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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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===========================================================================
| This text is compiled from posts by J. Michael Straczynski on the Usenet
| group rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5. This document contains material Copyright
| 1994 J. Michael Straczynski. He has given permission for his words to be
| redistributed online, as long as they are marked as being copyright JMS.
| This document, as well as other Babylon-5 related material, is available
| by anonymous FTP at ftp.hyperion.com.
===========================================================================
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 1 Dec 1994 15:49:43 -0500
Subject: Ship Names (minor ADS spoiler)
So tell me, Ligia, if Cortez had NOT landed in northern Mexico, do
you think it would have remained undiscovered until now?
Fact #1: somebody was bound to discover the Americas.
Fact #2: any sufficiently advanced civilization or culture will
inevitably attempt to exploit any civilization or culture not sufficiently
advanced to fight back on a level playing field.
Blaming explorers for exploring has always seemed to me really kind
of silly; do people *really* think that if Columbus hadn't landed here,
it'd be 1994 and we still wouldn't know the world was round and that
this continent was here? It doesn't matter who discovered it, the same
result would've come. Somebody had to discover it sooner or later.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 3 Dec 1994 08:57:58 -0500
Subject: JMS: Re: insignia
Rank insignia are on the shoulders, as per tradition; the bars under
the EA logo are for area; gold for command, green for security, red for
medical, and so on.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 3 Dec 1994 09:03:48 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Baseball game
I don't recall the SeaQuest game results; I do know that ST called and
challenged us to a game...we said yes...haven't heard back since.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:21:32 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: renewal notice when
If we bombed in November, we'd get NO. If we did good, we'd get
Maybe. So far, we're still (happily) in Maybe. We likely won't know
for sure though until March/April.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:24:04 -0500
Subject: Dayton Daily News B5 article
If somebody has a hard-copy of this article, it'd be great if it
could be sent my way.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:26:13 -0500
Subject: Boxleitner, the new William Sh
First people complained that Sinclair wasn't expressive enough; now
they complain that Sheridan's TOO expressive...Sinclair smiled too much,
then he was too serious...now Sheridan smiles too much....
The Canadian TV Guide said Sheridan was as "wooden" as Shatner; now
he's called as overly expressive as Shatner....
I dunno...maybe the hangup some people have with Shatner is the
problem...and maybe they ought to get over it.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:34:31 -0500
Subject: jms:interaction on net?
I appreciate the thought, Roxanna; I guess my main concern isn't
so much nitpicking, that's part of the game going in; it's just whether
or not my presence in an unregulated environment brings in so many
poison darts from trollers and those out to make a hassle that it ruins
it for others.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:34:43 -0500
Subject: Re: jms:interaction on net?
And, of course, the reality is that there has not been ONE show
ever produced in the history of television that could withstand the kind
of scrutiny generally given to SF series.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:37:17 -0500
Subject: HEEELP!!! Dilgar War????
The war against the Dilgar was the one referenced in "Deathwalker."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:37:40 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Sex questio
Me, I'm just waiting for somebody to refer to "The Long Dark" as "The
Long Duck"....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:38:06 -0500
Subject: Is B5 really the "best hope fo
This is, of course, one of the great ironies of any free society,
that in order to BE a free society you have to create the very conditions
that could turn right around and destroy that freedom. You have to
allow things you don't like in the hope that there are enough checks and
balances, and enough attractions to the current system to encourage
folks not to change over. (I think it was Che Guevara who said that
every nation is three meals short of revolution.)
I keep playing with the notion of an opening narration a year or two
down the road that says, "the Babylon Project was our last, best hope for
peace. It failed."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:38:31 -0500
Subject: Spider in the Web CC fiasco no
Apparently there was a mixup on PTEN's side as to the order of
episodes, and there wasn't time to get this one CC'd for the first
airing, though it *will* be close-captioned for the rebroadcast.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:39:35 -0500
Subject: JMS Quick question about comme
I actually don't know which sponsors would be considered primary;
probably should, huh...?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:41:07 -0500
Subject: Aliens
The green/blackish scaly-headed aliens are the Drazi; the ones with
the cthulhoid tentacles for mouths are pak'ma'ra; the fish-heads seen in
"Deathwalker" are the Abbai...just for starters.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:42:38 -0500
Subject: ATT JMS: What would have happ
Okay, alternate-universe time to answer your question....
"What if Sinclair had not left Babylon 5?" (Isn't this kinda like
the Marvel What If? comics..."What If Dr. Blake's Nurse Had Been The One
to Find Thor's Hammer?")
The differences would be more noticeable in the later episodes of
this season, rather than the first batch, which are still dealing in
large measure with the after-effects of the season finale.
So the first few episodes would have been somewhat the same in some
ways to what is there with Sheridan. The problem that I had was that he
was becoming (and would have become) mainly a problem-solver character;
there's a squabble or a problem between other characters who are rising in
profile (G'Kar, Londo, Delenn, etc.), and he solves the problem in some
way. These, to me, were the least interesting episodes of our prior
season.
It would've been necessary to bring in another character with a
direct connection to the shadowmen, since Sinclair's main connection is
to the Minbari, and it would've been straining credulity to plug him too
much into THAT story as well...hero of the line, missing 24 hours, Minbari
soul, AND a tie to the Shadowmen...c'mon, what else does he do, fly under
his own power?
Had he stayed, the Shadowman tie probably would've gone to either
Keffer or Garibaldi. Which, again, further removes Sinclair from the
main thrust of the story. He would have stayed on as more of an observer
of other people *acting*, while he *reacted*.
I can't get too specific otherwise without revealing, by contrast,
what's going to happen later on this season. Suffice to say this: watch
the show up to and through "The Coming of Shadows," "All Alone in the
Night," "Acts of Sacrifice," and "Hunter, Prey." (That's about episode
#13.) You can then ask the question again, but I have a real suspicion
that once you've seen those episodes, and what Sheridan does, you won't
NEED to ask, because you'll see how he fits into the overall story in a
very specific fashion with is 180-degrees different than Sinclair.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 00:48:57 -0500
Subject: Sinclair Who? or The Long Dark
Re: Sheridan...thanks, and I think you'll continue to like him more
the deeper we get into the season and we discover what's *really* going
on with him. Last season, "Chrysalis" was the episode at season's end
that kind of turned the show on its head; this season it starts a LOT
sooner than that...there are several episodes mid-season that whop the
series upside the head and send it spinning in a very different direction,
and they mainly involve Sheridan. In particular, watch for "A Race
Through Dark Places," "The Coming of Shadows," "All Alone in the Night"
(which is a biggie, though it's designed NOT to look like that for most
of the episode), "Acts of Sacrifice" and "Hunter, Prey." With one or
two exceptions, they run in a block come February.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 01:28:56 -0500
Subject: JMS: This show of yours, "Baby
Well, it's good to know all those electives in college came in
handy SOMEWHERE....
(I think I racked up enough electives in philosophy to come close
to a major; as it was I minored in philosophy and literature in my first
two degrees.)
There's a vast wealth of literature, poety, ideas, philosophy, that
people -- average viewers -- know nothing about, because they may have
been led to think it's dry,and dusty, and irrelevent, and less than
interesting. So if I can slip that in, and make it interesting, and
encourage them to seek out this stuff (I can't tell you how many folks
have written me to mention they checked out Yeats and Tennyson based on
seeing it in this show), then we're doing something worthwhile.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 01:29:04 -0500
Subject: JMS: Ed Wasser-Good actor or n
Ed Wasser is sort of our discovery; I pretty much wrote the part
of Morden with him in mind for the role. He's great in it.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 01:32:41 -0500
Subject: "The Long Dark" Review -- Spoi
RE: Londo looking "more wicked," we're doing some very small,
subtle things to his appearance, his wardrobe, pulling him into a
darker range of fabrics. (Honest to god, you wouldn't believe how
careful and detailed we are in setting this stuff up.) He'll even be
getting a new, slightly darker coat, straighter lines, closer in style
to Refa's, before the season's out. It's really interesting when you
know where you're going....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 01:32:58 -0500
Subject: Re: Where's the Ring? (minor L
Anyone who looks too closely for LoTR allegories will over the long
haul be disappointed; remember, we're also constructing a story that
casts an eye toward the events of the last 25 or so years, our own fall
from a vision of the future, and it's designed to have some parallels to
the story of the original Babylon. Thus far, though a few have started
to get glimmers of where this puppy's going, very few yet really get
just how *big* this story is going to get.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 7 Dec 1994 23:10:47 -0500
Subject: IMHO's on LONG DARK **** SPO
Yes, we will eventually show the view into sheridan's office; we
did it small in "Geometry," but not well, I think; we need to be back
further. So we'll do it again.
Until we get it right.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 00:22:38 -0500
Subject: Yeats: The Second Coming (spec
Joseph: the only thing I'll say is that you stumbled upone one very
VERY important element in your message...but I'm not telling you which
one.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 00:23:07 -0500
Subject: Hey JMS! Great Show!
Many thanks; encouragement like this helps us keep going....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 00:29:20 -0500
Subject: JMS - Are Most T.V. Writers Ti
Television writers do, and risk, as much as the industry will allow
them to. The television business inclines one toward timidity, toward
not making trouble, to the lowest common denominator. The few that rise
above that are those willing to take a stand and risk losing everything
if they mess up (Bochco, Kelley, others).
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 00:33:44 -0500
Subject: Harlan Ellison gone?
Harlan is still with the show, and his credit appears in the opening
of each show's first act.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 23:27:41 -0500
Subject: Babylon 5 credits font
Serpentine Medium.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 23:36:36 -0500
Subject: JMS: Spelling of Zahadoom?
Z'ha'dum.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 9 Dec 1994 23:41:14 -0500
Subject: Uncredited Actor?, Future plot
Conaway is credited in the episode.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 00:00:27 -0500
Subject: Bab-5 on German TV???
I believe it'll be on Sat Eintz starting December/January.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 00:02:09 -0500
Subject: JMS: Murder she wrote?
Yeah, I was there on Murder for two years; fun show.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 00:02:25 -0500
Subject: JMS: From whence "Understandin
I just kinda thunk it up, based on my past experiences with these
kinds of essentially theological organizations.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 01:22:43 -0500
Subject: What's in Joe's head?
What's in Joe's head?
Gophers, mainly.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 15:09:51 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Can you help with Au
This is something I have *zip* control over, alas....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 15:12:59 -0500
Subject: JMS: Why keep harping on San D
Having lived in San Diego from 1974-81, it's just my way of giving
a wink to the old home town. Though there are some important things
going on underground, in areas no one goes...the choice of SD is just
a bit of fun.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 19:52:52 -0500
Subject: Theron: WE WANT PROOF. OR, SHA
I hate to be the one to point this out, but B5's ratings have been
steadily on the rise now for weeks; in fact, the President of WB/PTEN
distribution came here to the stage this week to congratulate everyone
involved with the show. We're the 3rd rated dramatic series overall,
in both ratings and demographics, and the demos are *killer*. Our last
rating for "Long Dark" gave us a 5.2, which will definitely put us in
the top 18 or even 15 of ALL syndicated shows.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 21:22:20 -0500
Subject: Moronic Fanboys
Excuse me, but has *anyone* here considered that Sheridan just might
still be talking to the same tech he was speaking to not *five seconds
earlier*? He wasn't talking to himself, so much, or the audience, though
the push-in (the only shot we had) worked against that. He *was* talking
to the tech. Honest.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 21:28:21 -0500
Subject: JMS: Comments & question re B5
It's not supposed to be a blasted landscape around Geneva, and didn't
look like that in the pencils.
Ah, well....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 21:28:34 -0500
Subject: JMS: Making of Babylon 5
I'm sure it'll eventually come out again somewhere...
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 21:37:30 -0500
Subject: JMS: What does Harlan do?
Harlan does on the show whatever he *wants* to do on the show. He
helped create the Ombuds character, added to the narration, does the
final VO on the credits, sometimes talks with other writers about the
show...he's our own personal free-floating agent of chaos....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 22:08:46 -0500
Subject: ANSWER ME!!!!
Some will. Some won't. Simple enough?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 22:09:05 -0500
Subject: How are you doing?
So far, we're doing fine...but there's still a very long road
ahead of us.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 10 Dec 1994 22:10:54 -0500
Subject: ATN JMS: Chrysalis (spoiler) a
Yes, if Laurel had stayed with the station, either she would have
pulled the trigger on Garibaldi, or been directly involved in other ways.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Dec 1994 04:24:20 -0500
Subject: ATT:JMS Re: Jeff Conaway
Yes, Conaway will be seen from time to time in the show.
We get a *very* good selection of name actors, many of whom don't
generally do syndication (not at what we can afford to pay, much less
than ST has), but they're generally drawn by the material. At least
that's what they tell me, and out of convenience and hubris I have come
to accept it as true.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Dec 1994 23:04:43 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Media mention, well,
Now that's comedy....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Dec 1994 23:27:30 -0500
Subject: Re: Ivanova squirms (was Re: I
"I wanna see those gloves come off. WHEN she's with someone."
How's the next batch of new episodes...soon enough for you?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 11 Dec 1994 23:30:33 -0500
Subject: Trading cards
There are also apparently supposed to be real trading cards coming
out from Cardz eventually.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 02:16:43 -0500
Subject: JMS: your faves
So far the best episodes of this year (in my view) are those in the
next batch, starting January/February. (My favorite from the first
group is "Geometry.") I think "The Coming of Shadows" may be the best
(or at least my favorite) from the entire series to date. I'd also put
"Chrysalis," "Babylon Squared," "A Race Through Dark Places" and
"Revelations" toward the top. I suspect that "All Alone in the Night"
will be up there, but I just today got the director's cut, and haven't
seen it yet, though the dailies were terrific.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:20:28 -0500
Subject: G'kar and Londo Tango.
Ah, but you're assuming that the Londo-strangling-scene is as it
seems to be; maybe it is, but maybe it isn't. You don't know the context
yet.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:20:42 -0500
Subject: JMS: A note of thanks.
The thanks more properly belong with those who've supported and
discovered the show for what it is, like yourself....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:20:55 -0500
Subject: Thanks, JMS, for your guest st
McCallum was *very* pleasant to work with, very unassuming and
quiet. We've been very lucky with our guest stars; they have a strong
respect for the text, and don't stray. And they bring a lot to each
performance. On the subject of genre actors...they often created great
characters, so memorable that they got typecast, and couldn't find work.
This to me is a crime, and if we can cast them in ways totally opposite
what they've done before (Koenig as Bester), and show the real range and
skill these actors possess, we pay back a little of what they've given
us, which we kinda owe them, I think. It's simply a gesture of respect.
(Our first season, when Walter did his episode, when he would come
to the lunch table -- all writers, producers, crew and actors eat
together at the stage every day -- all the other cast members used to
stand until he'd sat...tradition for a senior officer.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:21:12 -0500
Subject: Moving Stars (One More Time...
Because the window is so large, making a revolving cyclorama with
fiber-optic stars is physically impossible. Doing matte composites for
the lengthy shots which generally take place in C&C is also impossible;
we could spend time rendering all those shots, but then wouldn't have
time to render any OTHER CGI for the show. We're still looking for a
better solution, but for now, it is what it is.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:22:57 -0500
Subject: JMS: Hook-up with David Brin
I know David Brin; have spoken to him, had lunch, you name it. I
think our working habits are attidudes are *very* far apart.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 13 Dec 1994 04:28:55 -0500
Subject: Attn JMS (was Re: Is B5 really
And in my more evil moments, in light of the analysis of "it was the
dawn of the third age of mankind," I'm constantly fighting the temptation
to have someone show up at the station with his young daughter in tow and
say, "This is Dawn. She's three."
Just to watch everyone's antennae explode....
(This to Dawn Sharon, who reminded me of it.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 01:29:52 -0500
Subject: SitW link to Stalking the Nigh
The Bureau 13 name was *entirely* coincidental on Larry's part.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 01:31:34 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Tom McDevitt tribute
Actually, it was caused by a charity SFWA auction; I bought the
rights to have a ship named after me in Tom's new book (at that time).
Ed Bryant was the auctioneer, who snared me into a bidding war with a
woman with an even longer name than mine, finally provoking me with, "If
you were a REAL man you'd jump another hundred dollars and shut her down."
I'm such a stooge....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 01:31:54 -0500
Subject: Re: Tv Guide Editor's View
I hear they're going to print a slightly edited (minus the more
inflammatory stuff, I was in a bad mood at the time) version of my letter
in their magazine, with a note from the editor to the effect that he will
maybe give B5 "another chance."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 01:51:45 -0500
Subject: Question for JMS: Mimbari Warr
Prior to the time of Valen, the Minbari's greatest spiritual leader,
there was killing of Minbari by Minbari. There were three warring castes,
which he pulled together when he formed the Grey Council (three from each
caste forming nine, Worker, Warrior, Religious Caste). Since that time,
and the Minbari have been in space for well over a thousand years, they
have pretty much hewn to that rule; it is their greatest taboo. Once the
three sides were integrated, the warrior caste mainly contented itself
with external threats.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 04:29:29 -0500
Subject: JMS: another clipping for your
Thanks for the info; much appreciated.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 04:31:19 -0500
Subject: JMS: save $$ on CC? (was: Spid
Unfortunately, the CC company isn't set up to handle those kinds of
files. (And btw, we don't handle that directly; WB/PTEN makes the deal
with the CC company.) Generally, on the rare occasions when it isn't on
first-run, it IS cc'd on the second run.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:30:05 -0500
Subject: Not exactly technobabble... (b
I don't think referring to a medical problem or illness is in any
way either technobabble or medbabble. Either babble is just that, a long
string of terms which suffice for plot points. New medical conditions
come along all the time, and require names. Twenty years ago we didn't
have the term AIDS. If that had been used prior to the illness being
discovered, would that be considered technobabble?
I think we need to be somewhat sensible here; from time to time one
must explain something or refer to something of a technical nature. I
don't think that this must lead to a kneejerk response of classifying
any kind of technical reference as technobabble. Terms have meaning,
and the more you generalize those terms, the less meaning they have.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:34:53 -0500
Subject: jms: Sinclair's return
If I were to tell you when and where Sinclair might be seen again in
year two, it would *totally* ruin any surprise generated by this when it
happens.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:35:05 -0500
Subject: JMS: FOX SCI-FI SPECIAL
They used the only episode Warners gave them...I could say more, but
why steam up your monitor...?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:36:46 -0500
Subject: Re: What about the new viewers
One of the focus groups done by Warners had the same reaction from
one of the people; that B5 was too much a drama, too much character stuff,
and not enough of what SF is. So he was asked what he considered SF to
be. He lit right up and said, "Power Rangers."
I almost went for him, right through the two-way glass....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:36:57 -0500
Subject: Sinclair is "The One" - Right?
"Sinclair is 'The One' -- right?"
Question is, the One *what*?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:37:12 -0500
Subject: Thanks, JMS, for a great show!
Thank you very much; your kind words are very much appreciated.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:37:27 -0500
Subject: JMS: Other comic stories
Part of me wants to follow the other characters from the pilot, but
another part of me knows that only a relatively small portion of B5
viewers have actually *seen* the pilot, and it might kinda lose them. I
dunno, still considering it.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:37:42 -0500
Subject: ATTN: JMS Question on Sensors
As Sheridan states in the conference room in "Points," they've
never been able to crack the Minbari stealth tech, so there's no real
upgrade to make.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 18:37:57 -0500
Subject: Is JMS a Vorlon?
Yeah, a lot of my posts are dated in the wee hours, 1-3 a.m. or
thereabouts; sometimes later. (Though a few, like this one, are a bit
more ordinary.) You have to understand the schedule: I get to the
studio early, I try to be on stage for filming as much as I can, then
there's casting, meetings, editing, mixing, tone discussions with
directors, on and on and on...then I come home around 8 p.m. or so, grab
a fast bite, go into my office, write scripts until around midnight or
one (occasionally blipping onto the modem while the dinosaur part of my
brain tries to work out a story point), then do the bulk of my modeming
live and on-line from then through the wee hours. Then I crash and do it
all over again the next day. (I can use Tapcis for some off-line
composing, but all my GEnie stuff and Internet stuff is written on-line,
since the GEnie gateway can't handle offline stuff; once I've read a
message here, it vanishes from my mailbox.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 14 Dec 1994 23:41:06 -0500
Subject: JMS: Situation in Seattle, WA?
I don't know what the situation is or will be, but I'll endeavor to
find out. (Meanwhile, if you want to roll out the cavalry, feel free.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 15 Dec 1994 01:42:03 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Showing support for
Of everything, writing your local station remains the best way of
supporting B5. Thanks.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 00:40:30 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS : The name Vorlon?
This question is going to require considerable thought before I can
find how to take what's in my head and explain it.
Also an exorcism, probably....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 00:40:46 -0500
Subject: JMS:Who watchers the watchmen?
"Who watches the watchmen" is an old Latin phrase, sometimes
translated as "who guards the guards?" Given sufficient time I could
probably dig up the origin of the phrase; it's fairly common.
And thanks re: Ivanova...she's a hoot. (And btw, Claudia and I are
tentatively set to do a Horizons convention in England around Apilr or
(er, make that April or) May.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 00:41:50 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Your letter to TV gu
I think if I posted it here, intact, it'd blow out the hub and crash
the system...
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 00:43:40 -0500
Subject: JMS: phony promo for "Soul Mat
Not a fake promo, the WRONG promo...sigh...this one airs later.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 02:57:57 -0500
Subject: JMS: Re: Question for JMS: Min
There are some differences in appearances, over years of tradition
and change, between castes; primarily, the warrior caste tend to bring
their bone-crests to jagged points.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 02:58:11 -0500
Subject: JMS:Is The Future Fixed?(ie. P
"I think that pre-destination is about as unscientific as you can
get."
Y'know, that's EXACTLY the sort of thing you'd say. It was
inevitable.
Free will or predistination...I don't think either has been in any
way scientifically proven. And your message indicates that you think one
or two people CAN stop a war. How? With what information? You're
attributing godlike powers to our characters. Sadly, in real life, all
too often we're stuck watching the car accident in slow motion, knowing
what's coming but unable to stop it.
The war *will* come (and they don't hear the narration, that's just
for you the viewer); question is, how will it come out? There's room for
fluidity there, certainly. So it's both...the war is inevitable; the
outcome, less so.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 17:27:38 -0500
Subject: JMS: Keep the comic topical
Thanks. I haven't seen the colored pages of later issues, but the
pencils and, for the most part, inks are improving a bit. And thanks
again for the support.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 16 Dec 1994 17:30:43 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Is B5 doomed?
You're mixing apples and oranges; it may be tied for 20 with ALL
show, but you're including talk shows, and game shows, and Entertainment
Tonight. In the ratings, you break out categories; and we're the third
rated dramatic series, #3 out of 16 or 17. And our demographics are
stellar. So things are looking very good right now.
Seeing numbers is one thing, but you have to know how they are
interpreted by ad agencies and networks for it to count.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 17 Dec 1994 04:24:14 -0500
Subject: PARADOX!! Re: JMS:Is The Futur
Yeah, one can drag chaos theory into this...but this is a work of
fiction, with a fairly traditional epic structure, meaning overall I'm
more interested in myth than math.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 17 Dec 1994 04:54:38 -0500
Subject: Attn. JMS: JMS as Father Chri
Okay, let's see, what can I tell you to tide you over...the next
six new episodes that'll run are, in order, "A Race Through Dark Places,"
"The Coming of Shadows," "GROPOS," "All Alone in the Night," and "Acts of
Sacrifice," with "Hunter, Prey" being the final new one in that cycle.
I can say that all of those episodes (with the nominal exception of
"GROPOS," which though it is a solid arc episode doesn't change the
overall direction of the series) are stories that have major and
substantial effects on the show's direction. In season one, we built all
season to maybe three major WHAM episodes. ("Sky," "Signs," "Chrysalis.")
This year we have double that number at minimum, and with greater impact.
All of our major characters will start going through major
upheavals in their lives during this period. It's a *very* intense six
weeks. Several characters make decisions that completely change the
direction of the show, and the way their character fits in with the
series. One episode will look very much unconnected to the arc until the
last five minutes, at which point there's a revelation that will likely
astonish some and confirm suspcions for some other viewers.
Simply put, by the end of those six episodes, in many ways the show
you're used to isn't the same anymore, and the relationships between
several major characters simply aren't the same anymore. And most
interesting for me is that we get to push some of the characters'
emotions to the very edge...and snap them.
These six represent some of the strongest episodes we've ever done;
I consider "Coming" to be probably the best episode to date. In "GROPOS"
we're going for broke and are doing some *amazing* CGI stuff.
How's that for a start?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 17 Dec 1994 04:54:50 -0500
Subject: JMS: Signs reaction, ....
Thanks; "Signs" is definitely a real hoot....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 17 Dec 1994 04:55:01 -0500
Subject: JMS: Sinclair-Garibaldi Closen
Garibaldi is cautious, and careful, and his friendship with Sheridan
will have to grow -- sometimes awkwardly -- with the new CO. We are doing
some intersting things with the Londo/Garibaldi axis, however....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 04:11:05 -0500
Subject: JMS-?'s and observations about
San Diego was nuked by terrorists some time earlier; but if you dig
deep enough, you could probably build something with enough money; and
who knows how bad it *really* is.
Ratings are very encouraging right now....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 04:11:15 -0500
Subject: Re: BABYLON 5 Charges re: PARA
It's hard to believe that anyone could consider B5 "too expsensive"
since it costs considerably *less* than DS9 or Voyager to produce, by
quite a margin.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 05:07:21 -0500
Subject: JMS: Female Chars (Ivanova's T
Placement in credits has got *nothing* to do with placement in the
story arc; it's a function of how many episodes the character appears in,
and what the actor can negotiate for. Totally separate issue.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 19:55:34 -0500
Subject: JMS: Londo and Shakespeare? (
The interesting thing for me in this and related conversations is
that I frequently notice messages indicating that "jms is doing the whole
Kennedy thing," or it's the Lord of the Rings, or it's Dune, or it's
tracking the Bible, or it's following Yeats...or it echoes Shakespeare,
as in this case.
In a way, they're all right, and in a way, they're all wrong. Right
in the sense that in trying to create myth, or a story using traditional
epic structure, you can see echoes not only between B5 and other such
stories, but also between those other epics. The mistake is in thinking
(and this isn't directed at you, just sorta woolgathering) that it is in
fact a parallel to any one of them. That leads you into the error of the
blind men each touching a part of an elephant; if you think the trunk IS
the elephant, you've erred, and all conclusions that follow are thus
skewed incorrectly.
To the question of Shakespeare and Londo...yes, there's some
resonance there, because Londo is an almost archetypal tragic/comic, or
romantic/tragic figure. There was certainly a fair amount of Falstaff in
him; references to consulting three technomages certainly resonates with
MacBeth being "endorsed" as it were by the three witches. You can look at
Londo and see Lear, or Hamlet, or others...and they all resonate to one
degree or another, but none of them is wholecloth.
Right now, all that most viewers have of the B5 story is a piece of
the elephant, and are assuming that that *is* the elephant. Another good
comparison would be to say that if you stop a reader part way into The
Lord of the Rings, they'll assume it's all about some hobbits on the road,
having adventures. Because they don't yet know about Mordor, or Sauron,
or the Rings, or Rivendell, or the sheer *scope* of the thing. I don't
think anyone has yet twigged to what this story is, really.
One of the things really lacking in American culture, I think, is a
sense of *myth*. So the story of Babylon 5 has a very mythic kind of
structure. I think that's important. Which is why a lot of the elements
I draw on aren't traditional television devices...literature, poetry,
religion, hard SF, metafiction, Jungian symbology...there are an awful
lot of ingredients in this particular pie, culled from the less likely
aisles in the supermarket. You have to remember that my degrees are in
psychology and sociology, with minors in literature and philosophy. So
my tastes and predilections and resources are fairly eclectic and lean
toward the classical. (How else to explain an atheist who's read the
Bible cover to cover *twice*?)
And I think I just answered your question in far more detail than
could possibly have been desired....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 20:12:48 -0500
Subject: Observations on Season Two to
The only quibble I have with your message, and it's a small one, is
your statement, "The success of Trek made B5 possible."
Not true. In fact, Trek has made it infinitely *harder* to get
other SF on the air, including B5. The general concensus in Hollywood is
that the market isn't big enough to sustain more than one SF show at a
time (particularly if it's space-oriented), and that's ST. (That may only
NOW start to change with the growth of B5's ratings.)
At every network, every studio in town, we were told -- repeatedly --
that there is NO market for space SF other than Trek, that they had the
field to themselves, and there was no interest in trying to buck that
scenario. That's one of the reasons that PTEN was so cautious in putting
B5 on the air, among others. Even when we got the go for series, we were
told that this was a dubious endeavor, because "we just don't think the
market can sustain more than one show like this; we'll try it, but we'll
just have to see what happens."
So believe me, ST has not "made B5 possible." It has been an
obstacle (one of many) to overcome. Not just for us, but for other sF
projects that have tried to get off the ground. And over the last few
months, we've now heard of other new SF shows gearing up in this area,
because we've shown it can be done. And I think it's terrific; the more
shows, the more we have to compete with one another, the better the shows
will become, and the ultimate beneficiary of this is the viewer.
Look at it this way...in the 25+ years since ST (and for the moment
leaving out Buck Rogers, about which the less said the better), how many
American SF series have there been set in the future with us as space
faring people that have lasted more than just *one* season? Answer: zero.
If ST had proven a market, wouldn't there be some in there? ST has never
shown that there's a market for more SF, only that there's a market for
more ST. B5 is the first show in over a quarter-century to play in this
particular back yard and go more than one season.
So you'll undertstand why, when people sometimes suggest that ST made
B5 possible, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 20:24:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Universal Moral code and G
The idea of getting all sentient life forms, human and alien alike,
to agree on a UNIVERSAL MORAL CODE is utterly impossible. Hell, get 15
people together and have them decide on where to go for LUNCH can take
you *days*. The UN brought forth a Universal Bill of Human Rights, and
there are STILL nations that haven't signed it, don't agree with it. Can
you imagine the GREATER differences of opinion when you start bringing
non-humans into the equation?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Dec 1994 03:08:22 -0500
Subject: Re: Observations on Season Two
"Space: 1999" is, I think, *really* splitting hairs, in the sense
that it is and was a British series. Whether or not it was targeted for
Americans, or made *acceptable* to Americans, is a debatable issue. But
it was something in the back of my head when I wrote my message....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Dec 1994 03:26:53 -0500
Subject: Re: BABYLON 5 Charges re: PARA
Yes, stations "have bills to pay," but buying a cheaper show isn't
necessarily the solution if that show doesn't pull ratings. Because the
money a station earns to PAY those bills comes from advertisers, based on
the ratings. And B5 is currently rating very well.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Dec 1994 03:27:04 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Londo and Shakespear
"People with psychology backgrounds are sneaky, devious,
underhanded, untrustworthy bastards."
Yeah...and...?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 19 Dec 1994 05:54:29 -0500
Subject: re: predestination
Your interpretation is correct; the narration is designed as future
history.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 00:45:18 -0500
Subject: OFFICIAL UK C4 airdates for Se
If the problem is showing bare-kunckle fighting to the death, then
somebody should point out to C4 that *nobody dies* in the match.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 05:06:56 -0500
Subject: UK:Channel 4 latest
I'm piggy-backing this note to a UK letter in order to reach our
friends across the pond.
Hullo!
I have a question/favor to ask.
There's a puppet kid's show that aired in the US around the early
1960s that was made in England. There it was called "Space Patrol," but
here it was called "Planet Patrol" to distinguish it from another show
called "Space Patrol." I've been looking for copies of this show for
literally decades; I've only found one. I would be willing to make
whatever arrangements necessary to get additional copies of this show.
(Hey, it was my fave show as a kid, what can I say...?)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 05:07:05 -0500
Subject: Re: Observations on Season Two
Correct; Battlestar Galactica wasn't about Earth's future; it was
about them looking for us, their lost tribe, in our present. Doesn't fit
the bill.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 05:07:14 -0500
Subject: Re: Universal Moral code and G
Of course, getting everyone to agree to support and promote life and
intelligence means coming up with a definition everone out there would
agree upon for both those areas. Would some species even consider us
intelligent? Would their sensory apparatus be sufficient to distinguish
us as living beings, or their biology be so different that by their
standards we don't qualify?
And even here at home, some can use that debate for their own
purposes. I saw a documentary last night about Nazi propaganda films used
before and during the war to encourage doctors to terminate the physically
and mentally disadvantaged, particularly the latter. They were routinely
gassed in asylums. The logic they used: the mentally insane suffered
from "existence without life." Thus there was no crime in eliminating
them.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 05:07:22 -0500
Subject: JMS Re: Power Rangers
Steen wanted to leave POWER to pursue other things; so I gave her a
good death....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 05:23:50 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Any images from the
Will try to upload a few down the road a bit.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:24:48 -0500
Subject: B5 CD Booklet: Why stiff O'Har
I was actually kinda surprised by the omission myself; I do believe
there's a photo of Michael in there (him and Jerry standing in front of
the big fan set)...I can only assume that it was done under the current
licensing, and that department sent him what was to be on there.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:24:56 -0500
Subject: Attn JMS: Where and When is th
The Horizons con is in late April or May sometime, and takes place
in Bristol. Claudia and I aren't in any way involved, just working on
the show. (There's a chance Peter Jurasik may also attend.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:26:32 -0500
Subject: JMS: Universe Today?
Re: putting out an expanded Universe Today...y'know, that's not a
bad idea....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:56:54 -0500
Subject: att jms: cramps?
If your desire is to be equal...we've already shown Sinclair and
Garibaldi taking a whiz in the men's room.
And it's doubtful that Garibaldi's jockstrap would play much of a
role in the story arc....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:58:30 -0500
Subject: JMS: How Many Planets? Balance
Earth Alliance has about 14 worlds/colonies in 12 different solar
systems.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 21:58:38 -0500
Subject: JMS-Demon Night
Thanks. For a first novel, DEMON NIGHT is okay; learned a lot
doing it. Mainly just wrote it for myself, when I couldn't find the sort
of book I wanted to read, then when finished, shoved it in the closet and
left it there for about 2 years, when my agent said I should really write
a book someday. I said that I had, just for myself. She asked to read
it, loved it, sent it to an agent affiliate of hers, the agent in NY sent
it to an editor, and the first one who read it, bought it. Go figure....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 22:00:20 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Londo and Shakespear
OOOPS! Just realized that the writer of that extremely perceptive
message that I just replied to is a woman, not a man (looked at the
name/address of the wrong message). Well, you're welcome to a cigar
too, Melanie. Pull up a chair, and let's sit here and belch at each
other, whattaya say...?
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 22:00:31 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: ? Re: Futurequest PB
Yep, the folks at Futurequest asked if we could donate our stages
for their use when we weren't using them, and we said yes. (So far I've
seen part of our central corridor, and the dome tech's pit in C&C.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 22:00:41 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Londo and Shakespear
"We see aspects of different myth-forms in Babylon 5 because they
were the paradigms JMS used in developing his writing style, not because
he's 'doing the Shakespeare thing.'"
Somebody give that man a ceegar.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 20 Dec 1994 23:59:39 -0500
Subject: Believers: operating over pare
Of course the surgical scars would've been a dead giveaway that
surgery had been performed. Also, lying to them would have also been a
violation of medical ethics. This was not a story about easy solutions.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 02:25:37 -0500
Subject: B5 clips spotted on PBS "Futur
I know that shot (the work crew in EVA suits) has been used in the
show; I'll be damned if I can remember in which episode it appeared.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 02:25:46 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: ? Re: Futureques
I seem to vaguely recall someone mentioning to me about maybe
wanting to be interviewed on FutureQuest; I just wasn't sure what I would
have to say that would be the least interest to anyone. All of the really
interesting stuff comes out of my characters' mouths. You gotta
understand, the overwhelming reaction upon meeting me is that there's
less here than meets the eye. Stick a camera in front of my face and I
end up just standing there, finger in ear, going bibble-bibble-bibble
until it's over.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 04:55:17 -0500
Subject: Re: Observations on Season Two
I recently got a better understanding of what may have been forcing
Paramount's hand re: their struggle to get a death grip on the stations,
even at the cost of B5. Over the weekend I had the chance to talk with
somebody WAY up the ladder in the Star Trek arena, a major name. From
what I was told, the Paramount Network was in serious trouble of not
getting the required number of stations for some time.
What this means is as follows: you're a national sponsor. You want
to make sure your commercials hit a certain percentage of the population.
One of the ways to assure this is to get a certain number of TV stations
in major markets; fall below that threshold, and the sponsors drop off.
Call that figure X. Apparently, up until a few weeks ago, Paramount had
X minus about 10. If indeed they were pressuring stations, that would
seem to be the reason for it. As of last week, however, apparently they
now have the correct number of stations, and all is well (which explains
why one person here on the Internet was told recently by his local
station that it *was* kind of preferred that B5 be dropped, but that this
wasn't the case anymore).
Overall, we've lost a few stations, but nothing so substantial that
we can't find ways around it. They've got their stations, we've got ours,
and in most cases they're the same stations. Fair enough.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:04:46 -0500
Subject: Re: B5 clips spotted on PBS "F
The cleanup crew in "Revelations" was out working the hazmat
platform, that was a different object than the one shown in the clip.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:07:46 -0500
Subject: JMS:Is B5 broadcast letterbox?
B5 is broadcast in traditional aspect ratio; the letterbox version
will only be available later.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:10:53 -0500
Subject: JMS: How come Dr. Franklin did
How do you know Franklin DIDN'T know about the biological changes
Delenn is going through? Remember the scene in "Revelations;" he's
allowed inside ONLY on the condition that he not tell anyone what he
learns. A doctor's oath of confidentiality is crucial.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:11:07 -0500
Subject: JMS: Language in the comic?
The word "bastards" was in the script I turned in to DC. It got
changed to "demons" by the editor. That change was made at the last
minute; all the inked and penciled versions I'd seen before had the right
word in it. I'm considerably less than thrilled about it.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:11:25 -0500
Subject: JMS: What about Projectile Wea
I have no objection to showing mass drivers, and the main problem
with projectile weapons inside the station is that they have a nasty
tendency to breach the hull, eliminating both parties. Though you will
see some projectile-type weapons used elsewhere around the first part of
February.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 21 Dec 1994 17:13:06 -0500
Subject: Re: Universal Moral code and G
Eric: I will now collapse your 114 line message into what you were
trying to say behind the fog of words: you want YOUR belief system
to be the primary one portrayed, because yours is the truth, and the rest
are, as you say, "bullshit."
So get your own damned show...aside, of course, from the hundreds of
hours of religious programming *already* filling the airwaves and cable
systems every day of the year.
Sorry, but I'm under no obligation whatsoever to reinforce your or
anyone else's particular idea of what the Truth is. And your particular
breed of intolerance is on of the uglier aspects of modern christianity.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Dec 1994 02:54:29 -0500
Subject: ok, I wrote, now what?
Now you can rest, at peace with the knowledge that you have worked
off at least fifteen karma points from that rather unfortunate prior life
in the middle ages....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Dec 1994 02:54:39 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: The big "E-A"
How the EA symbol came about is really kind of interesting. I knew
that we needed something nifty, but the preliminary designs created for
this just didn't do it for me. So I sat down with the graphics designer,
and we started sketching stuff out. At this point we were looking mainly
for the right silhouette. Circle was out; oval was too soft; triangle
was too Trek. At one point he did a star variation. I looked at it, and
somewhere in my head the right configuration was there, so I started to
erase the points of the star, round them off, filled out the middle (and
if you've ever seen me draw, it's a scary thing; I should stick to
writing).
I knew the shape was right when I'd finished, but I knew there was
still something missing. That night, the designer called and said he'd
been looking at it again, and he suddenly noticed that what we'd done was
to put a silhouette E over a silhouette A, and when he sketched in the
inner horizontal bars, tucked in the corner of the feet on the A, it
came together perfectly.
My problem is often that I can see what I want in my head, but I'm
limited on actually drawing it. When we were doing the prosthetic design
for the pilot for Delenn, our prosthetic designer hit a wall on the
headbone section, finally threw up his hands and didn't know what to do
with the thing. I went over to the studio, we talked for a while, I
couldn't quite communicate what was in my head, so I grabbed one of the
sticks they use to shape the clay and started re-shaping the back and
sides of the crest. (He'd had them going straight down; I started to
curve them, and hollow them out, making them more shell-like.) By the
time we were done, we had it worked out.
Which is really part of the fun in doing your own series; you get to
stick your nose into parts of the production that normally you'd never get
near, and do your best to screw it up, because that's what bosses do.
I'm directly involved in costume approval, prosthetics, EFX, production
design approval, everything. (On a couple of occasions I've sketched out
what I had in mind for costumes, much to the amusement of our costume
designer, because they look like something a 5-year old would draw. A
drunk 5-year old, actually. But they communicate the silhouette, and
that's the important thing, despite the fact that she's keeping the
sketches for blackmail.)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Dec 1994 02:54:49 -0500
Subject: Re: Symbolism vs. Functionalit
To the notion that there's no symbolism or ritual in the ways humans
do things like cleansing oneself (unless, of course, you're from India,
where there is a very real sense of ritual to these things), such
symbolism can always be *introduced* into the routine.
Say, by showering with a chicken.
Works for me.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Dec 1994 03:25:27 -0500
Subject: JMS: the original concept for
Yes, since you've sussed it...the plan was to turn Delenn from
male to female in "Chrysalis," in my original plans, as well as making
her half-human. And yes, it would've had one hell of an impact...but my
concern when I made that decision not do do this back in the pilot was
based on the reality that we couldn't do it well. The "male" voice,
altered by computer-enhancement, just sounded REAL bogus; we couldn't
get it right, and I had to decide between dropping it, and doing something
the people would rightly describe as lame all season, just for one big
payoff. It was a tough call, but it had to be made.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 22 Dec 1994 03:25:38 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: ? Re: Futureques
Re: repeat performances (or is that re: peat performance)...I said
just about all I could think of to say. The show really has to speak for
itself, and most of anything I'd have to say should be said there. I
don't tend to do a lot of interviews; I generally okay about one out of
every twenty or so requests. Don' wanna be no star. The story is the
star, and the actors are the stars.
To quote Meatloaf, "I ain't in it for the power, And I ain't in it
for my health, I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all, And I sure
ain't in it for the wealth."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Dec 1994 03:50:19 -0500
Subject: JMS: Exercise on B5?
Actually, bear in mind that while C&C is one-third G, the rest of
the station is not, and the closer you get to the hull, the greater the
gravity. If Ivanova wants to experience one-g, she doesn't have to use
exercise machines, she just has to go down to the right level.
Not entirely unrelated, though, we're figuring on gradually working
our way to showing exercise, sports and sporting events on B5; just want
to be sure that when we do it, it looks right.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Dec 1994 03:55:01 -0500
Subject: JMS: Great Job on second seas
Thanks; slowly but surely, we're figuring out how to make this
show work....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Dec 1994 03:55:20 -0500
Subject: JMS: Why does it hurt?
Scanning only hurts if it's a deep scan, trying to dredge out lost
or buried thoughts, or if the other person is resisting. It can be
anything from a headache to a migraine in intensity in general..
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Dec 1994 04:07:03 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Why is Londo the
"Morden is the mongoose."
So what's needed now is a conveniently placed cobra....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 23 Dec 1994 19:39:31 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Great Job on second
"So there really isn't enough action right now for my tastes."
You should be careful what you wish for...because you're going to get
more than your share of action in the batch of episodes beginning January
23rd...and when the dust settles, you may wish you'd wished otherwise....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Dec 1994 00:54:47 -0500
Subject: JMS: Water on B5?
One can't do *science* fiction without some occasional references to
technology; don't let ST poison the well here.
There's a fair amount of water on B5, all of it recycled carefully.
You have to allocate some drip-irrigation for stuff like the hedge maze
and a few other things because the mind needs stuff like that. I would
think that they manage to siphon off any growing humidity inside the
central area rather than allow for unplanned rainstorms that might muck
things up.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Dec 1994 01:19:49 -0500
Subject: A visit from St. Joe
Dear Mr. DiMuzio:
I believe the Nuremberg Literary Crimes Committee would like a word
with you....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 24 Dec 1994 01:21:38 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Why is Londo the
I think you're being far, far too literal in looking for snake
imagery....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 25 Dec 1994 03:18:57 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Why is Londo the
There would have been more than one answer that would have sufficed,
but one answer was better than all the rest. Just the right mix of
resentment, nostalgia, ambition, frustration and a sense of displaced
destiny. Londo was hitting all those cylinders when he answered Morden's
question.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 25 Dec 1994 03:19:05 -0500
Subject: HEY JOE, Where's N'Grath ????
I kinda got disenchanted with the way n'grath came out; he may or may
not return. (In my mind I keep seeing some new enforcer with n'grath's
head on his desk....)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 25 Dec 1994 19:22:55 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Where did episode #
207 is "A Race Through Dark Places," guest-starring Walter Koenig.
Because 207 required extra post-production work, and we wanted to bang
in with a good name guest star at the top of our next batch of new eps,
we moved 208 "Soul Mates" down one, as the last of the batch just aired.
Everyone at PTEN was notified of this, but somehow somebody didn't get
the word, and misinformation got out. So for the week of January 23rd,
that'll be "Race," followed by the rest pretty much in production
sequence.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Dec 1994 19:47:18 -0500
Subject: Hey JMS : Small season 2 plot
Not a plot hole; wait for "All Alone in the Night."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Dec 1994 19:47:27 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Collars?
The collar change-over is intentional, carrying through the tradition
of men's collars closing one way, women's another.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 26 Dec 1994 23:49:33 -0500
Subject: Peter David does it again.
You mean like showing two of our command staff in the men's room
taking a whiz? (Oops, sorry, we already did that one.) Maybe having the
command staff talk about their zippers. (Oops, did that one, too.)
Just thought of several others, but we've done those, too.
This show is about *people*, not statues or icons. And it's in the
little details, hassles, and physicality that we are reminded of their
frailities and humanity...and see a little of ourselves in the process.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 04:19:00 -0500
Subject: More concerns regarding the se
...sigh....
Nobody at the network has been messing with the show. My general
feeling is that at the start of a new season, you're going to get a lot
of new people to the show, sampling it, and you want to bring them in
gradually. (And as it is, there's been a LOT about the shadows in the
first batch of episodes, in "Revelations," in "The Long Dark," and in
other episodes.)
The first seven episodes were mainly to introduce Sheridan, and to
ease in the new folks. The next six new ones are *extremely* intense, and
get into ALL the areas you said you wanted to see, from Santiago to the
Psi Corps to the Shadow, you name it.
I don't think a show like this can be rushed; people tend to get
impatient, which is understandable. This show will get where it's going,
but it'll have to do so at its own pace.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 04:19:08 -0500
Subject: More concerns regarding the se
P.S. It occurs to me to correct what may be perceived as the tone
of my reply, sent seconds ago. I just answered the same question on
another system (though that one was phrased rather...aggressively), and
upon seeing it not fifteen minutes later, I just sorta sighed at it.
It's a valid question, and I hope my tone didn't imply otherwise.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 04:48:10 -0500
Subject: Re: Peter David does it again.
G.T. Walton says, "I have followed Peter David since his early
days."
Well...okay...but the peeking in his windows after dark has *gotta*
stop....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 04:48:18 -0500
Subject: What repercussions ? Opinions
And here the same, as just noted earlier.
We're only seven episodes into the new season; you have to build up
to some of this stuff. Episodes 8 - 13 should satisfy just about all of
your requests. And then some. B5 is a novel, and like any novel you have
to have little diversions and asides along the way to continue to bulid
(build) the universe and your characters. The deeper you get into it, the
fewer of those you get. But we ain't nearly that deep yet.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:45:58 -0500
Subject: JMS: Delenn Sex-Change?
Yes, originally Delenn would also have changed sex in "Chrysalis."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:46:12 -0500
Subject: ST-TNG vs. B5 fans, any e
"TV needs more JMSs...."
Oh, dear....
"Hey, Morrie! MORRIE! Get another one of those crates down here!
Yeah, the JMS-7 models. How the hell do I know, some lady named Stef
called down from the main office and said they needed some more, what am
I, a crystal ball? Just get it down here. I don't *care* if you dropped
it on its head and now all it does is sit inna corner and go "wubble."
Happened to the last one, too, and nobody's complained yet...."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:49:18 -0500
Subject: What are we to be called?
What to call fans of B5? How about the Incredibly Discerning
In-Crowd, which would obviously be shortened to --
I can't...I just can't do it....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:51:02 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: the original concept
Correct; once we'd decided to commit to Delenn being female in the
series, the makeup was modified to lose some of the more male elements.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:51:14 -0500
Subject: Hey, Joe-TV38 is moving B5 all
The ratings are strong, but the ratings are also a function of when
the show is aired. Move the show around a lot, and the ratings will fall
on any show, because folks can't find it. Sometimes it's accidental,
sometimes not. "It is *life*" -- Zathras.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:51:24 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
"Susan always gets the best lines, doesn't she?"
Yup. Ah LIKES writing for Ivanova. She's a hoot.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 20:51:33 -0500
Subject: B-5 Comic Sold Out?
You were told wrong. The book has sold very well, and DC is
committed to further improving the project, both in terms of artwork, and
quality in general (such as going to a better stock of paper in another
issue or two, which won't bleed the color so much).
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 27 Dec 1994 21:20:10 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
See, for me, the best part about all of this isn't determining WHAT
is a favorite line, but just that there ARE favorite lines....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Dec 1994 01:49:09 -0500
Subject: B5 rules!
Thank you for the kind words (and my address appears above)....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Dec 1994 01:49:29 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
Everything that the character says is the writing; everything the
character does while saying it is the actor.
It's a funny kind of perception; I've now been at a number of cons
with the cast members, and invariably they get the questions of "How do
you create your character, how do you determine who the character is?", and
I get the overall story-arc questions...almost as if these characters had
existed outside, or were in the actors, and I stumbled upon them and put
them into this arc.
When asked this question at LosCon, Peter Jurasik gave his usual
answer, "I just say what they write for me to say." Which obviously is
a modest understatement; Peter breathes life into Londo and makes the
lines work. It's all synergy, I suppose....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Dec 1994 05:17:48 -0500
Subject: JMS: Pronouncing "Ivanova"
I've known Russians who've used the same kind of pronunciation we
have given Ivanova. It does vary. Heck, my name is pronounced
STRUH-ZIN-SKI, when it *should* be correctly pronounced STRA-CHIN-SKI.
Both are acceptable. And you get different pronunciations in central
Russia from places like byelorussia or the more Eastern provinces.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 28 Dec 1994 05:17:59 -0500
Subject: B5
If you like those kinds of character flips, you're gonna love the
next batch of episodes....
There are some real surprises in there, some relating back to first
season stuff, and characters.
It's easiest to flip a character when the story elsewhere is fairly
straightforward, so you lull the audience in with a sense of "okay, this
is the story, nothing major, shouldn't change anything," then you whap
them hard when they're not looking. So whenever you see a jms script,
and there doesn't seem like there's that much to it...be careful. The
simpler the premise -- just a visit by someone to the station, someone
taken prisoner and trying to escape -- the more you're being set up.
It's kinda like the nak'a'leen feeder...as long as you can hear it,
you're safe...but the moment you hear nothing....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 01:48:37 -0500
Subject: Zathrus- Minbari/Human offspri
Nope; Zathras is one of his race, which aren't offspring of any
other two groups.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:16:31 -0500
Subject: New episodes?
New eps start week of January 23rd.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:16:42 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Do other B5 staff lu
I know that Larry DiTillio (my story editor) recently gained access
to Internet; some other crew folks hang around, pulling out interesting
stuff and posting hardcopies on the B5 Buzz: Messages from the Internet
board erected outside Stage A.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:19:46 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Valen query
Valen called the Nine together and formed the Grey Council about
a thousand years ago, give or take; died not long thereafter.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:19:55 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
Though Caitlin left B5 to pursue offers to star in romantic lead
parts, nothing to do with typeasting...your general concern is correct.
We've tried to help avoid that on behalf of the actors. For instance,
visually, you can hardly recognize Peter Jurasik in makeup; ditto for
Andreas and the rest of our alien cast. This shouldn't inhibit their
work in other areas (as opposed to seeing someone very recognizeable, but
with pointy ears, which caused Nimoy great trouble for a long time).
In terms of the human characters, I've tried not to wrap any of them
around one specific character trait. They range from serious to comic,
and do different things.
Typecasting is a real concern, and it has to be addressed by those
who make the show.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:20:03 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Characters and Cult
Re: "turning weakness into strength," that's generally what humans
DO. We stare into the abyss, we *know* the cause is hopeless, we know
we're probably gonna get creamed trying, but we straighten our shoulders
and *do* it.
It is, I think, one of our better traits.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:20:12 -0500
Subject: JMS: ? on Amanda Carter
Larry slipped in the reference to John Carter of Mars, not our former
prez....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:20:21 -0500
Subject: Filming order
All scenes in an episode are filmed together, over a seven day
span. If you mixed and matched scenes, by different directors, in the
same episode, you'd have big problems with the directors' Guild, and in
determining director's credit.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 02:20:30 -0500
Subject: JMS: Con Alert Question
No plans for that part of the world, alas...but if they should ever
materialize, I'll be sure to post the info here.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 04:46:48 -0500
Subject: Re: B5 rules!
(Putting this here only because there's nothing else relevant to
tag it onto....)
Anybody out there with cheat codes for Wing Commander III...I would
hardly object if one day I found them in my internet mailbox....
(I gotta get a *real* life....)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 29 Dec 1994 04:49:10 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Do other B5 staf
What gets posted on the B5 Buzzboard is mainly reactions to specific
episodes, analyses of where the story may be going...understand that
making TV is like yelling into a vacuum; there's no feedback other than
the ratings, so folks take any chance they can to see how viewers react.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 01:45:47 -0500
Subject: JMS: Cost of production CAPT P
The cost of an average POWER episode was supposed to be about
$500,000 (for a half-hour show), but often ranged into $650,000 per half
hour, which puts it WAY above B5 today on a per-hour basis. It was such
out-of-control costs that led me to wonder if one could design an SF show
so that it could be done SENSIBLY....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:45:28 -0500
Subject: JMS: B5 vs. DS9 Legal Question
No legal action was initiated by me against anyone on this subject;
my feeling in general is that such actions only poison the water for BOTH
sides. The better determinant is the open marketplace of ideas and public
opinion.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:45:37 -0500
Subject: JMS: Episodes
I think they'll repeat the year one episodes after they've finished
the new year two episodes.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:47:23 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Psi Corps Question
There are genetic tests that check for the gene, which can be present
or recessive; also, there's a network by which people who think they are
telepathic, and thus troubled, can contact the Corps for help. The
vast majority of PC members come to them in very early childhood.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:50:25 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Loose threads...
1) The first B5 novel is due out from Dell in January, from John
Vornholt.
2) The Grimjack movie is awaiting final negotiations between the
various parties, and for me to clear out some room on my desk to be able
to do the script justice.
3) I'm finishing the first draft of one SF series pilot movie over
the brief Christmas break, due for one of the major cable networks; another
project is awaiting some executive decisions. (These things take time;
B5 took five years.)
4) I'm hoping we'll see videotapes of B5 out by spring for the first
season, laserdisks to follow maybe summer or fall.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:50:33 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
Timov's "WHO IS THIS?!" in that high-pitched voice would also be a
great one for an answering machine.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 30 Dec 1994 04:50:41 -0500
Subject: Re: ST-TNG vs. B5 fans, any ex
On the whole Trek/B5 thing, here's something to ponder....
Over the Christmas break, my associate, Doug Netter (also an exec
producer on the show) was staying at a hotel in New York. One day, as he
was going up in the elevator from the garage below, who gets in at the
first floor but....Patrick Stewart. Doug introduces himself. Patrick
is pleased to meet him, and mentions that he likes Babylon 5 quite a bit;
that he thinks it has great promise, is constantly improving, and wishes
it only good fortune. He even invited Doug to tea, but Doug had family
engagements, and had to pass.
Passed along for whatever use that piece of information may be....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:07:02 -0500
Subject: Re: ST-TNG vs. B5 fans - JMS
I would think that Patrick Stewart has considerably bigger fish to
fry than appearing on a syndicated SF series as a one-shot.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:07:16 -0500
Subject: JMS: B-5 in chicago?
WPWR is becoming a Paramount station, yes; I believe, though, that
B5 is being moved to another day, so should still be there.
(Just because I'm curious by nature...noting that your sig line
indicates sysop of the National Islamic BBS...is there much notice of B5
among the Islamic community? I'm told that in some areas in Iraq and
Iran, where some are able to pick up B5 off the satellite link, the show
is known and responded to well, particularly since this is a Western show
which is set in Babylon, which makes it a positive place. [I believe,
but am willing to be corrected, that both Iran and Iraq tend to claim
Babylon for their own, though those who live there tend to feel very
independent of both sides.] Is there much awareness of the program among
the American Islamic community, which you're probably more plugged-into,
given the nature of your BBS? I've had several letters from people
noting, accurately, that Minbari comes from the word minbar, the pulpit
in a mosque. Anyway, just curious....)
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:14:33 -0500
Subject: JMS: Battle of the Line number
Minbari losses at the Line were fairly minimal, more the result of
good luck than strategy, or EA ships doing kamikazi runs into Minbari
cruisers. Very light.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:16:09 -0500
Subject: B5 parties / cons in UK?
I believe there is a B5 con planned for April or May in Bristol,
England. Attending will be me, Claudia Christian, and Peter Jurasik.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:24:50 -0500
Subject: Re: Favorite B5 lines
One of my favorite exchanges, which never seems to show up, is from
PoD v.1, when G'Kar says to Tu'Pari, who has come looking for Ambassador
G'Kar, "This is Ambassador G'Kar's quarters. This is Ambassador G'Kar's
table. This is Ambassador G'Kar's dinner. What part of this progression
escapes you?"
Favorite line in the next new episode, from Sheridan: "I'm not saying
what I'm saying. I'm not saying what I'm *thinking*. For that matter,
I'm not even *thinking* what I'm thinking."
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 04:36:21 -0500
Subject: jms: Robert Jordan Influences?
Alas (and I suppose I should be ashamed of myself), though I've heard
of Robert Jordan, I've never actually read anything by him.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 06:19:52 -0500
Subject: Dont trust Sheridan (was JMS:
The president spoke truthfully; Sheridan could petition for a
promotion for her, but it's up to Earthforce to grant it, so the line
still tracks. (Note also there's no pronoun there; "Giving her a field
promotion." The imperial We still stands, though.) Also, Sheridan says
he put through the paperwork the day after he got there; which is fairly
close to the time frame in the story in which the President says they'll
be giving Ivanova a promotion. There's no discontinuity here.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 22:49:56 -0500
Subject: Church of Chris Carter WAS:
Waitaminnit...just wait one friggin' minute...is or is not the Chris
Carter of teleport.com who logs on here, to whom I've communicated on
numerous occasions, THE Chris Carter of X-Files, or another? If the
answer is "another," that's a *terrible* thing to do to me; if the answer
is yes....
Yo! Chris! (waving arms) There are maybe two or three shows each
week that I endeavor to catch; yours is one of them. Absolutely terrific.
Terrific writing and performances, and some *very* nice cinematography
and direction. Probably one of the best shows around. It's one of the
few shows that, if we miss it, we'll call around to all our friends (both
of them) and see if they taped X-Files.
Good to see somebody else doing it *right* out there.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 22:50:05 -0500
Subject: Re: B5 & Voyager making
Bigfoot is also a legend....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 22:50:14 -0500
Subject: JMS: B5/ Canadian Cons?
No B5 reps that I'm aware of, though many negotiations go through
the actors' agents, and we may not hear about it.
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 22:50:23 -0500
Subject: Re: ST-TNG vs. B5 fans, any ex
Steve...that'll be interesting to see their response....
jms
From: straczynski@genie.geis.com
Date: 31 Dec 1994 22:50:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Church of Chris Carter WA
See my note elsewhere here, if this is the correct Chris Carter.
(Same header.)
jms