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633 lines
29 KiB
633 lines
29 KiB
Transcript of real-time chat session with J. Michael Straczynski on August
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12, 1995 on Delphi. This transcript has been shuffled around somewhat to
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make it wasier to follow.
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|.John Z.> I'd like to welcome J. Michael Sttaczynski to our group..
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|.John Z.> He's the creator and exec producer of Babylon 5.
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|.Straczynski> Thanks glad to be here.
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|.John Z.> I'd like to start by telling you all that B5 has recieved three Emmy
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| nominations.
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|.Straczynski> With a possibility of a fourth announced Monday, we'll see.
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|.John Z.> JMS do you think that the acdemy ignores SF shows?
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|.Straczynski> ..............it's SF.
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|KLEVE> Which categories, please?
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|.Straczynski> Hair, cinematography, makeup.
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|GREATSARGON> is jms here yet?
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|.Straczynski> No, no sign of him yet.
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|GREATSARGON> hahah!! great to meet u!!
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|.Robert> ::chuckle::
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|.Straczynski> Anyway, yes, the TV academy never takes SF seriously for the big
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| awards.
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|.High Res> - signed off -
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|KLEVE> Why were actors changed for the commander on Bab5?
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|.Straczynski> Because it let me do stuff with the story that would've been
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| difficult....
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|.Straczynski> otherwise; before we could do a, b and c, now we can do a,b,c, and
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| D, and...
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|.Straczynski> D is very cool; I needed someone with a personal connection to the
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| shadows...
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|.Straczynski> which Sinclair didn't have, but Sheridan could. It made things
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| easier.
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|.John Z.> Will we see Sinclair this season?
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|.Straczynski> Tentatively, yes, in a two-parter in which Ambassador Sinclair
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| comes to B5.
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|** .High Res just joined "JMS Conference" (17 members now) **
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|GREATSARGON> jms: how important were the Amiga's in the production?
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|.Straczynski> Amigas were important, then they went bye-bye, and now we're on a
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| dos platform.
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|GREATSARGON> ohwell
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|KLEVE> Great to have you here!
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|.Straczynski> Thanks.
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|.Straczynski> We're now 2 days into shooting episode 2, season 3, "Convictions."
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|.Straczynski> Going very well indeed.
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|.High Res> - signed off -
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|.John Z.> Will we learn more about Kosh and his interest in humans?
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|.Straczynski> Oh, very definitely.
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|KLEVE> Will there be new additional Bab5 crew members?
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|.Straczynski> Not crew members, no, but a new recurring character, a ranger
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| named....
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|KEKKER> Bob?
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|.Straczynski> Marcus Cole, portrayed by Jason Carter, a terrific young British
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| actor.
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|** .High Res just joined "JMS Conference" (19 members now) **
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|.Straczynski> (Young = late 20s/early 30s...I just turned 41, and everyone's
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| young to me.)
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|.John Z.> grin
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|GREATSARGON> Unfortunately we are in an area which pre-empts B5 frequently, any
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| plans for video?
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|.Straczynski> We're leaning on WB to releasd video; they're not sure anybody'd
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| want to buy the tapes.
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|.Robert> You're joking.
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|.Straczynski> They never really know what they've got with this show.
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|.Straczynski> Nope.
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|SCRIPTESE> Let's write letters folks!
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|KLEVE> Could Kosh's ship be the real ambassador?
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|.Straczynski> Nopers.
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|.Robert> Well it's getting more respect here.
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|.Straczynski> Slowy but surely, yeah.
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|KEKKER> What kind of support would a small model production run get from the
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| show?
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|.Straczynski> Total support, assuming it was licensed.
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|ALLBELL> Do WB executives monitor the newsgroups at all?
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|.Straczynski> They didn't before, but they do now, for one reason....
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|.Straczynski> somebody sent WB faxes with everybody offering massive videotaping
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| of the...
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|.Straczynski> final four eps from the UK, and that...
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|.High Res> - signed off -
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|.Straczynski> sent Legal Affairs into meltdown...so now they're here.
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|ALLBELL> Why doesndon't the studios allow the formation of a legal company that
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| would make small runs
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|ALLBELL> of videotapes?
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|.Straczynski> Small runs aren't profitable, and any distribution of tapes would
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| be through...
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|.Straczynski> Warner Bros. Home Video, per contractual obligations.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|** .High Res just joined "JMS Conference" (20 members now) **
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|.Straczynski> high res is having some low res modem problems.
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|ALLBELL> Somehow this sounds rather shortsighted.
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|.Straczynski> no shit
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|.High Res> yes >:
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|.John Z.> Londo made a Faustian deal with the Shadows and seems to realize he's
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| a pawn now.Will we learn more about the shadows and the results of that deal
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| this season?
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|.Straczynski> Londo is going to have to deal with the consquences of his
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| arrangement with Morden, no mistake, and try to get out of it; but that isn't
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| going to be as easy as he thinks.
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|.Straczynski> He's caught in a web of his own making, and that's going to
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| isolate him bigtime over this season.
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|KEKKER> How obvious to the average viewer will it be what Kosh is when he (it)
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| is finally revealed?
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|.Straczynski> I'd say...pretty obvious.
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|.Straczynski> Well...each to his own.
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|.Straczynski> It depends on your perspective.
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|.Straczynski> Have I obfuscated enough?
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|KEKKER> Almost!
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|.Robert> Nope.
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|.High Res> - signed off -
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|.John Z.> Will we be seeing more of Zack Allen?
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|.Straczynski> Definitely. He's getting dper into Nightwatch, and that's going
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| to catch up with him.
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|."T"> Will we be seeing "Lou Welsh" getting more airtime, too?
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|.Straczynski> The actor is off doing other stuff, and has been for a while;
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| depends on availability.
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|.Straczynski> We don't have, and can't get under SAG rules, locked optoions on
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| recurs.
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|ALLBELL> What about Mira Fulan (sorry if I mangled her name)?
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|.Straczynski> What about her?
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|ALLBELL> It seemed like she was missing from some episodes last year. Was that
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| planned or
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|ALLBELL> because she was doing other projects?
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|.Straczynski> No, I generally use people as they're required for the story,
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| neither more no less; but Delenn's part of the story...
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|.Straczynski> is getting much more...intense as we go into year three, so we'll
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| be seeing a lot more of her, in more active ways...
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|.Straczynski> she kinda had a crisis of conscience to go through this season,
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| and now having done that..
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|.Straczynski> she's able to move on and be more active.
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|ALLBELL> Maybe she can get a perm.
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|.John Z.> Will Talia's no psi abilities affect the people on B5 soon?
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|.Straczynski> Wait and see.
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|.John Z.> grin
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|.Straczynski> We have something interesting planned for Talia.
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|.Robert> Good.
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|SCRIPTESE> Anything interesting gor Garibaldi?
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|.Straczynski> Yeah, mainly (in three) in making him more active again, more
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| directly involved in crimes on the station, investigations....
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|.Straczynski> he sometimes fell into becoming an expository tool, and that needs
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| to be adjusted.
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|KEKKER> Good. He's a great character.
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|.Straczynski> Yeah, he's a hoot.
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|."T"> Any comments on comic #9?
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|.Straczynski> ....................it's out?
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|.Straczynski> (that as comment.)
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|.Straczynski> It's kind of a whacky issue, which David Gerrold is good at.
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|.Straczynski> We figured, let's bend the format a little, take a chance.
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|.Robert> Oh no, not tribbles on B5.
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|ALLBELL> Is there some one who manages the station at a level below Sheridan,
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| Garibaldi, etc., or do th people we see manage it all by themselves?
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|.Straczynski> Yes, there are, and yes, we see them from time to time; we saw a
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| bunch of them in...
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|.Straczynski> "Confessions," we see them in other major meetings of full command
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| and support staff...
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|.Straczynski> it's just hard to work them into stories unless they've got
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| something to DO, you don't just have someone wander in....
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|.Straczynski> without having a purpose in the story, and we've got 14-16
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| recurring characters as it IS who don't get nearly...
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|.Straczynski> enough screen time.
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|KLEVE> My daughter (10 yrs.) asks "Are there going to be any new love affairs?"
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|.Straczynski> Tell your daughter yes, and then some.
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|.Straczynski> I try to avoid creating relationships/love affairs between crew
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| members.
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|CASI> Will the relatWilll the relationship between Delenn and sheridan escalate
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| this season?
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|.Straczynski> I should think so.
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|.High Res> A number of months ago you said in Usenet that someone was going to
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| "buy it" soon. Will that be in the next batch of new eps, or has it been
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| postponed?
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|.Straczynski> Actually, depending on how you define "buys it," there could be
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| TWO, both in the final four eps.
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|ALLBELL> When B5 characters "die," do they necessarily stay dead?
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|.Straczynski> They stay dead.
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|.John Z.> Is Morden analygous to Mordred in the Arthurian legend or Mordor in
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| Tolkien <g>.
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|.Straczynski> No, John, neither. I don't deal in 1to1 analogies like that.
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|.Andy> SO, all of the new season's storylines are already locked?
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|.Straczynski> All this season's storylines are locked, yes, but then, all five
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| years are
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|.Straczynski> pretty muchlocked.
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|KLEVE> On the first episode with Sheridan, who thought up that crazy "fruit
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| fetish theme"?
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|.Straczynski> Kleve: whose name is on the episode as writer?
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|KLEVE> Sorry, didn't do my homework
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|.Straczynski> Okay...mine. If it's in my script, I thought of it.
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|.Straczynski> This seems to me something puzzling...
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|.Straczynski> there seems to be this notion of TV writing as somehow a bunch of
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| people just sorta throw stuff in there...
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|.Straczynski> and I'm always being asked, "In this episode of yours, who
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| tjhought up the idea of X?" Well, I did...
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|.Straczynski> anway, onward....
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|KLEVE> Well my family enjoyed the fruit theme in a strange way it gave the
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| developing character some dimension
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|.Straczynski> Yeah, it actually makes sense, if you're ship-bound that long, to
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| start dreaming about fresh fruit.
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|.Straczynski> Space travel is very isolating, and difficult, and we need to get
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| back to that concept.
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|.Straczynski> It ain't like going to the nearest 7-11 for pepsi.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|JIMFLEXX> As you are more than half way through your 5 years, what has been the
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| most difficult aspect of this project for you?
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|.Straczynski> The most difficult aspect, really, is pushing the quality of the
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| show forward a step each season...
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|.Straczynski> we try and get more ambitious, we need to make the writing better
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| constantly, and to try and always top yourself every time is tough
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|.Straczynski> and a little scary sometimes.
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|WAJ106> When will final four begin airing?
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|.Straczynski> The final four air starting in October, then new season 3 eps air
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| right after, starting in November.
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|KLEVE> No replicators in the real world?
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|.Straczynski> Nossir.
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|MFK> Any chance Babylon Squared will be shown again?
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|.Straczynski> They've said they're holding off on year three episodes in reruns
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| because...
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|.Straczynski> they're afraid the different commanders will confuse audience
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| members.
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|.Straczynski> (I just report the news, folks, I don't make it.)
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|KLEVE> Again my daughter asks "Will there be any exotic pets on B5?"
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|.Straczynski> Not planned, no.
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|KLEVE> She loves your show!
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|.Straczynski> Your daughter has infinite taste.
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|KLEVE> and infinite questions!
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|.John Z.> What to do think as a writer of the Canadian law that prevent US
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| writers from writing for US productions filmed in Canada?
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|.Straczynski> Did the laws change? Originally, I thought they said you could
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| have an American writer OR an American director, but not both.
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|.Straczynski> Anyway, it's their country, and they have the right to make what
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| laws they choose.
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|.Straczynski> (Waitaminnit...in fact, on Kung Fu, an American show, they have
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| American writers, so the rule hasn't changed.)
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|.John Z.> Grin... I wasn't aware that it only excluded both.
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|.Straczynski> Not both, one or the other in combination.
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|.Straczynski> Opening episodes for year 3: Matters of Honor, Convictions, A Day
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| in the Strife, A voice in the Wilderness...
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|.Straczynski> ooops...Voices of Authority (the previous was a year 1 ep)...
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|.Straczynski> Passing through Gethsemane, and Dust to Dust.
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|KEKKER> There was mention that Gesthemane was also the name of a cheese.
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|.Straczynski> I don't believe it's a cheese.
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|ALLBELL> Were labor disputes a one-time problem or could they crop up again?
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|ALLBELL> I was thinking of the big strike. I thought there was just the one big
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| strike.
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|.Straczynski> No, we've had no labor disputes. And we're shot in the US.
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|.Straczynski> Oh, you mean the WGA strike, no, that's a dead issue, there won't
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| be a strike, and SAG and DGA seem fine just now.
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|ALLBELL> I meant the strike on the show. (I can't figure out the ZSEND command,
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| sory)
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|.Straczynski> Oh...well, there will be some interesting *changes* regarding
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| labor and employee stuff in the show per se.
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|.John Z.> Will Babylon 5 be open to free lance writers through their agents?
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|.Straczynski> Not at this time, no. If there's a writer I want, I go after him.
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|MFK> Who keeps the jumpgates out on the Rim in repair, like the one were the
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| narn ship checking out the shadows was destroyed?
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|.Straczynski> They're pretty sturdy, made to last for a very long time.
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|MFK> No one tries to destroy the jumpgates?
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|.Straczynski> Sure, and some are destroyed, some aren't. That one wasn't.
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|.Straczynski> (Actually, keep this question in mind in episode one, you'll see
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| this in action.)
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|DDEBBIE> Hi JMS! Thanks for appearing on Delphi live! ? B5 reminds me of
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| "Blade Runner." I was wondering what you thought of that movie?
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|.Straczynski> I *love* Blade Runner; as it happens, I recently saw/bought the
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| director's cut, and have to say it's infinitely better...
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|.Straczynski> than the one they futzed with, minus the narration and other dumb
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| stuff. It works greast.
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|.Straczynski> great.
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|.Straczynski> Or like greast lightning.
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|.Straczynski> Or something like that.
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|.High Res> My Dad heard somewhere that somewhere on the show there's a reference
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| to "Prestident Clinton being impeached in her third term." I can't place this
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| at all. Is there any truth to it?
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|.Straczynski> Absolutely no truth to that whatsoever
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|.High Res> I'm glad.
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|ALLBELL> Yeah. Don't want Chelsea screwing up in office.
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|.John Z.> What's the best way to give you imput about the episodes?
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|.Straczynski> Watch them, and speak frankly.
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|.Straczynski> Also, define input.
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|.Straczynski> Story suggestions are a *big* no-no.
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|.John Z.> Critiques.
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|.Straczynski> The show is constantly critiqued on the nets. And in letters.
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| Believe me, at 500+ messages per day...
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|.Straczynski> I never lack for critiques.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|ALLBELL> How do you decide which free-lance writers to pursue? How do you spot
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| them?
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|.Straczynski> We have a sniper on the roof.
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|ALLBELL> :-)
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|.Straczynski> Mainly, it's writers I know from other shows, whose work I have
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| enjoyed, and I track them down. I'd kill for a script by...
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|.Straczynski> Neil Gaiman, for instance, and I'm going to keep after him until
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| he surrenders.
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|SCRIPTESE> Did you like the writeup in TV Guide?
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|.Straczynski> I thought the TV Guide piece was very fair, all things considered.
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|.Straczynski> In a way, Star Trek has given SF fans a wrong and bad idea...
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|.Straczynski> as to how TV shows work; the idea of fans submitting story ideas
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| and scripts...
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|.Straczynski> is absolutely not representative of how all the other shows work,
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| that's only how ST works, because they're constantly...
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|.Straczynski> running out of ideas, and that's not a slam, that's what they
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| themselves say about the issue. We just don't have that problem.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|.High Res> This has probably been asked before, but will Delenn be having a
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| crossbreed baby? (Please tell me it won't look like Tasha Yar.)
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|.Straczynski> An excellent question.
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|.Straczynski> Next question.
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|KLEVE> Frankly initially I thought there would not be enough room for TWO space
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| station shows!
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|.Straczynski> So did every other studio in town.
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|.Straczynski> Nobody thought we'd get past 6 episodes. They figured ST would
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| wipe us out....
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|.Straczynski> but the truth is, we can't challenge ST for budget, for PR, for
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| history, studio support, but...
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|.Straczynski> we can challenge the *hell* out of them artistically. Behind the
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| keyboard, we're all equal.
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|HESIGMAN> I'm sure I missed the answer since I just gat her but what is
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| happening with Talia's sexuality?
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|.Straczynski> Talia's interests are better defined in the final four.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|.John Z.> Sheridan is developing a relationship with Kosh. Will we see it
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| develope this season?
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|.Straczynski> Yes, there's something there, and a reason for it to be there, and
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| Kosh is part of Sheridan's journey, which is...
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|.Straczynski> the hero's journey, transformational in its way; he has to go
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| through hell to get to his goal.
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|ALLBELL> Who do you think is to blame for the Voyager script problems
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|.Straczynski> I won't comment on Voyager scripts, because I've only seen a
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| couple of episdoes, and more than that....
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|ALLBELL> I guess it's too tragic of a subject.
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|.Straczynski> Jeri Taylor over there is a good friend, and one of the best
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| writer-producers in town. My only sense of things over there....
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|.Straczynski> is that the writers are generally handicapped by the fact that
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| Paramount won't let them blow the doors off the show...
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|.Straczynski> by trying anything new or experimental, for fear of losing the
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| franchise.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|GREATSARGON> are there any new storylines coming up featuring Ivanova?
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|.Straczynski> No, we plan to give Ivanova nothing whatsoever to do in future.
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|.Straczynski> ....
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|.Straczynski> OF COURSE there are. She's one of my favorite characters.
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|DDEBBIE> One of your 3 favorite things in the universe? ;-)
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|.Straczynski> All I can say on details, is that she continues to broaden out her
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| areas of responsibility...
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|.Straczynski> becoming again more active, as with all the other characters.
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|.Straczynski> My sense is that year one was galumphing around the galaxy; year
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| two was our
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|.Straczynski> characters taking it on the chin; year three is our characters
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| fighting back. So she will be an integral part of that.
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|CASI> Will we learn more of the shadows motives other then what we know nown
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|.Straczynski> Basically, you can't set up something and not pay it off; we have
|
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| to learn more avbout the shadows,a nd the vorlons...
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|.Straczynski> and grey up the vorlons and make the shadows motives more
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| interesting than just blowing stuff up, there's more at work than that.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|KLEVE> Can you comment on the allegory of the current proposed space station
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| concerning international cooperation of former enemies and B%
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|.Straczynski> I don'tknow enough about the current space station situation to
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| comment intelligently.
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|
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|.John Z.> Paramount has threatened us with violation of copyrite for uploading
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| Trek graphics. How do react to that considering the simularities between DS9
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| and B5?
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|.Straczynski> As for uploading graphics...gee, we've made, and will continue to
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| make available, lots of B5 graphics, wav files...
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|.Straczynski> avi files, gifs, jpgs and bmps...we don't have a problem doing
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| this. Well, we're just a friendly bunch, y'know?
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|.Straczynski> Interesting comment re: ds9/b5 recently from Majel Barrett...
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|.Straczynski> where she said at a convention she went to talk to Rick Berman
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| about asking for my phone number, so she could...
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|.Straczynski> apologize for something that happened, and he said don't bother,
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| they're already pissed at us for stealing their show, they say....
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|.Straczynski> and she said, "Well, *didn't* you?" This at a recent convention.
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| I find this very intersting that she would come out and say t
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|.Straczynski> this openly.
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|.John Z.> I love it and the lady's resonse!
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|ALLBELL> Speaking of copyright Nazis, what do you think of the Disney/ABC deal?
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|.Straczynski> Soon the entire world will be just one big Mouseschwitz.
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|HESIGMAN> ouch
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|ALLBELL> Sieg Mickey!
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|.Straczynski> ah doesn't like disney, ah doesn't.
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|.Straczynski> john: what was the lady's response?
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|.Straczynski> I haven't heard any reactions from fans in the audience.
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|.John Z.> "Well *didn't* you?" in regards to stealing the storyline. <g>
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|.Straczynski> Oh, that part, I thought you referring to somebody in the
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| audience.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|ALLBELL> You all stole from me because I developed a station like B5/DS9 when I
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| was 12.
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|ALLBELL> Only the story never left my drawer.
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|.Straczynski> Well, I think we'd all be happier if you left this stuff in your
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| drawers.
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|.Straczynski> You know what they say, youl'l go blind.
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|
|
|."T"> How's the B5 web page coming along?
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|.Straczynski> The B5 web page is going slowly, figure sometime late Fall.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|
|
|HESIGMAN> after the 5 year arc is done. you are planning on taking B5 off,
|
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| right? will you be doing another show in that universe(if they let you)
|
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|.Straczynski> There's always been the potential for a follow-up show in the B5
|
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| universe, as I've noted elsewhere...
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|.Straczynski> but barring that, my general sense is that B5 is my swan song in
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| TV, and I'll have said all I want to say in TV, so get off the stage.
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|
|
|GREATSARGON> OK, well I must be off now, but I want to THANK YOU for this forum
|
|
| mr JMS!!! and B5 is my FAVORITE SHOW!!!
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|.Straczynski> Thanks, Sargon.
|
|
|
|
|.John Z.> Can you tell us about the new show you're developing with Doug Netter?
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|.Straczynski> Not at this time; when and if it goes further, yes, but not now.
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|
|
|
|.Robert> What if you're cancelled before season 5. Will we ever find out the
|
|
| end of the arc?
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|
|.Straczynski> I can't even consider the notion that we wouled get canceled. I
|
|
| can't allow that possibility in my brain. This show...
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|
|.Straczynski> has been an act of sheer will; I decided in 1987 that we'd get the
|
|
| pilot, we'd get the series...
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|.Straczynski> and we'd run 5 years, and we're going to.
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|.Straczynski> ga
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|
|
|
|ALLBELL> Has anybody ever optioned Andre Norton's galactic empire books?
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|.Straczynski> I really don'tknow about Norton's books.
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|
|
|
|.Mike> Besides Jason Carter, any new guest stars that you can mention?
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|.Straczynski> Louis Turrene, who played Draal in our first season, but wasn't
|
|
| able to reprise the role for various reasons, returns as a recurring...
|
|
|.Straczynski> character whose name is Theo, and to tell you more than that would
|
|
| be to give away a great addition to the show...
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|
|.Straczynski> so I'll have to leave it at that. Suffice to say it's a *great*
|
|
| character.
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|
|
|
|.John Z.> Has WB shown more support for Babylon 5?
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|
|.Straczynski> Gradually, yes, but it's been a very slow, painful process of
|
|
| getting them to understand and recognize what we're doing here....
|
|
|.Straczynski> we're not produced by WB in-house, so we're kind of the step-child
|
|
| of the studio, and as a result, we get forgotten a lot...
|
|
|.Straczynski> when it comes time for advertising and PR and the lot, but slowly
|
|
| they've tipped to what we're doing, and how well we're doing it...
|
|
|.Straczynski> and now, finally, we have a person assigned to B5 full-time from
|
|
| the PR department, and getting more recognition inside the industry...
|
|
|.Straczynski> so I think it's finally coming around. g
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
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|
|ASTRAEA> It's taken them long enough. Doesn't surprise me with that bunch.
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|
|
|
|KEKKER> Have you seen any of Fox's new "Space", I mean more than the
|
|
| commercials, And what do you think of it?
|
|
|.Straczynski> I haven't seen enough of Space to form an intelligent opinion yet.
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|
|
|
|PEREGRYN> Is the end of your story arc set in stone or do you a vague idea
|
|
| that...
|
|
|PEREGRYN> changes with time?
|
|
|.Straczynski> I have a detailed outline, but as any writer knows, an outline
|
|
| rarely survives contact with the actual book or script...
|
|
|.Straczynski> so there's room to play around, but the overall direction of the
|
|
| story line has not diverged from the outline at all.
|
|
|PEREGRYN> thank you.
|
|
|
|
|KLEVE> What or who do you credit for your career path into SciFi?
|
|
|.Straczynski> Can you phrase that question a different way? There are various
|
|
| answers to that, but I'm not sure which way to go.
|
|
|KLEVE> Please pick one
|
|
|.Straczynski> See, "career" is the work, and that's different from the interest
|
|
| in SF.
|
|
|.Straczynski> I go into SF via Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Lovecraft,
|
|
| Ellison, Ashton-Smith, Dunsany, Russell, Simak and others.
|
|
|.Straczynski> The career part is a long and detailed answer.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|KLEVE> Highlights please?
|
|
|.Straczynski> Started writing and selling at 17, got into articles, plays, go
|
|
| them published and produced, started in radiodrama...
|
|
|.Straczynski> then lurched back into journalism for the LA Times, TIME Inc.,
|
|
| others, then went straight, and got into TV via animation...
|
|
|.Straczynski> which led to live-action with The Twilight Zone, Murder She Wrote,
|
|
| other shows, then B5.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|
|
|.John Z.> Will harlan Ellison write any scripts?
|
|
|.Straczynski> We hope so.
|
|
|
|
|ALLBELL> Other than youare there any other writers who will be working on the
|
|
| coming season of episodes?
|
|
|.Straczynski> That's still being determined. (RE: writers)
|
|
|
|
|JIMFLEXX> How much input from the actors do you get while working on the
|
|
| scripts/ characterations?
|
|
|.Straczynski> While working on the script? Zero. The scripts are written
|
|
| without comment or input from actors, directors, or anyone else....
|
|
|.Straczynski> once they're done, the director and I sit down and work out
|
|
| production details, and that's about it. On the stage, if an actor...
|
|
|.Straczynski> hits a line he has a problem with, they send back to my office 15
|
|
| feet away and ask if it can be modified with a word change, and if I
|
|
|.Straczynski> say yes, it is, if I say no, it isn't.
|
|
|
|
|CASI> Have you ever read Marion Zimmer Bradleys Darkover series, and what do you
|
|
| think?
|
|
|KLEVE> Speaking of animation have you seen "Reboot"?
|
|
|.Straczynski> Haven't read Darkover, I'm afraid, just never jumped out at me.
|
|
| Never seen Reboot, either.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|
|
|.John Z.> Do you use outlines while writing a script?
|
|
|.Straczynski> I sketch out the acts on one sheet of paper, divided into 6
|
|
| sections (4 acts, teaser and tag), so I can see...
|
|
|.Straczynski> the whole episode ata glance, then start writing. Sometimes I'll
|
|
| write without...
|
|
|.Straczynski> an outline at all, if I can see it clearly enough in my head to
|
|
| chance it.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|
|
|ALLBELL> Do you find your experiences with WB affecting your portrayal of Psi
|
|
| Corps?
|
|
|.Straczynski> Not at all; they've been great, creatively; they let us do what we
|
|
| want; I haven't
|
|
|.Straczynski> had a script note since episode 3 of season 2, and haven't had a
|
|
| note on a cut of an episode...
|
|
|.Straczynski> since season one. So they leave us totally alone, and they've
|
|
| been very supportive when we want to take chances.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|
|
|KLEVE> What are the chances that you have already taken?
|
|
|.Straczynski> The Believers script, the plague episode, others have been chancy.
|
|
|
|
|CASI> Are thereany major twists to season 3?
|
|
|.Straczynski> There are some *major* twists to season three, mainly in the form
|
|
| of changes to the whole direction of the show....
|
|
|.Straczynski> every show has a "format," you know how it's going to be, but we
|
|
| make a change that is absolutely radical in year three...
|
|
|.Straczynski> to the very structure of the B5 universe, which totally, logically
|
|
| grows out of what we've seen to date.
|
|
|.Straczynski> Life is constant change.
|
|
|
|
|.John Z.> Will we see more of Talia's Telekinetic abilities?
|
|
|.Straczynski> We'll see.
|
|
|.Straczynski> ga
|
|
|
|
|KEKKER> Will you have a blooper reel making the rounds?
|
|
|.Straczynski> WE've discussed releasing it vaiia the fan club once it gets
|
|
| going.
|
|
|
|
|DDEBBIE> JMS are the rumors re: Andrea Thompson and her character true? Or what
|
|
| is the "story" here...?
|
|
|.Straczynski> I'd rather wait to answer that after the show in question airs.
|
|
|DDEBBIE> Arrghhh - ok
|
|
|
|
|ALLBELL> Were the actors who wanted to be busy during hiatus able to get good
|
|
| parts? What was demand like? I hope producers were smart enough to want them)
|
|
|.Straczynski> I know Bruce did a miniseries with Melissa, Peter Jurasik did a
|
|
| part for the HBO movie "Late Shift"....
|
|
|.Straczynski> Jerry did an episode of Renegade, took some time off; Mira
|
|
| traveled; Richard did a movie (I forget which one)....
|
|
|.Straczynski> mainly they took the time to recoup, because a series is a very
|
|
| grinding business.
|
|
|
|
|KLEVE> Could you give a short background on the actress that plays Delenn, where
|
|
| from etc.?
|
|
|.Straczynski> Mira's from the former Yugoslavia, one of their premiere
|
|
| actresses.
|
|
|KLEVE> Her accent was too good to be acting!
|
|
|
|
|.John Z.> I'd like to thank JMS for visiting us and welcome him back soon.
|
|
|KEKKER> Thank you, JMS! More producers should do this!
|
|
|.Straczynski> Thanks, John, not a problem.
|
|
|JIMFLEXX> Thanks, JMS! Keep up the great work!
|
|
|CHRISROSEANN> Good luck on season three!!!!
|
|
|RAULER> Yes, thanks for creating some great entertainment! :)
|
|
|.Robert> Does this mean that the fat lady sang?:)
|
|
|.John Z.> We love that you came to visit us!
|
|
|.Straczynski> Thanks, all.
|
|
|ALLBELL> love love love love love
|
|
|KLEVE> Thanks!
|
|
|.Mike> If she tries to sing before year five, we shoot her
|
|
|.George> Thanks, keep up the good work!!
|
|
|CHRISROSEANN> The universe is a wonderful and strange place.
|
|
|.John Z.> Thanks to everyone that came to visit too!
|
|
|.Robert> You're welcome.
|
|
|.Straczynski> By the way, did I mention that Kosh is revealed to be a
|
|
|.Straczynski> - signed off -
|
|
|.George> smartass!!!
|
|
|DDEBBIE> lol
|
|
|KEKKER> Arrrrrgh!
|
|
|.John Z.> LOL
|
|
|.Robert> Rumor is he's Daffy Duck.
|