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937 lines
37 KiB
937 lines
37 KiB
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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In Sheridan's final days, old friends gather to celebrate.
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Takes place in 2281, approximately
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twenty years after the end of the rest of the series.
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</cite>
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</blockquote>
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<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/110">9.34</a>
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Production number: 523 (see <a href="#NO.prod">Notes</a>)
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Original air date: November 25, 1998 (US)
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00019071C/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 13, 2004
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by J. Michael Straczynski
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</pre>
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<p>
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Nominated for 1999 Hugo Award for best dramatic presentation.
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@912068997 David, Sheridan and Delenn's son, is in Ranger training in
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2281. Sheridan and Delenn have given strict instructions to the
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teachers to not give any special treatment to their son.
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<li>@@@912102269 As predicted by Lorien
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(<a href="070.html">"Falling Toward Apotheosis"</a>)
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Sheridan has died. His body was apparently carried away by Lorien.
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<li>@@@912068997 Ivanova has been promoted to the rank of General in
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2281, and works in an office on Earth. Or rather, she did, but has been
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appointed head of the Rangers after Sheridan's death.
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<li>@@@912068997 Garibaldi has a daughter in 2281 and still lives with
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Lise on Mars.
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<li>@@@912102269 After the Alliance headquarters moved to Minbar, Babylon 5
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saw less and less use; its original mission of uniting the galaxy in
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peace had succeeded. It was finally deemed not worth the cost of
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keeping around, and has been destroyed.
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<li>@@@912102591 Zack retired from the military and went back to Earth.
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Then, years later, he re-upped and returned to the station, where
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he stayed until its demise. Afterward, he joined Vir (now Emperor
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of the Centauri) on Centauri Prime.
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@860876414 NOW what?
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<li>@@@912068997 What happened to Sheridan's body?
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<li>@@@912102269 What happened to Lennier?
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<li>@@@912102591 Why was Zack limping?
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@912068997 Sheridan's disappearance echoes the disappearance of
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Valen, who is presumed dead but whose body was never found
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(<a href="075.html">"Atonement"</a>).
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Was Valen spirited away by Lorien as well?
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<p>
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<li>@@@912102269 Why did the station fall into disuse over time? It's
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true that its political mission became irrelevant with the founding
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of the Interstellar Alliance, but that was only one of several
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purposes the station served: it was also a bustling trade hub located
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in a convenient area of space, an outpost of the Earth Alliance, a way
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station for people travelling elsewhere, and after the founding of the
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Alliance, a place of historical interest as well.
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<p>
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One possibility is that it became less and less convenient relative to
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other hubs as the Alliance equalized member races' technologies,
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causing, for instance, artificial gravity to become the norm. Better
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hyperspace navigation technology might have made it irrelevant as a
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waypoint and less necessary as a trading center.
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<p>
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Still, the argument about it being a hazard to navigation seems a bit
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odd; in the vastness of space, it's a tiny speck. Granted, it's
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possible to emerge out of control from the jumpgate and be on a
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collision course with the station
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(<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter"</a>)
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but a slight change of orbital position would almost certainly
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eliminate that possibility.
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<p>
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<li>@@@912102591 Since Garibaldi is still alive and well in 2281, he
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wasn't killed by either Lyta or Bester during the Telepath
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War, which had already taken place by the time of Sheridan's death
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(Delenn mentioned it at the end of
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<a href="087.html">"Rising Star"</a>).
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Was his mental block removed? Did he get his revenge on Bester, and
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did Lyta succeed in destroying the Corps?
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<p>
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<li>@@@913017823 Why didn't any Soul Hunters
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(<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter"</a>)
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arrive to capture Sheridan's
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soul at Coriana 6? He almost certainly fits the profile of a soul
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worth preserving in their view. A few possibilities: he was taken
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away by Lorien, but didn't die per se; the Soul Hunters changed their
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policies or disbanded after the events of
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<a href="114.html">"The River of Souls"</a>;
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or Lorien somehow prevented them from approaching.
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@860757087 Shooting ended May 5, 1997.
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<p>
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<li>@@@867479749 <a name="NO.prod">Although this is the final episode</a>
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of the series, and airs
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at the end of season five, it was actually shot during the
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fourth-season production run, and originally carried a production
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number of 422. At the time, it wasn't clear whether
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the show would be renewed for a fifth season, and JMS wanted this
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episode to close the series whether it ended after four or five years.
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Since it's set 20 years after the rest of the story, it works equally
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well as an epilogue to
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<a href="087.html">"Rising Star"</a>
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or to the last regular season-five episode.
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<p>
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<li>@@@912068997 Several B5 staff members have cameos in this episode,
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including producer John Copeland and coproducer George Johnsen. JMS
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appears briefly as the maintenance worker shutting off the station's
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lights.
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<p>
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<li>@@@912068997 The Hugo award that JMS won for
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<a href="031.html">"The Coming of Shadows"</a>
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appears at the beginning of the scene in General Ivanova's office.
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<p>
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<li>@@@912710200 As Sheridan dresses to leave Minbar, the reflection in
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the mirror includes the illusion of a cross. This was unintended,
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as noted by JMS below.
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<p>
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<li>@@@913017503 Text of the display on Marcus' suspension chamber in
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the closing credits:
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<p>
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CRYOGENIC SUSPENSION CHAMBER<br>
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SUBJECT: Marcus Cole<br>
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Designation: Ranger<br>
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Status: Deceased<br>
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Comments: Indefinite Hold in the event of new resuscitation
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technology
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<p>
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REQUESTED BY: CMDR. S. IVANOVA
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<p>
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<li>@@@988363485 <a href="http://groups.google.com/groups?q=duck&ic=1&selm=3665D0AA.AF0FDFAF%40goodnet.com">Why
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there's a duck at the top of the page.</a>
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li> <em>On GEnie, 11 April 1992:</em><br>
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A few days ago, I sat down with our line producer, John Copeland, and
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production designer John Iacovelli, and we were talking about the need
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to move quickly on some stuff, and how painful the process is to have
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the whole story in your head, already told, really, and then have to
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make it all over again so we can put it on film. "You think you've got
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it bad," I noted, "I've already worked out the last scene in the last
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episode of the last season (#5)...and I've still got to make Movie #1."
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They called me on it and asked what that scene was. Just to see their
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reaction, I told them. They looked at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted
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three heads and feathers. It was worth it. (Happily, they're sworn to
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secrecy.) It was also good because I think that, even without filling
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in the beats in between, it gave them a good sense of where the series
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was going to go.
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<p>
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<li>@@@848646937 What will be revealed over the course of the series? All of it.
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<p>
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By the time the series has run its five-year course (Neilsen willing),
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there will only be ONE unanswered question left: "NOW what?"
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<p>
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<li> My titles are often in a state of flux; "Signs and Portents" was
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originally titled "Raiding Party" in my notes, as the B5 FAQ notes
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somewhere. So it may change, but for the time being, in my notes for
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the series, the last episode of year five has this note: Title? --
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"Farewell" or "Sleeping in Light."
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<p>
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<li> The Babylon 5 story ends at the final episode of year five.
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<p>
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<li> And there will never be a Babylon 6.
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<p>
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<li> If I didn't have a good, solid, consistent ending, I wouldn't have
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started the story. I always have the ending before I begin writing
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the beginning.
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<p>
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<li>@@@851073979 "What this boils down to is... is the ending you
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envisioned at the start of Babylon 5 the same today as it was then?"
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<p>
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For the most part, yeah...it's gotten a bit refined over time, the way
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it always does the closer you get to it...it's like seeing a mountain
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from a great distance, then closing in until you can make out the
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details. But basically, yeah.
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<p>
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<li>@@@854608470 "Are you at all concerned that, when it's all said and
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done, that some fans will scratch their heads and wonder: "You mean
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thats it?""
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<p>
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No, I don't think so. The story for "Sleeping in Light," the last B5
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episode, is such that it is completely moveable, and self-contained, and
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buttons down the arc in what I think is a very moving fashin. I think
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that when it's all said and done, the average reaction will be to sit
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back and say, "That was a good story." Obviously you can't please
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everyone, and you can't expect to. But basically, yeah, I think it's
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going to end well.
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<p>
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<li>@@@846714236 In theory, the final episodes would air in the summer of 1998.
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<p>
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<li> There's always been a side-story that could spin off from B5, but the
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main core story is over at the five-year mark.
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<p>
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<li> I've always said that there's a side story that could follow the 5
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year B5 storyline, which takes place in the B5 universe, and follows
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on the heels of the events in B5...but who knows if that would happen?
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<p>
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The one thing I would hate is for B5 to become any kind of so-called
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"franchise." Because as soon as that happens, you're prevented from
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making any changes, from doing anything that might startle people,
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cutting into the piggy-bank. Once that happens, you're dead.
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<p>
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I've also made no secret of my sense that, should B5 run its full
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five year course (and assuming the side-story doesn't go, which I
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would not exactly count on)...I plan to get out of TV. By that
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point, I would have said pretty much everything I want to say in TV,
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and it's time to get out, buy a small house somewhere outside London,
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and spend the rest of my years writing novels, which is kinda where
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this all began. (I've had 2 novels, 1 anthology, and a bunch of
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short stories published, as well as 500 or so articles.)
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<p>
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I never got into this to make a ***FRANCHISE***, and never really
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intended to become an executive producer. I just don't like being
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rewritten...so I climbed higher, until finally there was nobody over
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me messing with my scripts. Outside of the B5 reality, if someone
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came to e and offered me *staff writer* on a show -- the lowest
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position in the TV totem pole -- but with the guarantee that I
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wouldn't be rewritten, they wouldn't change the words...I'd take it
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in a hot second. I'm here, now, strictly out of self-defense.
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<p>
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Two valuable social skills are knowing when to enter a room, and when
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to leave a room. At some point, you have to get out or become
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something you don't want to become. I've never really been part of
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the Hollywood SYSTEM, and have no desire to do so.
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<p>
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In "The Velvet Alley," Rod Serling wrote of a young advertising writer
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who becomes a success at writing television. At one point, the
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character says (paraphrased from memory): "Here's the trap...in TV
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they pay you lots of money for what you do...then, slowly, your
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standard of living rises until you *need* that constant flow to stay
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at that level. Then...they threaten to take it away from you if you
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don't behave. And THAT'S when they've got you."
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<p>
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<li> What happens at the end of the five year arc? The "Babylon 5" series
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ends...if I have anything to say about it (and I do). If something
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else follows, we'll see what that is, but it won't be the same series,
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or the same title, or really the same characters.
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<p>
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Barring that very distant possibility, at the end of the five year
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arc, I take a very, very, VERY long nap....
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<p>
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<li> I've mentioned before that there's a side-story that could go off,
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within the B5 universe, with a few of our characters, once the
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Babylon 5 story itself comes to an end in its fifth year, but that's
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a long ways off, and I don't know if that's realistic.
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<p>
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You have to understand...I never came in wanting to be a producer.
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I'm a *writer*, and I only got here because it was the only way to
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protect the words...create and run the damned show so nobody can mess
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with it. Once I've finished the Babylon story, assuming it runs its
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full length, (5 years alone, more if there is that doubtful spinoff),
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the story is over. Every story has a beginning, middle and end, and
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the story's over when it's over.
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<p>
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I've also made no bones about the fact that, should the Babylon story
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run its full term, I will have said just about everything I want to
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say in television, and plan to get out, go back to writing novels.
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<p>
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My philosophy: find what it is you want to say, walk in the room, say
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it, and get the hell out. (Second philosophy behind that one: when
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in doubt, roll in a grenade and come in firing.)
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<p>
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<li>@@@846714236 From the start, I've indicated that there's a side-story
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that could go off in the B5 universe after the 5 year story is up, but
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it wouldn't be B5. Frankly, however, given the current state of the
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syndication market, I'd suggest that the odds of that happening are
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slim and none.
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<p>
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So barring anything truly exceptional -- like someone handing
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me an anthology series -- my plan at the moment is to retire from TV at
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the end of the five years and go back to writing novels and plays. At
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that point, I think I'll have said just about everything I want to say
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for TV.
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<p>
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<li>@@@846714236 If B5 goes its full five years, I think I'd probably
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prefer to get out of TV and go back to writing novels and plays.
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<p>
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<li>@@@860875811 Re: 422...this one is a stand-alone episode which I
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specifically designed in order to have the flexibility to air it either
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as 422 or as 522, depending on what happens. This way if year 4 is all
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there is, we get to where we need to get; if we get year 5, then we
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shoot 501 and air it in 422's spot, and air 422 in place of 522.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864500234 501 isn't written yet, won't be until we get the final
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word. We could certainly get it finished in time for the US airing in
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422's spot, and as for getting it done in the UK, assuming a mid-July
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start for season 4, means you'd run episodes through late October/early
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November so again you're okay.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864580843 The final 4 would get aired in October. If there's no
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season 5, then the fourth one aired is 422, "Sleeping in Light."
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<p>
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If there is a season 5, 422 is yanked out of the mix and moved
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down to occupy 522's slot, and we shoot 501 and get it done in time to
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air in place of 422 in October.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864500289 To repeat what I've said here several times, we would move
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501 into 422's slot and make that the cliffhanger ending, then 502
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becomes the first episode of season 5, and 422 is the last. So each
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season works out to 22 episodes.
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<p>
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<li>@@@863715725 <em>Wouldn't season five take place after the final scene
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you mentioned?</em><br>
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Negative; season 5 would take place in 2262, 19 years before
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the "final scene" you mention. And no, I wouldn't want season 5 to be
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just a setup for the sequel; it was sketched out long before that
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became any kind of possibility, and I have no interest in doing that
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sort of thing. We'd do one or two small things, but no more than that.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864580923 There's no need for confusion. Season 4, as you know,
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takes place in 2261. Season 5 would take place in 2262.
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<p>
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422, or 522, depending on the breaks, takes place in 2281. So
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it plays just fine either way.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864668075 <em>Was the story always intended to end in 2281?</em><br>
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Yes, the final chapter in the series was always going to fall in 2281,
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20 years after the events in 2261.
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<p>
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<li>@@@860888700 "What are the chances of major spoilers being leaked from
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"Sleeping in Light" over the next year?!?!?!?"
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<p>
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I'm sure some of that's bound to happen...but the reality of it is that
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if you add up all the people who are online and might get this
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information, you'd actually end up with only about 4% of the viewing
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audience...so it'll still have its desired impact.
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<p>
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<li>@@@863715925 "You have spent the last 4 years keeping your actors in
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the dark as to their final fates (for the most part). Will their
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knowledge of the ending have adverse effects on the acting from this
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point forward? I expect the answer is they are good at their jobs and
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will continue to be outstanding in their performances, but many of them
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have mentioned that the lack of knowledge of their future had played a
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part in their performances."
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<p>
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Not really, no more so than seeing G'Kar and Londo strangling
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each other as early as year one...but we didn't know what that *meant*
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until later. And there's still a long, long way between that episode
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and where we leave off at 421. A lot happens there that nobody else
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knows, inclusive of the cast.
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<p>
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"Also, if you've neatly tied everything up, what does that really
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leave for season 5? Filler, non-arc stories? This has been my biggest
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fear. That season 5 will now be farmed out to other scriptwriters, who
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don't have the intimacy with the story that you have, and that the
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quality of stories will take a nose dive with filler material."
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<p>
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Without giving too much away, season 5 would be empire building.
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It wouldn't be filler at all, but a logical extension of what has gone
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before.
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<p>
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Basically...I often get messages from people worrying about what
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might be...then they see what *is* and it's, "Oh...okay, got it."
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Generally speaking, I think it's better to react to what is rather than
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what might never in fact be an issue. I ain't let you down yet....
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<p>
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<li>@@@864692770 With great trepidation, and at the urging of Warner
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Bros., I've decided to direct one episode this season...not because I
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have any particular ambition to be a director, but because I think it
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will help me become a better writer by more fully understanding that
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side of the camera. Given how massively busy I am already, this
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decision will almost certainly be called as evidence in any sanity trial
|
|
that might take place in future.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@860888700 "Why were they [Warner Bros.] so interested in you
|
|
directing?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Well, they know the show is really my vision, and they're
|
|
curious what it would look like if it was also followed through behind
|
|
the camera. And as our liaison with WB said, "We like it when our
|
|
creative people spread their wings a little." They like the show, and
|
|
it does well for them, and they're just generally supportive that way.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@863715925 "I'm sincerely curious about how you found the experience
|
|
of directing your baby -- of being responsible for creating, writing,
|
|
producing *and* directing it."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
My main goal was not to embarrass myself overmuch. I think I
|
|
came out okay. I've now seen an editor's assembly of the material, and
|
|
it plays real nice. Now I get to go in and make the director's cut,
|
|
which will to all intents and purposes also stand as the producer's
|
|
cut.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The main thing is...this one is *exactly* the way I saw it in my
|
|
head. It has a somewhat different feel than prior episodes, though hard
|
|
to quantify. But I think it came out nicely.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@867088736 "Having read through this months edition of Starburst (I
|
|
think), Claudia Christian mentions that you enjoyed directing. My
|
|
question is a very simple one: would you do it again, and what part of
|
|
the directing the episode did you find the most enjoyable/rewarding?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I really don't know if I'd say that I *enjoyed* it...my main concern
|
|
every day was somehow getting through it without embarrassing myself,
|
|
or letting down the crew or the cast or, ultimately, the viewers. I
|
|
wanted the direction to the the equal to the performances I knew were
|
|
waiting to be unlocked. I haven't commented on it much for the same
|
|
reason you rarely see me saying that a given script of mine is
|
|
good...I'm too close to it and too critical of everydamnthing I do.
|
|
But so far everyone of the crew who's seen it, and a few others, were
|
|
very much moved and satisfied by it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I don't know if I'll do it again or not...my gut says probably not.
|
|
If I *were* to even try it again, it couldn't be anything other than a
|
|
final episode of a season, given how much is involved in prep if
|
|
you're going to have a chance to get it right.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@864580539 <em>Did you do anything special on the last day of
|
|
shooting?</em><br>
|
|
Around lunchtime, I began to notice people filtering out --
|
|
crew and others -- wearing white t-shirts with blue lettering
|
|
that read, on front, "Shhh...the Great Maker is Directing."
|
|
And on the back, "...and on the seventh day we wrapped." JMS
|
|
4:22 May 5, 1997. It was a nice thing, and we're considering
|
|
making the shirts available via the fan club.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Since it's customary for directors to bring in food on the last
|
|
day of an episode shoot, I brought in food at the end of the
|
|
day, and folks stayed around until late in the evening, just
|
|
hanging around, chatting, eating, and the like. (I headed home
|
|
around 7 mainly because I was just bushed.) We also took a big
|
|
family picture that will go into the end credits of the
|
|
episode, whenever it will finally air. A lot of our past
|
|
directors, crew, actors and others showed up for the thing, and
|
|
stayed for the party, knowing that either way, this was going
|
|
to be the last episode of the series, whether it's 4 or 5
|
|
years.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Then everybody went away for a few days, and now we're back
|
|
shooting movie #1, "Thirdspace."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@861835387 "But seriously, what kind of responses do you expect to
|
|
see in this newsgroup the week following the last episode?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In a way you're kind of asking the wrong person, as I'm inside the
|
|
fishbowl and can't see the show the way anyone outside can see it. The
|
|
only gauge I have is the reaction the script got around the stage when
|
|
people on the crew and cast read it. (With a note attached explaining
|
|
the possibility of airing it as 522 or 422, but that either way this
|
|
would end up the story.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Pretty much everybody cried. I came home to a message on my
|
|
machine from Mira, who was almost unable to speak, and another
|
|
from Claudia who said she was honored and proud to be a part of
|
|
this, and the script had made her cry. Bruce, Richard, big
|
|
beefy guys on the crew...all said the same thing. And there I
|
|
have to concur; I lost is several times as I was writing it,
|
|
due to the content; there's one scene in particular...you'll
|
|
know it when you see it...that put me away for an hour when I
|
|
finished writing it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But here's the thing...*every single person* who cried at the
|
|
script, ended it feeling that it was not a sad script in the
|
|
end, or a down ending...that it left them feeling proud, and
|
|
tall, and *positive*...that life goes on...that it was a
|
|
reaffirmation of life itself, on its most primal level. They
|
|
felt good about the ending. And that was a great relief for
|
|
me, because I was trying something *very* difficult from a
|
|
writing perspective, and at first blush it looks as if I've
|
|
pulled it off. (Now I get to go in as director and *totally*
|
|
screw it up.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Only one fan has read the script...someone whose opinion I
|
|
trust. Because I was curious about the reaction from that side
|
|
of the screen. And the reaction was *exactly* the same.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So how do I think people will react?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I think a lot of people will cry.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But by the end of it, I think it will come around, and be all
|
|
right...and mainly, that people will then look back at the
|
|
whole story, through all these long years, and say, "It was a
|
|
good story." And close the cover, and put it on the shelf with
|
|
the other books that will be reread again down the years, and
|
|
turn off the lights, and go to bed feeling that the time was
|
|
well spent.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Which is the most any writer can ever ask for. To tell a tale
|
|
worth telling To make people cry. To make people laugh. And
|
|
even, once in a while, make them think about things, and see
|
|
the world just a little differently than when they began.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And then they can centerpunch me on the freeway, or throw a
|
|
plane at me, and I won't even mind. Because everything I set
|
|
out to prove, I proved. Everything I set out to say, I said.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I've carried this story like a hermit crab carries its shell
|
|
for five long years, counting the pilot. It's been an
|
|
*awfully* long and difficult road, and no one will ever really
|
|
know just how hard this show was to make. Nor should they,
|
|
because it isn't the difficulty that makes the story, the
|
|
*story* makes the story. But one way or another, aired as 522
|
|
or 422, when it airs the burden is off at last. Then it no
|
|
longer belongs to me. It belongs to you. As should be.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And, in the end, I think you'll be pleased.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@898329026 Last night I pulled out the tapes for the last two
|
|
episodes, "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light," and watched them
|
|
back to back, and I was an absolute wreck afterward. There are a couple
|
|
of scenes in both of them that just put me away. That's *good*, they
|
|
should, they have to, but man...I was just gone.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But strangest of all, the final credits sequence and what we did with
|
|
them for SiL is also very deeply affecting...and I'm not entirely sure
|
|
why, I think it's something operating at an almost subconscious level,
|
|
about seeing certain images juxtaposed. Darndest thing....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@877368251 <em><a href="085.html">"Between the Darkness and the
|
|
Light"</a></em><br>
|
|
"...as I am a visual artist, I tend to notice lighting and
|
|
structure,etc., especially on the second (or 3rd) viewing, and the
|
|
thorny crown was striking to my eyes, as was the sad,
|
|
dark-circles-under-the-eyes, immensely tired look on his face, which
|
|
lent to the illusion."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It's interesting when that happens. There's a halo around
|
|
Sheridan's head at one point when he's yelling at Delenn in the big
|
|
room in "Z'ha'dum," and, just as a pointer to something you won't see
|
|
for another year....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
When I was directing "Sleeping in Light," there's a scene with
|
|
Sheridan and a mirror. (That's all I'll say about it, so there's no
|
|
spoiler info there.) As John Flinn lit the shot, and angled the
|
|
mirror...I froze at what I was seeing on the monitor. I called John
|
|
over, and pointed to it. "Do you see what I see?" It took him a
|
|
moment, but then his eyes went wide, and by his own reckoning, "the
|
|
skin on my arms crawled." He turned to the guys dressing the set and
|
|
said, in a very loud, clear voice, "NOBODY TOUCHES THAT MIRROR! YOU
|
|
HEAR ME!? NOBODY!"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It's not a big...but it's a pretty cool unintended illusion
|
|
(though once we saw it, we kept it).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906657212 <em>It airs the day before Thanksgiving. Won't most
|
|
viewers be travelling home to their families?</em><br>
|
|
On the other hand, not everybody has family to travel to, or the means
|
|
to travel. So perhaps a family gathering of another type, particularly
|
|
among folks new to each other in local fan areas, might be even more
|
|
appropros.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@895442799 <em>Any big promotional plans for this episode?</em><br>
|
|
Personally, I think that a build-up to the end of the show would be
|
|
great, although "Sleeping in Light" isn't exactly a big-bang lots of
|
|
explosions kind of episode, so it might not be as promotable in that
|
|
sense.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450875 I was watching "Sleeping in Light" again today (I have a
|
|
tendency to run the last ten minutes plus the credits over and
|
|
over...to see if it'll stop getting to me, and so far it hasn't),
|
|
and had some thoughts on it for folks out there.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
People often ask if there's anything they can do in return for B5,
|
|
something I'd like and I do have some ideas, here at the end,
|
|
regarding SiL.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I think it would be a wonderful thing if more folks than usual got
|
|
together for viewing parties on this one. Not newcomers, not folks
|
|
who haven't seen the show, just the "family," if you will. If B5 has
|
|
helped to create communities, then I think this last episode should be
|
|
for that community.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I also think you'll find some interesting tie-offs in this
|
|
show...something about Minbari beliefs about souls born in the hearts
|
|
of suns, and a pay-off to why the narrations of this series have
|
|
always been in the past tense, and a gift to the crew of this
|
|
show...to which end I *strongly* suggest that even if you don't
|
|
normally tape this series, that you do tape *this* episode so you can
|
|
go back and check some stuff at the end.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"Sleeping in Light" airs in just a little over two months, and every
|
|
time I look at it, it has the sense of something very special coming
|
|
to its conclusion. It's so damned hard watching it...and yet there's
|
|
something about it that is massively uplifting at the same time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Anyway, I was just thinking that often viewing parties are used to
|
|
bring in new folks to B5, but this one, I think, should be for the
|
|
family. Maybe local fan groups want to get together, find someone
|
|
with a good-sized TV, and watch. It's one of those Moments, I think,
|
|
that will be remembered a long time thereafter.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And I've got TNT's promise not to run a voice-over or squish the
|
|
credits at the end.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 <em>Why weren't Lochley or Sinclair included in the
|
|
credits?</em><br>
|
|
We are bound by contract to use the credits as they were applied in S4,
|
|
when SiL was shot. You can't just put people's credits in a show for
|
|
sentimental reasons...they trigger residuals, royalties, fees, and
|
|
other contractual areas.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 I agree about the end credits; as we see their faces the
|
|
first time, and the last time, they appear in the series, you can see
|
|
the years and the story in their faces.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 We chose the shots that showed them the first time and
|
|
the last time we saw the characters.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912796002 <em>Was anything changed as a result of the episode
|
|
airing at the end of season 5 rather than season 4?</em><br>
|
|
I had the option to change stuff if I'd been so inclined...but
|
|
felt it was right as it was.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623236 <em>What about all the plot threads left
|
|
dangling?</em><br>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>The Drak and Centari Prime?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Vir is Emperor now. Londo asked Sheridan to free his people; we can
|
|
assume he did this...but we will also be showing this in the Centauri
|
|
Prime trilogy of books in more detail.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Londo?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We saw Londo's fate in War Without End Part 2.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Lyta?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The telepath crisis and events surrounding it will provide a lot of
|
|
the background to Crusade.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Bester and the Psi Corps?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Ditto.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>G'Kar?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We saw his fate in WWE2 also.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Garibaldi and Bester?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This will be covered in the Psi Corps trilogy, of which volume 1 is
|
|
out now, and volume 2 is in my hands for editing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>B5's seemingly needless and useless destruction?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Neither needless nor useless. It was built cheapest of all the
|
|
stations, and it takes a lot of money to maintain it. With trade
|
|
routes now going around it, there isn't enough income to support it.
|
|
So do you leave it intact, for others to occupy or raid for weapons
|
|
systems and other systems too difficult to yank out? Or take it out,
|
|
the same way we implode buildings now?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Sheridan's son - we guess he survived the Drak and their intended
|
|
keeper?</em>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This will also be covered in the Centauri Prime trilogy...but if you
|
|
sit back you can do some of the work to figure out a large part of
|
|
this. As Londo states, his situation in WWE2 (Sheridan and Delenn
|
|
captured on Centauri Prime) takes place 18 years after the events in
|
|
2260, which would put it at 2278. The urn, given to Sheridan in 2262,
|
|
is supposed to be given to the heir at the occasion of his/her 16th
|
|
birthday, by Centauri tradition.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
That would put the urn presentation at...ding!...2278.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In 2278, Sheridan and Delenn have been drawn to Centauri Prime. We
|
|
know their son is involved, because Delenn says "David is safe." So
|
|
they were somehow able to save him, because we know that in 2281,
|
|
David is alive and well and serving in the Rangers (SiL).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You can see the shape of the events there...once again the clues are
|
|
more or less in plain sight...but again, this will be drawn out in the
|
|
books in more detail.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 I think it's safe to say that we'll be hearing more
|
|
about the telepath crisis and its consequences in Crusade....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 Dear Mr. Tolkien:
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I just wanted to say that I think the way you ended THE LORD OF THE
|
|
RINGS was crap. You didn't provide any closure. Instead of spending
|
|
time with the hobbits clearing out the shire (come on, urban renwal in
|
|
LoTR? give me a break) and lots of goodbyes, you SHOULD have shown me
|
|
what happened to Tom Bombadil, he was an important part of the story,
|
|
and you just left his story thread there unresolved.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You made a big deal out of the elves going to the west, but we never
|
|
SAW it! We never found out what was there, or what Bilbo found when
|
|
he got there, or what happened to the dwarves, or what happened to
|
|
Merry and Pippin....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You betrayed your audience by not resolving every single plot thread
|
|
you introduced in your book, and as a result, it is never going to be
|
|
of value to anyone, ever, and will never go past its first printing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@913017000 You have
|
|
to really decide *Who is the story about?* You can really only track a
|
|
couple of characters to the end...here we tracked a number there or
|
|
nearly there. This story is a history -- told from a future perspective
|
|
-- about the events of the Babylon station, and those who passed
|
|
through it, during a specific period in its history.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@915700705 Re: Lyta in SiL...okay, if they mentioned Lyta, I'd get
|
|
nailed for not mentioning Na'Toth...or Sinclair...or Keffer...or
|
|
somebody else. You can't do five minutes of roll call in a TV show.
|
|
That would be deadly. They each picked one character to name, because
|
|
they had a close relationship in some way with that character. Who
|
|
among them really had a close relationship with Lyta? Name me that
|
|
person.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Had Zack been there, then yeah, maybe he would've named Lyta (or
|
|
not, given what happens with her later). THAT would have been
|
|
appropriate. But it would NOT have been appropriate to have her named
|
|
just because somebody wants to hear her name called.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The persons named were ones to whom they had an emotional
|
|
attachment... Vir to Londo, Garibaldi to G'Kar, Ivanova to Marcus,
|
|
Sheridan to Londo, Delenn to Lennier. Lyta did not have that
|
|
connection to anyone at that table that would be on an equal footing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912710201 <em>Was that a Hugo on Ivanova's desk?</em><br>
|
|
Yeah, that was our first Hugo...just sorta slipped it in with
|
|
Ivanova's other awards. It was kind of a nod back to our fans...and I
|
|
think the first time that a Hugo has been shown on-screen in a series
|
|
that has *won* a Hugo.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912796002 Everybody figured the pak'ma'ra were just a waste...which
|
|
is why this seemed so right.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 <em>John and Delenn's goodbye seemed a bit formal.</em><br>
|
|
Yes, there was some element of ritual in their goodbyes; it's a Minbari
|
|
farewell, hence the "good night," not goodbye.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912796002 <em>What was the ship Sheridan flew?</em><br>
|
|
It's a smaller, personal version of a White Star.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912623822 <em>Why scuttle the station?</em><br>
|
|
There are weapons systems on board that station, computer systems,
|
|
other stuff that would be too much of a hassle to dig out, and you don't
|
|
want squatters setting up residence there, or raiding the place for what
|
|
they can get, and maintaining a military presence there to prevent it
|
|
would be expensive. With trade no longer coming through, the money to
|
|
keep the station operating was gone.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>Why not send it into Epsilon 3's atmosphere?</em><br>
|
|
I don't see how sending a 5 mile long station plummeting into the
|
|
atmosphere of Epsilon 3 is any more or less real than blowing it up in
|
|
space, where salvage crews can come in and take the metal. We already
|
|
*saw* bits of the debris burning up in the atmospher in the second
|
|
shot... and as for sending the whole thing hurtling down, well, I think
|
|
Draal might have a thing or two to say about that....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
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<li>@@@913016372 <em>Why not tow it somewhere else?</em><br>
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You couldn't tow something as massive as a 5 mile long station
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like this through hyperspace; it'd tear apart.
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<p>
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<li>@@@913493962 It can be moved, sure, but can it *survive* the move?
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Also, you'd have to bring B5 through a jump point in order to bring it
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anywhere, and the stresses involved in that would be hideous.
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<p>
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<li>@@@915610877 <em>Was that you turning out the lights?</em><br>
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Yes, that was me...I couldn't do it before the very last ep for
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the reasons I'd always stated, and because I was holding it out for
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this moment. Of course I couldn't *say* that since it would give stuff
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away....
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<p>
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<li><b><a href="http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?ID=1-17067">Jan 12, 2004</a></b>:
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For S5 I did commentaries on The Fall of Centauri Prime and
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Sleeping in Light. The latter was the hardest, since it was the
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first time I'd seen the episode since it aired. (I just couldn't,
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it was too hard.)
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<p>
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I should have done so, though, because when we got to B5's
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destruction, I'm ashamed to admit that my voice broke, it just
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hit me so hard. After we were done, i wanted to go back and do
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it again, to fix that, which I thought was unprofessional, but
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the WB boys prevailed upon me to leave it alone. I just hope it
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doesn't come across as dumb or something.
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</ul>
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