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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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JMS CompuServe messages for December 1996. Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.
Date: 01 Dec 1996 01:57:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lorien
{original post unavailable}
I just kinda thought it was a cool sounding name....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 01:57:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: 404: Falling
{original post unavailable}
Kosh went with the new vorlon into the ship, and that final
blast was what did the job ultimately.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 02:17:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: Answers
Okay, I'm gonna keep this real short and real simple.
You wanna see the end of the story? Huh? Do you? Do you?!
~~~~~~
THEN GIVE ME THE DAMNED CHEAT CODES FOR "QUAKE!"
Just that. Okay? And I can get back to work, and nobody gets
hurt.
jm(vibrating into another dimension)s
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James & Deb's <101355.3704@compuserve.com>
Subject: Answers
James & Deb's <101355.3704@compuserve.com> asks:
> Enjoy.Have you tried Duke nuckem 3D yet?
Thanks!
I've done some with Duke Nukem, but the thing's just a bit
repetitive for me, so I haven't gotten that deeply into the game yet.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Cerreta <72630.3433@compuserve.com>
Subject: Questions
David Cerreta <72630.3433@compuserve.com> asks:
> Seeing what the production schedule is like for a 24
> episode/season show like X-Files, I wondered if you were *glad*
> you had only 22 eps or wished you had 24? Anyway, just how long
> are you in production each year? Does your crew take much time off
> for the holidays or do most work through? The opposite question
> would be: would you wish you had *less* shows in a season? I was
> wondering if there were any articles that would showcase the
> complete production of a single episode, from its inception down
> until the final sound mix (or whatever comes last)?
No, no one's done an article like that, though Stephen Smith did
spend a week on the B5 sets for Sci-Fi Universe Magazine.
I'd much rather shoot 24 than 22, because it gives us more room
to spread things out, and try some different kinds of stories.
We shoot from early August through May 5th, so the cast gets
about 2-3 months off.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
{original post unavailable}
I'm with you...I've bought all the various Star Wars
incarnations on disk, and the Aliens and T2 movies the same way, right
up through the AC3 disks. I hate buying the same movie more than 3
times....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Vindrizi
{original post unavailable}
That was a one-time only.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh Question
{original post unavailable}
Why not?
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: FTA - Questions
Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> But it won't will it?
> Am I right?
> Am I even close?
Not all of them....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com>
Subject: Kosh(s), clarification
gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com> asks:
> 1) Have we now seen a real Vorlon?
> So is the primary purpose of their encounter suits only to hide
> their appearance? Since the yellow entity wasn't all Kosh-1, but
> still looked like a "Vorlon", do all life-forces look the same? 4)
> Was Sheridan dead again (after Kosh-1 et al left him)?
Yes, yes, maybe, no.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:30 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 encounter...
gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com> asks:
> At which point, the mother chimed-in and said "But you watch
> Babylon 5 now, so you're all better?" It's been wonderful to see
> B5 comments go from "What's that?" to "Isn't that the show with
> the funny hair?"
That's a great story, thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlons/Shadows Motive??
gopher <75410.177@compuserve.com> asks:
> life-entity stuff, ala FTA), are the Vorlons destroying worlds to
> get more life-entities for themselves in a hurry? And could this
> be what the Shadows have really been doing, too?
Nope.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New FX - no problems!
{original post unavailable}
Actually, we kinda decided to cut back a bit on lens
flare...because that particular one is now used in so many places, it's
become a cliche. We tried out a new kind of flare in the Kosh2 scene,
when he nails Sheridan, you can just sorta see it...once everyone else
does what we've been doing, we tend to move on to newer areas.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Dec 1996 20:18:37 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: FTA prophecy&future
{original post had no questions}
You could.
But of course it would be hideously dangerous of you to do so.
Besides, in our soviet revisionism style, that error no longer
exists, so there you are.
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 02:48:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joseph Schierer <76326.3124@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sheridan chgd the Arc?
Joseph Schierer <76326.3124@compuserve.com> asks:
> I wonder how much this fact has changed the original Arc?
> For example, The flash-forward of the older Sinclair in Babylon
> Squared - Was there a different (pe- Sheridan) 'explanation' than
> the one presented in WWE? Did the Arc change significantly, due to
> the change in cast??
You'd be surprised how much it *didn't* change.....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 02:48:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Falliing Toward <Gulp!>
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...it's a nicely intense sequence. And the next two are
moreso.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 02:49:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Falling Toward Reason
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> I know Delenn had to be at the Great Vorlon Battle for the sake
> of the story, but, as the author, can you tell us why she decided
> to go there? Was it the noise of the battle that attacted her?
> Was she informed of the battle beforehand, and we just didn't
> know about it? Did someone clue her in, and she ran down there to
> witness it and/or look out for John?
Well, I think it's pretty obvious she would've known about it,
given hr proximity to Sheridan...and if I knew something this big was
going on, sure as heck *I'd* want to be there to see it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: FTA prophecy&future
Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Danger??!!
"I've got it on tape."
Of *course* you do.
BTW, you should clean up your front room more often, it takes
forever to find anything there....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ruth Spradlin <73477.3155@compuserve.com>
Subject: Call for Papers
{original post had no questions}
Cool...if they only knew my GPA while I was in college...urk.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sheridan chgd the Arc?
{original post unavailable}
Well, bear in mind that the Valen transition is set up as far
back as the first season....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh's Ship
{original post unavailable}
It was responding to Kosh2's commands to get out of there so
he/it could enter it and escape.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Vorlon ship problem
{original post unavailable}
There wasn't enough left for that...it was just a hint of him,
that later needed to be bolstered by both Lorien and Sheridan to hit
even a part of its original ability.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:39 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com> asks:
> do you think it might help if a lot of people would tell WB that
> they'd be willing to buy B5 on LD?
No, it's a status thing, primarily...they don't like to sully
their hands with TV, they prefer to handle the big-budget movies
exclusively.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com> asks:
> So what is the difference with WB in the UK?
Different company (each division is its own company), different
mindset.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 13:48:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Moving Towards...
{original post unavailable}
Yes, that's a Vorlon...and there was a physicality to them,
shown by the fact that it could strike out and hit things. It's not a
ghost or anything of that nature, it can be hurt and killed.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 14:04:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Chicago ComiCon '97
{original post had no questions}
Actually, I won't be at either Chicago ComicCon or the Irish
con, as it turns out, since I'm tagged as guest of honor at Westercon
50 in Seattle that weekend. I hope to do ChiCon next year, since it's
a great experience, and the Irish one next time I'm in the area.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Dec 1996 14:04:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Call for Papers
{original post unavailable}
What the hell does THAT mean?
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon 5
{original post unavailable}
Yep, it was all worked out long ago.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS: season 4 = arc end?
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who held the 22 script record?
> Was that Terry Nation?
> So how far do these 39 scripts go (Episode Num to Ep Num)?
> And, better yet, how do you manage to be an Executive Producer, a
> writer, and have a life all at the same time?
Actually, Nation's record was about 13 or 18 in a row.
And of those three elements, the personal life is the one that
has to go out the window to make the other two work.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: Apotheosis
Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> Hey Joe, have we now gotten to see exactly what a Vorlon looks
> like beneath that suit, or was our friend Kosh2 somehow visually
> obscured and\or distorted by the trap that had been set for him?
That's pretty much what they look like.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Falling>> Thoughts
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is there any particular character who bangs the camera more often
> than not? And how often does the finished product match what you
> "saw"?
The finished film comes startlingly close to what I saw in my
head at least 85% of the time. The other times, it falls below, or
goes beyond.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Kosh(s), clarification
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it my imagination or did the Vorlons look like the shadows?
> And if so, would the reason the Vorlons hide in encounter suits
> be because when they leave they have to project the right images
> to people?
I didn't think they looked that much alike. But then, no two
people ever see Vorlons in quite the same way, I guess.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Cerreta <72630.3433@compuserve.com>
Subject: Answers
{original post had no questions}
Ooh, I like that one...thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sheridan chgd the Arc?
{original post unavailable}
Sheridan, or someone like him, would've been brought in around
this time regardless, yes...but knowing this would happen, I was able
to skew the new character to have the elements, and be in the position,
that would most help me move the story along.
And you're right...the longer you leave someone in command
there in the show, the more difficult and dangerous it becomes to
remove that character. If you're going to do it, best to do it earlier
than later.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS : Dreams?
Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just wondering...you do a lot more *thinking* about B5 than
> I....does it affect you in the same way???
Yeah, I live the show, dream the show...can't get away from it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kathleen E. Ross <102747.3373@compuserve.com>
Subject: Kosh
{original post had no questions}
Yep, at the time of that flash-forward, Sheridan has at most
2-3 years left to live.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New char
(blocked) asks:
> Is it Lorien, somebody else, or somebody we haven't met at all?
Lorien certainly qualifies.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joseph Schierer <76326.3124@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sheridan chgd the Arc?
Joseph Schierer <76326.3124@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are you EVER going to tell us what the change was??
Of course not.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: comments
Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com> asks:
> Could that be his escape in the future?
Torture, yes...but some people consider that pleasurable...it's
quite a dilemma....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sheridan chgd the Arc?
Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> So MOH departure WAS unexpected?
I've always said that it was something I began to realize was
necessary about two-thirds of the way into season 1, and as I began to
plan out season 2.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Falling Toward Reason
{original post unavailable}
Probably both.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Elyse M. Grasso <70302.3304@compuserve.com>
Subject: Centauri Emperors
Elyse M. Grasso <70302.3304@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did Turhan come to the throne very late in life and reign only
> briefly? If Turhan reigned a long time, who kept the 'pain
> technicians' busy and gave Londo (who had only been at court for
> a short time when he talked to G'Kar) the opportunity to see
> prisoners being tortured and vivisected for the amusement of the
> court? Cartagia seems very over the top to us, but does he seem
> less excessive to Centauri who look back on the days when
> Turhan's father personally ordered the execution of 100,0000
> Narns?
I'd say that Turhan was probably emperor for about 30 years or
so.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
(blocked) asks:
> Any idea how many letters they have received on the subject?
If ten zillion letters showed up, it wouldn't matter, I've
finally come to understand...it's a prestige thing, not a money thing.
They want to handle the high-profile movies.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh(s), clarification
{original post unavailable}
I'm not sure you're remembering this correctly....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: FTA & Vorlons
(blocked) asks:
> In this newest episode, have we finally seen what Vorlons really
> look like?
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh(s), clarification
{original post unavailable}
The encounter suit was mainly to mask them.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: TNT Movies
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are these the two movies that TNT has requested?
No, those are other projects.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 15:16:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bryan Morton <106454.3602@compuserve.com>
Subject: Another Kosh Query
Bryan Morton <106454.3602@compuserve.com> asks:
> I was just answering a post on that in another thread, and a
> thought occurred to me (doesn't happen very often <g>): was FTA
> the episode where Kosh *should* have died, had you stuck to your
> original intentions? If so, would he have gone out in the same way
> (helping to kill another Vorlon), or would he have been in Darth
> Kosh's position?
Best to leave what might've been out...what is, is better.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 19:57:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Book Advice
{original post unavailable}
Call a specialty SF bookstore and have them get a copy of
CREATING BABYLON 5, from Boxtree Books in the UK. It's terrific.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 19:57:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark D. Smith <70254.107@compuserve.com>
Subject: FTA prophecy&future
Mark D. Smith <70254.107@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, in other words, you retaped that dialog?
yup
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 20:07:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Gold Channel
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> I gather that this is just a gag?
Yeah, it's just a gag.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 20:07:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Arline Williams <102551.2346@compuserve.com>
Subject: Thanks for the Gift
{original post had no questions}
The pleasure was entirely mine.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 20:07:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com>
Subject: Early History ?
Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com> asks:
> First when the Vorlons and Shadows divided up the galaxy, who got
> Earth? Also, did this division match the division between the
> Shadows and Centari? In regards to Lorien's statement that he is
> The First One, does this mean was the first sentient being, the
> last survivor of the first sentient race, the first sentient
> being to achieve sufficient control of life energy to be
> "immortal"? Also, is Z'HaDum Lorien's home world and if not why
> did he hang out there so long?
There was no clear division...they both tried to influence
everyone they came upon, to get them to go one way or the other.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Dec 1996 20:08:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Emporer
Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com> asks:
> and what of the prophetesses?
They weren't prophetesses, they were communications-telepaths,
and the emperor can use them if he perceives the need to keep in
contact with events in the royal court. Cartagia could give a fig for
what goes at home, which will be ash soon anyway....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 01:07:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
(blocked) asks:
> That's depressing...but they won't let you have the rights to
> release them? What if we wrote about *that*...<G>?
Nope again. They're like a monkey with its fist around a nut in
a jar; they won't let go, and can't take it out, or let anyone else
have it. But we will keep working at it...sooner or later, we'll win.
We always do.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 01:07:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Grabois <74737.2600@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
Michael Grabois <74737.2600@compuserve.com> asks:
> So then why the tapes in the UK?
> Or is that some other company?
UK tapes are under a different divsion of WB. WB International
and WB Domestic are wholly different divisions...WB isn't one company
like Universal or Paramount, but a series of competing fiefdoms with
their own rules and agendas.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 11:45:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Hart Trevor <100705.1222@compuserve.com>
Subject: Snow White Script
{original post had no questions}
Sorry, it turns out that material is no longer available
anywhere. There was a terrible fire....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 11:58:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS : Dreams?
Laurence Moroney <100546.50@compuserve.com> asks:
> May I ask another question?
> I have been curious about the strange scheduling of the show in
> the USA (I arrived here just in time for season 4), and wonder if
> it actually *helps* the quality of the show??? What do you think
> of this? Was this the writers exhaustion reaching the screen
> having written all of season 3 and a huge chunk of season 2?
The long broadcast breaks don't give us a break because we
don't stop filming during them. We start filming at the beginning of
August, and we shoot straight through to May, with only breaks for
holidays and a quick one-week hiatus in the fall and spring. It would
be hideously expensive and difficult to stop and start shooting every
five weeks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 11:58:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lyta Alexander
{original post unavailable}
Only that they'd still respect her in the morning.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 11:58:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS: season 4 = arc end?
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you miss the trade off?
> I know you love your work, and you are doing a superb job, but
> I'm curious if you feel you're missing something?
"I'm curiuos if you feel you're missing something?"
Having had a personal life, I found it vastly over-rated.
More seriously, though...I figure it's no different than
joining the military for five years. Except for the running, jumping,
shooting and getting killed bits.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 11:58:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Falling>> Thoughts
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> So how do you convey to the director and actors what you see in
> your head? Do you make notes on the script, or do you talk it out,
> or what?
We have tone meetings where I go over every scene with the
director, so we both know what's required, what the subtext is, and so
on.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 17:06:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Book Advice
S.G. Menzel <100537.1517@compuserve.com> asks:
> I am aware, this is a completely different matter, but you
> wouldn't have any good advice on how to get ones hands on your
> scriptwriting book outside the U.S.?
Go onto the worldwide net to http://www.amazon.com, and you can
order it from anywhere in the world....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 17:06:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon 5
{original post unavailable}
Any work of fiction is organic and changes with time...it's
part of the process.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 17:06:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <<Falling>> Thoughts
{original post unavailable}
Yes, that's Andreas' head, which I personally moved over to
where it would be beside Peter...who complained (in jest) that Andreas
was again stealing the scene from him.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 17:06:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Minbari lifespan
{original post unavailable}
Minbari can easily live to about 140 or so.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Dec 1996 17:06:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: History recap?
(blocked) asks:
> Am I right so far?
> What I'm wondering is at what point did we meet the Centauri?
> And when did they give us the jumpgate technology?
> Before or after the war?
No, our first contact was with the Centauri, who gave us the
tech. We didn't meet the Minbari until long, long afterward.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 02:08:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS: B5 Parodies
{original post unavailable}
I have never had any problem with parodies.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 02:20:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Daniel Barer <74033.167@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Laser Disc
Daniel Barer <74033.167@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does Warners have all domestic video rights in perpetuity, or
> only while the show is in first run?
They *own* the show.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 02:20:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Cissna <102320.3535@compuserve.com>
Subject: 2nd Ones
{original post had no questions}
Well, technically speaking, I suppose you could say that the
Vorlons and Shadows are second ones, since Lorien's people came first,
about which you'll hear more in the next batch of eps.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 02:20:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: ben dibble <105430.3170@compuserve.com>
Subject: Who knew what, and when?
ben dibble <105430.3170@compuserve.com> asks:
> Could you possibly tell us the "Story of Kosh?"
> Are we ready for this information?
> Or does it still contain hidden bits of story?
> _Why_ did Kosh open his suit to "Sinclair?"
> Are you going to tell me he was *actually* going to shake hands?
> Had Kosh read up on Earthers and already gone Native?
> And was this information provided to Sinclair by Delenn?
> Or was that a case of Minbari dissembling?
> What did Delenn see when she went to see Kosh, and *why* did she
> go? Can you ___finally___ give us her prophesy?
> Is this your story to stick with?
There's a lot more to be said of the story of Kosh, and the
Vorlons in general...and part of me says explain it later...and another
part says that if you explain mysteries too much, it destroys them.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 13:39:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lorien = Ken Nordine?
{original post unavailable}
Having never heard his work, that would tend to mitigate
against that.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 13:39:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Penny J. Legner <103643.763@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon 5
Penny J. Legner <103643.763@compuserve.com> asks:
> I suppose that means my life qualifies as a work of fiction?
That's what we've been saying about you for months....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 13:39:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS: season 4 = arc end?
{original post had no questions}
The way I live, kids would be redundent.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 13:39:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Falling>> Thoughts
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> I assume that you don't make comments during filming then
> directly to the actors, so what do you do if you see something
> during filming that needs to be changed?
I will, on *rare* occasions, address a note or correction
directly to an actor while we're shooting, but in general I give any
notes to the director on the set, who passes them on to the actor.
There really can't be a multiplicity of voices talking to actors on the
set...it can become confusing, and they can get contradictory
directions. They can get skittish and lose concentration.
One occasion where I *did* do this recently...in the scene
where Londo explains to Cartagia why he shouldn't be killed for being
late, the director had Londo playing that scene submissive and nervous
in rehearsals, didn't understand that the whole point of the exercise
was Londo standing up to Cartagia, but doing so in a very sly way, not
giving him any room to maneuver. Cartagia likes Londo because there's
intelligence and steel, in a very manipulative fashion..."you think the
same way I do," Cartagia says. So before we shot the scene, I pulled
Peter aside and gave him the correction, and that's how we shot it.
But, again, those incidents are fairly rare.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 23:20:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Your writing schedule
{original post unavailable}
We'll probably know around February.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 23:20:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Schirmer <76774.3310@compuserve.com>
Subject: G'Kar Statue
{original post had no questions}
The statue is the pilot movie version of G'Kar. I think it's
about 7" tall.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 23:20:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com>
Subject: Early History ?
{original post had no questions}
Kinda, yeah....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 23:20:38 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Who knew what, and when?
{original post unavailable}
Which is, of course, another good reason not to do it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Dec 1996 23:20:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SUSAN F. KIRN <76262.2013@compuserve.com>
Subject: <<Falling>> Thoughts
SUSAN F. KIRN <76262.2013@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, On the flip side of the coin, do the actors ever come to you
> for clarification or advice on how a scene is to be played?
That, yes...very often, while the actor is prepping, they'll
come by my office, or at lunch ask about a particular passage, for
clarification on my part, as opposed to an adjustment on their
performance.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Dec 1996 23:48:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Book Advice
{original post unavailable}
Actually, depending on how long you can wait, very shortly the
best B5 book of the batch to date, Jeanne Cavelos' story of the Icarus'
fate, will be hitting bookstores shortly.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Dec 1996 23:53:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Snow White Script
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> What's so bad about the script?
I wrote it when I was 18.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 07 Dec 1996 21:41:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS: season 4 = arc end?
{original post unavailable}
Blake's 7. (And other stuff.)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 07 Dec 1996 21:41:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Snow White Script
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does it stand up to your 39-and-counting eps of B5?
> But why should it?
Feh.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 02:22:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS: season 4 = arc end?
{original post had no questions}
What annoys the hell out of me is that I have an ISDN line in my
office at work, but apparently you can't run ISDN on Win3.1, only Win
95, so it sits there useless....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 02:22:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Grabois <74737.2600@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS' Snow White in Chgo!
{original post had no questions}
Never mind. Just heard the theater burned down, so there's no
point in anyone going. Real shame. Ah, well. Onward and upward.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 19:54:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 merchandise
{original post had no questions}
Never said I never wanted to do *any* merchandising...what I've
always said was that I wanted to do a little, here and there, adding a
bit as we go along, but doing so gradually, so we could control the
quality of the items, to make sure that fans didn't get stuck with
crummy stuff.
Mainly, I approve to merchandise anything that I think is either
very cool, or which I'd like to have myself.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:03:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dana Wright <72627.531@compuserve.com>
Subject: First ones again
Dana Wright <72627.531@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will we see more?
> Will we learn more or what the others chose to do rather than
> nurture the second ones?
Yes, you'll see more of them.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:03:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: ISDN Lines
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Which one do you have?
I'm using a Motorola Bitsurfer, external. No one seems to know
how to make the damned thing work with win3.1 or 3.2.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:03:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Diseases in B5?
{original post unavailable}
The B5 reference in Captain Power was just a nod to something I
was working on...and definitely shows that it was in the works as far
back as 1986.
Yes, we have shown diseases, particularly in "Confessions and
Lamentations," a 2nd season episode. But in general, my sense is that
the biologies of aliens are sufficiently different to minimize most
transmitted diseases.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:03:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jon Wolf <76103.2541@compuserve.com>
Subject: Attn JMS <Dust>
Jon Wolf <76103.2541@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was it G'Kar's father, or G'Lan?
It was his father in the first part, G'Lan in angelic form,
since after all that was G'Lan's form.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:03:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Mysterious Four
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> What's the title for the fourth season?
When I'm ready.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Dec 1996 20:04:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Irony on Review/Vorlons
{original post had no questions}
Good points, especially the vorlon stuff.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1996 02:22:37 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 merchandise
{original post had no questions}
We're actually doing a few small things via the B5 fan club. We
just Friday took delivery of our first batch of t-shirts made in-house:
they have the B5FC logo on the front left breast, and come in three
colors...one in black with white lettering saying "No boom today, boom
tomorrow, there's always a boom tomorrow" black for Ivanova's mood...a
white one (for the angelic seeming vorlons) with black lettering, "We
have always been here"... and a grey t-shirt with "We stand between the
darkness and the light" (the grey here is obvious).
We should be releasing these shortly.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1996 02:22:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Job Description
{original post unavailable}
I'd say it's waning, and again, most have left our galaxy for
whatever is beyond. Only a handful remain.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1996 02:22:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Mira's Head
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Given what we know of the content of "Atonement," and given that
> it's known that an actor has been signed to play Dukhat in that
> episode (presumably in flashbacks), can we assume Mira is going
> to have to get back into that full Minbari makeup again? How
> does/did she like that idea?
Yes, Mira got into the original year-one makeup. It's
funny...when I walked out onto the set, and saw her in that prosthetic,
the first words that came out of my mouth were, "It's *you*! I haven't
seen you in almost three years, how've you been?"
I don't think Mira quite knew what to make of me.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1996 02:22:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Arc Prequel
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Oh, and Joe, speaking of the movie: Since it will deal with the
> E-M War, do you have plans to bring in Michael O'Hare to play
> Sinclair again?
Nothing is set yet.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Another death
{original post unavailable}
Well...more than one, really....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: ISDN Lines
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is that a "Bitsurfer PRO" or just a "Bitsurfer"?
> BTW, have you tried the ISDN forum (go ISDN)?
I have the Bitsurfer PRO, yes...and the line is all
configured...the installation tests show a green light...I just can't
seem to get it to work with 3.1, I couldn't find a server that handled
ISDN in the area, so in the end I pretty much gave up and now it just
sits there, mocking me....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: W. Lee <76770.162@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Movie?
W. Lee <76770.162@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this true?
> If so, when can I expect to see it come out in the theatres?
No, there is no theatrical B5 movie planned at this time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Diseases in B5?
Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com> asks:
> "supposed" future child?
That's why she underwent substantial genetic manipulation to
make her more human.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Human Emotions in B5
Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com> asks:
> However, have you ever considered creating a alien species whose
> various emotions are totally outside the mainstream of human
> emotion and are 100% unintelligible?
The only problem becomes using a 100% unintelligible character
in any kind of story. It's hard to structure something like that. The
closest I've come to is Kosh.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com>
Subject: Job Description
Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are you going to define where the older races went?
> Exactly what is beyond?
"To define is to kill, to suggest is to create." -- Mallarme
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com>
Subject: Job Description
Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is Talia going to come back?
No, no plans for Talia.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Motorola BitSurfrPro
{original post had no questions}
What software are you using for the modem, and what server are
you using? (I.e., Microsoft Network, IBM network, Earthlink, what?)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 merchandise
{original post had no questions}
Yeah, they're fairly discreet, and kinda classy.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Comments and praise.
{original post unavailable}
I don't see it really as a change of heart...they've always
been very ruthless in their way. Remember, it was the Vorlons who
simply decided to off Deathwalker in first season.
There's some amount of escalation going on, obviously, which
will be explained a bit more in upcoming episodes, but they've always
been this way, it's your perception of them that's at odds. You fell
for what they wanted you to see them to be.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 13:00:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 merchandise
(blocked) asks:
> How are we going to order these, if we don't get to see the web
> site?
I'll post the info when we're ready to go. FC members
generally get discounts on all B5FC merchandise.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 21:34:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com>
Subject: Diseases in B5?
Michael R. Brehmer <75303.2242@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does that mean that Delenn could no longer have children via a
> Mimbari father?
Probably not.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 21:34:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: New Fan
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> "That's it?!
That's a great story...thanks. Inch by inch, we're taking over
the planet.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 21:34:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Narn of the Above
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> - bloodlines - religious affiliation - Narn psychic midwife
> declaration - Narn of the above?
It's usually based on religious affiliation.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Dec 1996 21:34:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com>
Subject: War of the Worlds
Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, is this someone associated with the show or is he just
> plugging the product?
I have no idea...it's news to me. Is this a new book?
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 03:33:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: V
{original post unavailable}
NBC didn't reject it, it was meant for syndication after the
network show was canceled; and most of the cast had moved on to do
other things. Actors don't generally just hang around waiting for shows
to get revived, they were not available in many cases, and my mandate
was to give the show a fresh start.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 18:36:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: V
{original post unavailable}
No idea.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 18:36:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Human Emotions in B5
{original post unavailable}
Yes, B5 is fiction...but elements of it that appear here and
there are based on historical incident. The CDA and other moves toward
censoring the arts or the internet or free speech are the logical
inheritors of Joe McCarthy's Senatorial inquisition, as well as earlier
verions. The Nightwatch goes right back to those roots...and anyone
who thinks it can't happen here...it *has* happened here. And can
happen again tomorrow.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 18:36:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Another death
(blocked) asks:
> You enjoy making us twist, don't you Joe?
Except, of course, that trying to guess at it removes any sense
of surprise, since by the time everyone's gone over all of the
possiblilities, there's not much more to do.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 18:36:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: ISDN Lines
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> What area code are you in?
I'm in the 818 area code.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Dec 1996 23:46:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Alien names/ships?
{original post unavailable}
I'm not sure which ones you're referring to; we've got Llorts,
Hyachs, Vree, Brakiri, and others.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 1996 13:59:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Alien names/ships?
{original post unavailable}
In order...those are Brakiri, and Gaim. The last one is
probably a Llort.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 1996 14:09:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sheridan Speaks
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> I was awonderin': Since Sheridan had close contact with numerous
> alien races before coming to B5 ("even a few Minbari") and had
> picked up a few words of, at least, Narn ("All Alone in the
> Night"), does he know *any* Minbari? Has he picked up any in the
> last two to three years of close *ahem* contact with the Minbari?
> Do you have any plans for him to try to learn some or all of the
> language?
When he has a bit more time, what with this pesky war and all,
he'll almost certainly undertake this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 1996 14:09:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kenneth Porter <76161.3013@compuserve.com>
Subject: ISDN Lines
{original post had no questions}
Cool...thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 1996 14:09:38 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Arc End....
{original post unavailable}
No, that's not the case, and we won't know for a while yet
either way. No one is quoted as saying it, that's what was assumed by
the writer.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Dec 1996 03:16:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sheridan Speaks
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, I take it he didn't pick up much conversational Minbari on
> his trips and contacts with the other races, eh?
Yup. Because during the Minbari war, the Narns were selling us
weapons, so Sheridan and other Earthforce captains had to learn at
least a smattering of Narnish for purposes of negotiations.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Dec 1996 20:15:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: quick requests
Just a couple of quickies:
1) I know it's that season, but because I don't do christmas,
any christmas cards sent to me get roundfiled. Invest the postage in a
donation to a local charity. But don't send me stuph.
2) Please do not send me binary files or uploads without first
checking with me ahead of time. I had my hard disk nearly killed by a
trojan horse, and make it a practice now not to download ANYthing
unless I know what it is and whence it comes.
And again, please, please, please do not send email with story
related questions...you may think you're the only one doing this, it's
just the one, but there are between 10-15 *million* people watching B5,
and an awful lot of them are on the nets, and I can't keep answering
the same story questions in email all the time (and many of them are
much the same). If you have a story related question, please post it
in the public forums so that others can benefit from the answer, and so
I only have to write it once.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Dec 1996 20:15:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Cherns Major <75026.3723@compuserve.com>
Subject: Orange County interview
Cherns Major <75026.3723@compuserve.com> asks:
> If the latter, care to expand?
> While I have your attention, could I ask something that's been
> bothering me a bit? What languages do the various characters
> speak, and when? I presume that the humans are all talking English
> (is English now Earth's official language? maybe they're all
> speaking Esperanto or LogLan?); and I can accept that when
> various other species talk among themselves they are speaking
> their native language but that the show expresses their
> conversations in English for our convenience; and we have seen
> some cases where characters speak in a language other than
> English when language is an issue ("brickbat lingerie"), but what
> about a situation like Sheridan and Lorien?
"Now, I *know* you didn't write all the episodes in Seasons 1 and 2,
but I wondered if there really was a connection between the planned
series length and "the name of the place." After all, I suppose 5 is a
fairly arbitrary number--it could have been one or two or seventeen
earlier stations that were sabotaged during construction--but I never
really thought of the similarity."
No, that was never the intent, that it was called Babylon 5
because it's 5 years of story. The reporter just kinda came up with
that.
"The interviewer constantly uses the term "sci-fi," but, since I'm
sure that you are well aware of the controversy over it, I would have
presumed that you either would not have used it yourself (I don't think
I've ever seen it in one of your messages), or else that you would have
some particular statement-making reason. If the latter, care to
expand?"
No, I didn't use the term sci-fi, and NEVER use the term. I use
either SF of Science Fiction, but interviewers insist in putting those
terms in my mouth because it's what they use. I've complained to
several of them about this already.
"I'm not ruling out Babel Fish or belt-mounted Universal Translators,
or perhaps Lorien's ability to read Sheridan's mind and learn English
from it, but it does seem to me that things like this require at least
a minimum of explanation. "
There are several primary languages used on B5: Earth English,
Centauri and Interlac, the latter being a kind of Esperanto (all of the
important signs are in all three languages). In addition, many
species, such as the Gaim and the pak'ma'ra, use translator devices,
since they're incapable of making human sounds. Remember, you're
seeing ambassadors for the most part, or aliens in the trade or
commercial business, so they would tend to learn the dominant language
of the place they're working in.
"I'll hang on to the clipping if you want it for your scrapbook."
I'd *definitely* appreciate a copy of that one, so I can pass it
on to WB for use in their PR, thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 01:41:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Your writing schedule
(blocked) asks:
> What are the current odds in your opinion?
> 50-50?
> 60-40?
I couldn't begin to guess.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 01:41:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Arc End....
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just so I can tell all my friends without net access, when will
> the decision be made on season 5 and made public?
I don't know, that's a WB call.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 01:41:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Another death
{original post had no questions}
Heh...yeah, snuck that one right by everybody....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 01:41:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: No Hiding Place
{original post unavailable}
Thanks...it's a very subversive scene...I love it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 01:41:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlon Question
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> 1) Are the Vorlons and the Shadows both crystaline based
> entities? 2) Did Lorien (or his race) create the Shadows or the
> Vorlons?
No and no.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 15:34:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Londo
{original post unavailable}
Londo had fallen to being something of a minor functionary, an
addendum to the royal court, from the old school, assigned to one
mid-level job or another, a reminder of what had been...and such
reminders always improve with being sent far away.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Dec 1996 15:34:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe . . .
{original post had no questions}
Basically, yeah, too much depression and guilt lately, and she's
been for the most part a passive character lately, while others acted
around her. Now it's about time for her to start becoming active again.
There's fire and steel in *use*, and fire and steel waiting to be
called upon...time to shift from the latter to the former.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 12:04:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Londo&Refa-Starlog artcl
{original post unavailable}
That is what Londo thinks, and that's what Peter repeated.
Londo doesn't yet know anything to the contrary.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 12:04:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Penny J. Legner <103643.763@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe . . .
Penny J. Legner <103643.763@compuserve.com> asks:
> And people wonder why this show is so fantastic?
Thank yu...I tri to rite gud....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 12:04:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: ISP in 818 Area Code
{original post had no questions}
Cool...thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 12:04:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Alan Mulvie <100566.1444@compuserve.com>
Subject: Londo & Morden<Hotw>
Alan Mulvie <100566.1444@compuserve.com> asks:
> Would that minion have a name?
> Would that Minion be Morden?
> Does better mean that he will be dead and outside the confines of
> his flesh? Michael instead of Joe?
No, it ain't Morden.
And J. Michael looks better on a screen, mainly.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 17:49:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Walkabout Shuffle
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Therefore, my question, considering how you probably had to work
> to get all three of the "Babylon Squared" stars back at the same
> time for WWE, is: Was "Walkabout" originally intended to take
> place before the events in "War Without End"?
Correct. Initially we'd wanted to put Walkabout in first, but
that would have meant airing only WWE1 in that sweeps period, and
having to wait until the fall for part 2, which seemed not only
excessive but remarkably stupid. So we reversed the shooting/airing
order to accommodate that, and the fact that we knew we'd need a LOT of
EFX in WWE1, and this would give us time to do it properly.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 22:37:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Hyperspace/Jump Gate
(blocked) asks:
> How does Hyperspace / Jump Gate technology work?
> Does it create a bend in the space and time continuum where they
> (ships) can travel faster than light?
It opens a way to hyperspace, which does not have a 1-1
corrolation to our own space, allowing us to subvert the limitation of
light speed.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 22:37:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Spinoff arc?
(blocked) asks:
> If the spinoff deal goes through, would it have an arc like the
> original, or have you even planned for that eventuality yet?
It would have an arc, yes, but not as rigorous as the one in B5;
I've kind of done that now, and would like to try something
different...I don't like to try and walk in the same stream twice, to
borrow a metaphor from Greek philosophy.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 22:37:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlon Question
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> So the Shadows are Organic?
Well, yeah, they're a life form, therefore they're organic.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1996 22:37:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Londo&Refa-Starlog artcl
{original post unavailable}
The ways of actors are mysterious and transcend all
understanding....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 11:45:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 T-Shirts
Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does anyone know where to get a child's B5 shirt or even if they
> make them?
Ah, the shirt you describe is from All-U. I posted the number
here for the company a while ago, but don't have it at hand. I'll try
to dig it up, but in the interim, if some friendly person happens to
have it nearby, and posts it, that would save you some time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 11:45:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 T-Shirts
Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does anyone know where to get a child's B5 shirt or even if they
> make them?
You can also try the Lurker's Guide (www.hyperion.com) which
has a link to Uncommyn Gifts, which carries that stuff.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 18:28:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe . . .
{original post had no questions}
Exactly. She needed that amount of time, so that's what she
had to have to make it believable. The next logical step is to show
the other parts of her starting to come back into the foreground.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 18:28:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com>
Subject: Walkabout Shuffle
Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will you adjust the episode order so that TNT broadcasts it in
> the "correct" order when they strip it?
Not really, because it doesn't make *that* much difference to
risk confusing them about it....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 18:28:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Randy j Zimmerman <73363.3717@compuserve.com>
Subject: War of the Worlds
{original post had no questions}
Thanks. I'd love to check out the comics. Because of the
press of work (and so many of the books out there started getting
crummy, in my view), I've kind of gotten out of the comics habit over
the last year, so I have no info on this one. Best to send it along to
me via the B5 mail drop, 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman
Oaks, CA 91423. Thanks again, for the kind words and the reference.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 18:52:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe . . .
Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> The question that come up as a result of this, at least in my
> mind anyway, are; was she able too, and was he asking too much of
> her under the circumstances, and should he have at least given
> her some time before expecting an answer? In essence, what I guess
> I'm asking in a nutshell is, was he expecting too much of her?
> After all, what if she didn't refuse because of what he had just
> told her? Could she have lacked the courage at such a vulnerable
> moment, thereby putting her needs on the back burner for what he
> wanted? Even if that's indeed what happened, it still constitutes
> love, but was it fair of him to put her in that position? Thus,
> the question naturally therefore arises from this is, was he
> thinking more of her at that moment, or of himself and what he
> wanted?
Well, I think it's better for someone to know that first, then
find out about it later. "Oh, good, we're going to spend the rest of
our lives together...oh, by the way, now that you've committed, you
should know...."
Uh, uh.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 22:18:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Spinoff arc?
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Leaving aside the question of *why* you might want to do such a
> thing, barring the sheer novelty of it, could you write
> empty-headed drivel?
"...could you write empty-headed drivel? I mean by that, something
devoid of the psychological depth, cultural allusions and
variously-voiced wit that we currently appreciate in B5."
Never have before, and see no reason to start now. Any time
I've worked on any show, I've tried to bring something special to it.
Even when I was doing animation...the references in "The Real
Ghostbusters" got blindingly obscure and arcane from time to time (we
once referred to a group of eskimos of specific professions gathered to
handle a spiritual problem an "inuit minyan," which I figure about 8
people in the country got.)
One thing that tends to be true of TV writing in general, not
just my case, is that once you know who's running and writing the show,
you have a fairly good idea of the kind of show you're going to be
getting, because shows tend to be direct outgrowths of the personality
of that writer. You can use phrases like "a Chris Carter show," which
calls up one kind of show, or a "Carl Reiner kind of sitcom," or "a Rod
Serling kind of show." A jms show falls into the same category. I
like sharp, witty, in-depth writing; always have, always will. So that
can be counted on as a constant.
The other kind of writing you describe I couldn't do on a bet.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 22:18:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: FYAmusement
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who knows, maybe upon her return home she will tune in just to
> catch the "real" wave?
You're right, that is amusing...in a nice way.
Be of good cheer (despite the season)...they're as real to me as
they are to anyone else.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go stop G'Kar from
frightening the neighbor's cat again....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 1996 22:18:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott J. Epstein <71514.2733@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe . . .
Scott J. Epstein <71514.2733@compuserve.com> asks:
> BTW, Joe, cross-culturally, how does the Minbari sleep-watching
> ritual compare in seriousness to a human marriage proposal?
Well, I think it fair to say that with Delenn starting the
ritual, there had already been kind of an implicit understanding that
this was going to be more than just a fling...and there's still a long
road ahead of them before this can be finalized.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 03:15:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com>
Subject: Q about shadows&vorlons
Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com> asks:
> Don't they have better things to do with their lives?
> What happened to the shadow that Sherridan fired on?
> Did it deflect the PPG charge like Kosh2 did?
> How did he get past it?
> Sherridan FOUGHT shadows --- or even one shadow -- with his BARE
> HANDS? I realize they weren't trying to kill him, but a
> full-fledged shadow could not subdue one puny human? How did they
> kill Kosh then? Did Sherridan's hand get bloodied from tangling
> with the shadow's spiky exoskeleton? I'm sorry to be so persistent
> about this question, but everyone I watch this episode with goes
> "Huh?"
The PPG bursts would've wounded the shadow, allowing him time to
scramble out of there before Morden could draw. He then had to fight
some other humans in the area, scramble down some ridges into the cave
areas, and then walk out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 03:18:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 censored in UK
{original post had no questions}
Just a note, but so far the 4th season hasn't aired in the UK
yet, and thus hasn't yet been censored, so this header is kind of a
misnomer. Also, I have no idea yet what C4 has in mind, and perhaps it
might be a good idea to see what they do, and react to it, rather than
jumping to conclusions based on what they *might* do....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 16:10:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
There's been a fair amount of speculation and concern about the fifth
season, and how the story is laying out to handle the possibilities of
renewal vs. no renewal. Though the ratings have continued to improve
despite the shifts and changes in the syndication marketplace -- it's a
very different market than it was when we first debuted -- nothing is
certain yet about a fifth season. Some at WB say yes, some say no. My
job is to pick my way through this minefield and make it all work, and
assure the story ending where is was meant to end. So how does one do
this?
Here's the skinny.
First, you have to understand that writing is a *process*, and that
process is constantly changing. Ask any writer, and they'll tell you
that many times they've been working on a short story, or a novel, and
they have to edit for space. This applies to both fiction and
nonfiction writers. Sometimes it's done by the writer, sometimes by
the editor. On my second novel, the editor told me at the halfway mark
that we'd have to keep the book down to 100,000 words, which was about
75-100 pages less than I'd been planning on, so the story had to be
adjusted to fit. As a journalist, I've often walked into the office
with a story in hand and been told, "Okay, you've got 15 column
inches," or 25 column inches, or 10 column inches...and you just learn
to write to fit. Every writer goes through this.
And in most cases, the average person never knows. Done properly, it
should be seamless. Look at Stephen King's The Stand, cut by almost
25% by the editors at first, then later released with all the ancillary
material replaced. I've read both, and the latter is not appreciably
better than the former...if you didn't know the material was there, you
would never have missed it.
This also happens on a per-episode basis. At LosCon, I showed a
finished scene from 405, and the daily of the master shot of the same
scene, which had another minute or so of material cut from the finished
scene. We cut material all the time; if you added up all the material
cut from the third season, you'd have enough for almost two episodes.
And we often slide material from one episode into another; we slid
Ivanova's scenes in 402 into 403, and another scene from 405 into
406...we've done that in prior seasons as well. Sometimes you go back
and you *add* material. Again, it's all part of the process.
(Interestingly enough, I just bought the new laserdisk of "Young
Frankenstein," which has about 15 minutes of material cut from the
movie for time. I watched it the other night, and of those 15 minutes,
13 were easily expendable...only one scene was fairly interesting, but
not really necessary.)
Okay, so how does all this relate to B5?
My obligation as a storyteller is to get to the end of the story in a
satisfying way. So after we got the year 4 renewal, and knowing that
the PTEN business situation had the potential to impact us (when the
network that supports you is no longer there, so now your entire
structure is shot out from under you...you've got a problem), I looked
at the structure for the story, and began planning adjustments so that
it could go either way without padding anything, and without
shortchanging the story.
First thing I did was to flip out the stand-alones, which
traditionally have taken up the first 6 or so episodes of each season;
between two years, that's 12 episodes, over half a season right there.
Then you would usually get a fair number of additional stand-alones
scattered across the course of the season. So figure another 3-4 per
season, say 8, that's 20 out of 44. So now you're left with basically
24 episodes to fill out the main arc of the story.
Now, that arc is very intensive, and has three primary threads: the
resolution of the Shadow war, the situation regarding Earth, and a
series of smaller sub-threads that feed off those main threads. But if
you charge right from one to the other, it's going to feel rushed,
you're going to need some breathing room between major movements,
particularly after the shadow war. Not so much stand-alones as episodes
that let you begin to rearrange your pieces for the next major
movement. So now you're back up to about 27.
Okay, so *now* what do you do? The solution to that came in several
unassociated pieces.
First came the word of the two B5 TV movies for TNT, which were
envisioned as taking place within the arc of our main story. Suddenly
I had 4 hours into which I could slide some of this material. One
sub-thread I'd been planning on was a 3-episode arc that would look at
how the Earth/Minbari War started, and Delenn's situation at the start
of the war, joining the Council, that sort of thing. Now I was able to
split that out. So in the series I can, in an episode, get into
Delenn's role in the war and go into the background of how she got to
know Dukhat, how she got into the Grey Council, and so on...all the
stuff you'd need to see prior to the war. Then the two hours covering
the rest, the progress of the war itself, could be covered in the
two-hour movie.
With the *benefit* that we'd have a little more money for the movie
than we would for two conventional hours, so we could do *more* in the
way of EFX, production value, and so on, which you're going to need to
really sell the E/M war. So strangely enough, and as tends to happen,
this has put us in the position of doing it *better* than if I'd
dropped it into two standard-budget episodes, as was my original plan.
Another sub-thread wouldn't have been introduced until late in year 5,
in part to set up the possibility of a sequel (which, as I've stated
from the very earliest days of the show, was always in the back of my
head) and which would stand on its own in any event; a thread designed
to illustrate the notion that the duration tends to be a lot longer
than the war. (You'll understand that one later.) That sub-thread
would've filled about 3-4 episodes.
Now, again, having the second 2-hour movie lets me slide that piece of
story into that category and cover nearly all of that ground in doing
so. The remaining material could (and will, one hopes) be covered in
the actual sequel itself. (If the sequel never ends up going, the
material will be sufficiently stand-alone to still work on its own.)
Then, finally, you take the stand-alones you pulled out earlier (which
nobody would miss, not knowing what was in them), and the final couple
of sub-threads (not yet introduced or implied in the main series) and
slide them into the sequel series, CRUSADE.
So if we *had* to collapse everything into a fourth year, it would all
fit perfectly. If word came that there *was* going to be a fifth year,
you commission some scripts early, drop some of the stand-alones back
into the slot, and bring up the sub-threads that would otherwise have
been transferred into the sequel.
Bottom line is...you're covered either way. You end up where you
wanted to end up, the main threads get dealt with, secondary or
tertiary threads have other venues in which they can be dealt
with...you're solid.
There's nothing particularly extraordinary or amazing in this...this
is how all writers work, since there are always going to be varying
constraints in length or venue. Writing is a process, and that process
is such that it is infinitely variable while still proceeding where you
want it to go.
So that's where I am currently. If I know the fate of the fifth year
by late February or early March, I can then flip either way and get out
cleanly. Worst case scenario is that I might have to write alternate
scenes or alternate endings for scenes in the last few episodes if the
word comes much later than that, just to give me the flexibility to
adjust the story in editing, which would definitely take place after we
wrapped, at which time we have to have word by contract.
None of this could've been done in three seasons...we had to have a
minimum of four to give us the flexibility of cutting either way.
There's no point to reading a book that leaves you hanging for an
ending, and B5 was meant to have an ending. At this juncture,
finishing off script 15, I feel very comfortable with the way all this
is laying out. The flow is there, and I know we'll get where we need
to. No matter what happens, we're covered. We can handle year 5
without padding, and handle year 4 without shortchanging the
storyline. Granted it took only slightly less planning than the
invasion of Normandy, but it works, and that's the crucial thing.
Anyway...I've gone on for longer than I'd intended. I hope that this
will answer some of the questions and concerns raised about the
situation, and explains how you do some of the planning for this kind
of thing. Again, this online experiment is about letting people
understand the process of telling a story like this, and of making a TV
show in general. As I've noted before, telling a story of this nature
for television, with all the exigencies and real-life surprises
involved, is like doing an elaborate step-dance while people are
throwing live chickens and chainsaws at you...but I knew that would be
the situation going in, and it was only a matter of whether or not the
story was worth the grief involved in telling it.
And it most definitely has been.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com>
Subject: Your writing schedule
Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com> asks:
> If the show is ended in the 4th rather then the fifth year how
> does that change the orginal arc plan- what happened according to
> the opening on the first year sinclair was to be the last
> comander of B5?
Actually, Sinclair wasn't identified by name in the pilot
episode as the final CO.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: What came First/Last?
Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> But it couldn't have been everything, could it?
> So, in broad strokes, could you define the order in which you
> created the universe/story? On the other end, was there anything
> major in what we've seen so far that got added in after the fact?
> I guess that Sheridan is #1 here, now 'bout #2?
Doesn't work that way. I can't separate out the elements like
that, it's all of a piece. It's like, when someone asks you to
remember your first relationship, you don't define it or bring it up in
terms of trips in cars, clothes you were wearing, or the like. It's a
whole. And that's how I tend to tell, and how I developed, the
story...sort of like remembering it all.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:38 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: ben dibble <105430.3170@compuserve.com>
Subject: Spoo taste?
ben dibble <105430.3170@compuserve.com> asks:
> But the question is, what earth food is most like it?
> Escargot?
> tripe?
> Scallops?
> steak?
Meat Jello.
Served chilled.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Messages from Earth
{original post unavailable}
You need to get out more. "Eternal vigilance is the price of
freedom" is a very famous phrase from history. Your homework
assignment now is to go and find it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
{original post unavailable}
Thanks. I think the impact of the show will only continue to
grow with time. In a few years, we'll be discovered, as though
suddenly we materialized on TeeVee...but that's okay. It's the doing
that matters.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
{original post unavailable}
Yes, the two TNT two-hours are confirmed.
And the regular series will start on TNT right after the main
run is finished, starting with season one. (So if we finish new
episodes in any given November, the show begins reruns on TNT the
following January.)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Dec 1996 23:55:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlon Question
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> But the Vorlons are a lifeform and I thought you said they were
> crystiline? Or are they a lifeform?
Silicon or crystalline based lifeforms are still lifeforms, just
not the same as carbon-based lifeforms (like us).
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Spinoff arc?
(blocked) asks:
> But haven't you already done the single episode format on MSW,
> and other series you've been on? What's between the arc and the
> stand alone shows?
Well, basically, all there *is* are either arc shows or
stand-alone shows (or maybe somewhat stand-alones with a slight thread
running through them). My feeling for now is that I just don't want to
do the same thing twice in a row...and maybe find some new approaches
along the way to the next project.
You must understand how hideously difficult and exhausting
telling a 5 year tightly constructed story like this is...basically,
over the course of 4 years, I'll have written 3,000 pages all in one
universe, primarily telling one story. That's the equivilent of 6 or 7
full-size novels in 4 years, telling one story. After something like
that, you want to do something a little different for a bit.
Four years ago, when I started carrying this elephant, I barely
had a grey hair on my head...now it's gone almost entirely grey, I look
as if I've aged 10 years, and people who see me after a gap of a few
years all say the same thing: "What the hell HAPPENED to you?" I tell
them: Babylon 5.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
(blocked) asks:
> Are there any plans to eventually release the B5 episodes (and
> potential upcoming TV movies) on video tape for the home market?
In the fullness of time....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rob Carr <73200.2754@compuserve.com>
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
{original post had no questions}
Thanks, and I'm glad the book is turning out to be useful.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com>
Subject: Corwin's Absence?
Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com> asks:
> David Corwin still a part of the B5 story arc?
He'll be showing up again about mid-season.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The "Triangle"
{original post unavailable}
Basically, yeah, it senses the presence of the Shadows
themselves... hence her comment, "They're back," even though we see
only Morden.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Glass Hand question
{original post unavailable}
It got pushed due to the increase in the arc, but we hope to do
something with it eventually.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: Oh, Joe...
Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can you tell me anything more about this, or have we indeed been
> left to draw our own conclusion in that regard?
I figure a) it's left to the viewer, and b) from my POV, he saw
what he said he saw.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dr. Kyle
Michael N. Rubinste <74012.147@compuserve.com> asks:
> He probably got all kinds of details from that scan; otherwise
> how could he have saved Kosh? Kyle since?
It was noted in season 1 that Dr. Kyle was reassigned to
Earthdome, under President Clark.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Dec 1996 23:13:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Eldridge <100723.2754@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 censored in UK
Philip Eldridge <100723.2754@compuserve.com> asks:
> If they do cut it would you be consulted or would it just be get
> out the scissors and cellotape? Surely being the creative force
> behind the series it must annoy you to see someone tamper with
> your work? Is there any truth to the stories of TNT syndicating
> B5? If so how will this affect a possible series 5?
TNT picks up B5 whenever it's done, whether that's 4 or 5 years,
so it doesn't affect us either way.
My only concern on the C4 thing is that, as far as I know,
nothing has been indicated by C4 either way on cuts of any sort, and I
know just enough about TV folks to know that if people act before even
*they* have reached a concensus, and may not in fact be accurate, it
tends to move them in the opposite direction from that desired.
jms
------------------------------