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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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JMS CompuServe messages for April 1997. Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.
Date: 01 Apr 1997 02:36:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The Raven & the Dove
{original post unavailable}
Not a message as such, but more an image, a mood that gives
subtext to some stuff that happens later.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 02:36:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: I-con: Time of Program?
Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> 8:00-9:00pm Autographs in the Gym 9:30-10:30pm Panel: Home is the
> Strangest Place of All at Javits 102, with Harlan, Nancy Kress,
> and ??
It's definitely going to be changed....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 02:47:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark Sloan <100407.3462@compuserve.com>
Subject: UK B5 FAN TO BE SUED!!
{original post had no questions}
Wearing a beard and glasses is not grounds for any kind of suit,
or I would be in court forever.
I've been warning people for some time now, particularly those
who abuse the copyright, that WB is cracking down. Over two dozen
*judgements* have been rendered in cases pursued by WB against pirates
and hackers and others who've imperiled the copyright to B5. If this
windows "help" file is what I think it is, it's filled with images and
material owned by WB, and is being mass distributed. Whether for free
or profit isn't the issue, it's the repackaging of material. The
"bearded/glasses" thing sounds like smoke to me because the person got
caught.
On the one hand, we've gotten WB to be fairly relaxed about web
sites and fan stuff, as long as the proper copyright info is
appended...but at the same time, they're cracking down on those who are
abusing the situation and unquestionably infringing on WB's copyright.
(Note to dealers and con organizers: they've been seriously going after
counterfeiters and pirates, and some cons have had to pay the price for
not properly policing their dealer's rooms for counterfeit
merchandise.) In most cases that I know of, the person is given a
warning first...then hit when and if they choose to get stupid and
ignore the warning. I don't know the situation with this one, but I
would guess it's the same.
WB owns B5, and WB has an obligation to protect it from falling
into public domain, which *will happen* unless it vigorously goes after
parties who infringe on that copyright. There is no corporation on the
planet that acts otherwise.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 12:24:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK B5 FAN TO BE SUED!!
{original post had no questions}
(sudden light goes on)
I think I keel Meester Sloan now....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 12:24:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: burrowing bombs
Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com> asks:
> for your version that is used by the Vorlons, are they based on a
> concept from another area of SF that I'm not familiar with? or did
> you come up with them yourself? did you know that the US was
> developing them?
No, that's something that we came up with here...if this is
true, it's an interesting concept.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 22:41:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon 5 RPG...canon?
{original post unavailable}
Obviously there's a lot of wriggle room here because there's so
much material covered, but at least the sense of it is canonical, and a
lot of what they came up with was sufficiently good that I looked at it
and said, "Okay, I can buy that."
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Apr 1997 22:41:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Shadow Within/ITF
Craig M. Bobchin <102354.3246@compuserve.com> asks:
> What was the timing of the book/episode?
> I know books require a bit of lead time so did the author see the
> episode before it aired or was it something you added after the
> book was in progress?
It all just sorta came together at the same time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Apr 1997 03:20:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-Con Invitation
{original post unavailable}
So what was it like seeing 24 episodes in a row?
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Apr 1997 22:54:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-Con Invitation
{original post unavailable}
Actually, Claudia never played Ivanova with a Russian accent. I
still can't figure out why people keep saying this. She was very
formal, but there was never, ever any accent unless she was saying a
Russian name, but that's all.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:16:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Belgarde <75347.2324@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon 5 RPG...canon?
Scott Belgarde <75347.2324@compuserve.com> asks:
> I haven't played any RPGs in years, not since my college
> days--ahhhh...I yearn for those long past halcyon days when I had
> the time (Classes?
"I'm just hoping the technical manual will be released, either in hard
copy or on disc, it will make my task a great deal easier.":
This will be coming out as the B5 Security Manual from Boxtree
(likely to then be reprinted by Del Rey), and in the B5 informational
CDrom now being finished.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: Psi Phi Phony jms
To anyone one the Psi Phi mailing list or web site: someone has
been logging on to impersonate me over this past weekend. I have
never, at any time, posted on this site, and any messages are to be
discounted, deleted and ignored. If anyone knows the sysop of this
system, please notify them and tell them to remove that account.
There have been, and continue to be, impersonators using my name
on other systems. If you see something that looks suspicious, or if I
show up on an unfamiliar system, please send email to me asking if it's
actually me or not. Generally the only places I post *ever* are
Compuserve, GEnie, AOL, the usenet moderated group, and the B5 fan club
site.
To those considering this prank: understand that whereas other
activities are fuzzy under the law when it comes to the cyberworld,
falsy impersonating someone is *not*, and you will be arrested. Count
on it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kathleen . Keefe <102735.3416@compuserve.com>
Subject: I-Con Invitation
Kathleen . Keefe <102735.3416@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who was it?
I think it was just someone from our walla group.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: holding over episodes
{original post had no questions}
Fall would be October; they'd use the last episodes to ramp up
whatever comes next, us or something else, for the November sweeps.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Fans vs. Trekkies
Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> Where is the line drawn?
> How do we stay 'healthy' fans, and avoid getting mentioned in the
> next update of Harlan's Xenogenesis?
Leaving aside the whole broader questions at work here -- and
there are many -- I think that on balance, B5 fans would have a harder
time falling for this sort of thing in general because B5 does not
offer answers, only questions, and encourages viewers to think for
themselves and question authority. This would not make them good
candidates for cult recruitment drives.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: King Arthur and Delenn
{original post had no questions}
Had he actually known...it would've been even more apt.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 RPG comments
Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com> asks:
> What gives?
They would be a *major* disruption in an environment such as B5,
so their presence is discouraged in the sense of having an office
there, though other teeps do pass through on occasion.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-CON
{original post had no questions}
Thanks; you should've come up and said hi...every time someone
asked me to sign a card to Sharon, I said, "...Foster?" Never worked
out.
The con was a lot of fun...hard work, but overall, fun.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 01:48:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: More I-CON Musings....
{original post had no questions}
Thanks, good points...and yeah, I generally try to watch
X-Files, though I've fallen a bit by the wayside lately due to a) work
and b) the story getting kinda convoluted (yeah, like I should
talk)....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 02:05:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-CON
{original post unavailable}
No, I was not told that people had left the line and not been
allowed in. At one point, a security person pointed to the end of the
line and told me that now that we'd begun that would be the end of it,
but that's all. (And I kept insisting that I'd sign more than one
thing, I'm real fast that way.) I felt that they were a little
ham-handed in this...but at the same time, particulary Sunday, I was on
a *very* tight schedule, and that made things tough for everyone. But
my policy holds: if someone's in line, they should get an autograph, no
matter how long it takes.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Apr 1997 12:33:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Thanks, & some questions
(blocked) asks:
> Was it your idea to have Marcus singing "I am the Very Model of a
> Moder Major General" at the end of the last episode, or was it
> the actor who suggested the specific song? Why has no one begun to
> put two and two together and think about the possibility that
> Garibaldi's change in personality may be related to the fact that
> he he and his ship were obviously abducted?
The song was in the script; Jason then had to learn it. And
Andreas came in and auditioned like others, and we responded to what we
saw during his audition. Simple as that.
And thanks....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Apr 1997 01:12:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-CON
{original post unavailable}
They cut the line off *outside*, after people had been waiting?!
I didn't know. Suffice to say I'm vastly disappointed and more
than a tad annoyed by this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Apr 1997 12:31:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: WesterCon 50
Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> for WesterCon 50 worked-out your schedule and will you let us
> know what it is when you do know?
No, I don't believe anything's been finalized yet, though I'll
be sure to mention when it is.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Apr 1997 22:22:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: jms Note to German Fans
I spoke to Bruce today, and apparently whatever problems may
have existed have been worked out, and he, Richard Biggs and Jerry
Doyle are now all confirmed for the German convention this summer.
Now, that stated, an open letter to the German fan groups.
Many on the B5 staff and I have been inundated with email from
fans in Germany, and organizers of various fan groups, and fan
counter-groups, and counter-counter groups, and insisting -- no,
*demanding* -- that we get personally involved in the fan situation
there, that so-and-so has no business working in X area of fandom, that
this group over here isn't as right or proper as *that* group over
there, insisting again and again that we issue statements condemning or
repudiating one group or another....
Stop it.
For starters you're making my people crazy. And some of the
cast. You do not endear yourselves with this behavior.
Second: it is not our place to intervene in fan-vs-fan disputes.
Not only *would* we not do so, it would be wrong for us to try, and it
would be resented by the majority of fans, rightly so.
Granted that there are always, and will always be, schisms and
politics and back-alley metaphorical knifings between one fan group and
another, that goes with the territory, and it happens in many
countries. But the ferocity of this competition, and the blizzard of
email to my staffers and others involved with the show from those
involved in the current dispute has gone beyond the pale.
If I know from personal experience or knowledge that a given
convention is going to be trouble, I'll say so...but I (and we) have no
direct knowledge of the situation in German fandom, and to ask us to
condemn or recognize one faction or another when we are completely in
the dark is simply wrong.
(I should mention that it's primarily those who are actually
involved in one group or another who are making life difficult for us
here; we have received only wonderful support from German fans in
general, who don't get involved in the politics of local fandom. We're
very proud of how the show has been received in Germany, and are only
appreciative of the great response and support and letters we've
received. This is primarily addressed only to the specific groups
involved.)
The point of B5 is that hu jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Mar 1997 21:25:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: JOHN GRAVES <102735.1124@compuserve.com>
Subject: Who Killed JMS?
JOHN GRAVES <102735.1124@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just what the heck is going on?
> What are you folks thinking of?
As I noted in a message to you in another thread, everything has
worked out fine, and the sysops have adjusted the structure to allow
for greater flexibility, for which they are to be commended.
So I'm still alive and well and here...the reports of my dearth
are greatly exaggerated....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Mar 1997 21:25:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Starfury model/drwgs
{original post unavailable}
The models advertised in the UK are pirate and inferior.
Authorized models will be coming out from Revell/Monogram later
this year.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Apr 1997 11:51:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: I-CON
{original post had no questions}
Yeah, it seemed to us as well that he was having a bit of fun,
being a renowned satirist, and we figured we'd play into it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Apr 1997 15:18:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Will Gearhart <102147.2670@compuserve.com>
Subject: Timeline question
Will Gearhart <102147.2670@compuserve.com> asks:
> To that I would add, if the Minbari couldn't scan Sinclair, would
> they have just finished earth off and made the whole question of
> the battle scene, Babylon 5, 4 (all of them) moot? And what kind
> of race would the Minbari be without Valen? And doesn't believing
> in Mobius-like temporal paradoxes take a bit more faith than
> believing in God?
Sinclair went back because he would always go back and always
went back; the "alternate" timeline phrase isn't quite correct...it's
more like the moment when the two possible wave forms of
*possibilities* must collapse into one probability or certainty, both
tugging at the same time. For instance, you've got Shroedinger's cat,
put into a box, with a 50/50 chance of a poison gas capsule opening and
killing the cat. At the instant before you open the box, Shroedinger
said, the cat is neither dead nor alive, but *both*, until you open the
box and the two possibilities collapse into one. It isn't that the cat
had two alternate timelines, only that there were two possibilities
fighting it out to become the real one.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Apr 1997 01:33:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: jms Note to German Fans
{original post unavailable}
....sigh...just what I need.
Okay, somebody get me a fistful of theses, I'll get a nail....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Apr 1997 01:33:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jonathan Kass <74130.443@compuserve.com>
Subject: Timeline question
{original post had no questions}
Well, I figure...we saw it from the cat's point of view....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Apr 1997 01:33:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Belgarde <75347.2324@compuserve.com>
Subject: Timeline question
Scott Belgarde <75347.2324@compuserve.com> asks:
> Speaking of Schroedinger's Cat, ever read any Rudy Rucker?
Personally, I think they ought to leave the damn cat alone
before he scratches somebody's eyes out....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Apr 1997 01:33:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: ICON Postscript
By the way...since I got the end of the story today in the
paper, I thought I'd pass this along as a follow-up to the Icon
coverage.
On Sunday late afternoon, I finished my last presentation and
got into the car to head back to the hotel to pack. Robert Kaiser,
escort and driver assigned by the con, was driving the van and can
verify what follows. We were about halfway to the hotel, on the
freeway, when I heard this very loud engine right outside, like a big,
loud motorcycle trying to pass. I looked to the left, nothing. Looked
to the right and behind. Nothing.
Then I looked forward...and saw two airplane wheels coming down
over the edge of the window.
In any international language you can name, this is the symbol
for You Are Now In Serious Guano.
A private plane was literally about five feet above the van.
And coming down. Fast.
It got a little ahead of us, because it was still moving fast,
and it was obviously looking to try and put down on the freeway.
Something was wrong. It was about three or so car lengths ahead now,
but there wasn't room to put down, too many cars. It suddenly lurched
down. "It's going to hit the deck right in front of us," I realized.
Then it abruptly pitched up again, as a bridge appeared in front of us,
and banked away to the right.
The last I saw, it was banking and descending behind a line of
trees, apparently looking for somewhere, anywhere to set down before
the plane gave out.
I didn't want to say anything until I knew the fate of whoever
was flying it; happily, according to newspaper reports, the three
passengers of the plane were injured when it crashed into the side of a
nearby house, but not killed. They were taken to the nearby Medical
Center at Stony Brook, there in Long Island, and are now recovering.
Took us a while to calm down. After all the other adventures of
the convention...they threw a plane at us. And almost got us...within
five feet, to be precise. Had it gone down just roughly ninety seconds
before it did, I would almost certainly not be here to write this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Apr 1997 15:54:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com>
Subject: Women in the Sequel
Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com> asks:
> 8) What I'm curious about is if you have given any thought to the
> male/female ratio on the new show? Have you given any thought to
> it?
I never ever give thought to ratios, or making a political
statement, or anything other than the story. If that meant using 100%
female cast in the movie, or 100% male cast, or some variation thereof,
then that's what it'll be. I think the *instant* you start putting
agendas ahead of the creative process, of saying "What is the story
*about*?" then I think you're dead.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 01:04:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com> asks:
> What sort of mutant keyboard is that?
> Is it wireless?
> Would you recommend this arrangement for those of us with the CTS
> and sore neck blues?
That's a Kinesis keyboard, which I've found very useful. It's
cut back the discomfort quite a bit, and I recommend it, though it
takes a bit to get used to it.
I've also just ordered a Datahand, which is a very radically
different design, though there's apparently an 8 week waiting list.
I'll let folks know how that one works out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 17:28:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com> asks:
> What do you do for a mouse, though?
> And how DO you handle the keyboard in your lap- do you have an
> extra long cord, or a cordless adapter?
I still have to use a standard mouse, though I hate a mousepad,
so I usually just run it on the top of my leg.
The keyboard cable is pretty standard, and should probably be
longer. I just keep it in my lap, on a lap-cat (a keyboard cushion),
and sit back and type my little brains out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 17:28:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com>
Subject: Women in the Sequel
Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com> asks:
> If I recall correctly, didn't you change casting directors
> between the first and second seasons and wasn't one of the
> reasons an effort to get more "cultural diversity" into the
> casting?
Yes, there we noticed a lapse because the show was getting (and
still tends to be) a little too white-bread for my tastes, though we've
gotten a bit better lately.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 17:28:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: General
Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> What are the particulars for choosing the art for the books?
> Who could she send her portfolio to?
The book is being done in-house through WB publishing, so it'd
have to go through that.
And thanks...good to see you there.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 23:11:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com> asks:
> though then what would my excuse for getting so little done be?
BTW, before I forget, try checking out www.datahand.com for
another kind of keyboard, the one I just ordered. Can't vouch for it
yet, because I haven't tried it and am trying this on faith, but it's a
completely radical new design that was initially made for the Post
Office, and is now being sold commercially.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 23:11:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: Women in the Sequel
{original post had no questions}
Okay, kids, stop fighting or I'll turn this car *right* around
and we'll go home.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Apr 1997 23:25:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Francis Rogers <73742.1613@compuserve.com>
Subject: Illusions of Truth
Francis Rogers <73742.1613@compuserve.com> asks:
> BTW, do you know if Kitman was putting us on in his overlong
> introduction? What are your actual feelins on the matter?
> 4, Who played the "psychiatrist" in the episode, the one
> interviewed by Randall?
I am definitely *not* anti-reporter...I'm against the *control*
of truth by any government or political agenda. We are made stronger
by a multiplicity of voices, and the more those voices are allowed
access to a level playing field, the more often the truth will come out
to play.
The third name was Jarrico, after Paul Jarrico, also
blacklisted.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Apr 1997 17:22:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Earth Standard Time
{original post unavailable}
Basically, it's the time zone in Geneva, Switzerland, which is
the seat of Earth government now, Earthdome, and since all major
planetary councils, the Senate, the President and other official
business goes through there, that's the area where EST is determined.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:12:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com> asks:
> Not to belabor this line of questioning (she says as she
> belabors), but where do you get one of these things?
Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got it, and the label
has long since fallen off, I only remember that it was called a LapCat.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:12:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com>
Subject: Women in the Sequel
Eric Baker <76600.2605@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can we stop at McDonalds now?
Ask your mother.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:12:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Personal Agendas?
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> So my question is: Is the placement of this story in error, or is
> the characterization just really out of sync with the series? Or
> is this criticism entirely unjustified from your point of view?
No, I've said that while this one is okay, the characterization
is off, and it tries 'way too hard to be funny, ignoring the notion
that if everything is funny then *nothing* is funny. Unfortunately, I
didn't get the actual manuscript until it was too late to do anything
short of commissioning a full rewrite, which they wouldn't do.
Anyway...as I said, it's okay. But for my money, the Anna
Sheridan and Jeffrey Sinclair books are the two real gems of this
batch.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:17:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New episodes??
(blocked) asks:
> When do we get out of the current batch of reruns and back into
> the new episodes??
Next week's TV Guide lists the first new episode back.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:17:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New episodes??
{original post unavailable}
Actually, it's got some pretty funny stuff in it...when it ain't
being tense....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 01:17:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Thomas Rackers <72047.1207@compuserve.com>
Subject: ATTN JMS: Blacklists?
Thomas Rackers <72047.1207@compuserve.com> asks:
> Basically, were some actors who were blacklisted by the HUAC
> proceedings able to find work afterwards under other names? Are
> you aware if pseudonyms were used to get around the blacklists?
Some writers were able to get around it, but not the actors,
except by leaving the US and working in England or Paris. I think
you're thinking of two different actors.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Apr 1997 23:03:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New episodes??
(blocked) asks:
> Is this the one with the cameo by Scott Adams?
No, I don't believe it is.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Apr 1997 12:45:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Illusions of Truth
Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> One question this brings to mind, why do we never see anything
> but ISN? How did ISN get a stranglehold on the news, and if it
> didn't, then there are likely millions of potential news outlets
> accessible to everyone, how does Clark keep them under control?
ISN is the one network that can handle *interstellar*
broadcasts, which reqire a massive amount of energy, logistics,
setup...there are other, local, planetary networks around Earth, and a
few specialized channels for military and some commercial use...but ISN
is the biggest, and because of that is very much in Earthgov's pocket.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Apr 1997 22:53:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
{original post had no questions}
No, I just figured that sooner or later you'd stumble onto the
staple gun solution like the rest of us.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Apr 1997 22:53:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marcia Sampson <103127.1072@compuserve.com>
Subject: Does all Earth use EST?
Marcia Sampson <103127.1072@compuserve.com> asks:
> That got me to wondering: is the entire planet Earth on Earth
> Standard Time? If the whole Earth is on Earth Standard Time, does
> this mean that in places well away from the EST meridian, most
> people work at night and sleep/observe curfew during daylight?
No, EST is mainly for the seat of government, to which most
military outposts are synchronized.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 18 Apr 1997 23:56:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo News?
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> So, have you any news to leak to us?
Well, if there *were* anything to say, it would be with the
understanding that the Hugo people want to make the announcements on
nominations, so anything I have to say wouldn't actually exist until
after then, so what I might have to say now doesn't exist, and what I
may say in future can't be said, so theoretically what exists, doesn't,
for the immediate future.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Apr 1997 22:21:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo News?
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> I want to memorize this (with adaptations according to
> situations) just for the <disengage-brain> effect it would have,
> sort of like, "Do you feel more like you do now than when you
> came in?"
Thanks...I think....
Though certainly if I were to comment on any nominations, it
would be an act severed from polite behavior, and one never even dreams
of such things.
Now let's all get out our Little Orphan Annie Decoder Rings....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Apr 1997 22:21:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Don Berg <74147.1753@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS,HE on SF:Vortex
Don Berg <74147.1753@compuserve.com> asks:
> I heard that you and Harlan Ellison are scheduled to appear
> together on Sci-Fi Vortex next week is that true?
Yep, it's true.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Apr 1997 14:29:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Mention of B5
{original post had no questions}
Well, what the heck does it *say*? I'm stuck at home writing
and can't get to a store to find out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Apr 1997 18:09:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Mention of B5
{original post unavailable}
Thanks, we try.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Apr 1997 21:27:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Modern Major Miracle
{original post unavailable}
Thank you. Now go to your room before the scansion police get
here.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Apr 1997 12:22:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: John Leonard Quotes
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Page 125 - "What did it mean--so many cowboys and Indians in
> outer space, so many SWAT teams and drug-busters, and such a foam
> and froth of humanoid diversity?
Thanks for taking the time to transcribe all that. I figured
just a synopsis, but you went far beyond the line of duty on that.
Many thanks again.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Apr 1997 20:34:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Happy Couple
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> And why do I have the feeling that, in a society with a declining
> population, one of the last rituals before marriage may well be a
> test of fertility? But we'll have to wait and see, won't we?
I like silly and unbecoming as long as it's believable...which
is a fine line to walk. We all do silly things from time to time, and
that's okay.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Apr 1997 00:02:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com>
Subject: spoiler- new ep
Jean S McKnight <105513.130@compuserve.com> asks:
> WHOO HOO?!
> WHOO HOO?!?!?!?!
"You, sir, are nothing but a big bearded tease!"
Thankyew....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Apr 1997 16:24:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Bovenmyer <73567.1341@compuserve.com>
Subject: spoiler- new ep
{original post had no questions}
Your spelling was correct. And yeah...amazing the kind of
implications you can make just by chaning one little pronoun....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Apr 1997 12:32:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 S5 - A thought or two
colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com> asks:
> If word of renewal is late, is it likely that the finale may have
> to be filmed 'just in case' - and if so - how do the cast feel
> about that? For once, knowing the outcome, how would it affect
> their actions for the characters?
> - Yeah I know - big stretch on my part, again, what do I know??
> Last thing - my wife came up with a dandy idea - if there is no
> season 5 - how about WB extending S4 so Joe has a couple of
> episodes to tie things up - instead of condensing it into one ??
> - Freeing him up for more "expression" - Good idea (if unlikely)
> or wot (or not )?? Thoughts people ??
> Please ??
Ain't nobody gonna be disappointed. That much I feel sure
about.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Apr 1997 12:40:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo Ballot Announced!
David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com> asks:
> Comments anyone?
David...I agree with you completely. I find the cavalier
treatment you've received on this to be appalling in the extreme.
Everyone who saw that episode knows full well that it used massive
amounts of your material: your writing, your lines, your ideas, your
structure...it's all there. The new stuff is just interwoven into it.
That you aren't listed as one of the writers, that they never even
*paid* you for the use of your material is nothing short of hideous.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Apr 1997 21:07:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo Ballot Announced!
{original post had no questions}
"I feel some proprietary interest."
Yeah...nothing like having your firstborn kid sliced up for
someone else's dinner and then denied even the claim of parenthood.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 25 Apr 1997 15:19:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com> asks:
> And to know how pervasive those icky shadow minions seem to be
> (guess we'll learn more about them next week)...We saw the
> episode on vacation and can you believe that at times I felt
> anxious, wondering what could be bothering me, only to realize I
> was worried about John, Delenn, Garibaldi and Babylon5?
Thanks...unsettled is just the right reaction. And yeah,
someone is going to start wondering soon enough about his behavior.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 25 Apr 1997 15:26:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo Ballot Announced!
{original post had no questions}
Obvious question, though, is...are you going to bring this up
in the ST section as well as areas mainly visited by B5 folks? I don't
think they know the situation among the ranks of ST fans, and they
might be able to do more inside.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 26 Apr 1997 23:42:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did I hear the line "He's not the Pope, he doesn't even look like
> HER!"?
Yeah, you heard the "her" line. Got a fair amount of flack for
that one, btw.
And it's Woo Hoo.
If Yahoo wants a reference they should call me....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 26 Apr 1997 23:59:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo Ballot Announced!
{original post had no questions}
Too bad no one's considered the idea that the Hugo here could be
viewed in another way. That is...the DS9 episode was really a tribute
to the original "Tribbles" episode. That was the whole reason they
*did* it, and the plot ties directly into that original episode. If
you take away the original "Tribbles" script...there's nothing *there*.
They just weave in and out of your story.
So if the DS9 episode is a tribute to your episode, then why
couldn't the Hugo be given *to the original episode*? After all, it
was good enough for DS9 to pay tribute to, and in essence, simply
repackage it...why not follow in their footsteps and their intention?
jms
------------------------------
Date: 26 Apr 1997 23:59:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Gerrold's conclusion
{original post had no questions}
"...asking Resnick about my integrity is like asking Heidi Fleiss
about chastity."
And not nearly as funny as asking Heidi Fleiss about Resnick....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 01:27:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard L. Long <76562.2757@compuserve.com>
Subject: GARIBALDI
{original post had no questions}
The character remains on the show.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 15:26:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SUSAN F. KIRN <76262.2013@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...it's the ep that starts ramping things up again.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 15:26:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
{original post unavailable}
Suffice to say some have taken it *very* personally and have
sent some me fairly abusive email. But that's showbidness.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 15:26:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: sfVortex Appearance
{original post unavailable}
Thanks....
And I'll fill you in on the Garibaldi line.
In the show.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 15:26:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Racing Mars>/Dead Heat
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who is racing Mars?
Sounds like you've got a Monopoly on the subtext here.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 20:41:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Battleground Earth ?
{original post unavailable}
It ain't a ST series, it's a different show entirely.
Came out of Majel's vault, and apparently they're going to have
to change the name to avoid any conflicts with Scientology and
Battlefield Earth.
They'd asked if I'd be interested in running it, but I declined.
I think they've now got Rick Okie, from Renegade, on as
show-runner/writer basing the series on the provided material.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 20:47:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin Wood <100337.272@compuserve.com>
Subject: Query: Sheridan & Delenn
Kevin Wood <100337.272@compuserve.com> asks:
> epitomy when there is large quantities of destructive force in
> play?
"Why is it that the romance between Sheridan and Delenn always seems
to reach it's... epitomy when there is large quantities of destructive
force in play?"
Maybe that's when we most need someone to hold....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 20:47:35 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
{original post unavailable}
No, but that (the vorlon question) is a philosophical issue.
You hardly ever run into problems there...what kills you is doctrine,
based on a belief. If it weren't for doctrine, a lot of the world's
religions would get along a lot better, because the core roots of their
beliefs aren't that dissimilar, it's the interpretation and the rules
that grew up around them that seem to cause all the trouble.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Apr 1997 20:47:37 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sinclair--->Delenn
{original post had no questions}
Thanks. If you check the archives, when people said, "But what
about the relationship between Sinclair and Delenn we see?" (and this
is back a long time ago), I said that there is a relationship there,
yes, but it isn't what you think it is. Now we see what it was.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Apr 1997 00:52:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: B5 Fan Club Note (jms)
One of the most dangerous things in the world is a writer who
has finished writing for a while, has met his deadlines, and can now
address other issues.
One such issue that has been nibbling at the back of my
brainstem has been the Babylon 5 Fan Club. I've felt for some time
that it was not living up to its potential, and has been laying fallow
for some while. The Universe Today newsletter was okay, but it could
have been better. The club was okay, but could have been better.
Okay is never sufficient. We either move forward or we fall
back, there is no such thing as holding position. Especially with the
fan club, because as a fan myself, I have to feel that people are
getting their money's worth out of the club, and frankly, I'm not sure
they have been. Now that I have time to turn my attention to the
problem....
A number of changes have been made to improve the situation for
the current members, and for future members.
1) We are going to substantially improve Universe Today and get
it out on schedule. To facilitate this, we are announcing that Mike
Zmuda, publisher of the Centaurian Sentinel, probably the best of the
B5 fanzines out there, has been made editor of the newsletter.
Sandra Bruckner, publisher of the Zocalo, has been named
co-editor. Both begin work effective May 1st.
Knowing the great work these two have performed individually, we
have every anticipation that their combined efforts on Universe Today
will make it the sort of publication we've always wanted it to be.
2) Sandra has also agreed to take over as website administrator
for thestation.com, maintaining it and improving it and updating it as
circumstances warrant. The B5 Fan Club Web Site has also been
wandering a bit, and this will correct that problem.
3) Jim Lockett, founding head of the B5 Fan Club, has moved on
to other projects, and we wish him all the best in his future
endeavors.
4) A more assertive position will be taken in promoting the club
at conventions, in advertisements, and in developing merchandise
specific to the fan club.
5) Finally, because of my sense that the members of the Fan Club
have not gotten all that they could have out of the club during its
debut, we are going to ROLL OVER ALL YEAR ONE MEMBERSHIPS to a second
year. If you joined prior to April 1, 1997, you are automatically
comp'd in as a member for a second year without charge. Doug and I
will personally swallow the expense of that.
It is our desire that the Official Babylon 5 Fan Club should be
the best entity of its kind ever created. Now that we have made some
mid-course corrections, we are back on track to becoming that. And we
think you will approve of our plans for improving and expanding the
operation as we move ahead over the rest of 1997.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 10:06:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com>
Subject: Battleground Earth ?
Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you know if BATTLEGROUND EARTH is based on the two Gene
> Roddenbury pilots GENESIS II and PLANET EARTH? BTW, any word on
> season 5 of B5 yet?
No, it's got nothing to do with either project.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 10:06:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Lines of Comm.
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> did you indicate that particular design?
Yeah, I indicated a flower-like design. With the lethalness
behind them, it seemed like a nice contrast.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 10:06:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Strong Signals
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> I wonder why that sounds like famous last words now, given the
> revelations of civil unrest back on Minbar?
Thanks, and good points.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 14:59:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com>
Subject: Battleground Earth ?
Brian Prothero <76711.663@compuserve.com> asks:
> or were you just too busy with your current projects?
> Did the story idea for Battleground Earth sound promising?
Thanks. It was noted to me at the time that a
Roddenberry/Straczynski collaboration would be very commerical, but on
looking at the material, I just felt it wasn't strong enough; at least,
I couldn't see where it could go, and thus felt it better to leave it
to others who potentially would not be limited by that, and could find
ways to make it work.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 14:59:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Who's the Boss?
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Well, your directorial debut should be over now, right?
> So, how did it go?
> Or how is it going, if you're still doing it?
> Any cute stories or other interesting happening (no spoilers,
> obviously)? And, above all, did everyone cry?
I'm only on day 2 so far...long way to go yet before I can
rest.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 14:59:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
{original post had no questions}
I find it vaguely frightening that you know all this that well,
though the scenario you paint is a good one, and I'll try to remember
all that (though it's sorta complex...the doctrinal version of long
division).
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 19:27:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Gerrold <70307.544@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hugo Ballot Announced!
{original post had no questions}
Glyer's solution is workable unless you can determine if any of
the other writers involved are baser than you are....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 21:05:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season finale
{original post unavailable}
I'm shooting the season finale for year 5 right now, and
directing it. Assuming a 5th season, this would be aired as 522 instead
of 422, with 501 moved into the 422 spot.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 29 Apr 1997 23:42:27 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5: A Soap Opera
{original post unavailable}
"...there's been a really startling lack of adultery, fornication,
kinky sex, overt blackmail and the sort of tangled family tree that
makes Sinclair/Valen/Delenn look absolutely pedestrian."
Damn, I knew I was forgetting *something*....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Apr 1997 11:13:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Hugh Kennedy <70042.710@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Racing Mars<< worries
Hugh Kennedy <70042.710@compuserve.com> asks:
> Why?
Joe: There is no rest.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Apr 1997 22:58:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Fan Club Note (jms)
{original post unavailable}
I'll post the full info again when I feel we're ready to gear
up. And thanks....
jms