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1305 lines
53 KiB
1305 lines
53 KiB
Babylon 5 posts by JMS on GEnie for July 16-31, 1994
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This file includes a compilation of posts on GEnie by J. Michael
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Straczynski in the Babylon 5 category. The posts are copyright by JMS
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(and compilation copyright is by GEnie).
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************
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Topic 1 Mon Oct 26, 1992
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SF-MARSHALL [Dave ] at 18:50 EST
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Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series (Non-Spoiler)
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Welcome to the Babylon 5 category and main topic for the new series. Here is
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the place for all general information on the series. Topic 2 is the location
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for SPOILERS. And please, NO STORY IDEAS are to be posted either.
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732 message(s) total.
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************
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 452 Sat Jul 16, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:59 EDT
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The first batch of mugs are from (you'll pardon the expression) Creation.
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Currently about 2/3rds finished writing a second-season ep called
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"Revelations," and though I've written and commissioned others already, this
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one's sizing up to be a major ass-kicker from a story perspective.
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Definitely the flip-side of "Chrysalis." Some really, really nice stuff.
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The hardest part is always writing Kosh, because you have to be very
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careful how much you use him, and what he says. Too much and he loses his
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sense of mystery, and you don't want him spouting fortune-cookie type
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aphorisms. He has a very deliberate way of speaking in which everything,
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every smallest nuance and inflection means something, but sometimes not what
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it appears to mean, or comes at it from a very different angle than normal
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conversation. So I go as minimalist as possible, to get the meaning down to
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the smallest number of words possible. And in one scene, one of only two he
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appears in, I got him down to *one word*, and that one word -- and it's a
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totally inoffensive, neutral word on its own terms -- should scare the hell
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out of *everybody*.
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Ah loves this show....
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 455 Sat Jul 16, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:22 EDT
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Telepaths are the ultimate minority, and when it comes to the use of
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their talents, and the protection of the rights of the hysterical majority,
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their rights don't mean a whole hell of a lot.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 473 Sat Jul 16, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:18 EDT
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Yes, Mary Jo is Christian Slater's mom. She keeps nudging us about an
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appearance, since he loves SF. We'll see.
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And also correct...the majority of freelance scripts we commission don't
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tend to need a lot of revision. Certainly not after the first go round. DC's
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first script needed a bit of work, but that was mainly because she was still
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feeling her way around the characters and the show. Her second script came in
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almost letter perfect; move around a few commas and that's about it. And her
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outline for her next script, for season two, is very cool.
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Funny story. Saw Ed Wasser ("Morden") the other day, and asked him if
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he'd had any reaction to his first appearance on the show. Just one, he said.
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He was in a florist shop, picking out some stuff for a friend who was sick.
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The proprieter came over, asked, "What do you want?" Ed sorta mumbled about
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wanting some flowers. "What do you want?" the owner asked again. Ed -- still
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not getting it -- said he was looking for some nice stuff for a friend who was
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sick. "Yes, but what do you *want*?" the owner asked. At which point Ed
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finally twigged to what was going on. He said afterward that it really *is*
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an unnerving approach, which was kinda the point.
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Of course, the owner then added that he thought the scene was from DS9,
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but what the hell, it's an imperfect universe.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 483 Sun Jul 17, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:52 EDT
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We're re-doing *all* of our computer displays for next year, using some
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nifty graphic designs. Part of the problem is that the boys at Foundation
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were doing the displays, and they were swamped doing our main CGI, so that
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kinda fell by the wayside. This year we've got someone who does ONLY our
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computer screens with us in-house.
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Glad you liked the series font, btw; I picked it out me own self. It's
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Serpentine Medium, for anyone interested.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 499 Sun Jul 17, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:43 EDT
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Yeah, just about all of our monitor stuff in scenes is done live on the
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stage, rather than in post; gives it a nice sense of reality, I think.
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Re: serpentine medium...about 75% of the reason I picked that font was
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because it looked cool, and 25% because I liked the name and the image it
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brings to mind.
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Re: telepathy...yes, it's bordered and proscribed by physical
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limitations, in many ways; the closer you are, the better you can do. Even
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Bester, in "Mind War," noted that he could shut Ironheart down, "but we have
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to be on a line-of-sight to do it." They couldn't just broadcast it into the
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ether, he had to be *there* in front of them.
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The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5.
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There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in
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general the findings have been inconclusive. But about 125 years or so ago in
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B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt,
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and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered. There were some abortive and
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confused attempts to legislate around this, most of which failed or were
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overturned in various courts of law. About 2150 or so, the government
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agencies that regulated and oversaw telepaths were rolled over into the newly
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established Psi Corps, which became a clearing house for locating,
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controlling, and licensing telepaths for commercial, some very restricted
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legal, and military purposes.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 521 Mon Jul 18, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:51 EDT
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Yes, a businessman can insist on having his own telepath present, or can
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ask not to be scanned during negotiations...though it is a sign that one has
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something to hide, and might screw the deal. Sinclair could have asked for a
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telepath on his side, but 1) that wasn't the issue, it was allowing NO
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telepath to have that access, and 2) would've requird a Psi Corps military
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liaison-type telepath, and none were available on station.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 529 Tue Jul 19, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:29 EDT
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There's definitely a crew mess, which you can see in "Babylon Squared,"
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and a couple of other episodes. Next season you'll also be seeing our
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Officer's Club.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 559 Thu Jul 21, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:44 EDT
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Of course those two options are profoundly unfair. Some elements of
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EarthGov are very unfair. Some elements of *our* government are very unfair.
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So now we see what this does to people, and how they react.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 560 Thu Jul 21, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:49 EDT
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(hrrmmmm...looks like my internet gateway is down again....)
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 580 Fri Jul 22, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:41 EDT
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One of the Kosh guesses in this category is correct.
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But I'm not telling you which one, or which topic it appears in.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 636 Sun Jul 24, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:23 EDT
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Re: sound in space...I sent out the word to just about everyone to get a
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consensus on this issue. And I got back some surprising responses from a
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number of physicists, including none other than Freeman Dyson. The SF
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community has always accepted, unquestioningly, almost as a shibboleth, the No
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Sound In Space Is Possible theory. But what came back from Dyson and others
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says, basically, that this ain't necessarily the case.
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Eventually, I'll get around to collating all the info and uploading it
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here. (But as one example, if a ship of very large size explodes, the
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atmosphere within will expand outward, carrying with it the sound of the
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explosion. It will fizzle fairly quickly, but if you're within the range of
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the expanding bubble of air and sound, you'll hear something. Also, if a
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ship explodes, if you're outside the bubble, floating in space without a ship
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or a helmet, no, you won't hear it, but then that doesn't matter because
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you're dead. If you're in another ship, outside the range of the expanding
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air curtain, you'll hear sounds as the debris, radiation and other effects of
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the explosion strike your hull, causing it to ring or otherwise reflect the
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sound.)
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In any event, I think that this particular shibboleth is going to have
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to be reconsidered.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 651 Sun Jul 24, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:29 EDT
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Nothing scanned by a telepath is admissible in court per se.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 1
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Message 688 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:38 EDT
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Neither "Quality," "Babylon Squared" nor "Chrysalis" start with someone
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coming to the station.
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jms
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------------
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************
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Topic 2 Wed Nov 20, 1991
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STARR [Arne] at 19:41 EST
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Sub: Babylon 5 -- The Series!! >>SPOILERS<<
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Babylon 5 offically became a series on May 28 '93. There will be 22 hour eps
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for season one (in addition to the pilot). Airs Wednesdays at 8PM in most
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places starting Jan. 26 '94. This is the SPOILER topic where anything goes.
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824 message(s) total.
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************
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 653 Sun Jul 17, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:49 EDT
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We digitally isolated the image of the bike driving away, and then
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composited it into the shot.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 670 Sun Jul 17, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:22 EDT
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Correct...Internal Investigations = II's = Eyes.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 683 Sat Jul 23, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:20 EDT
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I try not to hype shows that I like unless I know beyond a doubt that
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it's absolutley kickp-ass. I like "Voice" a lot; it is the point at which we
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really start cranking, speeding things up as we barrel toward "Chrysalis." I
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think the CGi is nothing less than terrific, Christopher Franke went balls-to-
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the-wall and did an *amazing* job with the music, the performances are good.
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I like it a lot. I haven't commented upon it a lot because it's kind of the
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weird child in the brood; when I write, I generally write tight and fast. By
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the third act, you're *moving*. In this case, you have to pace yourself out
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*very* differently, so part of my brain keeps doing this "c'mon, speed it up,
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speed it up" when I'm watching the first part because I'm used to a different
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one-hour kind of pacing.
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Kathryn says I'm nuts. But then this is nothing new.
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Anyway, I do think it's pretty cool, and does a lot with virtual sets and
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composite sets.
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Yesterday, I got the final air-check versions of "Babylon Squared" and
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"Chrysalis" to QC before delivering them to PTEN. Watched both of them three
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times in the same day. They're just stunning. Probably the two best episodes
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of the entire season.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 686 Sat Jul 23, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:36 EDT
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Yeah...I love Londo's song, that whole scene. The director wanted to cut
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Ivanova's coda after her mantra, but I really felt we needed it, and it played
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perfectly with her Russian character, which tends to have this unusual
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relationship with higher forces (he said vaguely). I love character based
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humor, because it's very powerful once you know the characters, and it can
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really blind-side you if done right. Ivanova's reaction in the core area was
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about as real as would probably happen, but it's funny to hear her *say* it.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 689 Sun Jul 24, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:26 EDT
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Basically, I thought "Legacies" was pretty good, all things considered.
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I'd put it at around the center of the pack. It didn't exactly leap off the
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boards at me, but I didn't have any major problems with it, as I did with, for
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instance, "Infection." (Like the CGI composite shot of the rotunda, looking
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out at the garden before panning down a lot.)
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 691 Sun Jul 24, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:27 EDT
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Generally, that stuff is generated by Ron's elves, since they do the
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rendering and have the specs on-line, and yes, that stuff will show up in the
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CDRom.
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 698 Sun Jul 24, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:32 EDT
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How did I get what CD of my CGI? I'm not sure I understand the question.
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The CD Rom (I believe these are two separate issues) will be out from
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Compton's around January or so.
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And yeah, we definitely gave Ron's elves a workout on this one....
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 717 Tue Jul 26, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:58 EDT
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This ought to mess you up...take all the stuff we learn and stuff we do
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in "Voice," multiply the whole two hours times two, and you get some idea of
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what's in "Babylon Squared" and "Chrysalis." The latter is the closest thing
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I've ever seen to a blipvert...yikes!
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 721 Tue Jul 26, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:53 EDT
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How does one come up with stuff like Londo's song? Easy, really; you
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start by putting yourself in the position of an alien trying to understand us.
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And if you step back for a second, we do some *very* weird stuff. What he
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says about the song is exactly right in terms of its meaning.
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 728 Wed Jul 27, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:49 EDT
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Tom: I just think that you gotta push the car to its limits, and beyond,
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and beyond, cranking it further and further until your buttons fly off, the
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windshield cracks, the roof buckles and the doors blow off. That, to me, is
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a *ride*. And I want B5 to be a *ride*.
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 739 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:42 EDT
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And there we get into the contradiction; Ivanova and Sinclair down on the
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planet would be mainly more run-and-jump...Draal talking about his feelings,
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Delenn showing she is upset that her friend is going away and will never be
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seen by her again, their obvious friendship, that to me is characterization.
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And not just throwaway stuff, either, but important down the road.
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But hey, what do I know....
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jms
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 746 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:52 EDT
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"...a few minutes of Sinclair and Ivanova telling each other what's going
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on in their heads while they explore the city."
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*zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*nort
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 749 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:08 EDT
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On the question of dialogue, this comes under the heading of General
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Editorializing, not directed to anyone in particular....
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I love monologues. They are a legitimate part of any drama. The MTV
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generation has had its tastes so thoroughly bastardized by quick cuts,
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lowering the attention span further and further, that any bite of more than
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ten seconds and they start to wander, it becomes a block of words and they
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blur out.
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Go rent Network by Paddy Chayefsky, watch nearly any of the TZs by Rod
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Serling, go see "The Lady's Not for Burning" by Christopher Fry...all
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chockablock with moments where you park for a moment and let fly with a chunk
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of dialogue that smashes your head against the wall. Not every single
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exchange has to be foreshortened so that you lose the *impact* of what's being
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said. Because people's attention spans have been greatly foreshortened,
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suddenly more than 3 lines at a time is somehow viewed as wrong. It ain't.
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Just that lots of folks are afraid to try it, afraid to rely on just the words
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and the actors. And sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But it's
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legitimate.
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The monologue in particular, done right, isn't just to convey
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information, it's to create a mood, to paint pictures with words, to expand on
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the obvious. Yeah, I could've just written, "The narns hate us, we hate them,
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it's equal math." But that doesn't carry the same meaning, the same sense as
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"so here we are...victims of mathematics." The use of the word "victim"
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connotes, hey, it's not my fault. Yeah, the former is shorter, but you lose
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the rhythms, the imagery, and the *sense* of what is intended. You could say,
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"The narn hate us." But to say, "if the narns gathered together in one place,
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and hated, all at the same time, that hatred would fly across dozens of light
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years and reduce Centauri Prime to a ball of ash," draws a picture, lends
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power to the emotion.
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Point being...I like 'em, there's nothing wrong with them, and they're
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staying.
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jms
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 2
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Message 765 Fri Jul 29, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:46 EDT
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Actually, sadly, that was Londo's first wife, who he was forced to
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divorce later. Eventually I'll get into this.
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Londo and Garibaldi really are two sides of the same coin, in some ways.
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There's an odd friendship there, almost grudging; Londo had little to gain by
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cheering up Garibaldi, except a drink perhaps, but that's what friends do.
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Re: the XO and second going down...my theory is that there's a First
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Contact Protocol that doesn't currently exist because there's no need for it
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in the present. No aliens yet. The Earth/Minbari War started with a botched
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First Contact that nearly wiped out humanity. You don't want junior officers
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anywhere even *near* the scene. You send your two best, who are trained in
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FCP (which Sinclair referenced in "Soul Hunter," btw). If they die, they're
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replaceable. Earth isn't.
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Two really great quotes above, btw. We get some more nice ones in season
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two, in the first two episodes. One is from Lincoln (a little bit about
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saving or losing the last best hope of Earth), the second from Yeats (what
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rough beast slouching toward Bethelehem, to be born).
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jms
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------------
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************
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Topic 3 Tue Nov 03, 1992
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:09 EST
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Sub: Babylon 5 - Computer SFX Tech-Talk
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Some of the new computer EFX used in BABYLON 5 will be revolutionary, a new
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approach never seen before on this scale. It's all new tech, and this topic
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will try and address the new technologies involved.
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656 message(s) total.
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************
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------------
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Category 18, Topic 3
|
|
Message 620 Sat Jul 16, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:21 EDT
|
|
|
|
Yes, that building is in the Garden. You can see buildings there in many
|
|
shots, some better than others. It's a big place. The Fresh Air restaurant
|
|
is also in the Garden area, and you can see buildings there in "Purple," also
|
|
upcoming in "Quality."
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 3
|
|
Message 632 Sun Jul 24, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:33 EDT
|
|
|
|
Hey...sooner or later...boom.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 4 Tue Nov 03, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:12 EST
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 - Cast & Characters
|
|
|
|
For discussion of the actors who will be bringing BABYLON 5 to life with their
|
|
performances...for information before, and discussion after the airing of "The
|
|
Gathering" pilot.
|
|
574 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 4
|
|
Message 500 Sun Jul 17, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:45 EDT
|
|
|
|
...grumble mumble ramma framma overrated tradition bah humbug....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 4
|
|
Message 511 Sun Jul 17, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:24 EDT
|
|
|
|
The address to send the photos is the generic B5 address:
|
|
|
|
14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.
|
|
|
|
Re: Jarvis...I have a little something planned in our first episode, just
|
|
a little thing, really...a small stilletto between the ribs....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 4
|
|
Message 523 Tue Jul 19, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:30 EDT
|
|
|
|
It's okay, both addresses will work fine.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 4
|
|
Message 538 Wed Jul 27, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:53 EDT
|
|
|
|
Thank you, thank you, *thank you* for giving me the name of the pinhead
|
|
who's been spreading that information around. I've been trying to backtrack
|
|
it for a few weeks now. It's been really infuriating because it simply ain't
|
|
true.
|
|
|
|
Oh, good, this means tomorrow I get to call somebody up and yell at him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I *enjoy* that. There's nothing more wonderful in all the universe that
|
|
a justified, righteous mad. I get all tingly just thinking about it.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 4
|
|
Message 552 Fri Jul 29, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:48 EDT
|
|
|
|
Filming begins on August 10th. Probably some time next week I'll be able
|
|
to give you the name. We've pretty much closed the deal, after considerable
|
|
and lengthy negotiation, but I don't want to come out with it just yet.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 9 Wed Nov 11, 1992
|
|
T.RESTIVO [Little Guy] at 18:27 EST
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 Humor
|
|
|
|
From *Beep Beep*, to Top Ten Lists, to full-blown parodies, this is where to
|
|
put your funny bone in writing!
|
|
715 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 9
|
|
Message 703 Sat Jul 23, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:23 EDT
|
|
|
|
This is a terrible story, but Paul Simon, in an interview, swears that
|
|
it's true. Someone asked him about his songs. He said he was in a restaurant
|
|
down south, stopped in for a sandwich, long time ago. Asked for a chicken and
|
|
egg sandwich. The waitress called back the request to the cook, "One mother
|
|
and child reunion."
|
|
|
|
And that's where he got the title....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 12 Wed Nov 18, 1992
|
|
B.WIST [Brad] at 18:12 EST
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 Sightings
|
|
|
|
Post here when you've spotted Babylon 5, whether it be on Television,
|
|
Magazine, or somewhere else. Let us know where we can find it/see it, too.
|
|
642 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 12
|
|
Message 634 Tue Jul 19, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:24 EDT
|
|
|
|
Just did an on-camera interview for E! News Daily. Expect to see this on
|
|
the E! channel (if you get it) on the 25th of this month. The topic: on-line
|
|
services. (Fairly straightforward introductory stuff, frankly.)
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 13 Mon Nov 23, 1992
|
|
T.ORTH [Mr. Rico] at 21:00 EST
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 - Science & Technology
|
|
|
|
Jump gates, nanotech, high-tech weapons, starship drives, sound in space, and
|
|
other subjects of science and technology in Babylon 5.
|
|
485 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 13
|
|
Message 456 Sun Jul 17, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:26 EDT
|
|
|
|
Actually, would red light tend to produce red eyes, or green eyes?
|
|
Through a red filter, red on red, everything would kinda vanish, yes?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 14 Thu Dec 31, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:59 EST
|
|
Sub: Lurkers/Introductions: Please Sign In
|
|
|
|
A place for newcomers to come in, say hello, whether you want to jump into the
|
|
conversation or not, just to let us know you're here.
|
|
755 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 14
|
|
Message 721 Wed Jul 20, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:34 EDT
|
|
|
|
"JMS is not a god."
|
|
|
|
Oh, great, fine, you had to wait until AFTER they found the nails and
|
|
hammer to mention that....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 14
|
|
Message 726 Sat Jul 23, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:26 EDT
|
|
|
|
Regarding why I generally don't respond to flirtings...does the name
|
|
Bobbitt ring a bell?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 17 Tue Jan 19, 1993
|
|
C.STOBBE [Colin] at 21:02 EST
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 - Merchandising
|
|
|
|
A place to discuss all the neat Babylon 5 merchandising coming out (hopefully)
|
|
soon
|
|
716 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 667 Sat Jul 16, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:23 EDT
|
|
|
|
Not yet, but we've been talking about it.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 669 Sat Jul 16, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:23 EDT
|
|
|
|
No, they are not.
|
|
|
|
Any script broker selling copies of B5 scripts is doing so without
|
|
permission. They are engaging in copyright infringement. The contents of the
|
|
scripts belong to PTEN, but the physical copies belong to the writers, who get
|
|
nothing out of this. It ruins, for instance, Christy's chance to make a few
|
|
dollars selling what is hers, if her script gets on the open market.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 672 Sun Jul 17, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:28 EDT
|
|
|
|
One of the things we're thinking of doing, once and if we can get this B5
|
|
fan liaison office going, is to sell scripts from the show. But unlike any
|
|
other script house (and a certain other show that sells its scripts), the
|
|
writers of the scripts sold will get a royalty off the sale of their scripts;
|
|
or, if they don't want them sold, we won't do so. And it won't be exclusive
|
|
in any event.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 674 Mon Jul 18, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:46 EDT
|
|
|
|
That is one of the things we hope to do with the B5 fan liaison office,
|
|
when and if we can get it going; to help defray expenses, we think we can
|
|
market a few things, including scripts of aired shows, with the proviso that
|
|
the original writer gets a royalty off the scripts, and/or can opt not to have
|
|
their script sold if they so desire.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 678 Mon Jul 18, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:27 EDT
|
|
|
|
Probably within a month or so after being aired.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 689 Sat Jul 23, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:27 EDT
|
|
|
|
The EA game fell through, for various and sundry reasons.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 696 Tue Jul 26, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:56 EDT
|
|
|
|
Yeah, I had the same conversation...suggested a structure rather like the
|
|
Winds of War, set during the Earth/Minbari War, in that we have all of our
|
|
characters in different places, seeing the story and the war from their
|
|
perspectives, and how their paths intersect during that time in odd or
|
|
unlikely ways. Dell didn't think that was the way to go, that unless it was
|
|
set in the present, people would feel disappointed.
|
|
|
|
Oh, well...eventually we'll get around to that part of the story.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 17
|
|
Message 707 Fri Jul 29, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:51 EDT
|
|
|
|
John: we discarded a title for this season, "A Trick of the Mind," which
|
|
we changed to "A Spider in the Web." The former, now available, might work
|
|
well for the book.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 23 Fri Feb 12, 1993
|
|
V.VAIDY1 [Vijay] at 23:00 EST
|
|
Sub: "OtherWorks" by JMS
|
|
|
|
Before there was "B5" and when "JMS" was just another Plain Joe, there was
|
|
OtherSyde
|
|
[A discussion of the other works of J. Michael Straczynski]
|
|
201 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 23
|
|
Message 196 Sat Jul 16, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:24 EDT
|
|
|
|
Actually, the eps I wrote for AW were never released; they were part of
|
|
the batch done for the last season, which never got aired or released.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 23
|
|
Message 200 Mon Jul 18, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:28 EDT
|
|
|
|
Didn't write it, your honor. Had nothin' to do with it. The ones I
|
|
wrote (and the ones Larry wrote) are the only ones with single writing
|
|
credits.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 24 Fri Jun 04, 1993
|
|
J.ROY18 [Jonathan] at 21:11 EDT
|
|
Sub: Babylon 5 - Weapons and Warfare!
|
|
|
|
For discussion about the weapons, counter weapons, armor, shielding, tactics,
|
|
logistics, and so forth, of small combat and large scale war in the Babylon 5
|
|
universe.
|
|
331 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 24
|
|
Message 325 Tue Jul 26, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:59 EDT
|
|
|
|
Insofar as I know, the designs entered in on the cruisers hasn't been
|
|
modified at all, so I can't account for any perceived differences. And I
|
|
believe that the Minbari flyer used was the same model as Deathwalker used,
|
|
though without checking the tapes I can't be 100% sure. It's a fairly
|
|
standard flyer.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 25 Fri Mar 12, 1993
|
|
S.SHELLENBAR [>> SHANE <<] at 08:47 EST
|
|
Sub: J. Michael Straczynski Speaks in Public
|
|
|
|
This is the place to find out where and when JMS will be appearing next. JMS
|
|
has honed his skills as a public speaker and is taking his act on the road.
|
|
596 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 25
|
|
Message 581 Tue Jul 26, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:59 EDT
|
|
|
|
San Diego Comic Con *Flash*.....I've been asked to do two major B5
|
|
presentations (well, major in that I'll be there...which is kinda major, I
|
|
guess...okay, maybe a lieutenant...second lieutenant...actually, it's not a
|
|
big thing....) at the convention: one is still slated for that Friday from 2-4
|
|
p.m., and they've added a second presentation from 11-1 Saturday. (If you saw
|
|
the Chicago presentation, there isn't much need to hustle to see the one on
|
|
Friday; but you may want to be there for the Saturday one, which will be in a
|
|
larger room.)
|
|
|
|
Possible that Bill Mumy will be there; don't know (doubt it) if Harlan
|
|
will be able to show up in time; John Iacovelli (art/production designer
|
|
extraordinaire) will try to show up for one of these.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 25
|
|
Message 584 Wed Jul 27, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:57 EDT
|
|
|
|
I'll tell you a true thing, and I'm not saying this to get any kind of
|
|
reassurance or pats, this is the god's honest truth...I never feel that way.
|
|
If one of the cast shows up, if one of our other folks shows up, that's a big
|
|
deal, from my perspective. Me is just me, and I'm forever *astonished* when
|
|
people actually show up. I'm constantly sure that I'm going to go to the room
|
|
and find that no one is there. I'm told by people that I'm supposed to be
|
|
some kind of "celebrity," whatever the hell THAT means this week...but I've
|
|
never transitioned into accepting that notion.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 25
|
|
Message 586 Wed Jul 27, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:43 EDT
|
|
|
|
Nothing that I know of, meself included.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 25
|
|
Message 592 Thu Jul 28, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:10 EDT
|
|
|
|
I'd recommend Saturday.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
************
|
|
Topic 31 Sat Jul 09, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:23 EDT
|
|
Sub: Really Stupid Questions from JMS
|
|
|
|
Every so often, I need Information. (You won't get it!) Technical stuff,
|
|
research or reference stuff...and given the brain trust here, I figured this
|
|
could be a useful resource from time to time. With appreciation.
|
|
99 message(s) total.
|
|
************
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 38 Sat Jul 16, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:28 EDT
|
|
|
|
Can I get SCSI installed with the computer from Dell? Does PCI take the
|
|
place of SCSI? Will Jeff marry Sally?
|
|
|
|
Question: the Native American practice of "wars" in which you bonk each
|
|
other with gourds while riding on horseback, not really hurting anyone but
|
|
racking up points...that's called "counting coup," yes?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 45 Mon Jul 18, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:54 EDT
|
|
|
|
(as he lay there on the mat, the referee counting slowly to ten, he
|
|
decides whether to get up, and face another barrage, or just lay there
|
|
contemplating how amazing the lights look from this perspective....)
|
|
|
|
My problem with my current system is that it works fine with the first
|
|
item on the SCSI system, a rewriteable optical disk. It's when I plug that
|
|
into the second device, a 6-CD rom jukebox (Pioneer 604X) that suddenly the
|
|
system begins resetting and resetting and resetting when I turn it on. I can
|
|
only make ti stop resetting by unplugging the jukebox. There's not a conflict
|
|
in the device number, that seems fine. And insofar as I can tell, the
|
|
terminatin switches are set fine. Ultrastor thinks that a jumper of some kind
|
|
needs to be installed on the car.
|
|
|
|
All I want...please...is a computer that I can plug in, not have to mess
|
|
with, and will be able to do everything I want it to do with the DOS software
|
|
(sorry, macs) that I've grown accustomed to. It seems like every computer
|
|
I've ever owned needs massaging, nudging, configuring, constant prayer and
|
|
occasional exorcism. I just want it to *work right* out of the box. Is that
|
|
really so much to ask?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 61 Sun Jul 24, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:33 EDT
|
|
|
|
Other stupid question moment. Back in the 50s, there was an SF series
|
|
called "Planet Patrol." No, not "Space Patrol" (though that was what it was
|
|
called in England), "Planet Patrol." Aired in New York on WPIX. We're
|
|
talking here puppets, okay? Cool martians and tube cars and rockets and space
|
|
stations and stuff. Used to watch the show all the time when I was a kid, and
|
|
am looking for copies of the episodes. (It was made in B&W.) For *years*,
|
|
nobody even believed it existed; it isn't in ANY book that I'm aware of.
|
|
Finally, about 2 years ago, I got my hands on one copy of one episode from a
|
|
contact, which wasn't much, but was enough to convince everyone from holding
|
|
that planned sanity hearing. It DOES (or did) exist. So once every year or
|
|
two, I put out the word...if anyone here has copies of this show, or knows
|
|
where same can be gotten, I'd *very* much appreciate hearing about it.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 69 Tue Jul 26, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:27 EDT
|
|
|
|
Kathy, it'd be great if you could find out. Basically, if it's a show
|
|
with real actors, it's not the show I'm looking for; if it's got puppets, then
|
|
it is. (Though sometimes I wonder at the distinction....)
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 73 Tue Jul 26, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:03 EDT
|
|
|
|
Klaatu: not the Tom Corbet space patrol, this is a different thing.
|
|
|
|
Yeah, finally decided to screw it and bite the bullet (to mix my
|
|
metaphors a bit) and get the damned thing. Reality is, if you wait for the
|
|
next Big Thing, you'll never buy anything. I'd gotten paralyzed, and finally
|
|
just figured to do it.
|
|
|
|
Going for the Dell Dimension 90mhz Pentium, 32 megs ram, 17" monitor (.26
|
|
mm resolution), 3x CD Rom, 2 1-gigabyte drives, 2 floppies, IDE controller,
|
|
soundblaster 16, peavy speakers, trackball keyboard, and a bunch of other
|
|
stuff that's pretty much maxed out the system. #9GXEPro video card with 2
|
|
megs memory (option of getting 2 more megs). It's got everything short of
|
|
warp drive, and that only because it wasn't available.
|
|
|
|
We'll see how long this one lasts....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 81 Wed Jul 27, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:59 EDT
|
|
|
|
The entire Men Into Space series is available from Stephen M. Russo, Box
|
|
3250, McCormack Station, Boston MA 02101-3250 (based on his ads in Filmfax and
|
|
others).
|
|
|
|
Re: the video card, it's the #9GXEPro, a 64 bit card.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
|
|
Category 18, Topic 31
|
|
Message 88 Thu Jul 28, 1994
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:54 EDT
|
|
|
|
It *is* a PCI. It's already been ordered. And you may be thinking of
|
|
the Omniplex; the Dimension was rated the highest on winmarks and sysmarks by
|
|
every magazine I could get my hands on.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
------------
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Category 18, Topic 31
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Message 96 Sun Jul 31, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:31 EDT
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Pat: thanks. Unfortunately, I really can't take the risk that everyone
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has seen all prior episodes; the information needed for episode B to be clear
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has to be included, even if it's a restatement of something we saw in a prior
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episode. Otherwise, I don't think we're really playing fair with the
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audience, and people will start tuning out.
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jms
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------------
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?aut=straczynski dat>940716 noreply
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************
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Topic 20 Sun Apr 17, 1994
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STARR [Arne] at 23:50 EDT
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Sub: #122 - "Eyes"
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by Larry G. DiTillio. Directed by Jim Johnston.
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113 message(s) total.
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************
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Category 19, Topic 20
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Message 57 Sat Jul 16, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:20 EDT
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"Memo to myself: don't ever compare an episode of B5 to an episode of
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Star Trek without first researching the entirety of written fiction for non-
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Trek precedents."
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That's a snotty response that has nothing to do with the issue that I
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gigged you on. You can compare anything to anything, I really don't care.
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All that I have asked you to do is be aware of your language when you accuse
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someone of stealing something? Why is that so difficult for you to grasp?
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You keep trying to distort my point into something that it's not, and I
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have no intention of letting you get away with it. You said we did a remake
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of an ST episode. You didn't discuss the issues, you said it was a remake.
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You implied the story was lifted from ST. That is what you said. I'm sorry
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if it's now inconvenient for you, or that you got your nose caught in the
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doorjam, but words mean what they mean, not what you want them to mean.
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And I find it very telling that when confronted, you announced that your
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only options were to slink off or throw this in my face. Odd that you
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wouldn'd consider something like, "Sorry, it wasn't my intention to indicate
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that Larry had stolen the idea. I regret if that was implied."
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Guess that never even occured to you, did it?
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You can dance around re-interpretations all you want, Halliwell, but your
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comment was rude, and pejorative, and an insult to Larry, and by association
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to me. And it's got nothing to do with comparisons or the entirety of written
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fiction. And that's clear to every person here but you. You're evading and
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backing and filling.
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You get very cavalier here about other people, about the work that others
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do, their talents or lack thereof...you're always the first in line to
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criticize somebody...but you don't much like it when it's you, do you? Why
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should I treat you with any more respect than you treat others? Now, on
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another day, maybe I'd just turn the other cheek, which I do a *lot* around
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here, and let it go. But today, now, here, I don't much feel like it. Maybe
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I've heard this line once too often from people, and you're just the latest
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one to get in my face with it. Either way, maybe you'll learn something about
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running one's mouth, and that words have meaning, and if you accuse somebody
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of remaking somebody else's idea, you'd damned well better be prepared to back
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it up, or back off and apologize.
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Or is even that modicum of civilized behavior completely beyond your
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comprehension?
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We'll know in your next post whether you intend to act like a man, or a
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weasel. It's your call.
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jms
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------------
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************
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Topic 22 Sun Apr 17, 1994
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STARR [Arne] at 23:54 EDT
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Sub: #120 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 1
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by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek.
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101 message(s) total.
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************
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 13 Tue Jul 26, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:50 EDT
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I believe it's a musical sound, rather than an EFX.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 17 Wed Jul 27, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:01 EDT
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The Starfuries are absolutely non-aerodynamic, and in the gravity well of
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a planet, would simply plummet; they're not set up to function within that
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kind of environment. It isn't the re-entry, it's gravity and maneuvering once
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you're *in* the thing.
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One sidelight to the speed question...it's sometimes hard to judge speed
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when there are no handy landmarks. The shuttle moves with INCREDIBLE speed as
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it orbits Earth...but to look at it from any of the nearby cameras, when they
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do a spacewalk, you can't tell it's moving at ALL. Basically, we're between a
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rock and a hard place; if we portrayed motion a la the Space Shuttle, nothing
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would seem to move; if we portrayed the pure speed AS pure speed, using some
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kind of landmarks or visual cues, it would go by SO fast that you *wouldn't be
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able to see it*. If you're moving at 15 klicks a second...it's gone by the
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time you look at it.
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jms
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 23 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:36 EDT
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The Mars Colony situation will be raising its ugly head on and off again
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for quite some time to come.
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jms
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 31 Thu Jul 28, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:50 EDT
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As I recall, as we see Sinclair's ship descend, there are small rockets
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fired from the top of the nose, which points the nose down, and orients it
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toward atmospheric entry.
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No, nothing was missing from the CGI shot that I know of.
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Ivanova's line: "We don't know if we can find our way back or not," not
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that it was closed off. So showing them wandering around to find another open
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tunnel seemed not dramatically interesting; you have to pick what's important
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and what's not, and what will work dramaticall on screen. If she had said
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"there's no other way out," then you would've had to show it. She didn't.
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One can also argue that the alien showed them which way to get out. Either
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way...all you've got is one hour to tell your story. You can't show
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everything, you have to let your audience assume some things.
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Roy: there is a quantum difference between a computer game and a TV show.
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It's not "lowest common denominator," which means making the story stupid; I'm
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saying that if you showed the missiles at full speed, YOU WOULD NOT SEE THEM
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AT ALL. And, again, there's nothing nearby with which to get a sense of how
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fast they're going, no landmarks, so it's very hard to convey that. Again,
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look at space footage; the shuttle is going *incredibly* fast...but as far as
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we can tell it looks nearly motionless, because there are no landmarks.
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Re: not explaining WHY the Starfuries can't enter the atmosphere, we did
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that. Ivanova says that they're not built to function within an atmosphere.
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Now, I could stop the scene for a long dissertation on the relative
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aerodynamics of planes with wings vs. starfuries, but here you say only what
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you have to. You show, don't tell.
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It seems like in the same breath, it's accused of catering to the lowest-
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common denominator, and being over the head of its viewers by requiring them
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to *think* about what they're seeing.
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Which means we're probably doing it right.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 61 Fri Jul 29, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:39 EDT
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No, a shuttle like this, which is designed to function in alternate
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atmospheres, and may have to evacuate groups, has about 7 standard or most
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common atmosphere cannisters. Medlab has the same thing, but in larger
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numbers. This is SOP on the show.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 81 Sun Jul 31, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:07 EDT
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No, the sets weren't redresses of regular sets; they were built new and
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entirely for the two-parter; you can get a better look at them in the second
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part, and some angles of the first.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 22
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Message 85 Sun Jul 31, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:31 EDT
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Don't offhand know what you're referring to; will have to check.
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It's J. Michael Straczynski because the first two let you gradully creep
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up on the last name in increasing increments. To go from Joe to Straczynski
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in one jump in print always seemed to me a bit much.
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jms
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------------
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************
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Topic 23 Sun Apr 17, 1994
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STARR [Arne] at 23:56 EDT
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Sub: #121 - "A Voice In The Wilderness" - 2
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by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek.
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8 message(s) total.
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************
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 23
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Message 4 Sat Jul 30, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:11 EDT
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Haven't seen the trailer for B-squared; hope nothing much is given away.
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jms
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------------
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************
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Topic 25 Mon Apr 18, 1994
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STARR [Arne] at 00:00 EDT
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Sub: #115 - "Legacies"
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by D.C.Fontana. Directed by Bruce Seth Green. Co-stars John Vickery.
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112 message(s) total.
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************
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 7 Sun Jul 17, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:20 EDT
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Yeah, the audio thing with Talia is something I thought of during the
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final audio mix. We wanted to convey somehow her trying to get through and
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initially it was just distortion. Then I figured, wait a second, she is going
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to be thinking what she's going to say before she says it, why not pre-lap the
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dialogue? Unfortunately, for some damned reason, the high-tech studio wasn't
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set up to do that effect, so we took Talia's dialogue, digitized it, laid it
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in on a second side track, and played the one over the other, one preceding
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the other by I think about 20 frames or so. The key was to make the *second*
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voicing the one synched to her lips, not the first one. Worked out pretty
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cool.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 38 Fri Jul 22, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:36 EDT
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In at least some of those cases, Kiwi, it's not writer's laziness; you're
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not paying attention. Delenn knew the ship was coming in at the top of the
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episode; when she realized that the gun ports were open, she went immediately
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to Sinclair. Story logic. Also story logic for the appearance of Sinclair
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and Garibaldi at the cargo bay; they didn't just "wander in," they determined
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what had happened, and went there knowing that there was a Minbari transport
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about to head out.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 43 Fri Jul 22, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:22 EDT
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Actually, Anne, I don't agree...I'd say that the majority of comments
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come with constructive observations. You get unvarnished "it's perfect,
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change nothing," about as often as "it sucks, change everything." Those are
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rare individuals. Mostly you get something in between.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 51 Fri Jul 22, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:38 EDT
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The use of insulting language does not guarantee a response from me.
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What it does guarantee is contempt.
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It also takes a breathtaking degree of stupidity to want to take on a
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writer, any decent writer really, in a written medium.
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Re: the question at hand...no there was still plenty of room for docking.
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It's hard to gauge distances because of the sheer *size* of the station and
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the cruiser.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 56 Sat Jul 23, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:10 EDT
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Generally, the religious caste takes precedence over the warrior caste.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 74 Sat Jul 23, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:07 EDT
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From cradle to grave, the Minbari are taught that there is no greater
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goal, no nobler thing than to serve. They are raised to be totally self-
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sacrificing. The only exception is when someone in the religious caste
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believes he or she has received a calling, which if sincerely felt cannot be
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contravened (since usually this too involves serving). So for a Minbari
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telepath, this is their means by which they may serve, and they are given
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great respect. It never even occurs to them to do otherwise.
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Lately, there has been a bit of a change brewing; "a self-involvement
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above the needs of others" (as someone notes in "Voice") that has begun
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creeping into the Minbari race. And they're not happy about it.
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jms
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------------
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Category 19, Topic 25
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Message 84 Mon Jul 25, 1994
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STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:26 EDT
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It's bone, growing from the back of the head outward.
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Originally, this ep was to be broadcast later in the run, because I
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didn't want two PsiCorps episodes back-to-back, and for one little detail that
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will become clearer after "Babylon Squared" airs; it would've been better to
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have followed that episode, but again, these eps are made to be watched in
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just about any order, so it's okay in the long run.
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jms
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