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lurkers-guide


								<!-- TITLE In the Beginning -->


								<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>


								<blockquote><cite>

								Two-hour TV movie.

								Covers the Earth-Minbari War in more detail, including Delenn's involvement

								and the death of Dukhat.

								</cite>


								</blockquote>


								<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/111">8.94</a>


								Production number: TNT MoW 2

								Original air date: January 4, 1998

								DVD release date: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NTNP/thelurkersguidet">December 4, 2001</a> (barebones)

								                  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002B15UQ/thelurkersguidet">August 17, 2004</a> (full-featured)


								Written by J. Michael Straczynski

								Directed by Mike Vejar

								<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345424522/thelurkersguidet">Novelization</a> by Peter David

								<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000009QQN/thelurkersguidet">Music</a> by Christopher Franke

								</pre>


								<p>

								<strong>Note: This guide page assumes prior knowledge of the first four

								seasons of the show, since the movie originally aired after season four

								was complete.  There are spoilers here for the series.</strong>


								<p>

								<hr size=3>


								<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>

								<ul>


								   <li>@@@883991639 Londo was among the Centauri delegation to Earth at the

									start of the Earth-Minbari War.  He advised Earth's leaders not to

									seek contact with the Minbari, or if they did so, to send only one

									ship so as not to appear threatening.  Earth's military leaders,

									full of hubris after the victory over the Dilgar

									(<a href="009.html">"Deathwalker"</a>)

									ignored that advice and sent an expedition, led by the Prometheus

									(<a href="057.html">"A Late Delivery from Avalon"</a>)

									to gauge whether the Minbari represented a threat to Earth's

									expansionist ambitions.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 The Rangers existed during the thousand-year interval

									between the previous Shadow War and the present, but weren't well

									thought of by Minbari in general.  They were poorly funded and had

									few members.  Their head at the time of the war, Lenonn, attempted to

									persuade the Grey Council that the Shadows were awakening and that

									the Rangers should be granted more funding and manpower, but his word

									alone wasn't persuasive enough.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 Kosh and another Vorlon, probably Kosh's replacement

									(<a href="062.html">"Walkabout"</a>)

									were present both on Minbar and onboard the Grey Council's ship and

									consulted with Dukhat.  After his death, Delenn spoke to both of

									them on a few occasions, though in typical Vorlon fashion they offered

									little in the way of decipherable advice.  Their presence was known

									only to Dukhat, and later to Delenn and Lenonn, but not to the rest of

									the Grey Council.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 The Grey Council was on its way to Z'ha'dum, to verify

									the truth of Valen's prophecy, when the Prometheus attacked and

									began the war

									(<a href="075.html">"Atonement."</a>)


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 The Centauri refused to provide Earth with weapons or

									support during the war, fearing the wrath of the Minbari.  The Narn,

									however, were more than happy to sell modified Centauri weaponry.

									G'Kar personally closed the deal with the Earth government, noting

									that if the Minbari discovered the weapons, they'd likely identify

									them as Centauri in origin and attack the Centauri anyway.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 At one point during the war, while Sheridan was serving

									as first officer aboard the Lexington, a Minbari ambush in an

									asteroid field killed the captain and left Sheridan in charge.  The

									ship was disabled and its support vessels destroyed.  He ordered his

									weapons officers to remove the warheads from three tactical nuclear

									weapons and plant them on nearby asteroids.  Then he sent a distress

									signal, which drew a Minbari cruiser into the area.  Two of the nukes

									were sufficient to destroy the cruiser, which later turned out to be

									the flagship Black Star.  His victory boosted flagging morale among

									Earthforce.


									<p>

									This incident has been referred to several times during the course

									of the series, first upon Sheridan's arrival on the station

									(<a href="023.html">"Points of Departure"</a>)

									and later, in more detail, in

									<a href="036.html">"There All the Honor Lies."</a>


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 After he destroyed the Black Star, Sheridan was sent on

									a secret mission.  Accompanied by Franklin and G'Kar, he was to meet

									with Lenonn, the head of the Rangers, to attempt to arrange peace

									negotiations.  Unfortunately, Londo learned of the meeting and,

									mistaking it for an arms shipment thanks to G'Kar's involvement,

									arranged for a Centauri sneak attack that killed Lenonn.  The

									Minbari captured Sheridan and Franklin, but Delenn ordered them

									released after Sheridan relayed a message from Lenonn indicating

									that Earth hadn't been responsible for his death.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 After scanning Sinclair with the triluminary

									(<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</a>)

									the Grey Council learned not only that he had a Minbari soul, but

									specifically that he had Valen's soul.  Delenn volunteered to watch

									Sinclair after his memory was wiped, to ensure he never learned what

									had happened to him.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991982 Londo watched most of Delenn and Sheridan's conversation

									in the Centauri prison cell

									(<a href="061.html">"War Without End part 2."</a>)


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>

								<ul>


								   <li>@@@883991639 What was the Omega incident?  (See

									<a href="#NO.omega">Notes</a>)


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>

								<ul>


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884711589 Dukhat's ritual line during Delenn's induction into the

									Grey Council, "Will you follow me into fire, will you follow me into

									darkness?" was a reference to Valen's founding of the Council.  The

									questions also occur in the Minbari rebirth ceremony

									(<a href="005.html">"The Parliament of Dreams"</a>)

									suggesting that the founding of the Council was considered a rebirth

									by the Minbari (not unreasonable, if it gave them new hope in their

									losing war against the Shadows as well as fundamentally altering the

									structure of their society.)


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884116342 According to

									<a href="023.html">"Points of Departure,"</a>

									Sheridan destroyed the Black Star by mining the asteroid belt in

									Earth's solar system.  The implication here, however, was that the

									attack took place far away; at that point in the war, it's said

									several times, the Minbari were only attacking outlying colonies

									and minor, poorly-defended worlds.  Of course, it's possible they

									were making occasional forays deeper into Earth space as well,

									possibly to force Earth to spread its defenses thin.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884711169 It only took two nuclear warheads to knock out the Black

									Star.  Why didn't Earth start attacking the Minbari with nuclear

									weapons as a matter of course?  Perhaps it was simply that any

									incoming missiles or ships were destroyed before they could get close

									enough to be effective, though on a few occasions (e.g. the

									Battle of the Line) Starfuries did seem to get as close to the Minbari

									cruisers as the Lexington's asteroids were.  Was the Black Star only

									vulnerable because its defenses were down due to the Lexington's

									apparent lack of power?  If so, that implies the Minbari have some

									way to counteract the effects of nuclear explosions.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884157630 The meeting between Lenonn and Sheridan took place on

									an outpost world in the Epsilon system.  That may be the same system

									where B5 was eventually built (it orbits Epsilon 3.)  That makes some

									sense, as B5 is located in neutral space bordering the major races.


									<p>@@@889493609

									In the novelization, the meeting place was described as an abandoned

									Drazi colony (which doesn't preclude it being in the same system as

									B5, of course.)


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883991639 How did Sheridan and Franklin get away from the Minbari

									cruiser?  Did the Minbari really take the time to drop them off at

									some neutral location from which they could find their way back to

									Earth?  Unless it was done in secret, that would presumably have

									attracted some attention -- two humans arriving on a Minbari ship

									wouldn't have been a common sight.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884247891 When the triluminary glowed for Sinclair, Delenn

									immediately knew that it meant he had Valen's soul.  Why, then, did

									it take her another fourteen years, until

									<a href="075.html">"Atonement,"</a>

									to recall that the triluminary also glowed for <em>her,</em> and to

									thus deduce that she was somehow related to Valen as well?


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884116342 Delenn's promise to watch Sinclair explains why the

									Minbari insisted that he be the one to head Babylon 5

									(<a href="013.html">"Signs and Portents."</a>)

									Putting him in a position in which he'd be forced to have contact

									with her simplified her task greatly.


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>

								<ul>


								   <li>@@@884157291 Londo claimed to have had 4 wives.  One of them, depending

									on how his statement is interpreted, could be the Centauri Republic

									itself.  The other three were Timov, Daggair, and Mariel, the last

									two only for a short while before Londo had their marriages annulled

									(<a href="029.html">"Soul Mates."</a>)

									Of course, he also claimed to have been fond of all his wives, which

									didn't appear to be true of Timov, Daggair, or Mariel.


									<p>

									Another wife may have been mentioned in

									<a href="018.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness part 1."</a>

									Londo told Garibaldi about marrying a dancer in his youth, then

									regretting it soon after.  She may have been one of the three wives

									from

									<a href="029.html">"Soul Mates,"</a>

									or not; it was never made clear.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884157394 One detail about the attack on the Grey Council's ship

									was left out: the appearance of Soul Hunter ships, as shown in

									<a href="075.html">"Atonement."</a>


									<p>@@@889493609

									In the novelization, a Soul Hunter appeared, and the Minbari made

									a wall of their bodies to prevent him from getting to Dukhat's body.

									Delenn was among those forming the wall.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889493609 <a name="NO.omega">According to the novelization,</a>

									the Omega Incident was an unjustified attack on a Dilgar ship by

									Captain Jankowski.  The attack led to Earth's involvement in the Dilgar

									War.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884116342 During the series, Ivanova wears one earring; it's one of

									a pair of lucky earrings.  She gave the other to her brother Ganya

									before he flew out on his final mission.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884276058 Londo quotes the human saying, "Pride goeth before a

									fall."  Though widely known, this is actually a misquote of

									<a href="http://www.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Proverbs+16:18">Proverbs

									16:18,</a>

									"Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall."


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884116342 The brief glimpse of a gunner onboard the Prometheus

									after the order to fire was given was from

									<a href="057.html">"A Late Delivery from Avalon."</a>


								<p>

								   <li>@@@860696890 The story is framed by the old Londo Mollari

									(<a href="061.html">"War Without End"</a>)

									telling the tale to a group of Centauri children before Sheridan and

									Delenn are brought before him.  (See

									<a href="#JS.londo">jms speaks</a>)


									<p>@@@889493609

									According to the novelization, the children are related to Urza Jaddo,

									who Londo was forced to kill in

									<a href="039.html">"Knives."</a>

									Londo promised to care for Urza's house, thus the presence of his

									relatives in the royal palace.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@865704805 Filming ended June 30, 1997.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884631046 A slight glitch: When Captain Sterns was killed, his

									blood floats into the cabin since there's no gravity (which is logical

									since the Lexington had no rotating section.)  But another crewman

									had blood running down his face, which wouldn't happen without gravity.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884631179 Continuity glitch: While Sheridan was on the Minbari

									cruiser, his uniform's stat bar was sometimes on and sometimes

									dangling.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@881254979 A

									<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/sample/B5_inthebeginning.html">sample chapter</a>

									from the novelization is available from the publisher's site.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@1089729443 This movie was released twice on DVD, once as a

									<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NTNP/thelurkersguidet">barebones edition</a>

									along with

									<a href="000.html">"The Gathering"</a>

									and later as part of a collection of the

									<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002B15UQ/thelurkersguidet">B5 Movie Collection</a>.


								</ul>


								<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>

								<ul>


								<p>

								   <li>@@@881861493 We've finished the producers' cuts of the two TNT

									Movies, and have come through without notes.  Everyone loves 'em, and

									agrees that while Thirdspace is very cool, In the Beginning is the

									best thing we've ever done.  On every level: acting, writing, the

									directing, sets, costumes...everything.  This one's got Hugo written

									all over it.  (Which makes it hard to look at, but there you are.)

									Maybe even Ace.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632629 It's a very moving and emotional movie in a lot of

									places, which was the goal.  If it doesn't touch you, there ain't much

									point to doing it.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884020417 <em>How much did it cost?</em><br>

									If "it" means the series, it's always been under $900 thousand per

									episode.  If "it" means ItB, the production cost was just a tick under

									three million bucks.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@854165392 TNT will show the pilot movie.  The theory is to do the

									prequel first, then the pilot, then the series through one run at

									least, then the second original TV movie to freshen the cycle, then

									onward.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@867512979 In the Beginning will air in January, on a Sunday, in

									a 4 hour block the other half of which is the original B5 pilot, and

									then it will go to daily M-F runs of the first 4 seasons at 6 or 7 p.m.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@864919949 TNT is a commercial cable network, so there will be

									commercials.  As I recall, the running time to which I wrote the

									scripts was 94 minutes 10 seconds.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632629 We got the ratings, and I can't release them yet,

									that has to come from TNT, but suffice to say they're dancing in the

									aisles over at TNT.  Again, I can't give specifics yet, but they had a

									very specific rating in mind that they felt was the best we would

									probably get, which we beat handily, and they felt that the pilot, being

									a rerun, wouldn't do that well...and it ended up doing as well as the

									maximum they'd hoped the prequel would get.


									<p>

									They're stunned.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 Turns out we virtually tripled our regular audience, and

									*built* each quarter hour, which means folks were jumping in all

									through, and those who came, stayed.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 There were a number of big fans of the show in TNT

									programming who kept bugging management to pick up the show, do the

									movies...and whose necks were on the line if it didn't work...who are

									now dancing in the aisles.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@865719116 <em>Is "In the Beginning" a linear story?</em><br>

									Never said it was linear, only that it predates B5.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@867175069 No, the movie won't be linear per se, but broken up by

									Londo's narration, which will collapse some events together so we can

									cover the whole history of the war in about 2 hours.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@857584668 Plans are to have Dukhat in the B5 prequel.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@867911105 <em>Will Delenn's makeup be the version from the

									pilot?</em><br>

									No, we're using the series makeup, rather than add one more

									permutation.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889494163 It made more sense to put it in line with the series, since

									there's 22 of the first season, and only 1 of the pilot.


								<P>

								   <li>@@@865719137 You may not find out who built the Great Machine in

									the series, but that will be one of the features of one of the planned

									TNT movies. And there will be more on the Valen/Sinclair transformation

									as well.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@866443970 ItB contains surprises and turnarounds for many of the

									series veteran fans, and it does a great job of laying the foundation

									for the first two seasons for the newbies.


									<p>

									It's a most elegant dance...and I'm actually kinda proud of it.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@874424493 <em>Will ItB spoil some of season one's

									mysteries?</em><br>

									That's an interesting question.  When I sat down to write In the

									Beginning, my feeling was that I should look at the long term.  Would

									the hole in Sinclair's mind be the same mystery it was in season one,

									or would it be kind of known thereafter?  If so, then do you want to

									play with the mystery, or set up what actually happened?  I figured,

									okay, let's go for the latter...let's let the audience know (which will

									mostly know by now anyway), and set up the background, with the

									characters not knowing the first season. I took basic greek tragedy as

									my model, with ItB functioning more or less as a Greek chorus that sets

									things up.


									<p>

									If you want to play it as a strict mystery, then no, probably

									don't go near ItB...but frankly, if I were going to start someone off

									on B5, I'd definitely want to start with ItB, which sort of skims in

									and out of the overall storyline in a beautiful fashion.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889494163 "I know you probably couldn't have made a movie about the

									Earth-Minbari War without giving away the ending, but I was kind of

									hoping the details would be left more vague than they were for the

									benefit of new viewers."


									<p>

									I came to that part of my decision-making process, and realized

									that in 2, 5 or 10 years, the secret ain't gonna be secret anymore...so

									why not play into that, and make the audience aware up front, which

									adds a different kind of tension, like seeing the bomb under the table

									when the characters eating dinner don't know it's there.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889494163 <em>Sheridan and Franklin had already met when Sheridan

									arrived on B5.</em><br>

									Yeah, in my notes on Sheridan I had him meeting Sheridan before,

									but never did much with it at the time...we never see the first time

									Sheridan and Franklin meet in the second season, and when we do they're

									hanging out pretty casually, as people who've met each other before

									might.  Bear in mind, also, that there's about 11 years between the two

									incidents, and at best they were casual acquaintances on one mission.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@860696654 <em>From coproducer George Johnsen</em><br>

									The Nova Class Dreadnaughts have been around for quite a long time, but

									are getting a "sprucing up" for further development. As we discovered in

									our own navy, there is a need for several classes of ship of varying

									sizes.


									<p>

									The Omega Class are the next development in that series.  The habitat

									section was added, as well as more armored sections.  There is a further

									development of that class under discussion.  You can also see some

									design elements of the class contained in the Cortez.


									<p>

									The newer ships under development are all of smaller classes, like the

									Olympus Class Corvette, the Badger heavy fighter, and the Cotten Class

									Deep Penetration Tender.  We will see these participate heavily in the

									second of the TNT movies.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@883993504 <em>How long between the war and Londo's recounting of

									it?</em><br>

									It's 35 years from the time in which Londo is speaking, and Anna and

									Sheridan weren't married during the war, they were married after.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374100 <em>Didn't you promise no cute kids or robots?</em><br>

									Hello...is anyone there...?  I always said that in relation to SERIES

									REGULARS AND RECURS.  Every time we have a kid on the show, and we've

									had several, somebody throws this at me without once remembering that

									this applies to series regulars/recurs, like Wesleys or the bots from

									Buck Rogers.


									<p>

									And then somebody gigs me for something I didn't say.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@860696890 <a name="JS.londo"><em>Spoiler for "War Without End

									part 2"</em></a><br>

									The Londo scene in question

									is the one that takes place moments before Sheridan and Delenn are

									brought in, and then allowed to escape.  (War Without End.)  He can't

									exactly see to their execution since they outlive him in story

									continuity, now can he?


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 The karmic point of no return is the whole of his

									<em>[Londo's]</em> life, from ItB's events through the bombing of Narn,

									which led to the death of hundreds of thoudands or more.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632630 Londo's first wife was a dancer, who he was forced to

									divorce by his family.


									<p>

									Adira reminds him of her a lot.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632630 "But that still doesn't explain the "cared for them

									all deeply" part in relation to the other three..."


									<p>

									We remember what, and how, we choose to remember.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 "Did you consider putting the scene of the hunter

									confronting the Minbari at the battle of the line into the movie?"

									(<em>Ed. note: not the Battle of the Line, but the initial attack

									on the Grey Council ship, as mentioned in

									<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter."</a></em>)


									<p>

									Yeah, for some time, in fact...but the logistics involved in

									staging a full-scale assault, dozens of soul hunters, the fight itself,

									would've taken up about 10-15 minutes minimum, which would have had to

									come out elsewhere, and I can't find 15 minutes in that movie that's

									expendable.  One can only do so much in the amout of space, and time,

									and money, one has.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374669 There wasn't time to do it in the movie...it would've

									taken about 10-15 minutes to set it up and pay it off properly, and I

									couldn't find 15 expendable minutes in ItB.  There's a brief window

									after the body's death where the soul hunters can still move in, so

									there was time...we showed their ships moving in in Atonement, and to

									do so again here would get in the way and really confuse new viewers.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 <em>About Kosh and Ulkesh, the other Vorlon</em><br>

									No, I wouldn't call them friends.  They had a certain respect

									for one another, but Ulkesh always thought Kosh was soft, and Kosh

									always worried that Ulkesh was dangerous.  In their own ways, both were

									right.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884630587 It wasn't so much a case of Ulkesh turning against the

									effort, but finally hitting the end of his patience with the humans,

									and his predecessor's decision to let the "natives" get out of control.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 <em>Were Kosh and Ulkesh near the top of the Vorlon power

									structure?</em><br>

									It's not a hierarchy as you or I would understand it...and the

									weird thing is, though I kinda know how it functions, I'll be damned if

									I can figure out how to explain it in words.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632738 Zha is the usual reference for the future, whose meaning

									changes depending on whether it's a suffix or a prefix, and what it's up

									against. Isil-zha usually means change, changing the future, coming of

									a new age; entil-zha is the one who creates or guides the forces

									creating the future; and z'ha'dum (with the broken zha) is the death of

									the future, or the dark future.


									<p>

									Kosh and Ulkesh were contemporaries, though Ulkesh was

									the more military of the two, very isolationist, while Kosh was the

									curious one, interested in the younger races, and more willing to

									extend himself (with sometimes unfortunate results).  Kosh always

									worried what Ulkesh would do without his moderating presence...and

									ultimately had to be the one to take him down to allow the younger

									races to step forward.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884374485 <em>About the sequence leading up to the Battle of the

									Line</em><br>

									Yeah, I'm real happy with that sequence, starting with the top

									of the act and straight through to the President's speech...I think

									it's one of those moments when we committed art.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@885924539 "In the "2 years" montage in "In The Beginning", we

									see an Earth Alliance ship ram a Minbari cruiser amidships, blowing a

									hole through its middle. Does this mean that Sheridan's was not the

									only ship that destroyed a Minbari battleship during the war?"


									<p>

									Sheridan was the only one to score a *victory* against a Minbari

									war cruiser.  Meaning he survived.  Ramming one, and dying in the

									process, ain't a victory...at best it's a draw.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@884632630 "I nearly cried when the President asked the military

									to "hold the line" so that a pitiful few hundred could escape. In that

									single moment, you feel that even if the Minbari had done it, those few

									refugees would have sired a people who, eventually, would have made it.

									Just at that moment, you see the echo to the ball of light flying into

									the encounter suit a million years hence."


									<p>

									It's a very moving scene, even for me.  There's something in

									particular about a female president making that request, and giving

									those orders, that is especially strong.  I don't know why that should

									be, but somehow it is. We as a people tend to forget our own strength,

									and as Londo says, our stubborn nobility.  We only seem to remember it

									when we stand on the edge of the abyss, when it's almost too late to do

									anything about it.


									<p>

									"I always have felt this show is about him."


									<p>

									Yeah, in many ways, it is.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@879537326 <em>Will Sinclair even be mentioned?</em><br>

									Nobody said he wouldn't be mentioned; using the footage we shot from

									"And the Sky Full of Stars," he's in the last part of the movie.  Bear

									in mind that at the time he was a squadron leader assigned to Earth as

									part of the defense network there, so didn't have a great deal to do

									with the larger parts of the war.


									<p>

									Basically, each character (with the exception of one or two) gets one

									or two scenes in the movie (we have a lot of them, remember).  To

									bring Michael out from New York, at first class airfare, plus

									accommodations, salary, for one or two scenes (one of which we already

									*had* him for) was impossible under the budget, much as we discussed

									it and would've been interested in doing so.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889494471 <em>How do you work out using footage of an actor

									from one episode in another episode?</em><br>

									You just call up their agent and work out an arrangement.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889503646 I think if you add up all the footage from other episodes,

									it's probably less than about 5 minutes total.


									<p>

									I figure, if we shot it right the first time, why redo it?  Also, if we

									take the position that this "happened," it should be identical, and a

									restaging wouldn't be identical.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@882987794 <em>Did Sinclair undergo a "preliminary psi probe" as

									assumed by Delenn in the novelization?</em><br>

									I don't have the book in front of me, but if that refers to the one

									after his capture, then yes.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889494471 "There was one notable flashback scene [from

									<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</a>]

									that did not make it into the movie, in which Sinclair rushes Delenn and

									pulls her hood off.  Also we never saw Sinclair surrounded by the Grey

									Council and blasted by the staff.  Given how "In the Beginning"

									progressed I'm not sure how those scenes could have fit in."


									<p>

									This happened shortly after the events shown.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@889503542 "That would be the only place they would fit, but then

									I wonder why a Grey Council member would blast Sinclair after they

									already know he has Valen's soul."


									<p>

									Remember that Sinclair was going for them at that moment, and

									the blast didn't hurt him, only knocked him out...they were

									deliberately *not* trying to hurt him.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@880917882 <em>About the novelization</em><br>

									Peter did a fine job with the book.  He added a few bits here

									and there, for which he should get the credit, and overall did a very

									good job of it.


								<p>

								   <li>@@@881861605 I think that most of the inconsistencies you note are

									primarily due to the translation from script to print, prior to Peter

									seeing any of the actual footage (it's never stated in the script, for

									instance, that any of the Grey Council have seen Valen).


									<p>

									While Entil-zha has a vague translation, which is what is stated in

									"Dream," we've translated isil-zha ever since Marcus appeared in the

									show...Franklin asks while they're in medlab, if you recall, and he

									points to the center stone and says it's called isil-zha, meaning the

									future.


								</ul>