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The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
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Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Rumor central.....
No, the events in "Demon With a Glass Hand" take place roughly 1,000
years further up the pike from B5's time.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:38 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: No Janet Greek in S
Janet isn't directing any episodes this season because she wanted to
take time off to work on her own screenwriting projects. She took one or
two high-priced network gigs to fill in the gaps, plus she's squeezing in
one Hypernauts episode, but that's it. Once she's done?|e we hope to he(?iave
her again next season (ratings willing).
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:45 -0500
Subject: JMS: B5 merchandise
No, those all look licensed to me. BTW, Creation Entertainment in
Glendale CA has these nifty B5 jackets and the best B5 mugs I've seen
yet; they're oversized black ceramic mugs with the B5 logo on one side,
and a silhouette of the station on the other side, both done in silver.
Really nifty.
BTW #2: there are three patches that are starting to show up at
conventions: an Earthforce3t#@ppz1s Off-World, Death's Hands, and the Starfury
"Ugly But Well Hung" patch. These are *strictly* illegal, and we're
backtracking this to the source. If you see any of these, let me know
where and when and any info you can get on who was selling them and/or
their source.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:48 -0500
Subject: Re: Is JMS away for a while?
General note to everyone: it usually takes 5-7 days from the time a
note is posted to the group to show up on my computer here, partly because
it has to be filtered by the Rangers, partly because my newreader often
just doesn't show anything for days at a time, then I get 1,054 messages
in one huge lump.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:52 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS-B5 IS A RIP OFF OF JM
I deeply resent this implication. I have never even been in the
same *room* as myself, have never allowed myself to have access to any of
my material, and the notion that I would stoop to using such second-rate
material is a simple affront. If I find out that I've been spreading this
vicious rumor, be assured that I will track me down and beat me senseless
until it stops.
I really need a break....
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:08:57 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Two questions (minor
Normally the purple coat is associated with a more benign Londo from
earlier; the dark coat marks a later time.
Who's my alter-ego on the show? All of them, to one extent or
another. They're pieces I've kind of sliced off and deposited into one
part of the story or another. The theory is that, once sliced away, they
are the free to go off and grow into something larger on their own, and
hopefully become something greater than the source.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:09:14 -0500
Subject: Wallace & Gromit - LASER DISK
Heard about it. Got to video store the day of the release. Bought
it. All is right with the world now.
"Fancy a bit of cheese, Grommit?"
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:09:18 -0500
Subject: Ellison Book from Borderland
Actually, the delay is now gone. Harlan's book is completed, and
is being shipped. Many copies have already gone out. (Yes, I have mine,
and it's really a gorgeous book.)
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:09:22 -0500
Subject: The Reson why the US will NEVE
Yes, I'm sure the dealers selling *illegal* copies of B5 at the
convention told you that real, licensed tapes won't be released. Now, I
wonder why this could be...hmm....maybe to *encourage people to buy their
illegal pirated tapes, perhaps*?
Work it out, people.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:09:27 -0500
Subject: Inquisitor: "What about....?"
"What about eternity?" It was an adlib from the actor just to cover
the moment when Delenn rises, knowing it would likely never get heard over
the rest of it.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 19:09:30 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: TFoN...
"Who is master here? The man or his work?"
That's like one of those questions, "Which came first? Thought or
language?" Can you really have thought without language? And how can
you develop language without thought?" (See the stuff on the breakdown
of the bicameral mind for some on this.)
That's a question I don't think any reasonable writer can answer. At
times, a lot of the time, really, I'm not entirely sure. There's the
talent, and the vessel, and sometimes the latter seems a poor vehicle for
the former. The story, once set in motion, takes on a life of its own.
To a very large extent, what I do when I write an episode is to peek into
the B5 universe and find out what happened there that week. Sometimes I'm
as much surprised as anyone else by what these characters have gotten
themselves into *this* time.
The flip side, of course, is that there's an awful lot of me in this
story, in the characters, the situations, the questions that get explored
in the course of the story. I'm working through a lot of issues here,
no question. It's my hope that there's enough interest in those issues
and questions to affect others.
On that level, it's a very personal show. And it consumes ever
waking hour of my life. I think I've kind of lost track of where the line
is between "the man and the work." It's all the same.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 17:38:31 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Sound Editing
Thanks. We spend a *great* deal of time on the sound on this show,
to make it interesting and so it stands out without being obtrusive.
jms
Date: 2 Nov 1995 17:38:38 -0500
Subject: JMS: Marshall Teague is back!?
Yes, Teague's Narn character returns at least twice this coming
season.
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 22:18:16 -0500
Subject: I am not ready yet!
Just lie down, have a nice glass of warm milk, Q| b*/#=7F=7Fmaybe a =
nice fish
sandwich, it'll pass....in about 3 more years.
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 23:03:00 -0500
Subject: ATTN: JMS - how are the rating
So far, the ratings are good, and WB is pleased. (Even had one of
the Big Guns come down here for lunch last week to hang out with the
cast, and indicate that they're pleased.) The sweeps period beginning
this week is the real test, though.
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 23:13:29 -0500
Subject: JMS: regarding CTS/RSI
Thanks; already using the Kinesis keyboard at work....
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 18:56:06 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Did he, or didn't he
After the Centauri tried to kill him, the need for an apology was
somewhat obviated. Had he still been forced to do so, the one he
rehearsed was the one he intended to give.
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 18:56:28 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Why are stations no
The problem is that some of the stations don't realize or understand that
they've been showing the same one season's worth of reruns since May, and
that that's why the ratings dropped after a show's aired 3-4 times. The
rerun period hurt us a lot, no breaks, no new episodes in 5 months. In
other cases, they never supported the show, don't want it, want to make
room for UPN or Fox shows (when that network owns the station), and so
they look to drop it.
If a station drops the show, contact other local independent stations
and ask them to pick it up. Because what's significant is that in those
markets where the show is supported, as soon as we hit with new episodes,
the ratings banged right back up to where they were, and the overnights
have been increasing every week since we went back on with new stuff.
jms
Date: 6 Nov 1995 18:56:35 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Job
What would I say to one of my characters if asked to justify what I
had done to them?
"I figured it'd make things a *lot* more interesting. To see what
(and if) you'd learn. Because it makes for good drama, and I like to be
entertained at this end. Because I can. And because I felt like it."
jms
(Where were you when I brought forth the whale....)
Date: 6 Nov 1995 18:56:55 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS Favorable Article in
If I could possibly get a copy of this sent to me at the B5 mail
drop, I'd be infinitely appreciative. That's, as usual, suite 260 at
14431 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Thanks.
jms
Date: 8 Nov 1995 18:46:38 -0500
Subject: JMS: Confirm Season 3 title?
I've been holding back because I wanted to really see the shape of
this season, the color and texture of it, the overall theme put into
effect...and frankly, the only really apt title, much as I like the other
quote, is the #9 title, "Point of No Return," because that sums up so
much of what happens in year three to everyone.
jms
Date: 8 Nov 1995 18:50:44 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Influences?
I was more or less unaware of this latest battle until someone aske=
d
if I'd seen it. Most of it's scrolled by, except for Marco Bernardo's
post and a few others; since his quotes a lot, I'm going to use his as a
kind of rosetta stone to address the others.
One of the biggest hot buttons lately (in general, not just here) h=
as
been the question of language vs. culture, and how the two inter-relate.
There seems to be the sense that language =3D culture, and that unless yo=
u
speak street language, the language of a minority, you are somehow giving
up your culture. Which is, of course, nonsense.
Lemme give you some examples. I'm basically one-and-a-half
generation American; my father was born ehre of immigrant parents, but
lived his formative years back in Byeloruss. My family came here, and th=
e
single most important lesson was, "Learn English." For years there was a
second language spoken around the house -- a sort of polyglot mix of
polish, russian and=1A*| white-russian --(6 but outside the house, and ou=
tside of
the kind of "little europe" community we often lived in, English was the
way to go.
Similarly, in Jewish culture, it is standard to learn Hebrew, Yiddis=
h
and *the dominant langauge* of whatever country they're in. Why? Real
simple. Economics, and common sense.
Sure, you can choose to speak only street language, or a culturally
influenced language, but if you choose that, you are going to limit your
economic prospects. Particularly as we become more and more an informati=
on
based society.
None of this required sacrificing my culture. I could have chosen t=
o
maintain my second language, but I chose to focus in on this one. My
CULTURE, my heritage, where I'm from, where my family is from, the histor=
y
of my people...that's still intact. None of that is sacrificed in the
smallest way. I'm still proud of where my family came from, and the
struggle taken to reach this country. It's got nothing to do with one's
language.
English has become the langauge of economics not just in this countr=
y
but in others as well. That's an undeniable fact, I'm sorry if it's not
a kind fact. In this country, unless you're in a primarily hispanic or
italian neighborhood, if you walk up to someone and start speaking spanis=
h
or italian at them, the odds are you'll get a blank stare. (This is also
partly our own native ethnocentrism creeping in.) Go to Europe, and you
will find an English-speaking person a hell of a lot more often. Because
that's becoming the standard for economic reasons.
I know a number of african-american educators who are driven to
despair over the street english question. I'll recap the main points tha=
t
they stated: "Don't they realize that dz=14hstreet english is *slaver's*
english? Slave masters didn't want their slaves to know english, to spea=
k
well, because that way would lead them into thought and the ability to
control their own lives. They wanted them to speak poorly, to get their
ideas across inefficiently, to be hobbled at the cerebral cortex. That's
why one of the biggest crimes you could commit would be to be caught
reading a book.
"Street english isn't anybody's culture; they weren't speaking
street english when our people were ripped from our native countries.
It's not our culture. It's got nothing to do with us. It's just a
bastardized form of english used to keep us repressed. If people want to
stay in touch with their cultural roots, there are more efficient ways
to do it that don't lead to further repression because we can't compete
in the business world."
Yes, language changes, new words are introduced, the whole purpose
of language is that it should be fluid. It should be fluid enough to
add new meanings, new terminologies, words from foreign places that are
in some ways more effective. In this way, the language becomes more
precise through addition. The more the language becomes *imprecise*,
the more poorly it is used, the more people are limited in thier
(their) possibilities.
It's real simple, people, and it's got nothing to do with anybody's
culture. If I wanted a career in math, I'd have to learn the rules of
math and be able to apply them. If I want a career using language, the
better my grasp of the rules of that language, the better. In this
country, it's english; in mexico it's spanish, in germany it's german;
it's not one being any better than the other, that's just common sense.
Now, I suppose you could choose to only speak broken english, or
street english, or an otherwise inefficient form of english, whether it's
in the barrio, or little italy, or little korea, or little poland in
Chicago...and that's fine, *provided you never intend to leave and pursue
work outside that community*. Because if you do, you're screwed. Becaus=
e
if you're from little italy, and you move into little korea, you know
what? You've got noting much in common, their culture is as valid as
yours is...the only thing you *may* have in common...is english. And if
there isn't that bond, your economic prospects are zilch.
In the first wave of immigration into this country, the emphasis was
on learning english as fast as possible. You moved in to little italy,
or little germany, or the other immigrant neighborhoods that sprouted up
along coastlines and harbors, in New Jersey and New York and parts west,
which gave you a brief leg up, while you learned the language, and the
culture enough to master it and move out, pursuing better opportunities
outside that small community. Now, the small community has become the
dead-end in many cases, and learning to deal with the dominant culture
around you has become perceived as a threat to one's culture, which one
left behind in another country.
Okay, you bring your culture with you, that's great...and the next
guy brings *his* culture with him, and that's great...and neither of you
learns a middle-ground language, and *that's* great...and two hundred
thousand more guys do the same, and *that's* great...until one day when
a bunch of *your* guys have to make deals with and buy and sell to the
OTHER guys. Then it's a problem.
What makes a nation a nation is a certain commonality, something the=
y
share in common. That's our strength, and our life's blood. The more we
are fractured, the weaker we become. We fought a civil war because we
were A united states, not THE united states, because we weren't americans=
,
we were Virginians, or Carolinans. And now we're fighting a new civil
war in the streets because we're hispanics or eastern europeans or native
americans.
People need to stop being threatened by the use of "you" instead
of "se" or "du" or "vou." It's a word. It doesn't detract from where yo=
u
came from, who you are, what your culture is. Stop trying to make the
overall culture bend to your specific needs, because it won't, and in the
end you're the one hurt by limiting your options.
We evolve by becoming smarter, faster, better. By adapting to our
circumstances. Why do you think we're here and the dinosaurs are dead?
Because us little mammals adapted, and adjusted, and sought out the best
way to survive in our new environment; we didn't stay locked in the way
we were because that was our culture before.
Street language is poorly used english, mixed with a smattering of
the local ethnic verbiage, whichever ethnic group happens to be there at
the moment. That's all it is. Take pride in the ethnic background?
Absolutely. If you speak spanish or italian or korean, don't you want to
speak it as well as you can to communicate with your neighbors? If so,
then why is it *not* okay to speak english as well as you can?
No we don't always speak in complete sentences, I lapse into street
profanity and syntax when appropriate for color or effect...but when it
comes down to it, I have options *outside* that. I have the flexibilily
(flexibility) of doing both. If you don't have that flexibility, you're
screwed. It's as simple as that.
Finally, on the subject of elistism...it's sad when someone who
simply suggests that we should strive to be as good as we can at somethin=
g
-- whatever that something might be -- is an "elitist." I always
figured it was the human heart always striving to be the best possible at
what we do. Yes, let's praise mediocrity and fuzzy thinking and imprecis=
ion
instead. Because that's what we end up with. The less precise your
language, the less capable you will be of conveying what you want.
When did we reach the point when saying it's okay to be less than
we are is a grand idea, and saying we should work harder to master an
everyday part of our lives is something to be derided and insulted?
Jeannette has been unjustly maligned in this conversation, for sayin=
g
something that totally reconciles with the nature of this program: to
always shoot for the absolute best. And those of you who jumped on her f=
or
this should be ashamed of yourselves.
You don't want to learn standard english? Fine. You don't have to.
Just don't ever leave your neighborhood, because the people three blocks
down feel the same way about THEIR language and THEIR culture, and they'r=
e
every bit as entitled as you are. M=1Egw=7Ftz=1F!B=7FAnd then we will ha=
ve more and more
neighborhoods and communiites that can't communicate with each other, tha=
t
can't deal with one another, that fight with each other. I'm all for it.
It makes for great drama.
Maybe you've heard about it...the Tower of Babel.
And if that makes me an elitist...I couldn't be happier. Because
only being an elitist, a perfectionist, striving to be better than the
next guy, has given us an Einstein and a Jorge Luis Borges and a Santayan=
a.
It has given us Nelson Mandela and the Beatles and Churchill and everyon=
e
who has ever won an olympic foot race in the last thousand years.
A society is measured by the marks left by the best of us. Any
society that forgets this is on the downward slide. Elitism is an
evolutionary stance. It's not a bad word. It respects that which is
(to that culture or society) best and brightest in all of us, the potenti=
al
we have for greatness. "An elite squadron" means that they're the best
they are at what they do. "An elite few" means the same thing.
Elitist? Hey, Jeannette...if it's true, wear it as a badge, because
that's what it is.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 19:09:52 -0500
Subject: A few questions for JMS
Expect a gap over the Christmas period, with new episodes (after the
current batch) starting up in late January for the February sweeps.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 20:12:45 -0500
Subject: Attn JMS: Story Breaking?
Okay, first a disclaimer: no one method of creating a story is
intrinsically better or worse than any other...it depends on what works
for you. Telling someone how to make their story is like telling someone
how to have sex; sometimes the suggestion is well received, but generally
you just piss the other person off.
To the heart of your question now....
As you note, the ST shows use a process called "breaking" a story;
in which you get everybody in a room, they all begin kicking around ideas,
picking at the story, while someone writes down on a board what the group
comes up with.
I don't use that, and frankly, I hate it. What happens, I feel, is
that a group dynamic comes into the picture and you get something that
has been committee-ized, and there's no longer any one distinctive
voice. It goes through so many diverse hands that by the end all of the
corners have been knocked off. When I look at most committee-ized
stories, regardless of show, my usual reaction is, "It took TEN of you to
write THIS?"
I sit down, I come up with a story I like, I pull it apart to make
sure it makes sense, and I write it. When a freelancer works with me, I
assign the notion, or listen to the pitch, and then send the writer away
to work up the story into an outline. Then we discuss it, one on one.
Then it gets written, and sometimes I rewrite it afterwards if needed.
There are no creative committees in B5; that's why you never see more than
one name on a script. Whether it's a freelancer or an in-house script,
we respect the original voice of the individual writer.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 20:13:31 -0500
Subject: Matters of Honor (re B5 s
I don't consider the "bonehead maneuver" to be technobabble, for
several reasons. For starters, the "babble" part isn't there; TB goes
on into long explanations of neutrino waves and particle theory and
elements that have to be recalibrated, on and on and on....
Second, a prime requisite for TB is that it's a technology that
comes out of nowhere, artifically invented to create a problem and/or
create a solution. Neither applies here; we've seen jump gates and
jump points now for three years; we've seen them disrupted in "The
Long Twilight Struggle." It was just using the tech we've already
established.
In a way, it's kind of unfair that we get hammered when we use a
little teeny piece of technology because ST has abused it for so man
years. That's not our fault, and one shouldn't develop a kneejerk
response so that ANY reference to technology becomes technobabble. If
that's the case, then the term becomes meaningless.
This is, also, a *science* fiction show; if sometimes we have a
touch of science, it's the nature of the show; you can't have SF
without at least some measure of tech...otherwise you've got fantasy.
The day we do a page and a half of discussions about particles being
recalibrated, particles that didn't exist twenty minutes before the
need became apparent, *then* we can get gigged on technobabble.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 20:18:10 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Jumppoint Question
Usually detectors in the ships prevent them from being formed on
top of something vital (though sometimes you *want* to do that as a
weapon)...and we *have* seen other POV shots of the gate opening, including
one from the back of the jump gate toward the oncoming ships (I think it
was in "All Alone").
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:25:47 -0500
Subject: Hope JMS answers this...
We will eventually see more than one vorlon at a time, yes.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:26:38 -0500
Subject: JMS: Matters of Honor (spoile
Be of good cheer; the jumpgate blast destroyed the pursuing vessel.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:27:10 -0500
Subject: MoH observation (SPOILER)
Yeah, we made some small modifications to the headpiece (good call,
Corun). It merges more seamlessly behind, it's raised slightly at the
crest, and the ends blend more smoothly into the skin in front, to make
the whole thing more natural.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:30:23 -0500
Subject: Re: B5 rips off Trek Again! (T
I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks the use of an angelic (or seemingly
angelic character), whose likes have been written about for, oh, about
4,000 years, is ripping off Star Trek, has his head so thoroughly up his
ass as to have blipped into an entirely new intestinally-based reality
and desperately needs to get a wider frame of reference.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:31:07 -0500
Subject: ATTN:JMS - Tampa Tribune Babyl
John: thanks; we got a copy of the article when it ran out here.
It's progress, slow but steady.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:31:54 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Influences?
I've now caught up on more of this discussion, and I think that
introductions are definitely in order.
Tom McLean, Thaxton and Fuller; Thaxton and Fuller, Tom McLean.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:32:22 -0500
Subject: ATTN: JMS I'll send you TV We
Yes, the address is correct; I look forward to getting the material.
And thanks for staying out there and supporting the show.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 21:36:24 -0500
Subject: JMS: Pgh review (& very minor
David: thanks, and I'm pleased that the show has that effect. It is
a moving, effective episode, I think. (Got a copy of the article,
thanks.)
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 22:09:18 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: More SF less plot
Without character development, no one really cares about the science
aspect, because it doesn't affect anyone we care about. Science fiction
is composed of two parts: the science, which we deal with where we can,
and where it's appropriate to the story, and the fiction, which must hew
to the rules of any fiction...characters you care about. To skew the show
toward techie and away from plot or character is just to engage in mental
exercises about what effect component X might have on tachyon B...and I
tend not to find that terribly interesting.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 22:09:59 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Another "Paving The
The effect of B5 is something that we'll only be able to really
gauge over time; for me to say it's had an effect in paving the way for
other shows in an unequivocal tone of voice would be indulgent and
self-congratulatory, and maybe *partly* true, but to what extent, who
knows?
I do know that we've shown for the first time that there's room for
other space SF series than Star Trek. We haven't yet broken through in a
huge way (nor do I really expect us to), but after this long the ratings
are still solid enough, and the demographics solid enough, that we're
still here, wheras Pointman and Time Trax and Space Rangers have all gone
away.
Would Fox have gone with Space A&B had there not been a B5? I don't
know. The network is very happy (rightly so) with what Morgan and Wong
did for them on X-Files, and was looking for a new berth for them, so it
is entirely possible they would have made something with them regardless.
Would it have been a space show? As likely as not.
Did we make it a bit easier? I hope so. Don't know it for certain,
except that by using CGI as consistently as we have, as well as we have,
THAT element was, I'm sure, partly the reason they went ahead, because
it'd be a hideously costly show to do with models, and we were the first
show to use CGI (beating Space Rangers there), and the first to show it
could be used consistently in this fashion.
I also know that we've had many producers come to us and ask to be
shown how we do things on this show to produce the quality we have at the
price we have. The Babylon 5 Model, they call it, and that will certainly
help create an atmosphere where more shows can be done.
And, finally, for the first time, we negotiated a syndicated series
deal with the local IATSE union, which will almost certainly attract more
shows back to LA for syndication and cable. (Many shows have gone to
Canada or Australia because they were afraid of trying to make a deal with
local unions, that it would cost too much to make it here. So there had
never been a syndicated TV contract until we sat down and worked one out.)
So overall, it's my *hope* that we will have made it easier for other
SF shows to get on the air; do I *know* this to be true? Not with
absolute certainty.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 22:23:58 -0500
Subject: Episode Review (Fall of Night)
Paul: I'd suggest that many of the "dumb things" about the episode
are things you've concocted in your own perception.
Much of your message is based on the premise that shadow shipw
(ships) can cloak...from this follows your notes about how come it's so
easy to break, on and on. Shadow ships don't have cloaking devices. They
phase in and out of hyperspace, that's all (as you'll see more clearly in
"Matters"). That's also why they can be seen in hyperspace (your other
concern). You're making an assumption, that they can cloak, and then
using this as a basis for criticizing that cloaking being done
inconsistently, when the basic premise you're applying is incorrect.
The shadows don't much care about if you can track them, because if
you try, you're dead.
We haven't "deteriorated" Paul. The error was in making assumptions
instead of simpy first asking if a given premise was accurate.
jms
Date: 10 Nov 1995 22:42:00 -0500
Subject: Re: B5's Plot holes
When a movie or book is over, one can analyze the plot holes; right
now there are a few things that have to be paid off, but there aren't any
plot holes that I am aware of.
jms
Date: 11 Nov 1995 05:07:25 -0500
Subject: Notes from jms
Several items:
1) For those in the LA area, I'm going to be at LosCon at the Burbank
Airport Hilton on Thanksgiving Sunday, I think it's around 1:00 for a 2
hour B5 presentation. Don't know yet if any cast will attend, but there
should be some interesting stuff.
2) Normally I don't flog the merchandise, but I gotta tell you, today
I saw the pennultimate version of the B5 screensaver from Sound Sources,
and it's *gorgeous*. There are 150 still images, each with .wav sounds,
including music in many places, PLUS technical files, PLU
video/sound/music sections where you can see a Vorlon ship dock, see the
Cortez come out of the gate, see the Streib attack, see Starfuries dropping
and jumping...I was just knocked out by it. They've done a *great* job
on it. (These are the same folks who did the recent Terminator screen
saver.) Apparently it'll be out in time for Christmas, but it's going to
be a *limited edition*, so you may have to act quickly when it hits the
stands if you want one. (I'm definitely going to be using it.)
3) If you've been abused by Ford A. Thaxton, I suggest you drop a
line to postmaster@aol.com and let them know about it; do it soonish, btw.
(I *think* that's the correct address for the AOL administration folks;
if not, somebody can correct it.) Given that this abuse has been going on
now for nearly a year, and shows no sign of relenting, and some have asked
privately and publicly what can be done, I see no reason why this should
not be pointed out here.
4) There's a B5 magazine out now, which (although I still don't have
a finished copy in hand yet) (he said pointedly) (or a copy of the issue
of Foundation that printed my article, hello, editor Edward James, can
you hear me?)...anyway, it's a pretty nifty little magazine. When I met
with the editor working on it, I specifically noted that they should not
turn the magazine into a puff piece...let there be some rough edges, and
hard questions. (So I kind of dropped my face into my hands when I read
some of the stuff about how Claudia spends her off-time...and a few other
choice items...but still, it's best to have it absolutely straight.)
5) To the questions about ratings that have arisen of late...the key
to any discussion of ratings is real simple: Is the show getting the
ratings it needs to stay on the air? If it is, then it does; if it
doesn't...it's gone. Where Time Trax and Pointman and Space Rangers are
gone...we're still here. Because the numbers crunch. It sure as hell
ain't because of my sterling personality and good looks. Studios and
networks aren't in the charity business; they're here to make successful
programs.
The problem with B5 is the unusual situation that we're in, in terms
of stations, times, and number-crunching. So I thought I'd take a moment
to explain some of this. There are three elements to the ratings: the
ratings numbers (where you are in the rankings overall), of which one
component is the hourly rating; the shares; and the demographics. The
latter two are the more important figures. The share is the actual
percentage of people watching television who are watching your show; so
a 10 share means 10% of everyone watching TV at that moment is watching
your program. The demographics tells the studio/network what kind of
people are watching...WHO, as opposed to how many.
For instance...here are two hypothetical shows. One gets a high
rating, the other a medium or low rating? Which is more profitable for
the studio/network? It can very easily be the *lower rated* show, IF
that program delivers the choice demographics that advertisers want to
reach. Which is why many lower-rated Fox shows are more profitable to
that network than many CBS shows, which skew toward an older audience
with less disposable income. (Ick, TeeVee numbers talk....) The relative
costs of the show are also a factor.
The final thing to factor in is that B5 is in the positino of being
on a number of stations that are primarily either Fox or UPN stations.
Meaning we get bumped a lot, or we get the 3 a.m. slot. This is primarily
true in the smaller markets; in the big markets, the show generally gets a
better berth. You live or die by the ratings in the big markets, because
those are the areas the advertisers want.
(And if you've stayed with me this far, you're far more patient than
I would be...this stuff gives me a headache on the best of days.)
Now that we've established the language, we proceed....
The demographics for B5 are among the best around in syndication,
which is why we have generally attracted leading national sponsors to the
show. So virtually all of the commercial spots are now sold out for the
third season, at a rate that PTEN is *very* happy about. (Some of the Big
Guns from WB/PTEN have come out to the stage over the last week, simply
to congratulate us on how the show is doing.)
On the national numbers, we get hit a little because of the problem
with the smaller markets/Fox and UPN stations noted above. I'll walk you
through an example.
Take "Comes the Inquisitor." Here are some of the individual market
ratings. (And by way of comparison, anything above a 3 rating and a 6
share is golden for advertisers on this show.) St. Louis, a 3.5 rating
and an *11* share; Portland OR, a 6.7 rating and a 10 share; Kansas City,
a 7.0 rating and an 11 share; Orlando a 2.5 and a *13* share (you now see
how the ratings/share issue can get confusing; you can be in a small
market, so your rating is small, but the *share*, the percentage of actual
people watching your show, can be extremely high). For the next couple
of episodes, you find Kansas City with *another* 7 rating/13 share;
Portland OR with an 8.4/13; Minneapolis with a 4.7/8; Baltimore with a
5.0/7...on and on and on.
Then you factor in the smaller stations, over three periods. First
you get the Combined Overnight Average, which for Inquisitor was 3.6 and
a 5 share (very good). The second figure is the Monday-Wednesday average
of the stations playing it during that period, which jumps to a 4.4 and a
7 share (*extremely* good). The rest of the days, Thurs-Sun, are mainly
in the smaller markets, where we're on weird hours, or get pre-empted a
lot. Now you finally factor in *those* numbers, and you come out to a
national average figure of 3.4 (no shares are given in national averages,
btw). Which is fine, and in any event, the main numbers that matter are
the major markets in any event. But even if the majors were far less than
they are, the national average is still enough to give advertisers what
they want.
All that matters to these folks is cold, hard math...and the math
supports Babylon 5. So we stay on the air. It's really about that
simple. That's the ultimate response to anyone casting doubts on what
we're getting. If we weren't getting good numbers, we wouldn't be here.
Period. (And our ratings are increasing, btw....taking the last batch
in order, the Monday-Wednesday average for B5 went from a 4.1 rating and
a 6 share, to a 4.3 rating and a 6 share, to a 4.4 rating and a 7 share,
to a 4.6 rating and a 7 share. We're adding viewers in a slow, but very
steady fashion. Those are the kinds of numbers studios and networks LOVE
to see...a nice, straight, upward incline.
(Here in LA, this week we again beat DS9 in the local ratings,
with B5 getting a 5.8 rating and a 9 share, and DS9 getting a 5.9 rating
and an 8 share; again, the share being the critical number.)
This is, overall, more than I have ever wanted to write or even think
about the ratings. But a lot of folks have asked lately, so I thought I'd
take a moment, since the numbers have started coming in, to go over the
facts and figures, and try -- as best I can -- to explain them. The
formulae used to compute profitability and ratings and shares and rankings
is somewhere just short of alchemy and a bit further than necromancy; I
barely follow them (mathematics not Zathras' skill)...all I know is that
WB is happy, and if WB is happy, and PTEN is happy, we're happy, because
that means we get to stay on the air and continue telling our story.
6) I may not have mentioned it here, but Michael York will be guest
starring in "A Late Delivery from Avalon," episode #12. And Walter Koenig
is slated to be in #14, "Ship of Tears," as well as in "Dust to Dust"
(whose number I've just forgotten...I think it's
#7).
7) If you haven't done so yet, check out the Wallace and Grommitt
tapes and/or laserdisks. I'm going to keep after you until you do; they
are just terrific. Best and funnkiest stop motion I've ever seen.
8) We're nearly finished shooting episode #10, "Severed Dreams,"
which forms the final part of a kind of three-pronged arc right in the
middle of the season, inclusive of episodes 8 and 9, "Messages From
Earth" and "Point of No Return."
"Messages," for my money, is so far the best we've ever done, though
I'll be more able to lock that down once I've seen the final CGI. It and
"Dreams" are real CGI blowouts; in the latter, there are literally 100
shots -- CGI, live action, and compositing -- in *four pages* of action.
This is an all time record for us (and that doesn't count the stuff earlier
in the episode).
I don't usually go this far, but folks, let me give you my personal
guarantee: you're in for one hell of a ride come mid-season, with these
three episodes.
jms
Date: 12 Nov 1995 19:46:55 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: is Kosh the last Vor
The Vorlons are one of the remaining ancient races; Kosh is one of
the Vorlons, not the last of them.
jms
Date: 14 Nov 1995 07:28:21 -0500
Subject: JMS... effects question...
When the fighting staff expanded, it was CGI; physical otherwise.
jms
Date: 14 Nov 1995 07:28:48 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: front and back
We established in the pilot that Vorlon ships tend to emerge engines
first to quickly decelerate, then turn around and enter forward.
jms
Date: 14 Nov 1995 07:37:40 -0500
Subject: Attn JMS: What was that noise?
No, you heard something, all right...just a little bit of shadow whisper
for those who got it; those who don't, won't notice.
jms
Date: 14 Nov 1995 07:38:16 -0500
Subject: Re: B5 on TNT!
To clarify some growing misunderstandings: TNT will begin showing B5
episodes only *after* the series has run its course, and at that time, it
will acquire the full run, not just one year.
jms
Date: 14 Nov 1995 07:38:57 -0500
Subject: Will Kim Strauss appear in 3rd
Yes, Kim is in the third season.
jms
Date: 15 Nov 1995 04:45:10 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Maybe setting recor
Actually, the point raised is a valid one; I'd omitted the British
shows because they tend to be more author driven in any event; McGoohan
probably wrote 90% of The Prisoner (under various names), and there have
been similar examples elsewhere. I was mainly thinking of American TV.
jms
Date: 15 Nov 1995 23:24:42 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: New Opening Sequenc
The music is indicative of the mood this season.
And thanks.
jms
Date: 15 Nov 1995 23:25:28 -0500
Subject: * A ????? of Vorlons * (was:
That would be a conspiracy of vorlons.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:00:52 -0500
Subject: whatever happened to... ?
Na'Toth was back on Narn during the attack; the actor who plays Lou
has gone on to other projects, and we haven't heard the last of General
Hague....
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:01:43 -0500
Subject: Scientology and B5?
There is absolutely, positively, NO scientology link or refrence in
the name markabs. I find the organization generally abhorrent.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:02:54 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Season 3 title
Mainly because the new title for year 3 is more appropriate to teh
feel of this season.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:32:42 -0500
Subject: Answer to Impossible Question
In theory, the final episodes would air in the summer of 1998.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:33:51 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Hiatus question
Currently filming episode #11; the actors get a Christmas break from
12/14 to 1/2. I'll be home writing for all of that.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:34:18 -0500
Subject: Re: Notes from jms
Theron, quite frankly, fuck off. This is none of your concern. I
have received multiple notes from people asking what can they do about
harrassment and insults and abuse from Ford. I responded and gave them
the option, and let others similarly bothered know how to respond. IF
no one has been abused, no one will notify AOL. If they have, then they
will. I didn't ask people to go out and just write complaining mail,
the letter was *specifically* directed toward those who genuinely feel
they've been abused.
And I'd like to know where the hell you get off sticking your nose
in here. You sit there saying I should be held accountable for every
word I write here...so why shouldn't others be held equally accountable?
Double standard. But that's what I've come to expect from you.
It's real simple, Theron. It's called democracy. If people feel
they've been abused, they have the right to say so.
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:35:16 -0500
Subject: JMS: B5 and TV Guide?
As far as TV Guide is concerned, we're perennially a stealth program;
can't find it with radar, sonar, AWACS....
jms
Date: 16 Nov 1995 22:37:35 -0500
Subject: Attn JMS: Don't tell me how to
You're confusing several different issues. Of *course* people have
the right to comment on the show; hell, that's been going on here, both
positive and negative, since the pilot film. You can like something, or
not like something. But if somebody gets up an attitude and says, "Hey,
I watch your show, and I have a right to input, and you should do your
show THIS way from now on," that person is going to be told to bug off.
That the show is seen by many folks gives them an interest, and that's
great; but there's a line in *proprietary* interest that can't be
crossed. The show that has attracted people is what I've chosen to put
in; if enough people like it, they'll continue to watch; if not, not.
jms
Date: 18 Nov 1995 20:00:08 -0500
Subject: Questions for JMS
The rim, and the "veil" beyond which the bulk of the First Ones
passed, is the Galactic rim. As for why the shadows are doing what
they're doing...that's kind of the key to the whole thing, which we
haven't turned yet.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 00:11:02 -0500
Subject: Re: B5's Plot holes
Re: Minbari lying...it has been established, repeatedly, that the
Minbari do lie *when it means saving someone else's honor*. That was
even stated, openly, in the very same episode about Sheridan's frame
job, "There All The Honor Lies." Londo says, right there, that the
Minbari will lie for a greater cause, another's honor. The same was done
in "The Quality of Mercy." Delenn fibbed about the ship in "Matters"
because in so doing, she saved Sheridan's honor.
This is not a plot hole, it's been established clearly in the series
on multiple occasions. We have never, ever, at any time said conclusively
that Minbari never, ever lie. This is another example of certain persons
simply not paying attention, and then blaming the show for their own lack
of continuity in attention.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 00:12:45 -0500
Subject: ATT JMS Why not show eposide i
Because most Americans have TV sets 21" or smaller, letterboxing
doesn't work in that framework.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:09:39 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Story Breaking?
What I do is this: I get a pad of legal-sized paper, and divide it
into six quadrants, all on the same page, standing for teaser, four acts
and tag. I drop the beats of the story into the relevant places where I
think they'd logically fall (the big moments always go at act breaks).
This way I can see the entire flow of the story at one glance, which is
important for getting a feel for the episode. If one act gets over
burdened, I just draw a line moving one beat to another act.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:09:59 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Series Time equal "R
Yes, one year of story time equals 1 year of "real" time.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:10:22 -0500
Subject: attn jms:ratings
Our ratings have been consistently rising since we went back on
with new episodes.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:10:37 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS... effects question...
If you didn't notice the effect, that's good; you shouldn't in
many cases. (How many folks noticed that the two-story shot of the
blown sector of Convictions after the elevator boom is a digitally
composited set, using two different sets?)
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:10:54 -0500
Subject: MoH final scene hole (SPOILERS
Yes, Endawi is more or less a good guy, in that he's totally
uninvolved with Morden or anyone on that side. He was doing what he said
he'd been assigned to do.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:08:29 -0500
Subject: JMS: Budget breakdown?
I can't give you specifics, because that stuff is generally
considered private. One thing I can say...there's what called "above
the line" and "below the line;" above the line includes the total
costs for cast, producers, writers, directors, and the like; below the
line is construction, art department, makeup, costume, and so on.
On the average show, the above the line is as much as two thirds
of the total budget, in large measure because the producing staff is
large, and the producers take out huge budgets. In the case of B5, the
above the line is less than *half* the total budget. Every penny of
our budget is up there on the screen.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:12:48 -0500
Subject: <<<JMS: Brother Theo???>>>>
We'll see Theo here and there as we go along this season.
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 06:13:00 -0500
Subject: JMS quoted in Animaniacs
I think it's right fine to be quoted; hope they won't mind now when
a quick shot of the Tasmanian Devil Jr. rolls through B5....
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 07:20:38 -0500
Subject: ATTN: JMS - Thanks & a Questio
I do plan to do more with Ivanova this season, yes, and get her out
of C&C a bit more often. (Especially in "Voices of Authority," coming
up.) Do I ever sleep? Take a look at the timestamp on this message....
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 07:20:56 -0500
Subject: What to get jms for christmas?
jms does not like christmas. jms does not DO christmas. do not
send jms anything. ANYdamnthing. is jms absolutely, totally, crystal
clear on this issue?
jms
Date: 19 Nov 1995 20:57:25 GMT
Subject: Re: What to get jms for christmas?
> jms does not like christmas. jms does not DO christmas. do not
> send jms anything. ANYdamnthing. is jms absolutely, totally, crystal
> clear on this issue?
>
> jms
)
Not even a nice teddy bear?
Wait, Joe, put that down, I didn't really mean, ow, ugh, umph...!
DKB
Date: 20 Nov 1995 16:41:20 -0500
Subject: Antique pens
Actually, just to correct, the gift from President Santiago in
Hunter, Prey was not a pen but a watch; and the pen in Fall of Night was
a gift from Lantz's wife, not the President.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:32:22 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: B5 background detail
Yeah, that info will probably become available eventually, but I
don't currently know when or in what form.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:32:41 -0500
Subject: JMS: are Monks flip-side of te
No, I wouldn't think of them in technomage terms; if you look at the
history of many of these orders, they've generally pulled together people
of varying skills. Ain't really that new an idea....
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:34:22 -0500
Subject: 9 Billion Names of God and Bro
No, there's no connection whatsoever. The Tibetan monks in the
story were specifically coming up with all the names of god in order to
bring about the end of the world; Theo et al have come as an exercise in
comparative religion, to learn what the other races call god, and how it
compares. As others have done before, right here on good old earth.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:36:30 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: What *would* you do
First thing I'd do is increase the fees paid to the cast and crew,
who deserve to share in what they've done.
Then I'd allocate the rest to: expanding and improving our sets and
costumes; renting a secondary stage facility to give us more blue screen
potential, where can get further back from the subject and create better
looking composites...and build more standing sets rather than switching
sets in and out of the stage; I'd do more planetside stuff, and more CGI
in the course of a season.
It wouldn't so much change the show as make us able to more fully
realize the story visually.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:37:25 -0500
Subject: Great War - Mental vs. P
Actually, in the comic, you never saw shadows influencing anyone's
mind; you saw their humanoid (in this case) servents doing this.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:37:43 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: You set fire to Doug
Actually, you're confusing incidents; it was my office door that
got set afire (back at Filmation), and it was Larry, not Doug, because I
had stolen the platen out of his typewriter as part of that day's planned
warfare campaign.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:38:00 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: New Sets and Lack o
We had considered refurbishing C&C, but didn't get around to it this
season.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 18:38:18 -0500
Subject: Legal _B5_ Marathon? Need Advi
Insofar as I understand it, if one is showing the tapes one made
oneself, and is not charging for admission, there's not a problem.
jms
Date: 22 Nov 1995 19:34:35 -0500
Subject: Joke Source(Convictions Spoile
I don't actually know for certain the origin of the joke; it was all
over the nets, and the BBSs, uploaded places with several gazillion other
lightbulb jokes (after I'd made the original version of this in the show),
which is why I figured I'd drop it into the episode, since it was so common
and associated with the nets. While in the UK, I met a young man who said
that he had been the first with that variation, and I have no reason not
to believe him. (A couple other people sent me email saying that they
had also come up with that one; it's kind of obvious I guess, but again,
I have no way of knowing what's true because it was just all over the
place, never with attribution.)
jms
Date: 24 Nov 1995 04:32:32 -0500
Subject: ATTN: JMS Thanks for Marcus' l
It's predictable that I'd put someone into the show with who's a guy
with thick, long hair...since every time I look in the mirror I realize
more and more that where I'm concerned, thick, long hair will always be
an unattainable, science fiction concept....
jms
Date: 24 Nov 1995 04:32:34 -0500
Subject: ATTN JMS: Vir in "A Day in the
You will see Vir many times again in the course of the third season.
jms
Date: 27 Nov 1995 01:09:28 -0500
Subject: jms resigns rastb5
I've been debating this step for, quite literally, months now.
What has finally tipped the balance is seeing the extent to which
rastb5 has been virtually taken hostage by a very few people
who have no interest in this forum except to tear down this show
in general, and me in particular.
To that effect, they lie, manufacture facts, speculate based on
premises that have no basis whatsoever in reality, engage in smear
campaigns, insult and abuse users of this area, drop innuendo when
they have nothing else to grab onto...they leap into threads that
should by all rights be reasonably safe from flame and turn them
into referendums on whether or not jms is a liar, in the kind of
logic that stems from "are you still beating your wife?" premises.
The progression is always the same: a smear message, or an outright
fabrication, gets posted; it generates heated replies from other
users; those users are then attacked for being unthinking followers
or sycophants (when the reality is that the original message was
bone-headed and simply *wrong), thus ensuring that the conversation
is not about the subject anymore, but rather the conversation becomes
about the conversation...and in that form, it can go on forever,
spreading out into more and more threads until all you see after a
while are flames in every direction.
I try to stay out of it as much as I can...but sooner or later
something so odious, so despicable, such an obvious, irredeemable lie
gets posted that I lose my temper and have to respond. I sit here,
and take sucker punches to the face, every single time I sign on from
some of the outrageous stuff that goes on here; I take it quietly,
but after you're punched in the face three, four, five times a day,
for weeks at a time, damn it sooner or later you're going to hit back,
and hard. And that's when the same cadre of imbeciles comes back and
says, "Gee, look at that, see how badly he behaves?"
More and more lately, I have been signing on here, and by the time I
log off, I'm furious. Furious for the unsubstantiated character
assassination directed against me...and over the course of the year
plus I've been here, not one -- not ONE -- of the allegations from
Fuller, Fuller or Thaxton have *ever* been proven out, but they just
forget that and move on to the next attack...as well as the attacks
on other users here who have chosen to defend me against these
baseless attacks.
In the past, where it's been just a few threads here and there, and
I knew what they were, I could just avoid them. But in their
ceaseless attacks, designed to provoke a response from me, they
have begun throwing their nets consistently wider, so that they're
all over the place; I can't avoid the hassles and the grief. And
if I see some of this crap, which is untrue and unfair and designed
for no other reason than to cause me grief...I get angry, and when
I get angry, I can't write, and that hurts the show.
And I will not allow the show to be hurt. When it crosses that
line...it stops. One way or another.
I've tried reasonable appeals; those were taken as signs of weakness,
turned into further attacks, and ultimately failed. I've asked
people here *not* to respond to these abusive individuals, because
if they get only silence for their efforts, they will go away; they
live for the echo of pain caused by their words; find validation and
reason to live in that echo. That failed. And now the level of
toxicity has risen to a level that can no longer be tolerated.
And before anyone even *tries* to turn this into "oh, joe just doesn't
want to hear negative stuff about his show, he doesn't want to hear
any criticism, he just wants to be god" (and you know who you are,
and fuck you too), it's got *nothing* to do with criticism of the
show, positive or negative, made from having genuinly thought out
the problems. I've always responded well to any kind of criticism
that is well-considered, and always will.
This has to do with a small handful of people who have, through
their incessant, stalking, compulsive behavior ruined this forum for
not only me but a great deal of other people who've emailed me to
say that they don't post here any more, because they've gotten
tired of being attacked, tired of reading the endless tirades and
smears and assaults on me and other users. The good people get
driven away, and the bad people refuse to go, or to moderate their
behavior, and there is no mechanism currently in place for others
here to moderate their behavior.
I have become, in many ways, the football used to pull others on
either side of the line into an ugly and destructive game. And
the only way to stop it is to remove the football.
So I am posting this as notice that I will be resigning from
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 effective the end of the month. To Ron
and the Rangers...stop sending me the list at that time.
Because the simple reality is that once I'm gone, the prime lure for
those who've turned this place into a constant flame zone for the
last year will have left. And in time, so will they. It's sad
when a handful of people can take something that is of value to
thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of users worldwide, and
chew away at it until there's nothing left, simply because of their
own twisted obsession.
I cannot go to bed, or get up in the morning, furious over the
latest offense committed here by the tyrannical few; I've lost
endless hours sitting here angry over the falsehoods and the
smears and the innuendo. I can't afford to do that anymore.
And just so they cannot weasel their way out of it later, cannot
say "well, it wasn't me, it was just the climate, it was the
fault of those guys over there...look, a comet...." I point the
finger squarely at the Theron Fuller, Deborah Fuller, and Ford
Thaxton, with a couple of other accomplices not worthy of comment.
I hope you enjoy seeing your names in a post by me, folks, since
that's what seems to excite you, because this particular message
is likely to be the last. You've finally succeeded in driving
me off rastb5, which was clearly your intent from the start.
I will continue to be present on CIS, Genie, AOL and a few other
places, which have more than their share of critical commentaries,
but are moderated to prevent this kind of abusive behavior. When
the rastb5-info group is open, I will post to that area, and take
questions via that forum. But I will no longer post to, or read
the main rastb5 area any longer. I simply can't afford the
heartache anymore.
The experiment in interaction between viewers and the makers of
B5 will continue; they just will continue in other places.
People ask why more producers don't come on-line. This is the
reason. Because there are some people out there who are obsessed
with anyone who has even the smallest celebrity (and there ain't
much smaller celebrity than being a producer); people who feel it
is their god-given obligation to tear down the other person, and
to make sure that there cannot *possibly* be anyone in their
universe more important than they themselves. They do not sow,
neither do they reap; they only shred and tear and abuse.
If you're ever going to see more producers on-line, you're going
to have to look seriously into ways to keep the least reputable
elements from turning it into a bloodbath. Because when some say,
as has been said here, "it's my right to say this, and you have to
take it," the response is, "No, I don't." If you stay, you become
an enabler, a co-dependent, who allows the abuse to continue by the
conscious decision to remain where you can be hit.
To the rest of you: I apologize for having to take this step.
Some of you know how difficult this decision has been for me, the
long months I've spent debating it back and forth with friends,
family and other netters. I have enjoyed the exchange, have learned
much from the commentaries, and the discussion, have made many
friends and acquaintances. Were there any way I could stay, be
sure that I would. But when I have to stare at a monitor, when
a script deadline is upon me, and all I can think of is, "That
goddamned liar is spreading the same old crap *again*," then
something has got to go. In this case, that's me.
Because sure as hell, they won't. Not until their punching bag
With the obvious exceptions, I will miss you greatly. As stated
above, I'll be here through the end of the month, just to finish
clearing out stuff, and ease this transition, though probably in
somewhat reduced capacity. I hope to see many of you via the new
info group. Though the discussion will not be quite so free
wheeling as it is here, because of the moderated structure there,
it will be good to look upon your faces (well, your pixels) in
the months to come there.
Again, my apologies. I wish this could be handled in some other
way, but that doesn't seem likely. You cannot know how your
words, and your efforts, on behalf of B5, have been appreciated
not just by me, but by everyone involved with the show. It's
been a great experience, a chance to learn, and a hell of a ride.
See you on the flip side.
With great affection,
J. Michael Straczynski
Date: 1 Dec 1995 04:39:47 -0500
Subject: from jms: benedictions
Tonight is the last night of my feed from rastb5, and I wanted to
send along a quick note to resolve the few last things remaining to be
discussed or addressed before that happens.
Since my note went up -- raggedly, here and there, due to some
problems with the server, apparently -- I have now logged slightly over
900 private email messages in my GEnie mailbox. This in addition to the
rest of the feed per se. I'm slogging through them as fast as I can,
trying to give personal responses to as many as I humanly can; if over
the course of the next week or so, if you've sent me a note, and don't
get a response, assume that either got crunched by the often cranky
GEnie newsreader system, or it didn't specifically seem to require a
response...or my hands fell off and rolled under the table.
Nonetheless, a general thank you to everyone who's sent in mail on
this. It's disturbing to realize that about 75% of all of the notes thus
far received begin with a variation on "I used to post on rastb5 (or I
just lurk on rastb5) but don't post because the atmosphere just got too
poisoned by the deranged few you mentioned." Literally hundreds of
people seem to have been driven from rastb5 by the rampage of a few
others who don't want to be attacked or abused by those few. This is
terribly saddening to realize. That they have been driven off is more of
a real issue than my being now in this position.
Anyway...to all those who wrote, I am moved and touched by your
words, and if there were any way around this, I'd take it. I know that
some are working behind the scenes to put together a moderated newsgroup,
but I don't know if that will happen or not. The goal of any such should
not be to eliminate criticism -- heck, there's never been a lack for that
here or on any of the other systems -- but just to keep out the truly
dysfunctional. That may be a very promising route, but I'm not holding
out much hope that it'll happen.
Surprisingly, the #1 comment that has come in is, "What on earth
TOOK you so long? If I were in your shoes I'd've been out of here MONTHS
ago." Glutton for punishment, I guess. Kept thinking we could work a
way around this. But as has been pointed out by others, I guess it was
inevitable. I didn't see that because I suppose I didn't really want to
see it, or cop to it, or realize that this was running out on me. I have
vastly enjoyed the open lines of communication, have met a great number of
interesting people both on-line exclusively and even in person in many
cases.
Anyway, I wish it could be otherwise. For the most part, you're a
cute bunch, and I won't even space you for being cute.
(Oh, and speaking of "for the most part," a sidelong glance in the
direction of Robert Holland is in order, whose latest poison pen letters
are wonderfully emblematic of the problem here from the start. He has
implied since this all came out that in leaving here, I'm somehow "getting
away with something," that it's nothing to do with him or his ilk here on
the system, nononononono, can't be that...it's just that I'm on AOL now
leaving tons of messages by his reckoning, and it'd happen regardless.
Which is so obviously boneheaded and stupid that it almost doesn't merit
response...but what the hell....
(The AOL B5 page has, maybe, 1/1,000th the number of users as rastb5;
I log on maybe every two-three days, and leave maybe a total of 5-10
messages in the course of a week. So much for his claim about the total
number of messages left. AOL is confined just to the US, and doesn't have
even a *fraction* of the coverage of rastb5. But Mr. Holland, in his usual
subliminal sleazosity, tries to find some subterfuge, some hidden agenda,
something he can point to in vague terms and wonder what I'm getting away
with. This is the game he and the others here play constantly; there is
nothing they can go after in reality, so they come up with vaguely worded
allegations with no real core to them, just designed to somehow cast a
shadow on this show or myself, specifically to get people, myself included,
to respond, defending when no real charge has been made. It's the oldest
trick in the book; get the other person to defend themselves against a
non-existent charge, in the hope of creating the illusion of smoke and
the perception of fire...and, of course, getting everyone upset in the
process. I fell for it too many times; we all did. This is the last time
I will do so. Mr. Holland belongs in the same company as the rest of his
associates. They will *always* find something to complain about, even if
it means manufacturing it themselves.)
But it's no longer my problem. Just as it's no longer the problem of
several hundred others who've logged off here in the last year due to the
hassles, and the others who have either left, or are about to leave for the
same reason: the tyranny of the petty dysfunctional.
So we turn back toward the light, and happier topics. This is, after
all, a benediction, not a jeremiad.
I'm told that the info area doesn't quite function as I'd thought,
so we'll see what can be done here. From time to time, I will try to put
together a letter from home, as it were, to send here to rastb5; I won't
see any of the responses to it that aren't emailed directly to me, but
the intent would be to send along information that might be useful from
time to time for folks to have. I'm not expecting to do this very often,
but will try to do it here and there as I'm able.
In other news...since this I guess kinda counts as such a letter...
I'm happy to note that the paperwork for the B5 fan club has finally,
FINALLY, come in in finished form. Once it's vetted by our people, we
hope to get it signed and get this long-overdue baby going. We've had
a number of discussions about this, and how to handle it, maybe a survey
of folks to see what kinds of limited-edition items they'd like to see us
make, maybe a web-page for the club, other options. (If we should start
selling limiteds on the EA pins, patches and stuff, what we'll probably
do is have them made by the same companies that supply us with the real
props used in the show, so they're absolutely identical in every way, not
just knockoffs. It's a little more expensive that way to make, and we
won't make much of anything off them because we'll keep the prices at a
reasonable level, but I think that's the way to go. Neither Doug nor I
are looking to make this into a profit center; if it can more or less pay
for itself, and help organize folks, give them something nifty from the
show, then that's sufficient.)
Oh...and we're investigating the possibility of licensing the damned
videotapes ourselves, producing them pretty much at cost. Don't know if
we can pull this off or not, but we're going to try.
Michael York is currently shooting with us in "A Late Delivery From
Avalon," and doing an amazing job. This may turn into one of our best
episodes, from a performance and emotion perspective. I had a few doubts
about the script -- it has a kind of writing style I don't use very often,
and very stylized in appearance -- but it's coming out great.
Script 15 is entitled "Interludes and Examinations," and has a plot
turn I hadn't seen coming, but which fits perfectly into the arc; I think
you're going to be stunned. (I was.) As I write this, I've just started
writing "War Without End, Part One," #316, the first part of the two
episodes that bring Sinclair to Babylon 5, which we'll shoot sometime
after the first of the year. It's been touch and go, but we've finally
been able to schedule all of the guest cast members from "Babylon Squared"
for this one, which is the flip side of that episode. It's probably going
to be the most expensive show we've done yet, due to the hideous production
requirements for this one. It's also the one I'm most nervous about
writing, even more than "Fall of Night," because an awful lot happens here,
and it has to be done just right. It's going to be probably the toughest
writing job of the series to date.
I'll be putting Sinclair and Sheridan together a lot, which is
shaping up to be an interesting combination. We're also going to see
Minbar for the first time.
(We just now got the finished copy of "Voices of Authority" in; man,
do I wish we'd had this early enough to run in place of PTG, great as that
one is. The EFX are terrific, eye-popping.)
Oh...speaking of eye-popping, I've gotten a copy of the B5 Screen
Saver/Limited Edition Entertainment CD Rom, and it's nifty. I suggest it
to everyone, with a caveat: if you're not a computer neep-neep kind of
person, have someone help you install the thing. It took me several
passes to figure everything out. And once you DO install it, even though
it says "do you want all the images?" and you say yes, it doesn't put them
all on. Once you've finished -- and I'm putting this here because as far
as I can tell this isn't documented *anywhere* -- go to the setup menu,
and hit install. Make sure your CDrom is in the drive. Go to the
Images subdirectory on the CDrom, and you'll suddenly see 150 or so
images that were *not* installed. Highlight all of them, copy them over
to the pdesk/images subdirectory on your hard disk, then add them, and
select them. Most neeps out there could probably figure this out, but I
couldn't, so I pass this along for those who are as computerchip
challenged as I am. Once it's all *there*, and actually even before that,
it's gorgeous...the images are crisp and brilliant, the full-motion video
stuff is terrific, there's music and sounds and other stuff...I can't
commend it highly enough. (Oh, yeah, I think it sometimes bumps up
against Norton Desktop, but it's only happening on one of my two Dell
machines running ND, so it may be something I'm doing wrong.)
For those who asked about books...there's going to be a Creating
Babylon 5 book out from Boxtree Books in the UK this summer. I just
finished proofing it, and it's pretty good. I think the photo selection
could be better, but the actual text is quite good.
(A pause while jms tries desperately to remember if there's any
other real hard news to pass along here...and the brain goes blank.)
We're going to be shooting through December 14th, at which point
we break for the Christmas hiatus through January 2nd. I hope to take
some of that time and catch up on scripts a bit. We'll probably debut
the first season 3 gag reel at the party. (Then run like hell.)
OH...yeah, and before I forget (again), to those who asked about
the Stephen Furst item in TV Guide...he's doing the Chicago Hope show in
a two-parter, he's not joining the cast of regulars. The piece in TV
Guide is ambiguous and can be read that way, much to Stephen's chagrin.
He'll be doing more shows for us this season.
There's a conference in the Compuserve Convention Center on Saturday
from 2-3 p.m. Pacific time. Just me at this point.
Knowing this is the last note I'll be sending for a while, I'm
tempted to keep shoving stuff in here. I just realized that I wish this
didn't have to stop. But it kinda does, doesn't it?
So...to those of you who have been terrifically helpful to me over
the term of this long experiment...to the Rangers for filtering out the
feed and protecting me from story ideas...to Sherry for the great analyses
of episodes, and Orso for his cogent thoughts...actually, I shouldn't be
singling people out because I've been forever astonished and gratified at
some of the brilliant and insightful observations that have floated across
my monitor in the last year or so. I've been delighted, amused, impressed,
floored, dumbfounded, intrigued, awakened, and occasionally horrified
(usually in a good way).
It is my abiding hope that in return, I've given something of use
here. I feel strongly that we cannot hope to control or influence o
improve a dragon with as many heads as TV until and unless we understand it
first. I hope that I've helped a little to demystify how it all works, so
that folks have a better chance of getting what they *want* rather than
what some producers or studios want to shove down your throats. If it has
served that purpose to any degree, then the exercise has been worthwhile.
My best to all of you. When I can, I'll try to post messages in a
bottle and send them along to the group as occasional updates. Meanwhile,
take care, don't fight, and remember: if you do not choose to lead, you
will forever be led by others. Find what scares you, and do it. And
you *can* make a difference, if you choose to do so.
Babylon Control, clear.
jms