halfway finished writing it, it's coming out almost as though it already existed, and I've just managed to "tune into" it, like the sculpter who knows that inside a block of wood is a horse, he just has to start chopping and cutting until he finds and releases it. So long answer to a short question...we're still on course, and I'm still quite pleased with where we're going, and how we're getting there. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 02:31:16 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Q about the B5 "Bibl Eventually I may publish my notes on the series, assuming it's worth publishing. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 03:06:37 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: Butterfly Costumes Where Delenn gets all those wardrobe changes is one of those questions that, in a real world, doesn't warrant close scrutiny. And yes, her costumes tend to be emblematic of where the character is, and who she is. Consequently, there will be some year three additions to underscore her more assertive nature; there's a green costume in particular that shows up in the first episode that's just *killer*. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 18:11:18 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by To Robert Merritt: I hear your concern. My only thoughts on it, are that it really isn't a contradiction on Harlan's views on ST, since it's very vehement about what happened, and why, and includes the text of the TV Guide piece, so you know right off that it's totally consistent with his prior statements. The other thing is the notion of what he's said about people on the Internet...this has been blown out of proportion. He has been often and consistently ill-used by some people on the nets who have used this great technology to put together anti-Ellison groups, to harrass and chivvy him at every turn; it has led to fax bombs, abusive mail, harmful rumors, even threats of various sorts, so you can, I think, understand why his feelings are not bunny-rabbit cute toward us. At the same time, though, he has never, to my knowledge anyway, dismissed ALL netters; he's addressed his concerns to the venal and petty dysfunctional (of which we know a few here in our own neck of the woods) who *abuse* the technology. Heck, he's even begun diving into the water lately, doing some on-line conferences to better educate himself on the process. So I don't think we should take his comments directed at a portion of the users, and extend them to include everyone here, because I don't believe that is the intent or purpose of the message from Harlan. Just a thought for you.... jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 16:58:02 -0400 Subject: Abuse of this newsgroup by JMS On this system, there are discussions of where to find Micro Machines, prices on toys, where to find the soundtrack, where to find my prior books, where to find cassettes of previous work by other actors, and nobody raised a peep about this. The notification about Harlan's book falls into exactly that same category; if people have a problem with Harlan, that's their problem, but to say the rest of this is and has been okay, but to single this out, is hypocrisy at its most obvious. I have, on occasion, used this forum to point people to things I thought would be of interest, related to their interests, including the PBS airing of "The Wrong Trousers," which I promoted here all over the place, and which helped lots of them find a show they loved. So if we're going to make an issue out of this, then we should no longer tell anyone where they can find the sountracks, or the toys, or the books, or the prices thereof, or actors other work, or my other books, which have no relation to B5 other than that I wrote them. If this were strictly an advertisement for something that had nothing to do with B5, then that's one thing, but Harlan Ellison is Babylon 5's Conceptual Consultant, and has been for going on three years now, and I see absolutely *NO* reason, moral or ethical, why he should be denied the support of this forum except some people's compulsion to attack anything involving Harlan. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 16:57:39 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS. Is PTEN going to rec No, there's no chance of reconsidering, if for no other reason than it takes minimum 6 weeks to get changes plugged into TV Guide, and that window is gone. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 16:58:24 -0400 Subject: Mr. JMS: Psi Badges No, no company has yet licensed B5 badges or pins, including psi corps pins. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 17:34:14 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by Dennis, what the hell is this "abuse of celebrity" you cite here? And what the hell is with this comparison of murdering people? Are you seriously equating telling people about Harlan's book with murder? Because that's what you say in response to Blair's note that it's supportive of a friend. "So is killing your friend's enemies." That's a horeshit and inappropriate metaphor, and you've *got* to know that. And "abusing" celebrity...please define that for me, Dennis, because I'd like to know, specifically, what we're talking about without resorting to loaded language and jingoism and catchphrases. My mandate for what to discuss here is pretty damned broad, from where I sit, and I noted in a prior note the ways in which this is NOTHING different than what has been done here before, consistently, in non-directly-B5 related ways. When it came to keeping out story ideas, rather than moderate this group, I went to a moderated feed to my mailbox, because I didn't want to inconvenience this group. I spend *hours* a day here, sometimes as many as five hours at a shot, over the course of a day, and I don't ask for squat in return, I don't ask for personal favors except the non-story idea deal which is professional not personal, I answer *endless* questions about TV production, and the industry, many of which have NOTHING to do with B5 except that they're both television media...and you're telling me that the one time I want to do something for someone who works on this show, you're gonna bust my chops and accuse me of abusing my position? I've taken a lot of cheap shots in my time in this forum, but this one has to take prize. Totally aside from everything noted in the paragraph immediately preceding this one, there was absolutely NOTHING unjustified or inappropriate in that message, given what's gone before. Nothing. Hell, there have been order forms for the soundtrack posted here, prices and phone numbers, forms to give to stores to order the comic or the soundtracks, I look at the message headers and there's someone giving the ISBN numbers for my prior books which have nothing to do with B5...I haven't seen anybody say one damned word about any of that. This is absolutely NO different. Give me a fucking break already. This is ridiculous. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 17:34:38 -0400 Subject: JMS: Kosh's Personal Pronouns Re: the reference in "War Prayer." Oops. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 17:37:42 -0400 Subject: Re: Help: Big Bang Refunds? "Cassandra" has nothing to do with respect; it comes from the idea of someone warning about possible harm, and nobody believing until it's too late. E?Ka y`rAnd by the way, Colin, it wasn't just "one man's opinion," it was the opinion of me and every other cast member who was there for the Planet Hollywood thing. And it was the opinion of people who *were there*, and however a "feeding frenzy" might bother you, it was also the absolute truth, as has been borne out by facts. And sometimes those who jump in when they think a "feeding frenzy" is going on, without knowing all the facts, end up doing more harm than good, however well-intentioned their actions. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 18:04:41 -0400 Subject: Big Bang: Finally over for me I find it very strange that those at the Emperor's Headquarters would say they weren't involved in CMC, that it was Tom and some anonymousM+@%~@~ U<G*D,2 would say they weren't involved in CMC, that it was Tom and some anonymous backers, since the business information provided to me by Tom early on lists the same people at T3 as partners in CMC, including Todd Fischer, who I believe owns EH. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 18:11:37 -0400 Subject: Twilight Struggle (spoilers) Re: what you could see of the planet's surface...one of the side effects of the technology used is that, realistically, it would throw up a *hideous* amount of smoke, dust and debris, and you wouldn't see much of anything. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 21:27:42 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by John Robinson: yeah, sometimes I get a little long-winded...it probably would've been more effective if shorter, but I just get all excited about something some times, like this book, and before I know what happened, I'm looking at paragraphs, I tell you, whole PARAgraphs....and then I get confused and fall down. jms Date: 14 Aug 1995 20:37:50 -0400 Subject: Big Bang URGENT from jms If I have seemed a bit easily annoyed lately, there is a reason for it. Addressing that reason will require some assistance from some of you reading this. After, and during the Big Bang incident, word began to filter back to me that Tom Christofferson was engaging in a smear campaign against many of those involved in B5. This includes me, Claudia, Michael O'Hare and others. This on top of never paying the balance of Michael's fee, not paying Mark Hamill, not paying (I'm told) the photographers, or security, or travel agents.... So I have been biding my time, waiting and collecting reports as they have come back to me. Several have confirmed Tom's comments, in an attempt to discredit my comments about BB, that I had been "thrown out of the Writers Guild," plus other aspersions on my career. Other comments about Claudia's personal life have been logged. Over the last few days, some more aspects of this have come to light that have pushed this entire situation over the edge, to the point where we are now going to have to take serious action, because people are being hurt. Here is a brief quote from a letter that arrived by mail from someone reliable, and involved with the Visions convention. Two quick prefaces: 1) Michael O'Hare had been contacted by Visions about doing a convention for them; that discussion suddenly and mysteriously stopped a little while ago, and 2) For those who were there, and know, at the Chicago Comic Con, when Michael O'Hare was stiffed for $5,000 by Tom Christofferson and Big Bang, I conducted the one and only fundraiser I've ever done, to make up the difference, and show what fandom was *really* about. It was a shining moment for all involved. Now the quotes. (The source has asked for public anonymity for the time being, even though we in-house know who this person is.) "One of the things that REALLY disturbed me is the following malicious rumor. Supposedly, the "real" reason JMS had to hold the script auction at Chicago Comic Con was 9$?Bnot because Michael O'Hare wasn't paid by CMC, but because "he has a bad cocaine habit" and therefore "never has any money." Apparently JMS supports this particular abuse by raising money to help him out. Normally, I'd ignore this sort of thing, but people on the Visions convention staff believe it enough to not want MOH coming to the convention this year." Enough is enough. This is flatly and totally untrue, and is put out only to try and disguise the truth, that CMC did not pay Michael th balance of his fee. There has to be some excuse cooked up, and this is it, one whose side effect could be to help destroy someone's career, and ruin convention appearances. Those involved in this slander -- and that is *exactly* what it is, not to mention several other charges -- have had enough rope, and now we intend to reel it in. Over the next several days, I will be contacting legal counsel in Illinois, including the DA's office, and coordinating with others who have been harmed in this way to bring serious charges against those involved. I think a $50 million lawsuit would be a good place to start. We will also investigate the question of possible criminal charges to be filed. We will seek to include Hamill's bad checks, and O'Hare's situation, and others who have not been paid as well, to broaden out the charges. That to save face for their actions, certain individuals would be willing to destroy someone's career, to spread false and malicious rumors, against me, and Michael, and Claudia, and others, is something that should rightfully inflame every person reading this. Those behind this are *not* nice people. And they have had a tendency to run their mouths. (Those at Visions who may have been involved in spreading this malicious slander should also consider themselves put on notice, and I suggest that they be forthcoming in this matter to us to avoid legal entanglements.) I know that many folks here have had conversations with Tom C. in which he has laid out some of his lines. Some have felt, in their messages to me, unsure about repeating what he said because it's like snitching. It's not. What we are looking at are harmful lies that will hurt people, have already hurt Michael, and have the potential to do so in future. This must be addressed, severely, and firmly, and within the parameters of a court of law. If you have been privy to these or other baseless allegations, and wish to help Michael and myself and others involved in Babylon 5 by fighting this, please send me a private note containing your best recollection of what you were told, and when, and if you are wiling to restate this under oath. The more people we have who confirm some of the hateful things being represented, the more surely this can be prosecuted. Michael O'Hare has been harmed enough by the loss, by the lies, by the failure to meet a promised payment by CMC; Mark Hamill is out well over $20,000 from various areas, others have been hurt; to have certain individuals out there alleging drug abuse when none exists, trying to destroy someone's career on top of everything else to cover their own incompetence and deception, cannot and must not be tolerated. Once again, I extend a request for help to everyone out there who has had contact with Visions and CMC and Tom Christofferson, on behalf of the fans, and B5 personnel, who have been harmed. If you can help us to close this down, please do so. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:54:20 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by "He (Harlan Ellison) needs the bucks for his medicare payments." Robert Holland...Harlan makes well into six figures annually. So let's talk about *your* income now, shall we? And if that strikes you as a cold, mean-spirited comment...you had it coming. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:04:58 -0400 Subject: Expressing Appreciation to JMS Bruce: that's very much appreciated, thanks. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:01:46 -0400 Subject: Re: Babblings 222 - Meeting Re I don't understand (only getting the tail end of this)...I was not at any Babblings gathering at any Page's bar. Did I miss something? jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:16:22 -0400 Subject: Attn: JMS Paladin of the lost Actually, "Paladin of the Lost Hour" was done by the TZ2 crew before my incarnation a year later, so I'm not responsible for that one by Harlan (though I will accept credit for helping bring "Crazy As a Soup Sandwich" by HE to the screen). And yes, it's a hell of a good story. Did I mention here that HE just did a reading of this very story, "Paladin" for the Harlan Ellison Record Collection, the very first such reading put out on CD? That you can obtain copies of this splendiferous CD by contacting HERC at PO Box 55548, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423? And why am I mentioning it here now? Oh....just to honk off Dennis a little more. And because by my on-line clock, I've now been on for 3 hours, 39 minutes, 39 seconds (I literally have to answer everything on-line in this news reader or it can't get through), going through 975 messages, and after a while, y'know...what the heck.... jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:54:50 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Regarding Mark Hamil We've talked to Mark about appearing on the show someday, and he probably will, when we've got the right story. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:55:46 -0400 Subject: Comments on the Big Bang Con!! The fans are in *no* way responsible for the problems at the con, that's a whole other situation. I love your comment that Tom "let JMS out of JMSs contract with the con," since I'd never SIGNED a contract of any kind. This is yet another untruth from Tom C. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:56:26 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by Robert Holland: my, how venal you get, how you imply and weasel around the truth. And, frankly, just lie. "He (Harlan) dislikes fans of any kind. Including his own." This is an outright fabrication. I *very* rarely mention stuff for sale on here, except in response to requests from others. Further, the #1 comment from people is that they would like more merchandise. Why is there so little? Because for 2 years, I've dragged my heels, resisted and held back on merchandising, because I don't want it to get out of hand. This is a matter of longstanding public record. So much for your "sell sell sell" notion. "I had the impression Ellison's limited-press book wasn't selling well through regular channels." Impossible, since the book isn't even on the STANDS yet. Further, one of the reasons for putting the word out was that they were fast running out of copies...of the 1,000 run limited, only about 300 remained availabe, and those were gone quickly, so the limited is sold out. Since most of these were being grabbed up by collectors and others, none of whom tend to frequent the net, I figured I'd put the word out to others who might now know before they were all gone. So, so much for THAT bit of fabrication. "(Harlan) writes scripts, then takes his name off when he doesn't like the editing." This is standard WGA policy if a writer feels that the end result does not reflect his intent, and he doesn't mind burning the occasional bridge. Where in here is the problem? That's his right. Same right attendent upon ALL WGA members, and used by many. So what? "The oddest thing is that Ellison isn't writing any scripts for B5...he must have some resentment or disagreement with the arc...very, very strange." No, there's nothing odd or strange here, except in that venal little pea-pod you consider your cranial cavity. Harlan is up to his ears in other work, putting out a monthly comic over which he sees every single tiny aspect, writing for other shows (including the new anthology cable series "Hunger," for which series several leading directors are now vying for his completed script), a bunch of new short stories, getting the "City" book out the door, getting "Slippage" out the door, getting through two angioplasties and substantial earthquake damage which caused personal injuries...AND serving on B5 as consultant. If he had a problem with anything, he wouldn't keep signing on every year. On the one hand, you chastize him for taking his name off projects if they're not to his liking, then assume somehow he's working on and lending his name to something not of his liking. That you cannot see the paralogia and fuzzy logic there is breathtaking. Harlan, in short, has a life. You may want to consider acquiring one of your own...preferably not one modeled after the Borgias, which seems your current inclination. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:00:38 -0400 Subject: Re: Help: Big Bang Refunds JMS I don't think it's so much "feeling" that I'm responsible for the cast members, and for the fans, I *am* responsible for them, on some levels. Particularly in the case of Big Bang, because I foolishly and stupidly fell for the okeydoke and said it looked like a good thing prior to flying out and personally checking the thing out...at which point every alarm bell in my brain began ringing overtime. If B5 is used as endorsement, inducement or connection to an event, a product, anything, it has to be done *right*, or people are going to get burned. And there's no one out there in that position of verification but me. So I tend to be somewhat protective of our fans, and our cast. And, I guess, for me, in a lot of ways this show is personal...it's potentially the last thing I'll do for TV, if it goes the full 5 years, and this is the thing you do for yourself, to leave something you hope will be of value behind, that will survive you. You're not just doing it for the money, you're doing it because you kinda *have* to, and when it gets reduced to that, or exploited, or those who believe in the show are exploited, or ripped off, or conned, or cheated, or given something that is inferior or cheap...I go into meltdown. It is, to quote a Twilight Zone episode about a pitchman, the pitch of a lifetime...one for the angels. And I guess it's because, being a fan, I've been ripped off same as everybody else, and I won't have it here. I refuse. Finally, in the BB case, I feel particularly strongly; we're fighting for Mark every bit as hard as for the regular B5 cast, as for the fans. And, again, *I* can be found...others who ran BB can't. So many of those screwed over come to me...and I've heard some doozies...because they can't do anything about it. But I can. And I will. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:02:17 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by Dennis: you consider Harlan a "bigot" because he thinks some netters are stupid, ignorant, flame-baiting, offensive, venal, vindictive, spiteful little web-weasels. Yeah, Dennis, you know, you're right...looking at some of the notes that've come my way, I can't *imagine* where he EVER got a notion like that...it can ONLY be bigotry, can't POSSIBLY be true. Thank you for clearing this up. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:02:43 -0400 Subject: Re: Big Bang URGENT from jms Mike: the other thing that's so annoying in the note you critiqued, the "wealthy actors" bit, is that in syndication in particular, ain't NObody getting wealthy. Right across the board, the rates for actors, writers and producers are roughly HALF what they are at the network level. Whereas a network hour script gets about $25,000 or more, the going rate for syndication is $14,000. Actors also have a very different scale for syndication vs. network. (This is one of the inequities that I think needs to be addressed in light of the growth of syndication; the rates were originally given to help syndication get a leg up; well, it's GOT its leg up...also the other leg, both arms and a head.) (Which is why I also find it amusing when someone snipes at me for the money I'm making on B5...I was making more as a lowly co-producer on MURDER, SHE WROTE than I'm making NOW as Executive Producer of B5 on a per-episode salary basis. But I left M,SW *anyway* to do this because, frankly, it's more important to me than just about anything.) We make this show for UNDER $1 million per episode, as compared to DS9, which goes for $1.4 to $1.6 million per episode. And we put it all on-screen. So believe me, ain't NObody getting rich off this show. jms (Which is a long way of saying...I agree with you, you're right.) Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:05:37 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS:CopperCon? Don't think I'll make CopperCon this year, alas. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:06:15 -0400 Subject: Re: Big Bang URGENT from jms Laura: suffice to say I've had a very good conversation with the Visions people, who seem to basically be good folks who got stuck in a bad situation, and we're having some very positive, constructive discussions, they're being quite forthright and helpful. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:53:43 -0400 Subject: jms: Lines of Excellence Quote "The exercise of vital powers, along lines of excellence, in a life affording them scope." It's not so much a quote as the Greek definition of happiness. I've always felt that contained just about everything you need. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:56:58 -0400 Subject: ATTN: JMS THE FALL Max: thanks. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:58:07 -0400 Subject: JMS: CtI and Sebastian's last Sebastian's final words were part of the same sentence he began while speaking directly to Sheridan's face...insofar as I have ever considered the scene, he IS talking to Sheridan. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 06:58:36 -0400 Subject: What's it like? (Was Attn JMS: What's it like for me? Race to the studio in the morning, run from one meeting to another, with directors, art department, costume department, prosthetics, grab an hour with the door closed to write my brains out, maybe get onto the stage for 5 minutes to watch a particular delicate scene being shot, race back to more meetings, race off to editing, grab another couple hours writing, race home, grab a sandwich, write a few hours, and do BBSing. Sometimes, in all that, it's very possible to actually forget what it is you're doing, to forget to *enjoy* it, because you're too much in it ("the world is too much with us"). That happens, alas, all too often. But every once in a while, one realizes just what one *is* doing, from some comments on the BBS (holy smoke, the episode WORKED!), to days like today, when there's one scene in particular in dailies with G'Kar and Londo, that is *so* perfect, *so* brilliant a performance that you realize suddenly what you're doing, and what you've touched, and then, for a moment, it's fun. Then there's another meeting.... Well, I figure I'll probably most enjoy all this long after it's finished. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:07:07 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: TFoN: Congrats!( Vag The B5 ep C4 is showing on the weekend is a repeat. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:10:05 -0400 Subject: StarQuest'95 and Warner Brothe Here's what has transpired. Some time ago, I warned many people here about publicly offering to make lots and lots of copies of B5 episodes -- the final 4 -- from the UK to the US. I was concerned about this on many levels. In the midst of this, one of the netters faxed WB Legal Affairs a series of copies of these posts. At which point WBLA went into total and complete meltdown, due to the copyright violation aspects, which are rightfully their concern. They have been with us since, and now monitor the nets. Public offers of substantial video copying will *invariably* bring in such things. Ivanova's Rule #9: I will *listen* to jms. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:12:27 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Stellar Occasion '95 With regrets, I won't be able to work out stopping by Stellar Occasions this year. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:13:24 -0400 Subject: Re: Ghostbusters episode you M Actually, the GBs episode "Night Game," about the baseball game, though story edited by me, was written by Kathryn Drennan, author of "By Any Means Necessary." She wrote two other GBs, "Egon's Dragon" and "The Man Who Never Reached Home." jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:14:03 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by You know when you can tell that one side of an argument has gone belly-up? When they resort to inappropriate metaphor. "Well, what if jms posted a Get Rich Quick letter? Or molested a fan in an elevator? Or committed murder? Or bombed the World Trade Center? Or...or...or...." Because they cannot logically defend the area that is under debate, they attempt to redefine the debate to something that is indefensible, and *totally* irrelevant. It's not "What if X did Y," it's "Here's X, and let's just discuss what DID happen, not what might happen in somebody's fevered imagination." This is SO stupid.... jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:14:47 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS MID-POINT No, I was responding to a note re: midpoing in the series from a total point of view, i.e., on a 5 year run, year 3 is the midpoint, and in fact, in another month or so, I'll have written episode 11 of year three, which is the *exact* halfway point on that axis. I put *zero* faith in the Syd Field school of thought. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 07:17:11 -0400 Subject: ATTN: JMS The Fall of Night Thanks; it's a good start, and we've got a long road ahead of us, but believe me the encouragement is appreciated. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 02:35:24 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: Have you ever wonder I wish I could see it without foreknowledge...I think that'd be great, but alas it can't be. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 02:32:03 -0400 Subject: Re: The Wrong Trousers (was Re BTW, from the same guy who did "A Grand Day Out" and "The Wrong Trousers"....he's doing a new project, a black and white film noire clay-animation short, whose name I don't recall, but all of the parts are played by Kirk Douglas (or figures representing Kirk) at various points of his career...I've seen a few clips, and they're *hysterical*. BTW#2...I heard today that "The Wrong Trousers" is now on sale on cassette at many video stores. If you haven't seen this, go out and either rent the tape or buy it, it's a sheer, unadulterated, no-holds-barred delight, one of the few things that has sent me crashing to the floor with unbridled, hysterical, eyes-watering laughter. It's *that* good. BTW#3...if that's another advertisement...who cares, it's nifty. jms Date: 18 Aug 1995 02:26:51 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS:Question on B5 soundt No gold/silver CDs to my knowledge from Chris. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 18:25:57 -0400 Subject: Murder She Wrote on USA Thursd As it happens, Tomorrow (Tuesday) one of my other M,SW episodes is on, entitled "Incident in Lot 7," which has a little fun at the expense of Hitchcock. Prentiss wasn't exactly what I'd envisoned for the role, but overall it came out okay. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:28:31 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Character Developmen All scripts are tightly scripted. The actors are not involved at that level. When the script lands on the stage, it's performed as written. If an actor has a problem with a particular word or line, I'm happy to take a suggestion or provide an alternate word. But that's it. This is in part because with a 5-year story, with foreshadowing, changing one word could have major repercussions. And because it's my show, and it'll be done the way I wrote it. I didn't work five years to get this show on the air to turn it over to any committee of any kind. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 18:23:41 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: E-mail I do accept email from strangers, yes, though due to the massive amount of mail, public and private, it has to be understood that I can't engage in detailed, lengthy correspondence in private mail. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:37:14 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgro Re: a few demented souls who think nobody should ever be treated any different than they are (which also omits responsibility for ones own behavior)...anybody here see HARRISON BERGERON on Showtime, based loosely on the Kurt Vonnegut story? What great timing.... jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:36:56 -0400 Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: MBTI? Nope, but once took the MMPI, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, as part of getting my Psych degree. Think it said I came out to a PITA...Pain In The Ass. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:38:41 -0400 Subject: Help help I'm being repr- Here's the ultimate irony. I write one message that honks off, oh, I'd say maybe 6 guys out of the 10,000 or so who hang out here, and they pillory me endlessly...and in so doing, write dozens of messages that honk off *hundreds* of people, probably more from my email, even go so far as to insult those people directly...but THAT'S okay. Where's the Red Queen when you really need her...? jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:36:13 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: Have you read ... No, haven't read it, but will try to check it out. Thanks. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:36:37 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by Robert Holland: in one message from you, you take a shot at Harlan's income (or what you perceive as his income), saying "He needs the bucks for his medicare payments." But then, when I turn the question back to you, and your income, you say, "of the many measures of a man, income is nominal." So which is it, Robert? Or is it only irrelevant when it's you, and relevant when it's somebody at whom you choose to snipe? Hypocrite. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:01:10 -0400 Subject: New Ship (ATN JMS) The odds of the EAS Straczynski ever showing up in a B5 episode are slim and none. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:08:25 -0400 Subject: Mr. JMS: Network vs. Syndicati Correct: while the money and PR budget for syndication is about half what network shows get, the trade-off is that you're left alone, and you get full season orders, rather than 6 eps, or 12 eps with a possible buy in the back nine. It lets you relax and just do the show rather than constantly looking over your shoulder. We have not had a script note since the 3rd ep of year two; haven't had a note on a producer's cut of a ep since year one. They trust us more and leave us alone more, in large measure due to being in syndication, and I'll trade *any* amount of money for that freedom. We could *never* have done "Believers" or "Confessions" on network TV, given their sense that SF = KidVid. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:34:48 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: General Thoughts pos Alan: thanks, comments like that really help us keep going. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:36:34 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: How is quality of B5 Unfortunately, there is no one overseeing that aspect of it, and I can only trust in blind fate at this pointl. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:40:16 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Zack wasn't in the opening credits for year two because he came in with just one or two eps going in...but the more we saw him, the more we knew he could give us just what we were looking for in one part of the overall story, and so it grew. And the Fleer cards have several different approaches...arc cards, episode cards, character cards and so on. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 20:58:10 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by My software, and the GEnie software, does not quote; if I want to quote someone, I have to *retype* the whole bloody quote. I sometimes think I'd like to apply that to folks who quote a 432 line message, just to add "I agree!" at the end. jms Date: 21 Aug 1995 21:30:09 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by Kelly: thanks. I had a good five year ride with HOUR 25, and though there were some problems, enjoyed it thoroughly. jms Date: 22 Aug 1995 02:17:19 -0400 Subject: BAD NEWS ON B5 EFFECTS EMMY! Yeah, unfortunately this is a year where we're against the Earth 2 and Voyager 2-hour pilots, upon which they spent *hideous* amounts of money, with considerable publicity. But hey, we'll take the 3 emmy noms we've already gotten and be happy. jms Date: 22 Aug 1995 02:17:35 -0400 Subject: B5 Comic cancelled according t #11 is the last regular, monthly issue. However, DC has contracted for roughly 13 more issues to be published in one-shot specials and 4-issue miniseries over the course of the coming year. This is a done deal, ink on the contract and all that. jms Date: 22 Aug 1995 18:00:27 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: What happens AFTER B There's always been the possibility of a side-story that would go off in the B5 universe, after the B5 main story, but frankly the odds on that happening are extremely slim at best, I think. Other than that...if B5 goes its full 5 year run, as I've noted here before, at that point (1998) the tentative plan is for me to retire from TV, go back to writing plays and novels. I figure I'll have said all I have to say in TV, and at that point you get off the damned stage. About the only thing that could lure me back, aside from a B5 side story, would be an anthology series, because I love that form dearly, but the odds of that are even smaller; there seems such growing discontent with the genre at the studios, despite some small successes here and there. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:03:09 -0400 Subject: ATT JMS>>>OTHER VORLONS??????? Yeah, I kinda think you'd *have* to see more Vorlons than just Kosh after a while, yes...? jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:01:47 -0400 Subject: ATTN: JMS: Jeff Conaway questi You can send the material to Jeff c/o Babylon 5, Suite 260, 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 22:13:48 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Reading speed? I actuallly don't know what my reading speed is; I do know it's pretty fast -- I was reading at college level while in 9th grade, according to tests at the time -- but actual speed, I don't know. Never took a speed reading course, though; I figure, if somebody took two years to write a book, you shouldn't blow through it in two hours. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:06:58 -0400 Subject: JMS: Bester Walter's first appearance this season will be in "Dust to Dust," #306. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:13:32 -0400 Subject: Attn JMS: B5 Bloopers Tape Bloopers are not currently available, but may become so down the road a bit. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:12:26 -0400 Subject: ATTN JMS: Will Cards have spoi I worked with the writer doing the cards to make sure that the info on the final four does not contain spoilers. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 22:40:16 -0400 Subject: JMS: Updating the WHAM Estima Yeah, I'd say the wham percentage still holds; there are fewer in the first part of the season, but more in the latter half of year three, so it really does work out to about half. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:16:05 -0400 Subject: Milton Katulas??? I have no idea if there's a relationship, but I'll try to remember to ask. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 22:19:22 -0400 Subject: JMS: Change of Pace / Change o Good idea, Steven, and what I'll try to do is post a couple of background items as you suggest, get that process going agian. (again) jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 22:17:48 -0400 Subject: Re: Abuse of this newsgroup by "Joe's over-reaction to my statement makes me believe 'he doth protest too much.'" Nope. It's physics. The bigger the stink, the bigger the "ewwww." jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 22:16:02 -0400 Subject: The Price of the Peace David Shao: pressure on the group regarding any character's sexuality will result in zip from me. I don't give in on that on either side of the question. We've touched on elements of this in "Divided Loyalties," and will again in future. Not because of any pressure, but because it is what I choose to do with my show. I appreciate your interest, but B5 is what it is because I have always tried to follow my heart, and not surrender control of that to any network, studio, focus group or any OTHER group. It is what it is, take it or leave it. I would also suggest that, since you were the one who faxed messages from this system to Warner Bros. Legal Affairs, concerning the UK final four tapes, resulting in their now continued presence here, I would suggest that you have already had a substantial impact on things here...why not leave well enough alone for now in other areas? jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:27:03 -0400 Subject: I don't know ... The books and comics and other ancillary material is considered complementary but never required. jms Date: 23 Aug 1995 21:25:35 -0400 Subject: ATTN jms:Costume Designer Yes, Anne Bruice got married just a bit before we began shooting on year three. jms Date: 24 Aug 1995 17:38:08 -0400 Subject: ATTN: JMS - Great Show!! Thanks; it's my abiding hope that the show will function primarily to a) engender discussion on the issues raised, and b) create a sense of wonder, because both, I think, are somewhat lacking around us. jms Date: 24 Aug 1995 17:38:42 -0400 Subject: Re: The Price of the Peace David...leaving totally aside the issue of the tapes for now, even though that was your motivating factor...it's a breach of the ethics of this system to send postings by others, myself included, to the people at Warner Bros. Second, we were already *handling* the issue, were already dealing with it. Until that moment, I referred matters of concern to those empowered to act, at the proper, lower-level areas. What your letter did was to embroil the two heads of Warner Bros., who until that moment didn't know the system much existed. And now folks from legal affairs regularly monitor the nets. Because you poked the head of the dragon. You can explain to your heart's content, but that is the consequence of your actions. It was wrong. Again *we were dealing with it*. But once your letter crossed certain desks, who were unaware of the fact that we were dealing with it, the call went out, "What the hell is THIS?" If you needed information, it was right here, and any question could've been answered by me. And, in fact, was. By essentially ratting out the entire group to WB Legal, however well-intentioned your motives, you've caused me problems in having to then go back and fix the damage, explaining that we were already on top of the issue, and caused others problems as well. I wasn't going to make a federal case out of this, but when I saw your note indicating possibly yet ANOTHER cause celebre you were about to start throwing around out there, and urging action, I worried, given how this LAST one was handled. Or mishandled. Sometimes, David, it's best to just leave things alone.... jms Date: 24 Aug 1995 20:02:14 -0400 Subject: Re: Mr. JMS: Network vs. Syndi You want to know what it comes down to? What it *really* comes down to? Here it is. This was stated by a network exec: "Look, the reality is, anybody with money these days has got cable, they've got VCRs, laserdisks, so the networks get what's left, the guys without a lot of money, or education, and that's going to have to be our target audience." jms Subject: "straczynski" a common name? ( Date: 27 Aug 1995 04:00:22 -0400 Straczynski is a very uncommon name; the only ones who have it are actual relatives. There are only about a dozen or so in the whle (whole) country (yes, I've checked). jms Subject: Sublime language (was Re: Attn Date: 27 Aug 1995 05:58:55 -0400 I do have certain linguistic elements that I tend to re-use to subconsciously define the characters a bit. Londo tends to use verbal prologs a lot, "It occurs to me," "You know, I was thinking," that sort of thing, which connotes that he's always working through what he's going to say before he says it, and puts the pronoun I or Me at the center of his way of thinking. I often insert "Yes?" in his dialogue ("A great shame, yes?" "A terrible thing, is it not?") and variations to hint at the notion that this is a person looking for acceptance, validation, agreement. Where Londo tends to put his personal pronoun at the beginning of his lines, Delenn has a tendency to put them at the end of her sentences, de-emphasizing personal importance. Sometimes it lends her a kind of prolix speech pattern, but that's an inevitable consequence of that kind of structure; sometimes the verbs also get shoved back in the sentence, giving things a somewhat Germanic structure. So some elements of phraseology, grammer, even phrases per se do tend to recur, but I try to keep them mainly to that person, or to that group, as a device to reinforce identity. jms Subject: Re: "straczynski" a common nam Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:07:16 -0400 Yeah, the John Straczynski in Arizona is a cousin on my father's brother's side...as noted, if it's spelled exactly the same, then the person is always a direct blood relative. jms Subject: JMS: S. Furst's schedule (was Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:10:11 -0400 The shared days, when Stephen does our show in the morning, and then the other show in the afternoons, are only when necessary; we're using him also during his hiatuses (hiati?) from the other show, so we have him all day every day for as much as a week at a time. We were happy to accommodate on this because while Stephen's role on B5 will always be important, and will grow, the role is such that Vir will/can never be the star of the story, whereas in the sitcom he has the chance to be the lead, and we think that's worth supporting. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: *OLD* ? about B5 pil Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:12:06 -0400 The pendant was a gift to Michael from his son, and he asked to wear it in that shot. jms Subject: What to do? Pre-October Fun Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:13:36 -0400 Also recommend: The Haunting (of Hill House) and Seconds. jms Subject: Scarcity raises value :-) WAS Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:14:58 -0400 Having read that...well, *I'm* tired now.... jms Subject: Apologies to JMS, WB, et al... Date: 29 Aug 1995 02:16:30 -0400 The main problem, as I understand it, is the issue of the shows that have not aired here yet, which touches international law re: copyright; in general, though, if someone has made a tape of something, and wishes to show it to a group of friends, and no cost is attached, I'm not aware of any complications to this. jms Subject: Is JMS still here? Date: 29 Aug 1995 18:08:05 -0400 I'm never quite all here on the best of days. jms Subject: B5 and Jung (was Re: Shadows/V Date: 29 Aug 1995 18:44:13 -0400 Well reasoned. An analysis of some of the stuff in Jungian terms, as I've noted here before, is not entirely unproductive. It really is a hodgepodge of bits and pieces, a Frankenstein monster assembled from elements of myth, and archetype, and history that I've been kind of subconsciously assembling over a long, long time. Certainly the issue touches strongly on the whole question of who we are, how we define ourselves, our place in the universe (as we perceive it, and as we are *able* to perceive it, stuck as we are in th metaphorical fishbowl). One of the problems, I feel, when film makers or novelists use Joseph Campbell's approach to storytelling is that they're going by the numbers in terms of the *action* involved (okay, the hero has a trial to endure, enters the cave, and so on), without looking to, or paying attention to, the philosophical/mythological underpinnings of the actions, what they MEAN in a larger context, what they are meant to tell us about ourselves and the world. So it's an ongoing process to redefine the myths, and in so doing redefine the way we perceive ourselves. Or something like that. jms Subject: Re: Does B5's Anonymity Bother Date: 29 Aug 1995 18:52:56 -0400 Part of the problem in this discussion comes down to TeeVee Terminology and how the industry works, or doesn't, logically or otherwise. It's the difference between ratings, rankings, demographics and other niceties. Just to get into this for a second...you have two shows on competing networks: Lois and Clark and Murder, She Wrote. M,SW gets *substantially* higher ratings than L&C. Now, which is more profitable for the network? Answer: Lois and Clark. Because the show attracts the demographics (males/females 18-40) that advertisers want. So the commercials on that show sell for more than M,SW commercials, which generally reach a much older and, from an advertiser's POV, less meaningful demographic. So a show can be lower rated, but more successful. It's definitely Alice in Wonderland reasoning, but there you are. That's why CBS is frantically trying to up their demographics, and why they hate shows like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. It's one of their few ratings hits, but it doesn't draw the right demographics. They need the show for the PR value, to maintain a presence in the top shows, but they hate it behind the scenes. B5 is slowly starting to crack two audiences: the ST audience, and the mainstream audience. I frequently hear from people whose letters and email (some of it visible here) begins, "I don't usually watch SF, but I have started watching B5." ,\gsC Our ratings need not ever be as big as the ST shows to be as profitable, particularly since we only cost about half what they cost. If they go up a point or two, say to a sustained 4.5 or 5 or better, which I think is possible this season, we're golden; if we sustain or build just a little, we're still okay. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Control groups? Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:24:25 -0400 The funny thing is, on the control groups where I lurk, there is generally LESS speculation and "let's guess the story" and story ideas than where I *am* around. Generally, what you tend to get are simply people's reactions to stuff...I liked this one, or didn't like that one, how come they did something stupid, where can I get info...that sort of thing. My experience has been that the *most* critical nets are the ones where I'm known to hang out, because folks know their concerns have a chance of reaching me. That's probably the biggest difference. jms Subject: SPOILERS and Peculiar Event Al Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:24:39 -0400 Yeah, I'd say it's fair to say that you haven't heard the last of Interplanetary Expeditions. Remember the rule: before you use the gun, you show it on the mantle. You play fair. And create the context in which the payoff later works. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: B5 MM TNG? Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:48:55 -0400 The box for the new MicroMachines installment came through my hands for approval about a week ago (two new boxes, actually), so my *guess* is that they'll be hitting the stands in about a month. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Allusion to Sciento Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:49:41 -0400 The use of markabs was definitely NOT a reference to Scientology in any way, manner, shape or form. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Are You Ever Surpris Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:49:59 -0400 In *general*, the P5 ratings poll tends to reflect my own opinions of the show, which is generally a good thing, I suppose. The ones I think are knockouts tend to do well. From time to time, I'm a bit surprised -- I still think that Parliament of Dreams is rated lower than I'd rate it, ditto for Soul Hunter and one or two others -- but what I've found is that generally the real serious episodes get rated higher, while the lighter ones (like Geometry of Shadows, which is still something of a favorite) get rated lower. What's great is that this season, we haven't had one single episode on the level of War Prayer or Infection or Grail, some of our weaker first season eps. The worst we've done is pretty darned good. What we're now working for in year three is that they're all better than that at their baseline rating. And so far, they're killer...our second episode for year three, "Convictions," has a very different feel from anything we've done on the show to date, a very dark, scary and gritty feel, and probably one of the best character sequences in the series to date. We're also doing some major EFX blow-outs of a type other than "they go into space and shoot stuff." Very interesting, creative, offbeat stuff. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Costume question Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:49:23 -0400 I think it came out of the Victoria's Secrets catalog.... jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Why doesn't HBO car Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:51:41 -0400 1) HBO turned down B5 years ago. 2) HBO does not do regular dramatic series a la B5; they do sitcoms, and anthologies, but not this kind of show. jms Subject: JMS: Still "Getting Dark?" Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:52:16 -0400 "It's Getting Dark" was originally planned to be my third published novel after "OtherSyde," but in the interim, after I began writing it (and IGD was planned to be a modest sized novel, 500 pages max), I stumbled upon a much better and, unfortunately, bigger story I wanted to write, a contemporary dark fantasy whose title is too cool to sacrifice by giving it out here. The new book will probably be about 1,000 pages, give or take, and I've got all the research and reference stuff here, ready to go, as oon (soon) as I have the time to write it, when B5 is done. jms Subject: Question about casting Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:52:37 -0400 Garibaldi will *definitely* be in season three, is in even now, and is being used better now than before. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: B5 Writing Process Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:53:26 -0400 B5 was *never*, ever, at any time, pitched on the nets, or even discussed on the nets, while it was in development. Not even the name was ever said. So I don't know where this particular myth has come from. The first time I ever started talking about B5 (except in an offhand reference in a Starlog article) on the nets was about November 1991, when we'd finally been given the go-ahead for production on the pilot movie, but couldn't officially talk about it until WB announced it. During that time, I only described it as "That Which Cannot Be Named" (TWCBN for short) on GEnie. jms Subject: Re: FS: softcover "Demon Night Date: 31 Aug 1995 04:53:04 -0400 Bantam put out a paperback version of DEMON NIGHT; no softcover has been published of the hardcover edition of OTHERSYDE; my anthology, TALES FROM THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE, was only published in paperback. jms Subject: Ellison & the Inquisitor Date: 31 Aug 1995 05:06:56 -0400 Harlan was not involved with the creation of the Inquisitor. jms Subject: JMS: Because we care... (Was: Date: 31 Aug 1995 05:06:38 -0400 I have taken the comments for what they have been worth. I have also begun having others start my car for me. jms Subject: ATTN JMS: Candle motif Date: 31 Aug 1995 05:20:09 -0400 Candles are, I think, wonderfully emblematic of life, and of being a single ray of light, or hope, in a dark place. The Grey Council stands between the candle and the star; watch G'Kar's action re: a candle in his quarters...and in that scene (for those who've seen TLTS) note how many candles are in the room in the beginning, and at the end. We are the candle that burns brightly, stubbornly, effectively...but briefly. jms