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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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JMS CompuServe messages for June 1997. Collected by John Hardin
<jhardin@wolfenet.com>.
Date: 31 May 1997 21:48:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season 5
{original post unavailable}
"Is the cast under contract for season five, should it happen?. Now
that you've wrapped the final episode, is there any danger of losing
Bruce, Claudia, Jerry, Mira, etc to other committments while you wait
to see if season is a go?"
No, the contracts have nothing to do with that episode, we still
have options on all our cast members.
"You mentioned that you were already shooting Thirdspace, the first B5
movie. Wasn't "In The Beginning" the Minbari war story going to be
first?"
The prequel is aired first, but produced second, because B5
didn't exist during the prequel time period, so rather than tear and
and rebuild sets, we're doing Thirdspace first.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:48:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Converted Ones
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> So this past week she was here for a visit and the first thing
> she asks is "so what's up with those people on Babylon 5?"
That's wonderful, thanks....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:49:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: News on Pilot/2ndy Chars
{original post unavailable}
"Speaking of cuts, I asked this question of all and sundry, but people
don't seem to know... Will B5 be released on LaserDisc or DVD ever?
Even if there are no current plans for such, what do you think of the
idea / chances?"
I have every confidence it'll happen in the fullness of time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:49:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bob Koslosky <102365.2062@compuserve.com>
Subject: No Surrender No retreat
Bob Koslosky <102365.2062@compuserve.com> asks:
> And Sheridan goes on to say that it's going to get harder??
> What gives?
"It seems to me that the White Stars (particularly in the numbers I
perceived in this Ep) should have been able to deal with the Earth
ships like lamb to a slaughter."
Yeah, if all you want is to slaughter fellow humans and
officers; if you want to try to minimize the body count of your fellow
officers, who you want to eventually side with you, it's more
difficult, you have to keep the kid gloves on...which endangers you in
the long run.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:49:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: No Surrender, No Retreat
{original post had no questions}
Yeah, the Londo/G'Kar stuff was nifty...and yes, he's struggling
toward redemption as best he can, making a real effort, which is
important, because if he's going to end up with a Keeper on him
eventually, as we've seen, best to feel for him, which you can't if
he's a bad guy.
Set 'em up, knock 'em down....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:49:07 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Debra dwnSo <104412.1664@compuserve.com>
Subject: Next Season in Future?
Debra dwnSo <104412.1664@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do they know something I don't know?
Your friends are all wrong.
One episode, "Sleeping in Light," takes place 20 years down the
road. The B5 series itself is contiguous, so S5 would be in 2262.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 31 May 1997 21:49:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: < NS,NR > L&G
{original post unavailable}
Thanks...I like the quiet moments a lot...and Londo's trying
*so* hard.
Peter does a great job as Londo, even absolutely silent. You
can't stop watching him, just to see what he does.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Jun 1997 16:08:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS vs. The Beatles
(blocked) asks:
> With that in mind, how about a B5 job application?
> Hey, JMS-won't you use my script?
Careful...my only response here would be either Helter Skelter
or the last few stanzas of Norwegian Wood....
Scripts make a very pretty fire....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Jun 1997 16:08:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: NS, NR
(blocked) asks:
> Got a question for ya: Where the heck is Proxima 3?
> And is it a planet?
> A moon?
> How long has it been an Earth colony?
> What's the population?
Thanks...those scenes really worked for me as well.
Proxima 3 is in the Proxima Centauri system, next door to
Proxima 2, but no one goes there because the tourist season is way too
short.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 01 Jun 1997 16:08:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: C4 Web Site
{original post unavailable}
I haven't been on the C4 web site in almost a year...if someone
is there saying it's me, it ain't. Can you clarify this? (And leave
me the web address since I've probably lost it?)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 03:07:00 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: BESTER?!!
(blocked) asks:
> My instantaneous thought was " Bester!??"
> Then the camera cut to Kirk and McCoy, and I thought, " What the
> heck are they doing on Minbair?
I *think* that's a good thing....
What's been great about B5 has been the chance to give many
talented actors like Walter and others a chance to show the many other
hues and colors they are capable of delivering, but which were rarely
seen because the material didn't allow them the opportunity. I know
Walter's loved it, and it's been great for us as well.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 11:22:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: < NS,NR > L&G
{original post had no questions}
I'm not sure there *is* anything scarier than a mom uttering
those words; even the shadows would run.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 11:22:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rob Carr <73200.2754@compuserve.com>
Subject: No Surrender No retreat
{original post had no questions}
Good point about Joan of Arc...too many people forget that sort
of thing.
Which, on reflection, may be the problem in ways a lot larger
than just B5.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 11:22:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kathryn Drennan's Novel?
{original post unavailable}
I believe it will be out in a few weeks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 11:22:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: No Surrender No Retreat
{original post unavailable}
No, I wasn't in the military, just having missed the Vietnam
draft. The points you mention are all the ones I wanted to get into
with that episode, and the ones a lot of folks have overlooked in
suggesting that it should have been an episode about slicing-and-dicing
the enemy (the enemy in this case being our own species). The show, at
root, is about ethics, among other things, and the ethical choices will
continue to get more difficult the deeper you go. There is a very fine
line that Sheridan's walking in all this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 11:22:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com>
Subject: NS, NR
Catherine Becic <73414.2603@compuserve.com> asks:
> How could G'Kar, who has gone through great revelations, not see
> the validity to Londo's proposition?
Thanks...if G'Kar came around too easily or quickly, it would
ring false; it had to go through some time and reflection. But even
though one could certainly agree with his anger over what's happened,
G'Kar has to try and overcome that and even transcend it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 17:51:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Season 5
{original post unavailable}
They're strictly TNT.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 19:24:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com>
Subject: No Surrender No Retreat
Scott Baker <76072.1744@compuserve.com> asks:
> How did the trip to Z, his death, and Lorien shape his feelings
> on this?
He's certainly gotten harder, which may be necessary to what's
ahead.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 02 Jun 1997 19:24:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Neroon, NS, NR
{original post unavailable}
It's certainly an issue I care about quite a lot, and the
delicate balance between orders and conscience, between what you think
you should be doing vs. what you feel you *must* do, is the heart of
99% of all drama.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Jun 1997 14:19:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Minbari Rangers
(blocked) asks:
> Are there any Minbari rangers, or are all the Rangers human?
We've shown Minbari rangers from the first time we introduced
the concept.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Jun 1997 14:19:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lorien
{original post unavailable}
See, Burhaan, this is what makes me nuts.
When we have shows like "Rumors" or "Epiphanies" lots of people
post message saying, "What's wrong with the show, it was going great
and now it's slowed down." Then we have a show like "Fire" or
"Surrender" and then lots of people start posting messages saying
"What's wrong with the show, it's going too fast."
It's like having a driver sitting behind you in the car
alternately saying "Speed up! Slow down! Faster! Slower!"
Yes, some threads have been isolated from year 5 a bit, but all
in the accelleration has not been overmuch; year 4 would've ended at
418 in the original notes, so you're only looking at 4 episodes
difference.
This is the latter part of the story no matter how you look at
it; so you have to start speeding things up a bit in places because
that's what the latter half of a novel is *for*. Let's all remember
basic literature 101: introduction, rising action, complication, climax
and denouement. It gets tenser and faster the deeper you get into it.
Why this is striking people as unexpected is utterly beyond me.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Jun 1997 14:19:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vital Powers
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Or were they?
> Edgars' miracle drug is actually a poison or virus, eh?
> BTW, is Sheridan off-station now for the rest of the season?
Yeah, it's a very different feel...leisurely, in a way, but no
less tense. A good addition to the mix.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Jun 1997 18:16:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kristi Ferebee <75361.1615@compuserve.com>
Subject: EVP Review
Kristi Ferebee <75361.1615@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this where technology is heading?
> Are we going to abolish animal testing only to have corporations
> start doing human testing? *Is this little lab of horrors the
> truth that Edgars is going to show Garibaldi when he brings
> Sheridan in? Why would they have wanted him to hate telepaths?
> Or is he a plant in Edgars' organization, with the PsiCorps
> watching through his brain or something? *Exactly what _is_
> Sheridan planning to do with the telepaths on B5? One thing:
> Wouldn't Franklin be obligated to tell Lyta what she's reviving
> her "comrades" for? *Whatever this top-secret telepath project of
> SHeridan's is, does Delenn approve? "_Think_ _Like_ _Them_?!"
> "Yes," "_No!_") Will Delenn even find out before Garibaldi takes
> Sheridan to Mars? True, Clark would begin to put on the pretense
> of a trial, but who's gonna stop him from hiring a loyal
> brainwashed Earther to become a crazed assassin? * On the
> commercial: But who's really in control? PsiCorps, Shadowfriends,
> Clark, or an unknown enemy? Garibaldi?
> Bester on the trailers?
Actually, Garibaldi's said he doesn't trust telepaths ever
since the pilot movie. It's a question of degrees at this point.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 03 Jun 1997 18:18:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: News on Pilot/2ndy Chars
{original post unavailable}
I've been here since 1984/85...I have always been here.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Jun 1997 13:45:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lorien
{original post unavailable}
Hadn't considered that prospect; who knows, you could be right.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Jun 1997 13:45:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: BESTER?!!
{original post unavailable}
Thanks, will do.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 04 Jun 1997 13:49:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dr John A Purvis <100341.1147@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 5
{original post had no questions}
The movies will almost certainly be released overseas, and
since I think TNT is carried on Sky TV, that would in theory mean that
it would hit there the same time as here.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 02:37:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS/B5 in Newsweek!
{original post had no questions}
TNT has come in and has begun getting us some long overdue
publicity.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 02:37:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com>
Subject: Fan Club
John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com> asks:
> What's the URL?
www.thestation.com.
Welcome to the madhouse.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 02:37:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <NSNR> Tight Focus
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> G'Kar seems to know that it's Mollari at his door -- why else
> would he wait so long to call, "Enter?" But how did he know -- was
> it an official request by Londo? Both characters' natural
> inclination is to the bombastic, but both operated in a quite
> muted fashion -- does this indicate honesty?
"G'Kar seems to know that it's Mollari at his door -- why else would
he wait so long to call, "Enter?" But how did he know -- was it an
official request by Londo?"
If you recall, when Garibaldi visited Vir, Vir mentioned that
Londo was arranging a meeting with G'Kar, so it was definitely set up
in advance.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 02:37:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Will Caraway <73671.2434@compuserve.com>
Subject: Irritation Threshold
{original post had no questions}
We try.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:15:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Length of TV movies?
{original post unavailable}
How far along are you into filming "Thirdspace"?
Day 12.
Will it continue throughout the month of June?
Another couple of days.
And when will filming of "In the Beginning" start.
The very next day, wrapping on June 30th.
And approximately when will these movies air on TNT?
January 1998 for the prequel, the second movie either 18 or 36
weeks thereafter.
One more question...Will these movies chronicle the path of all the
characters(past & present)to B5?
Two hours ain't enough time to fit them all in.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS/B5 in Newsweek!
{original post unavailable}
I'm with you...TNT has been nothing but great in how they're
handling B5.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Drop Dead' Date?
Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now that we're close to it, what's the last day that the renewal
> news must get to you by, to continue the actors' options? Is it
> after the two movies wrap?
Because Warners is working on several options to keep the show
on the air in the absence of PTEN, and a crowded syndication market,
they've asked for, and received, a 30 day extension on the drop dead
day from the cast. So now they have until July 15th to make it work.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Vorlon Homeworld
{original post unavailable}
People can *try* to go there....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Mike Willmoth <76170.1037@compuserve.com>
Subject: News on Pilot/2ndy Chars
{original post had no questions}
"So the Vorlons really look like you, then :-)"
Well, when *I* look at them, yes....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:19 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bob Koslosky <102365.2062@compuserve.com>
Subject: No Surrender No retreat
{original post had no questions}
Not a problem...and yes, that is *precisely* the dilemma faced
by any military officer in this kind of situation. There is no easy
answer, and rarely a *right* answer.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 05 Jun 1997 23:26:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com>
Subject: Fan Club
John F Davis <73455.43@compuserve.com> asks:
> Ever hear of a hockey team called "The Detroit Red Wings"?
I'm sorry, but that *does* constitute a story idea, please
refrain from this in future.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Jun 1997 03:26:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: JMS/B5 in Newsweek!
{original post had no questions}
"I get Newsweek by subscription, and the weird thing about the B5
article was that it was *not* listed in the Table of Contents!"
It was a Shadow article....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Jun 1997 03:26:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The Big Day!
{original post unavailable}
The info was wrong. The new date is July 15th. WB asked for
and got an extension from the cast.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Jun 1997 12:42:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: logo copyright?
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> the B5 logo, and put it on a T shirt and wear it myself, then
> it's OK, as long as don't mass produce and sell it? what about
> using actual screen shots from the TV on a Tshirt?
That sounds about right.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Jun 1997 12:42:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The Big Day!
{original post unavailable}
Well, it's the first time they've done it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 06 Jun 1997 12:42:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Irritation Threshold
{original post unavailable}
Tell her to hold on for just a bit more.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 07 Jun 1997 21:32:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Belt <72142.1365@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Drop Dead' Date?
{original post had no questions}
If there were not hope, WB wouldn't have asked for the
extension.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:44 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: 'Drop Dead' Date?
{original post unavailable}
No, it isn't really a problem...the worst that could happen is
that the show might have to go on in January rather than November, but
that's only a small gap. The stations haven't locked down their
January schedules yet, and there's always fallout from what goes out in
November, so there are still many possibilities.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:46 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marcia Sampson <103127.1072@compuserve.com>
Subject: Grey Council composition
{original post had no questions}
While I was aware of the pre-Revolutionary French parliament, to
be honest, no, that wasn't the model I was using for B5. Unless my
subconscious is far smarter than I have been led to believe all this
time. Also sneakier.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Official Web Site
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> How doing something like that with just you talking to the fan
> club members at thestation.com?
We're looking into some stuff like that.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Newsweek
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did you know the writer?
> Will TNT be doing similar types of hype as we get closer to
> January, 1998?
No, didn't know the writer prior to the article.
TNT has a big campaign planned for the January launch...for the
first time, really, B5 is getting the full-fledged PR campaign it (in
my opinion) has deserved for a long time.
TNT has been nothing other than terrific.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:53 -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:
> What can you tell us about the filming so far?
> How has that impacted the overall production?
Actually, we don't really have that much more money. Each
episode costs a tick under $1 million; for purposes of discussion,
let's round that up to 1. So you're now talking 2 million for 2 hours.
Now you've got another million to spend. *But* ALL the prices go up by
union scale and whatever else can be negotiated. Actors fees go up,
writers fees go up, directors fees go up, crew fees go up...so at the
end of the day, you find you have a *little* more to spend, but not
really that much.
As for how everyone's handling it...really no different than the
series. Actors learn their lines, directors do their shots, the
atmosphere on set really isn't much different. The only substantive
difference is that, because we know we won't be airing these until
January and March/April, at soonest, we have more time in post and can
therefore do more EFX.
George calculated that there are as many EFX in "Thirdspace" as
in the entire first season of B5.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Lorien
{original post unavailable}
It was a perfectly *fine* question...don't worry about it. My
reply was more oriented toward the recent series of inquiries than
yours. Remember, sometimes the only way to get pertinent information is
to ask impertinent questions.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:53:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com>
Subject: Lorien
{original post had no questions}
"the way in which you broaden themes by making apparent antagonists
sympathetic while consistently creating a plausible future history is
nothing short of amazing."
Thanks. That really is a large part of the fun for me.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 03:54:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: B <71513.2510@compuserve.com>
Subject: 5th Season/EVP
{original post had no questions}
When I know, believe me, you'll know.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 16:16:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: 'Drop Dead' Date?
{original post unavailable}
No, the final four of season 4 are committed to airdates in
October, that's inviolable, whichever happens to be the last one, 422
or 501.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 16:16:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Newsweek
{original post had no questions}
Yeah, they're great at TNT.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 16:17:00 -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:
> Will Chris be doing anything special for the movies, new score,
> themes, etc? Any chance there will be a new CD with music from the
> movies?
He'll be scoring the movies, but nothing's set yet for a
soundtrack for either of them (commercially).
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 16:17:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com>
Subject: A question on influences
colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was this instigated by you, or did they approach you with the
> idea? Given that you commented that you have never heard of this
> happening before - how did it make you feel when you found out?
> surprised / relieved? Her constant moan being that she forgets the
> timeline of certain parts of the story because there is so much
> to it, "was that Season 2 or 3 - eh?? one?
Thanks for all the kind words, from you and your wife.
Yes, my philosophy, from what you've said and others have said,
seems close to Pal's, in that if you leave creative people alone, and
give them the creative freedom to go nuts, they'll do more for you than
if you bash them down all the time. It's a simple notion but for some
reason unfathomable to many suits.
As for the extension, that was something WB asked for, it didn't
originate from our side.
And I'm very happy that the show has gotten the reception it
has; makes it all kinda worthwhile.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 23:58:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com>
Subject: The Big Day!
Carl Cantarella <105030.3700@compuserve.com> asks:
> Care to give me a clue?
It's a means of making time for them to work out the limitations
of the PTEN contract, and the new syndicated market, which has been
going through massive changes in the last year or two; basically the
market has collapsed or been driven out (depending on the market you're
in) by all the new networks and program glut. Virtually every
syndicated show has dropped from last year to this year; the only ones
that have improved over last year are B5 (7%) and Xena (18%). Just
about everything else has dropped bigtime.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 23:58:06 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Drop Dead' Date?
Phyllis Schmulenson <72447.224@compuserve.com> asks:
> all of year four's shows in year four?
Because TV defines a year as being from November to November, so
you jump across a year in the process.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 23:58:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: Newsweek
SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does TNT broadcast in stereo?
Good question...I dunno.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 23:58:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: TNT Movies
(blocked) asks:
> This makes me think of a question -- and I'm not trying to be
> nosy here, just curious -- when you pull double-duty on an
> episode, like when you write the episode as well as produce, and
> in one case even direct, are you paid for each job?
There is a script fee that one receives as a writer, and if you
are also a producer there is a separate negotiated fee. The former is
set by the WGA, and can be improved by negotiation; the latter is
strictly a matter of negotiation.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 08 Jun 1997 23:58:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Isometic <Excercise...)
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Stephen's assurance of "You're safe; no-one's gonna hurt you," is
> ironic -- who knows how further damaged they will be after what
> Sheridan has planned for them?
Thanks...again, excellent points.
One thing on the line Wade speaks...the actor consistently got
the line wrong. It read, "Everything is illusion, Mr. Garibaldi;
constructs of light, language, metaphor," rather than concepts.
~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~
There is a subtle but distinct difference. But the points you
raise obtain in any event.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Jun 1997 16:38:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Kosh2 Ship Message
(blocked) asks:
> What was the message?
"Welcome to Hawaii."
There was apparently a hideous malfunction...they never talked
about it thereafter....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 09 Jun 1997 16:38:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Paperback Books
(blocked) asks:
> Joe, Which of the paperback books is true to the story?
The Drennan book, just hitting the stands now, is 100% canon;
the Cavelos book, out for a bit now, is about 90% canon. (Those are
books 7 and 9.)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jun 1997 14:58:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Gillman <100724.1646@compuserve.com>
Subject: The age of a Minbari
Michael Gillman <100724.1646@compuserve.com> asks:
> How can this be?
She saw an *image* of Valen, not Valen in physical form.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jun 1997 14:58:55 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: TNT Movies
{original post unavailable}
CGI will certainly continue to become more affordable and more
flexible in its uses, yes.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 10 Jun 1997 14:59:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Face of Enemy> question
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> I have a question; the things that Lyta told Stephen, was that
> what Bester was threatening her as her "past", back in
> Epiphanies?
No, Franklin's comment to Lyta didn't involve her past, though
we will find out more about that in a bit.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Jun 1997 03:28:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Influence
{original post unavailable}
As a writer, the influences would really tend to be early ones,
so I'd cite Eric Frank Russell, HP Lovecraft, Bradbury, Ellison,
Tolkein, Clarke and "Doc" Smith as being at the top of the roster. In
terms of television, it'd be Serling, Matheson, Corwin, again Bradbury
and Ellison, and Charles Beaumont.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Jun 1997 03:28:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Mr. Chamberlain
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you have any plans to use his very distinctive voice in the
> future?
If the opportunity arises, we'll use him, rest assured.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Jun 1997 18:04:04 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Sick Telepaths
(blocked) asks:
> Were these scars from removal?
No, just standard lesions.
Remember, a man as smart and rich as Edgars can surely afford
private lesions for his "kids."
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Jun 1997 22:46:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> How did that happen?????
Thanks...I do think this is one of our best to date.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 11 Jun 1997 23:03:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The age of a Minbari
{original post unavailable}
What Delenn says, if we all go back to the episode in question,
that a Minbari appeared to her, when she was a child lost in the city
and wandered into the temple; a vision, telling her that "I will not
allow harm to come to my little ones here in my great house." (Note:
"my little ones" being a coy bit of foreshadowing to her being a child
of Valen, but never mind that for now.)
Obviously there were many drawings and pictures and records of
Valen, but most were destroyed in the Great War. And those that
survived have been, over a thousand years, idealized and distorted by
whichever caste is currently claiming him as theirs. (Valen refused to
belong to any one caste.)
Which, btw, is also what Delenn referred to in season one, when
she was lost and in fear of death, and she looked to Sinclair with
reverence and said, "I knew you would come for me."
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Jun 1997 13:38:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Roseann M. Caputo <103510.1542@compuserve.com> asks:
> Have you read "The Sandman" and if so, what do you think?
I loved "The Sandman," though I haven't read it lately (haven't
read much of anything lately). Gaiman's a tremendous talent, and I
will always go out of my way to find his stuff.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 12 Jun 1997 13:38:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: The age of a Minbari
Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just how far back DID Delenn know that Jeff Sinclair was Valen??
You'll find out in the TV movie.
And there's some measure of difference between what she *knew*
and what she *suspected*.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jun 1997 00:25:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 5
John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com> asks:
> If you are going to tear down the sets, what are you going to
> film Season 5 on (Suits willing)?
By "tear down" I simply mean move off the stages so we can move
the other sets in; we don't destroy them, just fold-n-hold.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 13 Jun 1997 00:25:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: The age of a Minbari
Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> The letter that Sinclair/Valen sent to Delenn from the
> past......did she get it just before the events of WWE, or did
> she have it for some time before that?
No, she got the letter at the time of WWE. Remember, though,
that she was at the Battle of the Line when Sinclair was scanned and
found to contain a Minbari soul...so that would be the basic start of
it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1997 16:46:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: The age of a Minbari
{original post had no questions}
You'll get some more on this in the prequel.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1997 16:46:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...it's a hoot.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1997 16:46:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...I agree that it's probably one of the best we've done.
I've now watched it at least a dozen times in finished form, and it
still works for me.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1997 16:46:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <FotE> Holy $#%!
{original post unavailable}
Thanks. One thing I've been doing with the latter part of
season 4 is to experiment a little more, try different things. I feel
that we need to push visually to try new things, the sort of visual
techniques you don't see much in SF-TV, which for the most part is
fairly prosaic as these things go. And to push the writing, to try some
things that may succeed, or may fail, but you learn something either
way. In its way, next week's ep is just as experimental, but in a very
different direction.
Mike Vejar definitely did a great job with this episode.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1997 16:46:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
Re: your kind words about the episode...thank you.
"On a completely different and impertinent tack, I am curious to know
if you feel any impact from being perhaps the most visible atheist
since Ms. O'Hair?"
Not really. I think that a large sector of the religious
community is still trying to figure me out...because yes, I'm an open,
avowed atheist, but I've done stories about religion and spirituality
that -- if the mail from priests and rabbis and ministers and even a
few folks from other, non-western religions is to be believed -- are
more fair and respectful than just about anyone else in TV is doing,
even according to last week's Christian Science Monitor.
They openly ask, "How is it that an atheist is able to get
stories of great faith on the air when nobody else will do it?" To
which I generally have started replying, "Only Nixon could go to
China."
I think that if I were using my show as a bludgeon to convey my
own personal beliefs, or lack thereof, as an atheist, that would be a
whole different kettle of fish. But I don't. I have an obligation as
a writer before anything and everything else...that means that if I
create a character who is religious, I must treat that character with
respect and, just as importantly, *authenticity*. I must, in short, be
*fair*.
Where this works to my benefit is that if I, as an atheist, do
an episode showing a religious character in a positive light, the mail
comes in thanking me for being fair to points of view I don't agree
with. Then, when I do a show implying Ivanova and Talia were briefly
lovers, or when you have Marcus and Franklin undercover as a married
couple, they start to go to the keyboards to complain...then remember
what they said about fairness to other points of view.
As a result, even with all the very subversive and challenging
shows we've done in four years, and even being an open atheist, I can
count the harrassing religious fringe-mail on one hand. (Thinks for a
moment...okay, maybe two hands, but that's all.) As long as I stay
honest with the writing, I'll be okay. The moment I start to use it as
propaganda, they'll be all over me...and rightly so.
BTW, on the issue of Madalyn O'Hair...or O'Hare, I can never
remember which it is...interesting thing is, I worked for her magazine
for a while, doing a couple of columns and articles. At the time, I
did so because I felt (and still to some extent feel) that atheists are
easy targets in society. You will never see an avowed atheist in the
White House or Congress, whatever it may say in the constitution about
this being a secular government with separation of church and state.
When then-Vice President Bush could say, at a press conference at an
airport in Chicago, "Well, I don't really see how an atheist can be a
patriot, this is after all one nation under God," then you see how bad
things can get.
But in working for her magazine, I gradually figured out that
she wasn't oriented toward equal respect on both sides, for atheism and
religion, which is where I am...she was anti-religion and looking to
sabotage that element of society, which I do not condone. It's simply
wrong. I've always said, the day they try to shut down the churches,
I'll be the first one on the firing line to fight back...I just hope
that the other side will join me when they try to shut down the
libraries. Which, finally, is why I resigned from her magazine. I'm
pro-tolerance, and don't have time for bigots of any stripe.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 01:48:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you think it was a matter of the programming that kept him
> from stopping the fight?
Also, Wade specificially says Lise wasn't there when they got
back, so that eliminates her from the scenario.
BTW...there's apparently going to be a positive review of 418,
"Intersections in Real Time" in the Monday USA Today. I haven't seen
it yet, though, so don't know what spoilers it may contain.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post had no questions}
Nope. You're just seeing what you've seen before as your point
of reference. We don't tend to do that intentionally. We're in
Rohrscharch territory here.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
Yep...and he's bugged, and we'll see where *that* goes.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
There's a web page with the full text; don't have the info at
hand.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <FotE> Holy $#%!
{original post unavailable}
Nope, not a Prisoner homage at all, in any way.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: New FX...
{original post unavailable}
Nope, just the constant striving for perfection that is typical
of all our production elements. We get better or we die.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 14:44:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face - congrats
{original post unavailable}
Zimbalist did a great job for us...he took huge gobs of
exposition and not only delivered them, he made them interesting.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 16:43:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com>
Subject: Ivanovas 'Talent'
colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now, assuming to big "IF's" - IF season 5 is a go and IF Claudia
> agrees to stay for S5, will her talent be explored in any depth,
> or is it just a character trait, she has it but no-one will know
> to what level it goes?
That element of her personality will come in to play eventually;
there ain't much waste on this show.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 16:43:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Michael Beemer <71551.1670@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post had no questions}
Also, they wanted it to look like it was done by the Resistance;
too much "attention" to his death would've drawn attention to the
Corps.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 CD Vol. 2
(blocked) asks:
> Franke used?
Don't know offhand which instruments were used, but I'll convey
the praise to its source.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post had no questions}
They're not that close. Certainly not on a first date to a bar
like that.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:24 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> In the first act after the opening credits when Sheridan is on
> the bridge of the White Star, did we see the "automatic repair
> systems" at work on the wall next to where he was standing, or
> was that just some sort of display?
Yes, those were the autorepair systems at work.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <FotE> Face-off/Face Off
{original post had no questions}
""The Face of the Enemy" might represent the flipside of young
Delenn's claim in "Atonement" that the most dangerous enemy is the one
you know nothing about. Now the face of the enemy is the one you know
all too well, one which you take for granted until it's revealed that
the face is actually a mask."
Yep. It's one thing facing implacable, vast enemies...it's
quite another when you friend betrays you. That's personal.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:29 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: JOEL ARAUJO <76016.122@compuserve.com>
Subject: <FaceOfE-Song
{original post had no questions}
Dunno offhand.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Dimitri M LaBarge <71501.3353@compuserve.com>
Subject: "Enemy" - congrats
{original post had no questions}
Thanks. Gradually, we're learning and acquiring more tools to
use in the storytelling process...refining what we have, and every so
often, we try to use them in new ways. It's an experiment, and a risk,
but one worth taking when it gets a reaction like this. Thanks.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Guest Star
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was he familiar with the show prior to getting the guest role?
> If not what, if any, information do you provide to a guest about
> the story to date? Zimbalist?
Nope, just figured he'd be great for the job, and cast him
without audition. He didn't know anything about the show before that.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1997 22:46:36 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
{original post had no questions}
Yep...it is that. At last I have a proper cliffhanger and a
proper wait afterward.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Jun 1997 13:42:25 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
{original post had no questions}
"You must have known, or at least suspected, they'd hold back the last
4 again. I think I've figured out one of the reasons you're as good a
writer as you are. You can take your story and mold it into the shape
you need it to, in order to tell it, regardless of the blockades,
changes, whims and opportunities the current syndication market throws
at you. You're the most flexible damn writer I've ever seen. Then
again, no one's ever HAD to do the things you're doing either."
All I'll say is that no one will ever truly know how difficult
this process has been. And no matter what they throw at us, we catch
it, turn it around, figure out how to use it for our own purposes, and
somehow make the story better for it.
It ain't easy, though, m'friend...it ain't easy.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Jun 1997 16:55:51 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
Actually, no, you're right, ther isn't that much direct,
personal violence in the show. My feeling is that if you do that a
lot, it loses any potential for impact. You only pull out that card
when you really need it, to best effect...don't waste it. It's like
harsh language, after you've heard someone going on using all the more
remarkable Anglo-Saxon words for a while, it loses all impact.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 00:05:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com>
Subject: Guest Editorial
Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com> asks:
> (they even gave a picture of him) The question posed was, "What
> makes someone a fan of science fiction?"
Actually, I'd more or less forgotten having done the article,
and then when I remembered having done it after your comment, took me a
while to remember what the heck I'd said. (This is why I'm a terrible
liar, and thus stick almost exclusively to the truth...I ain't smart
enough to be a very good liar.)
Anyway...thanks.
The question was one that I get a lot, and I finally decided to
redefine the question and attack it from my own perspective. I'm glad
it came out reasonably coherent.
And as for being a fan...yeah, that about covers it. This is a
show for fans, by fans. Which is why it works.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 00:05:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
I have to watch it at least 6-9 times just in the production
process as we edit, make changes, mix, all that...then 3-4 times
afterward just so I can get the process out of my head and be able to
"see" it for the first time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 00:05:47 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anne Stallcup <102436.203@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Anne Stallcup <102436.203@compuserve.com> asks:
> And when is Ivanova going to learn to quit saying things like
> "We'll be OK as long as nothing goes wrong."?
Thanks...and I've always been a big believer in the notion that
we can purchase redemption if we are willing to go to the wall, not for
ourselves, but for someone else...so there's a chance for all of
them....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 00:05:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <FotE> telepathy
{original post unavailable}
Obviously some, like the Minbari, dealt with it more easily than
others; and in some places it came through Vorlon interference, while
in others it came about naturally.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 00:05:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: A Sad Time
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> I mean, he has nothing else really to live for at the moment,
> does he? I really wonder what the rest of our heroes were doing
> during the several days (judging by his beard growth) that
> Sheridan was in captivity? Could he be a vision as well?
> As Delenn was a reminder of John's hopes and dreams, might the
> Drazi be a reminder of his dreads and nightmares? Was there a
> conscious decision on your part to cast Wayne for a role in an
> episode that had such an obvious common theme with his first role
> in the series? Won't everyone be royally pissed when you reveal in
> 419 that John was really in a CyberNet all along?
The Drazi was really there...has to be, or the ep loses some of
its teeth.
And yeah, we kinda liked the symmetry of Wayne being in this ep.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1997 01:49:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bruce "Firestorm" S. <72571.1722@compuserve.com>
Subject: sequel
Bruce "Firestorm" S. <72571.1722@compuserve.com> asks:
> What made you change your mind on the sequel now that you're
> pushing for a sequel about the Rangers?
"As I recall, previously, you said that you wouldn't do any Babylon 5
sequels and that you would go to other projects like writing novels &
etc. What made you change your mind on the sequel now that you're
pushing for a sequel about the Rangers?"
Nope. I said that the B5 story per se ended in 5 years. I have
also said, *from the very start*, as the old timers here, and at
conventions, will testify, that there was always a side-story that
could go off and be a different novel set in the same universe. So
you'll understand why I can't really defend a statement that I never
made.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 16 Jun 1997 12:45:31 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
{original post unavailable}
"I thought the fight was a bit too long for much the same reason as
you. All I can suggest is that John's metabolism isn't "normal" any
more, and perhaps this had an effect. (And maybe the bullyboys were
doing less damage than we think, simply to prolong the "fun".)"
1) It was for dramatic/stylistic effect. Not everything done
with some style has to have a scientific explanation.
2) Having been mugged myself, time expands and slows down.
3) It's the TV cliche that fights are over in a second. Ask
anyone who's ever been in a real knock-down fight. It goes on a heck
of a lot longer than we showed here. When I got mugged it went on for
10 minutes.
One of the ironies in other messages on this (not this one here
specifically) is that some have noted the fast-paced editing, which is
supposedly associated with music video/short attention span
material...and then turn around and say it wasn't over fast enough.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:03 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Rerun redux...
{original post unavailable}
The schedule of new episodes is designed to accommodate sweeps
periods.
As for the coming reruns, the theory there is to back up from
419 to the number of weeks preceding it so that the reruns ramp up to,
and run right into, 419 (first new ep back) so that folks who dived in
late will be able to catch up.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:05 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com>
Subject: More Novels?
SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is DELL planning any more novels past the latest one?
They have always licensed 3 at a time, waited for renewal news,
then licensed 3 more.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Fan Club Note (jms)
Sanjiv S. Purba <102735.1770@compuserve.com> asks:
> How do we join the fan club?
You can get info at www.thestation.com.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was this line inspired by some of the recent Neanderthal finds?
> Or was this part of your orignial conception for the story?
> Did Edgars really believe the Earthgov propaganda that Sheridan
> was operating under the malignant influence of aliens? Is Bester
> really done with Garibaldi? Was this a deliberate historical
> reference? Any further developments in the works here?
> By the way, I think that Marcus' plaint, "Susan!?"
Wade had a great line about the clash of homo sapiens and Neanderthals
in Carthage. Was this line inspired by some of the recent Neanderthal
finds? Or was this part of your orignial conception for the story?
Not recent stuff, just a general knowledge of this area.
Did Edgars really believe the Earthgov propaganda that Sheridan was
operating under the malignant influence of aliens?
Nope.
Is Bester really done with Garibaldi?
For the moment.
One of the captains of the Earth vessels is named Leo Frank. Was this
a deliberate historical reference?
Not intentionally.
Franklin and Number One seem to have cooled their relationship. Any
further developments in the works here?
Any more personal stuff got set aside when Franklin showed up a)
with another female, and b) she was a teep. When #1 calms down, they
might take another shot at it.
Lastly, there is a bit of irony in the fact that the stage for
Sheridan's capture is set when he steps aboard his old ship, the
Agamemnon. Agamemnon was the supreme commander of the Greek forces at
Troy, who survived that long war, but who was betrayed and murdered by
his wife when he returned home. He blindly and arrogantly stepped into
a trap, as Sheridan also seemed to do.
Yeah...that's one of many reasons why I picked that
image/reference. It plays on a LOT of levels in the story.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com>
Subject: Face of the Enemy
Martin Toggweiler <74041.2400@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is there anymore a fan can do help bring about a season 5?
Thanks...it's a good one. We'll have to see how soon we can
find any reassurance....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: O. C. Alexander <72623.3472@compuserve.com>
Subject: Guest Star
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...and my best to Barbara.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com>
Subject: Guest Star
Douglas Piligian <70760.2440@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do guest stars just look at roles like these as "another day in
> the office"? Do the guests ever comment about that, do they even
> notice any difference?
Usually guest stars show up with "another job" in their
head...but by the time they leave we've converted 'em, and we often get
notes from them saying how great the experience was, and wanting to
come back. Sometimes they become part of the extended family, and just
come by to hang out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:21 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was that your intention?
> Also, what's to stop Clarke asking Psi Corp to alter Sheridan's
> mind, somehow reprogramme him, to confess?
Because they don't want him reprogrammed; as William says,
another teep could see that he'd been altered. They want him
*sincerely broken*. Not just rewired.
And yeah, I wanted this to function almost as a play in
structure. In fact, when we shot it, we did it in full-act chunks.
The actors would come in in the morning, rehearse it as they would a
play, then we'd shoot it the way we'd shoot a play, straight through.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:23 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: This is ITS story
{original post unavailable}
Each narration is from that character's point of view, it's not
an auctorial intrusion. And each is specific *to that time*. It's not
a policy statment. It's a means of tracking the show at various points
over the five year arc. If it's JUST about keeping peace...then you
don't have an arc.
The show is about change.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:26 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Great Stuff - 418
(blocked) asks:
> We're left with the uneasy question -- how many times can this
> loop play out before he edges toward despair?
Thanks. I like this one a lot. It takes some real chances, and
it has some nasty twists and turns. I like that in a story....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:28 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Bovenmyer <73567.1341@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
John Bovenmyer <73567.1341@compuserve.com> asks:
> Now we've got 3 cliffhangers: 1) What happens to Sheridan?
> 2) How long do we have to wait to find out?
> 3) Do we get season five or will Joe wrap this in just 3 more
> episodes, at least one of which is already in the can?! Are
> _Between the Darkness and the Light_ and _Endgame_ being deferred
> to maintain wriggle room still for season 5, are they done, or
> did you film enough so you could edit them down to work with
> either 4 or 5 season runs after the cast was done shooting?
Best to wait and see what's in mind for those later episodes.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:30 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlons in new novel
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, now that it's been established in the novel that Vorlons
> have names, is it correct to say that Kosh 2 actually have
> another name but he wouldn't let people know? also, is the other
> Vorlon on Minbar the same one that was in WWE?
Yes, he had another name or designation (Naranek is actually a
title, not a name, hence why they both had it) and was primarily being
a pain in the butt.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:21:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: Cliffhangers -- Why?
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> So what is the payoff for the author?
> What benefit outweighs the breaking of the
> storytelling/storyviewing dynamic?
It's basically a means to get the audience, which has been away
for a long time, to come back to resolve a hanging point and jump-start
them into the episodes. If it ends cleanly, apparently a lot of folks
in any series will just forget to tune in the following season.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:36:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kathleen . Keefe <102735.3416@compuserve.com>
Subject: It had to happen.....
{original post had no questions}
Would love it if you could send me a copy of the clipping; I'll
give it to Mira myself.
jms
(Address as always is me via B5 at 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260,
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.)
------------------------------
Date: 19 Jun 1997 21:36:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com>
Subject: UK Videos - S3
{original post had no questions}
Apparently they took the episode from an early copy delivered to
PR, not the final version with all the comps in it. It'll be corrected
down the road...consider it an inadventant collector's item.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 13:06:56 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections Kudos
Kirk R. Darling <73063.3115@compuserve.com> asks:
> What was going on with Ivanova?
Thanks...you hit all the subtleties right on the head.
"You understand the concepts of breaking down a human psyche."
(shrugs) Well, sure...I work for Warner Bros.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 13:06:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> But don't all teeps, official ones anyway, work "for" Clark?
> so why does it matter?
> also do they still have the technology that reprogrammed Talia,
> or did that go away with the Shadows?
It matters because there are plenty of alien teeps out there as
well as human ones, and you can always get a rogue in there.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 13:06:58 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: <FotE> Holy $#%!
{original post had no questions}
You're wrong. The costumer has never even *seen* the Prisoner,
as far as I know, and the suit he wore was one of our standard earth
suits which we've used before on the show, just tailored it to fit his
form. And the set design is just your basic black room with chairs,
nothing more. I also doubt muchly that Flinn has ever seen The
Prisoner...which was a very well and brightly lit show, whereas this
played to darkness.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 13:06:59 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: I, ROBOT
Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, Have you given any consideration to producing I, ROBOT based
> on Harlan's script?
No, I don't produce other people's work. Personally, I think
Whoopee Goldberg would be perfect as Dr. Calvin, though.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 13:07:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David DeRubeis <75221.2351@compuserve.com>
Subject: Vorlons in new novel
David DeRubeis <75221.2351@compuserve.com> asks:
> Um, do you mean Naranek is a name, and Kosh is a title, or am I
> just confused?
Kosh Naranek and Ulkesh Naranek; Naranek is a
title/designation.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 17:45:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Friel <100647.753@compuserve.com>
Subject: Warner Brothers Address
Philip Friel <100647.753@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do Warner Bros pay any attention to the opinions of overseas
> viewers, or are only the opinions of viewers in the US taken into
> consideration? In other words, would it be a waste of time writing
> to them, or would it do some good? Also, what is preferable, an
> email, or a written letter? If your answer is in the affirmative,
> could you please give me the email or snailmail address (and
> name) that it would be most useful to send the letter to?
Thanks, and I think you're right about the long-term success of
the show.
As for WB, strangely they almost exclusively consider the
American market when making their decisions; they still view European
markets as an after-market.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 20 Jun 1997 17:45:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Face of the Enemy
(blocked) asks:
> Was that tube on Edgars' compound?
> Was Garibaldi acting under the influence of his telepathic
> instructions and leaving anyway as to get word to Bester?
If anybody could slip away, Garibaldi could.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: UK Videos - S3
{original post unavailable}
No, it was never re-edited later...it's a screwup on WB's part
in getting the wrong version out there.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shawn D. Ratner <73753.175@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon 5
Shawn D. Ratner <73753.175@compuserve.com> asks:
> Also, at the end of the episodes will we see a preview of the
> next episode like we do now? After TNT runs Bablon 5, would you
> ever consider doing a Babylon 5 motion picture?
Of all the questions, the only one I know offhand is the last
one, and yeah, I'd love to do a B5 feature, and have discussed this
with WB for down the road a piece.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:45 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...our cast invariably comes in knowing full scenes, and
can hit them without breaking or blowing a line. So we have a tendency
at times to just let the master play out, keeping the intensity, which
can sometimes be broken by too much cross-editing. (Note that the
Zathras/Ivanova scene a few episodes back is *entirely* one shot, four
minutes.)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Intersections
(blocked) asks:
> Why was this episode titled "Intersections in Real Time"?
Each act took place in real time, no time jumps...the
conversation happened as it happened. Since you had act breaks in
between them, those became intersections...in real time.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Intersections Kudos
(blocked) asks:
> What's always been difficult for me to grasp in the ancient hero
> myths has been "What does this have to do with me?" (Or was that
> "Brave New World"?
Thanks...the message is just that, that we *all* have to choose
to resist from time to time, and that one individual can fight the
system. And we are all that individual at one time or another.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jun 1997 23:03:52 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: City of Sorrows
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> In the scene of William's death, the part where it begins "Where
> is the shuttle craft? Please tell me again how much you were
> involved with the story line; did you just say "let's do a story
> with Sinclair on Minbar" and Kathryn came up with all the
> threads?
I gave Kathryn a bare-bones stucture on the Marcus thing -- the
death of his brother, his trip first to B5 and then to Minbar -- but
she took on the rest on her own. The process was pretty much as I
describe it in the intro, asking what X meant, how A related to B, and
then her pulling all the threads together in a story that filled in all
the blanks. The credit is entirely hers on this. I consulted and
read, but she did all the creative work on this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:01:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Questions
(blocked) asks:
> Has B5 been renewed for a fifth season?
> And why do I see people on B5 wearing glasses and using paper and
> pen? What ever happen to corrective (lens) surgery and a paperless
> society?
Nothing has been decided yet, formally, on season 5. As for
wearing glasses in the future...not everybody's going to want to get
corrective eye surgery. I could get it right now...but I don't let
*anybody* touch my eyes for any reason, it's probably the one phobia I
have. (Every year when my optometrist has to do the standard glaucoma
test, requiring touching my eye with a blue dot thingie, he dreads it,
because he knows one of us is going to go through the wall...probably
him.) As for a paperless society...every time somebody says we're
coming into a paperless society, as Ivanova once said, I get 10 more
forms to fill out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:01:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Intersections Kudos
{original post unavailable}
You got every single one of the points of that one.
And that's one reason (among many) that I kept Sheridan silent
for the most part; a) because the less he says the better overall from
his position, and b) the audience would want to respond for him.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:01:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jon A. Bell <74124.276@compuserve.com>
Subject: Intersections Kudos
{original post had no questions}
Exactly. The banal face of evil. You look at most of the guys
who ran Treblinka, or Bergen-Belsen, and they're largely ordinary
looking guys, who could be accountants or repair men or car salesmen.
They're *us*...and this was designed to remind us of that. The evil,
mustache-twirling villain is too easy, and too far from the truth of
it.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:01:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <IiRT> K-Martyr
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...there was a lot of give-and-take in that episode, and
at times maybe the interrogator was near the truth, or a form of
it...but always distorting it, using it for his benefit. Slippery
slopes indeed....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:01:18 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Truth
(blocked) asks:
> Where do these notions of yours originate?
"Theres alot of truth to your notion of the TRUTH. It raises points
I'd rather not think about. Where do these notions of yours
originate?"
Usually at 3 in the morning when I can't sleep....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 22 Jun 1997 22:13:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: City of Sorrows
Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Why is this important?
I'll pass that along.
On the technical nit...you're right. Another fan brought this
up, and she couldn't believe she screwed it up, because she'd *done*
the research on this. So she went back and checked her research, and
she'd basically transposed the two, being tired and on deadline. She
plans to correct it in the next edition.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jun 1997 03:30:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Intersections: Good Eyes
{original post had no questions}
"One of the guards, I believe, was the fellow who shot Garibaldi in
the back in Chrysalis."
Nope.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jun 1997 23:03:34 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>415-418<<
{original post had no questions}
Thanks...it's been a good run.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jun 1997 23:23:30 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Questions
{original post unavailable}
There are discussions about this, but I can't say more for now.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jun 1997 23:23:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rob Carr <73200.2754@compuserve.com>
Subject: Last Episode
{original post had no questions}
"He asked me to pass along his congratulations to you and to the
actors and to tell you that you are just as disturbed as that episode
for making it the "cliffhanger.""
Why, thank ye kindly....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jun 1997 13:29:02 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: From jms re: yr 4/5
{original post unavailable}
It's all in the hands of the network gods now....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jun 1997 13:36:22 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: City of Sorrows
{original post unavailable}
The coming comic will deal with some of the situation after
Sinclair became Valen.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jun 1997 22:34:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Cherns Major <75026.3723@compuserve.com>
Subject: New episodes
Cherns Major <75026.3723@compuserve.com> asks:
> I thought that this was very insightful and fairly subtle social
> commentary, but now I wonder: was this theme also directly
> related to the "nature red in tooth and claw" philosophy we later
> found espoused by a certain other, shadowy, crowd? Or, maybe, just
> showing that certain ideas pop up all over? Oh, yeah: one more
> question: is the character Captain Jack a reference to the Billy
> Joel song of the same name? Later, after seeing _Intersections in
> Real Time_: did I see, in a scene near the end involving a
> gurney, a tip of the hat to a scene, also towards the end, in a
> Frankenheimer film, recently released to video, that you've
> mentioned admiring?
I think those are pretty much no's across the board.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 25 Jun 1997 21:39:13 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Legacy?
Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Of what would you feel most proud as a legacy of B5 to the
> television culture?
I'd say the introduction of an epic or saga-like structure to
the TV format. A novel for TV, using all the literary devices of
fiction, over the course of years. I think, in the long run, that's
what B5 will be most noted for.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 25 Jun 1997 21:39:15 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com>
Subject: Future Thread
Kevin P. Kenney <104102.352@compuserve.com> asks:
> Might this be a thread for year 5?
> Or the sequel?
> Or is it not cinematographic enough (episodes of people staring
> at each other), and thus scheduled to occur between the two
> series (possibly to be used in a later movie)? Or should I just
> wait for October? Also, is your talk scheduled yet at next month's
> San Diego Comic Con yet?
I don't introduce threads I don't plan to play out.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 25 Jun 1997 21:58:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Ship names
{original post unavailable}
Yeah...I won an auction....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 26 Jun 1997 12:47:49 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Delenn`s background
(blocked) asks:
> Is that just my imagination?
> Just how much do we know about Delenn's background?
> Does John know more?
> Are they out there somewhere, and I just missed them?
> Is there a bio of her in the lurkers guide?
Your perception is basically correct; I kept Delenn's
background more vague to add to her mystery, and made Sheridan's more
specific and grounded to tie him more to Earth and more accessible.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 01:40:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: Updates from jms
A number of items, from fairly important to not at all.
If you are anywhere in the Atlanta area, I suggest -- fairly
strongly -- that you exert every effort to be present at the B5
Presentation on Sunday afternoon (I think it's 1 or 2 p.m.) featuring
B5 producer George Johnsen. He will have the usual assortment of
bloopers, clips from the two movies now in production, and other
stuff...and the "other stuff" is something folks should be around for.
You may possibly also want to tune in to Entertainment Tonight
tomorrow (Friday) night.
And definitely buy a copy of the TV Guide issue that hits the
stands Monday on the West Coast, and Saturday on the East Coast. In
fact, I suggest you buy two.
All of this will make sense in the fullness of time.
Also...on a wholly different note...we're continuing our updates
on the B5 Fan Club. The new edition of the newsletter is in its final
stages, and will likely hit the printers next week. We're going to be
releasing some new items from thestation.com, including the new set of
B5 trading cards from Fleer at a very competitive price, with another
bunch of them for sale with the box autographed by some guy named
jms...and next week we should be putting up our first in a series of
B5-special ball caps, this one the exact same cap, made by the same
people, used in "Knives": Sheridan's Agamemnon cap, which has
a silhouette of the Aggy and its ship construction ID number below.
It's *very* spiffy. More caps will be forthcoming. (The cards are now
available via thestation.com, and the caps will be available there next
week.)
We're also totally redesigning the membership kits for those
joining in the next few months, and are planning a massive facelift for
thestation.com as well. We'll be announcing more improvements over the
next 4-5 weeks.
Keep watching the skies....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 12:25:12 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com>
Subject: book <The Babylon Files>
T.P. Chai <104674.3064@compuserve.com> asks:
> JMS, do you have any comments on Andy Lane's unofficial book "The
> Babylon Files"? how does it compare to the Lurker site?
Since it's unauthorized, I really can't comment.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 12:27:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Delenn`s background
(blocked) asks:
> Now is Mir mother, father or some other?
> (Clan founder comes to mind as a possible "other.") Is it fair to
> try to pin you down that far?
It's the family Mir, not daughter of Mir.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 12:27:42 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com>
Subject: Updates from jms
Darran Williams <101656.2143@compuserve.com> asks:
> can you show any?
I will definitely be bringing clips to Blackpool.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 15:59:32 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: E.T.'s announcement
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this official?
Alas, I'm still in a position where I can't comment officially
until WB makes an actual, *official* pronouncement. Corporate
structure hath its privileges.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 17:45:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 - tnt and WB
{original post unavailable}
I can't comment in specifics until WB issues its formal press
announcement on this.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 17:49:33 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 on ET 5th Season Info
{original post unavailable}
In the Beginning will air in January, on a Sunday, in a 4 hour
block the other half of which is the original B5 pilot, and then it
will go to daily M-F runs of the first 4 seasons at 6 or 7 p.m.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jun 1997 23:39:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Best 5 episodes/Newbie
{original post unavailable}
"It's Johnny who's "alone in the dark", facing unrelenting pressure to
give up, knowing that if he dies under torture his friends may never
know for certain what happened to him."
Which is what the Inquisitor said he would have to face.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 01:59:40 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 on ET 5th Season Info
{original post unavailable}
No, the TNT contract is not in any way affected; WB will be done
with the show this fall, as far as syndicated stations is concerned,
and then it goes to TNT.
And the prequel will segue right into the pilot.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:09 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Babylon 5
{original post unavailable}
Yes, the movies are TNT only for now...and we're fully booked on
stories.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 - tnt and WB
(blocked) asks:
> As soon as you can comment, would you please tell us who at TNT
> we should send our thank you's to?
Thanks should probably be conveyed to Brad Siegel, president of
TNT, who fought hard to get the show, initially beating the Sci-Fi
Channel out in a bidding war for the reruns, and who believes very
strongly in what we're doing for the future.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 on ET 5th Season Info
{original post had no questions}
The prequel/pilot pair up is slated to air in January.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:16 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phil Lenton <100572.61@compuserve.com>
Subject: Garibaldi
Phil Lenton <100572.61@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is is true that Jerry Doyle does not appear in the TNT TV movies?
We weren't able to work out a deal with Jerry for the two
movies, but he will be in the fifth season, and a third TV movie which
TNT has indicated they'd like us to do.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:17 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: E.T.'s announcement
{original post unavailable}
It's next week's issue, for July 5.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jun 1997 15:59:20 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Les P. George <76162.1250@compuserve.com>
Subject: Congrats and Questions
Les P. George <76162.1250@compuserve.com> asks:
> actual run time minus commercials)?
> Will Season 5 have room for Harlan's sequel to "Demon with a
> Glass Hand"?
Future episodes would be the same running time as the current
versions.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 03:49:01 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: JMS in Seattle July 4th
BTW, a quick note to all in the Pacific Northwest...I'm slated
to be one of the Guests of Honor at Westercon in Seattle over the
coming (4th) weekend, so I'll see you there.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:41 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Batman <104635.1044@compuserve.com>
Subject: Updates from jms
Batman <104635.1044@compuserve.com> asks:
> Makes sense?
> Other than it's about damn time those pin-heads at TV Guide woke
> up and realized there's more to Sc-Fi TV than Star Trek? Is this a
> hint that there will possibly be two different covers???? How
> about the B5 ball cap worn by Sheridan during batting practice
> (or is this what you were talkng about)????? Was that KNIVES?
> The one where he gets "possessed"????
> How about T-Shirts, or long-sleeve T's printed up to look like
> the "Army Of Light" Uniforms? Or how about T-Shirts with the B5
> Sword logo on them? And when may we expect the line of action
> figures?????
Yes, the ball cap is the same one he wore at batting practice.
(Wore it today, in fact, meeting Neil Gaiman and Harlan for dinner.)
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:43 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 - tnt and WB
(blocked) asks:
> Does this mean that your (you the entire organization) residuals
> will actually bring in some money?
Thanks...and cable residuals are only a fraction of regular,
broadcast residuals.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:48 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: E.T.'s announcement
{original post unavailable}
One heart attack at a time, please....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:50 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Congratulations & Thanks
{original post unavailable}
Thank *you*...because the story exists to be told to you. Thank
you for being there.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:53 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: You the man
{original post unavailable}
I've just spent the better part of the evening laying out the
basic structure of S5, uncorking all the notes I set aside for 5 in
case we got the renewal, playing off the themes and incidents we
brought up in year 4...and believe me, filler it *ain't*.
And thanks.....
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:54 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com>
Subject: Sweeping Question
Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you happen to know off-hand if TNT will continue the same
> pattern of new/repeat/new/repeat that WB/PTEN used? I haven't, in
> the past, watched TNT enough to know, but do they follow the same
> ratings sweeps practices as other networks?
They want to show it straight through, no repeats.
jms
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jun 1997 04:02:57 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Directing big screen
(blocked) asks:
> Now that you have some directorial experience under your belt,
> would you reconsider if you could both write and direct?
Don' wanna direct no movie. Wanna live. Writer. Not director.
jms
------------------------------