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987 lines
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987 lines
40 KiB
<!-- TITLE Crusade -->
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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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This spinoff series deals with the exploits of a Ranger ship, the Excalibur,
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and its search for the cure to a plague that threatens humanity.
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</cite>
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Brooks,+David+Allen">David Allen Brooks</a> as Max Eilerson.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Cole,+Gary">Gary Cole</a> as (Captain) Matthew Gideon.
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Jeff Conaway as Zack Allan (rumored).
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dobro,+Carrie">Carrie Dobro</a> as Dureena Nafeel.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Holden,+Marjean">Marjean Holden</a> as Dr. Susan Chambers.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dae+Kim,+Daniel">Daniel Dae Kim</a> as Lt. Matheson.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Scoggins,+Tracy">Tracy Scoggins</a> as Capt. Elizabeth Lochley.
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<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Woodward,+Peter">Peter Woodward</a> as Galen.
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</blockquote>
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<pre>
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Start date: June 9, 1999
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00061QJSK/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: December 7, 2004
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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<a href="http://www.psicorps.cnchost.com/">Fiona Avery</a>
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and others
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Directed by many people
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</pre>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<h2>Episodes</h2>
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<p>
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Only 13 episodes (of a planned five years) were produced due to creative
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differences between TNT and JMS.
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<p>
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Chronological episode order (ignoring the uniform change in favor of
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maintaining as much storyline continuity as possible):
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<ol>
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<li> <a href="501.html">War Zone</a>
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<li> <a href="509.html">Racing the Night</a>
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<li> <a href="510.html">The Memory of War</a>
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<li> <a href="511.html">The Needs of Earth</a>
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<li> <a href="512.html">Visitors from Down the Street</a>
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<li> <a href="513.html">Each Night I Dream of Home</a>
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<li> <a href="502.html">The Long Road</a>
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<li> <a href="503.html">The Well of Forever</a>
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<li> <a href="504.html">The Path of Sorrows</a>
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<li> <a href="505.html">Patterns of the Soul</a>
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<li> <a href="506.html">Ruling from the Tomb</a>
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<li> <a href="507.html">The Rules of the Game</a>
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<li> <a href="508.html">Appearances and Other Deceits</a>
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</ol>
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<h2><a name="NO">N</a><a name="BP">o</a><a name="AN">t</a><a name="UQ">e</a>s</h2>
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<ul>
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<p>
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<li>@@@891976541 TNT officially announced the series on April 7, 1998.
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JMS confirmed that the series was a go on April 3, 1998 on Los Angeles'
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"Hour 25" radio program (which he once hosted.)
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<p>
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<li>@@@891709627 Shooting began August 3, 1998.
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<p>
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<li>@@@903390030 The production team enlisted the help of scientists
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at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help ensure that the series'
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alien worlds are consistent with the latest planetary science. See
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Netter Digital Entertainment's
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<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/980817/ca_netter__1.html">press
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release</a>
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on the subject.
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<p>
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<li>@@@905812458 NASA's
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<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/crusade2.html">press
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release</a>
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has more detail and includes an image of the Excalibur.
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<p>
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<li>@@@906450790 <a name="NO.memo">Some behind-the-scenes machinations</a>
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which will probably prove
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to be good Crusade trivia: On September 8, 1998,
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<a href="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/">Ain't It Cool News</a>
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ran a
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<a href="http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=2060">story</a>
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describing a memo from TNT containing a list of proposed changes to
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Crusade, mostly focused on greatly increasing the amount of sex and
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violence. The next day, JMS
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<a href="#JS.memo1">posted</a>
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on CompuServe and elsewhere that
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he couldn't officially confirm or deny the report.
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<p>
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The fan community's
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reaction ranged from hostility to skepticism to alarm. Many
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doubted the story was for real, and TNT would only say that no such
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memo had been sent to the Crusade producers (but not that it didn't
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exist). On September 19, however, JMS
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<a href="#JS.memo2">verified</a>
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that it had in fact existed, but that it had been withdrawn. He
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also announced that TNT had decided to spend some extra money on
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Crusade's sets, and for that reason, filming ceased for a month.
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<p>
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Later, it became clear that the show TNT wanted -- a space shoot-em-up
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with lots of sex and violence -- wasn't the show JMS was producing,
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and that he wasn't willing to change the flavor of the series just to
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satisfy TNT. As the 13th episode was wrapping up filming, TNT
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informed Warner Bros. and Babylonian Productions that they weren't
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interested in funding any additional episodes, and production stopped.
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
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<h3>About the cancellation and events leading up to it</h3>
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<ul>
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-01-30: Rumors abound that TNT has pulled the plug
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on Crusade production.</em>
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<p>
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The plug has not been pulled by TNT, which cannot pull the plug
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because we don't work for TNT, we work for WB. TNT is a distributor.
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<p>
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All I can say for now is that, like Oliver Stone's project for
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TNT, Witchblade, we have found that TNT (known primarily for westerns,
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historical dramas and wrestling) is not SF-friendly in terms of really
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getting what SF is about, and it may not entirely reconcile with what
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their core audience expects from them...and that a new, more SF
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friendly venue is being explored.
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<p>
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So if folks wanted to drop an encouraging note to, let's say,
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the Sci-Fi Channel, for instance, that would certainly be okay by me.
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<p>
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But in the interim...no, we're not canceled. We're taking off
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next week to allow WB to work its magic, but that's about it.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-01-31: How about releasing the series to video or a satellite
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service?</em>
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<p>
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No, you can't do a series to video, it has to be aired. And DTV
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is considered a poor man's venue, for stuff that couldn't make it
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elsewhere.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-01-31: Can the show move to the WB Network?</em>
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<p>
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WB Network is out of the question, due to the way WB is
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structured. It's a very long, corporate story, just take my word for
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it...SFC is the best option for us.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-02-10: What are you doing now? Writing? Working on your
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new comic? Sleeping?</em>
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<p>
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All that...plus working on the show, doing post production on the
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episodes already in hand (CGI, music, sound, editing)...I'm actually
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about as busy as we are during shooting.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-02-26: Will the episodes already shot be aired?</em>
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<p>
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All 13 eps produced so far will be shown; we'll be doing post
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production (CGI, music other stuff) through April 22nd.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-02-26: Why would TNT change its mind when they'd already
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had good success with B5?</em>
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<p>
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One element to the whole discussion is that B5 was already an
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entity in its own right, and taking on the fifth year entailed
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basically buying what was already there, as opposed to becoming
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involved with the creative process of influencing a new series.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-02-26: The Sci-Fi Channel tried to arrange to pick Crusade
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up after TNT decided to only order 13 episodes.</em>
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<p>
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Well, we took our best shot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it
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don't.
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<p>
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The SciFi Channel programming guys wanted the show; they wanted
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it a lot. They crunched numbers for almost two weeks trying to make it
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work. But at the end of the day, the problem was that they had already
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allocated or spent their budget for the year, and couldn't come up with
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the huge chunk of change necessary to get an entire season. Had this
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come up prior to January 1st, things would almost certainly have gone
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differently. But they have their budget, as we have ours, and it was
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already allocated.
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<p>
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So TNT will now air the full 13 produced, and that's the end of
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it for now. I say for now because WB has told us to fold and hold all
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the sets, rather than scrap them, because they believe strongly in the
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show, and feel that when the ratings come in we may well be able to
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pick up a second season. We'll see.
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<p>
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Meanwhile, I'm taking the day off, and deciding which of a
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number of offers from networks and studios, sitting on my desk since B5
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finished, to pick up. I had declined to go that route so I could do
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Crusade and keep playing in this universe, but absent that, there's no
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reason not to go back to the networks and apply there some of what
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we've been able to do in B5 and Crusade.
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<p>
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My thanks to all those who wrote, and called, and emailed, and
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lent their support to the process. And I think that when you see the
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show, you'll be quite pleased by what we did. We're all very proud of
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it.
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<p>
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<li> Bottom line:
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<p>
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The reason we've been waiting so long for news is that the
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SciFi Channel has been crunching numbers for weeks, trying to
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make the deal work with WB, and doing their level best. The
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programming folks there loved the show (and special thanks has
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to go to Programming Head Tom Vitale at SFC who worked hardest
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to make this work).
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<p>
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The problem is simply this: the money to fund a series is a BIG
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chunk of change. SFC had already allocated its budget for the
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year as of January 1st, and there simply wasn't enough left in
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this year's budget to pull it off. Also, the emphasis now is
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on spending money on shows where one owns a piece of it, and
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Crusade is owned entirely by WB.
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<p>
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At the end of they day, they just couldn't make the dollars
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work, though they tried their damndest, and are only to be
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thanked.
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<p>
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I'm told that if the ratings are good on the 13 which TNT will
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still air, all the eps made so far will be shown, there may be
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a second season, but we'll see.
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<p>
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Meanwhile, I'm taking the day off. There have been seven
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offers for overall deals and multiple network pilot deals with
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both networks per se and studios on my desk for about a year
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now, ever since B5 ended, which I've been putting off to do
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Crusade. Now I'll pick one of those deals and make it. So the
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next thing from me you see will almost certainly be on one of
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the major networks. I'm going back into the deep water
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again....
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<p>
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Meanwhile, my thanks to all those who emailed and wrote and
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called and supported. It's a good show, as will be seen when
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the shows are aired, and I'd rather lose a show I believed in
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than keep one I didn't believe in.
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<p>
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<li> "So, has the success of B5 brought more offers than before?"
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<p>
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Definitely. It showed that I could run a series and keep it on
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budget and make it an international success. Right now those elements
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are in heavy demand at the networks. Even though the pay is half in
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cable what you get at the network level, I was content to stay with
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Crusade if it meant keeping our team together, and playing in the B5
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universe a bit longer. Absent that, then there's every reason to take
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up one or two of those offers.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-02-27: A fan asks if a letter-writing campaign would
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help.</em>
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<p>
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What you have to understand at this point is that there's
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really no time left. It takes a large amount of money to hold
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a cast and crew together while other options are being sought,
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and even then options on varoius cast members and others begin
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to expire fast.
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<p>
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WB can't keep spending holding money while they're seeking
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another prospect. It's a business decision, but a sensible
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one, given the large amounts of money involved. Their approach
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now is to believe in the show enough to get it on the air, let
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the ratings speak for themselves, and see what happens.
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<p>
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My only regret is for the cast, who are all uniformly terrific,
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and who are caught out in all this.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-03-13: Is there still hope?</em><br>
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"There's always hope, because it's the one thing nobody's figured out
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how to kill yet." -- Galen.
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<p>
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<li> <em>1999-03-13: A fan suggests writing to Bonnie Hammer,
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senior VP of programming at the Sci-Fi Channel, or to Stephen
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Chao, president of television and marketing for SFC's parent
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company, USA Networks, in the hopes of convincing SFC to include
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the show in their next annual budget.</em>
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<p>
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Yes, both those would be good choices.
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<p>
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And the best time for this would be after the episodes start airing in
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June. I think we have about 5 weeks before the actors' contracts
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expire in July. (They will be running all 13 straight through, or so
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they tell me.)
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</ul>
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<h3>About the series in general</h3>
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<ul>
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<li> WB has asked for a treatment on a sequel, and TNT is interested in doing
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two original B5 movies set during the B5 main story arc, with one of
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them a prequel. We'll see....
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<p>
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<li> I've worked out the details for 1,000 years in either direction
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for the B5 storyline in general, and in specific for 100 years in
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either direction; there's no chance of anything getting watered down no
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matter what happens...there's enough story there for several novels.
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And WB is currently very interested in the side-story/sequel series
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that I've mentioned from the beginning is a possibility.
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<p>
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<li> Actually, I've said pretty much from the very beginning of the first
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season, that there was a side-story that could go off, which I'd be
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interested in telling. And that may be a possibility.
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<p>
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And it's not Crusaders (which always makes me think of Crusader Rabbit);
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it's The Babylon Project: Crusade. (That's the working title, anyway.)
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<p>
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<li> It would take place after the main B5 arc. As for specifics on
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cast, nothing can be said until things get closer to being nailed down;
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there's still a lot that can change on this, and it's a question of
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what works best for the show, and who wants to move on, and other
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aspects.
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<p>
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<li>@@@878760330 <em>Does the series touch on the Rangers' work on Earth
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as shown in
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<a href="088.html">"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars?"</a></em><br>
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No, that part isn't the crux of the Rangers series,
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because that takes place 'way down the road, but monks have always been
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around on the show, starting with Brother Theo, so I imagine we'll see
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them in future.
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<p>
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<li>@@@854165337 Yeah, the sequel and the fifth year could conceivably happen at
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the same time...or not...or one or the other...it's utterly in flux.
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Totally fluxed up.
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<p>
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<li> It would have an arc, yes, but not as rigorous as the one in B5;
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I've kind of done that now, and would like to try something
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different...I don't like to try and walk in the same stream twice, to
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borrow a metaphor from Greek philosophy.
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<p>
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<li> <em>But you've already worked on non-arc shows.</em><br>
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Well, basically, all there *is* are either arc shows or
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stand-alone shows (or maybe somewhat stand-alones with a slight thread
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running through them). My feeling for now is that I just don't want to
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do the same thing twice in a row...and maybe find some new approaches
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along the way to the next project.
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<p>
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You must understand how hideously difficult and exhausting
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telling a 5 year tightly constructed story like this is...basically,
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over the course of 4 years, I'll have written 3,000 pages all in one
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universe, primarily telling one story. That's the equivilent of 6 or 7
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full-size novels in 4 years, telling one story. After something like
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that, you want to do something a little different for a bit.
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<p>
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Four years ago, when I started carrying this elephant, I barely
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had a grey hair on my head...now it's gone almost entirely grey, I look
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as if I've aged 10 years, and people who see me after a gap of a few
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years all say the same thing: "What the hell HAPPENED to you?" I tell
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them: Babylon 5.
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<p>
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<li> I never SAID "Crusade" would not have a story
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arc. I have only said that it won't be as *intense* an arc as that on
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B5, because the tone is somewhat different, because I don't want to do
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the exact same thing twice. But it will have an arc to it.
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<p>
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<li> My general sense for what comes next for me...assuming the B5
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sequel goes...I've done a hard-linked and extremely intense drama with
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an adventure component...and now, having done that, and proved that it
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*could* be done, despite many who said it couldn't, my feeling now is,
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"Okay, we've done that, how can we tweak it so that the sequel has a
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different feel to it?" So I'm looking at something that's a little more
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in the adventurous mode, with a serious underpinning, with an arc to it
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that's not quite as intense in tone, but is still good drama.
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Characters that grow and change, a definite ending, several mysteries
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enclosed inside other mysteries, with a much larger canvas, and an even
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stronger sense of wonder. B5 I did to prove a point, to some extent;
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now I'd like to try something where, having achieved that, I can sit
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back and, knowing the format now, have some fun with it. Maybe turn
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it on its head in a few places.
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<p>
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As with everything else I do, I try to find what I'd enjoy as a
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viewer, and take it from there. That was how B5 came about, and that's
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how the new show would come about, should it happen.
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<p>
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<li>@@@855739129 "Can you tell us if Crusade is going to be a definite length eg B5
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is/was supposed to be 5 years (still hanging on for season 5
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announcement and sadly for season 4 to start showing in UK)."
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<p>
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There's a definite ending in mind, yes, but there's some room to play
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within that framework. Again, there's an arc, but not quite as rigorous
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as with B5.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864919901 "Crusade" would take place about 3 years
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after the events of season 5, in 2265.
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<p>
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<li>@@@864919901 <em>What years would the story span?</em><br>
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2265-2270.
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<p>
|
|
<li> In some ways, yeah, I think I will have some real opportunities that
|
|
didn't exist with B5, in that for the first 3 years we had to fight to
|
|
get ourselves taken seriously by everyone, including WB. Now we have
|
|
some credibility, and that gives you a certain freedom.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Also, the arc was, for me, a relatively new tool which took me about a
|
|
year or so to really figure out how to use...then I used it
|
|
relentlessly for a very long time. Now it's just one more tool on my
|
|
belt, and I can use it with a bit more precision. It's the difference
|
|
between using a rapier and a broadsword.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It'll probably start out looking fairly conventional, as did B5 our
|
|
first year, just until the suits get comfortable and start ignoring us
|
|
(they're all OVER you in your first year), and then, again as with B5,
|
|
we'll start getting really subversive...ah loves being subversive....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
And there'll be the folks who'll say, "Oh, it's just X," just like
|
|
they did with B5 in the beginning, saying "Oh, it's just like DS9,"
|
|
which is *perfect* because it lets me sneak up behind them and just
|
|
WHACK 'em upside the head when they're not looking, as with B5.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Basically, without saying too much, it'll be a MUCH larger canvas, and
|
|
the kinds of stories I can tell will be CONSIDERABLY more varied and
|
|
have more opportunities to explore all kinds of interesting stuff, so
|
|
I can go a bit more nuts on production values, alien stuff, and other
|
|
areas.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@884031252 What I want to do with Crusade is take the tools we
|
|
learned to use in B5 and apply them in a different (and in some ways,
|
|
more ambitious) manner. It'll have an arc, now that we've shown that
|
|
it works, but not as rigorous an arc...less overtly political but more
|
|
thematic. Also, after 5 years of angst-driven storytelling, I'd like
|
|
to see if I can use the same tools to do something a little more fun.
|
|
I've lived in the dark side of the B5 universe for a long time, and
|
|
while there's plenty of darkness still out there, I kinda want to go
|
|
and do something a bit more adventurous...and which explores all the
|
|
places in the B5 universe that we've heard about, but never seen.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li> Nothing has yet been finalized (or even near to it) on the cast.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890000755 <em>Recent reports say you've decided which characters
|
|
from the first series will be in Crusade.</em><br>
|
|
This is not quite correct, but that's all I can say for now.
|
|
There are one or two actors who might slide to Crusade, depending on
|
|
circumstances, and we have spoken to them on the QT about it...which is
|
|
probably why this was said, because I asked the actors in question not
|
|
to say anything until we got closer to seeing how things were going to
|
|
work out; the inquiries were mainly of an "if we had this role, would
|
|
you be interested in doing it?" nature, checking avails and
|
|
possibilities so we could plan accordingly.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@895442605 Though nothing has been set yet about Crusade, I would expect at
|
|
least guest appearances by some or many of our previous B5 cast here
|
|
and there.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@865288769 <em>Have you given thought to the male/female ratio of
|
|
the cast?</em><br>
|
|
I never ever give thought to ratios, or making a political
|
|
statement, or anything other than the story. If that meant using 100%
|
|
female cast in the movie, or 100% male cast, or some variation thereof,
|
|
then that's what it'll be. I think the *instant* you start putting
|
|
agendas ahead of the creative process, of saying "What is the story
|
|
*about*?" then I think you're dead.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@898572188 <em>What's the optimum cast size for a show like
|
|
Crusade?</em><br>
|
|
There's really no best regular size. B5 generally had about 9-
|
|
11 regulars and recurring (i.e., in the main credits) actors in any
|
|
given season, which was necessary because you had 4 different,
|
|
competing forces, each of whom required some representation (Earth/B5,
|
|
Minbar, Narn, Centauri Prime). With an ambassador plus aide, that's 8
|
|
minimum, plus at least one or two others for station operations.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In Crusade, we're really dealing with one force encountering
|
|
others on a per-episode basis (mostly), so we've got 6 regulars/recurs,
|
|
with a subset of reappearing characters (a la Morden, Bester or Corwin
|
|
in B5). That feels about right to me.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@891976625 <em>Any changes to the production crew?</em><br>
|
|
We're not doing a lot of changing. One thing that does tend to
|
|
get changed for a new series is the *look* of the show, you
|
|
want Crusade to have a different and distinct appearance, to be
|
|
its own show. So for instance we're bringing in new graphic
|
|
designers to do screen stuff and signage and other related
|
|
stuff.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Other times it's an individual choice. Anne Bruice-Aling
|
|
recently had a baby, and she wants to dedicate the next year or
|
|
so toward raising her kid, so while she'll remain available for
|
|
occasional stuff or consulting, we'll have someone else heading
|
|
up the wardrobe department.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Mainly, you want to hold onto as many of your original people
|
|
as you can, because we've trained our folks to work in a
|
|
certain, particular way. Nobody else really does things the
|
|
way we do them on B5, and it's wiser to hold onto your crew,
|
|
and give incentives, to keep them around. (We tend to promote
|
|
from within the ranks and reward loyalty rather than bring in
|
|
new folks, that sort of thing.)
|
|
|
|
<p> <em>What's in the series "bible?"</em><br>
|
|
I put in it
|
|
basically whatever I think will be useful to anyone, as much as
|
|
I can think up. Characters' names, backgrounds, descriptions,
|
|
the kinds of stories we are looking for, the kinds of stories
|
|
we *don't* want to see, what is good SF and what ain't, sample
|
|
storylines we plan to develop, that sort of thing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I'm now in the process of converting over the "sell treatment,"
|
|
done for the network, to a working series bible, which will go
|
|
out to those writers with whom I've either worked before, or
|
|
whose work I know and have wanted to work with for a while (as
|
|
was the case with Neil Gaiman).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@892111238 I imagine we'll keep about 95% of the production crew on
|
|
the move to Crusade.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@896374481 <em>How does the new look get decided?</em><br>
|
|
It's hard to define...it's a long process of give and take.
|
|
John Copeland and I both knew we wanted something different, a
|
|
new kind of look, and we went back and forth discussing it
|
|
between us until we were ready to talk to the production design
|
|
folk. We told them in general terms what we were looking
|
|
for...then they went away, and came back with several
|
|
preliminary designs. We sat and talked about them, made
|
|
revisions and suggestions, threw one thing out, kept the other
|
|
thing, got another version done, and on and on until there was
|
|
something that we felt worked. Ditto for the CGI version (for
|
|
which there is a very early version on the B5 fan club site).
|
|
The final look of the CGI is much sleeker and more refined.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<em>And the costume/makeup design?</em><br>
|
|
Same process. I discuss with Optic Nerve and the costume folks what I
|
|
have in mind. They go away and come up with drawings. They submit
|
|
those drawings; John and I go over them, pick the ones we like, suggest
|
|
modifications, toss out what we don't like, and the process of
|
|
refinement continues.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@921834231 <em>How will the shuttle bay work? A force field a la
|
|
Star Trek?</em><br>
|
|
No, there is a definite (and very large) airlock door that closes
|
|
after ships enter the flight deck, so it can then be pressurized.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 <em>Who's doing the music?</em><br>
|
|
We haven't yet set a composer for Crusade; we're giving a shot
|
|
to Evan Chen, a chinese-born classical composer with a strong jazz
|
|
background, on A Call to Arms. How that turns out will determine much
|
|
that follows.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 Evan's an amazing composer...he came out of Shanghai,
|
|
studied music in Russia and Germany, was fast becoming a leading,
|
|
classically trained composer, and discovered jazz in his twenties,
|
|
dropped everything to come to Chicago and study under some of the best
|
|
jazz men around (even if it meant washing dishes to get by). His stuff
|
|
is the most amazing blend of asian influence, classical instrumentation,
|
|
jazz and rock backbeats I've ever heard, even using asian scales
|
|
(somewhat different from western musical scales) in unexpected places to
|
|
make western music sound totally different.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
For a show as different as this, I wanted a completely
|
|
different, totally unique sound, something I've never heard before, and
|
|
Evan Chen has it.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906745365 <em>Is Evan playing with any groups right now?</em><br>
|
|
Not that I'm aware of. I think we got in and found him before
|
|
anybody else could get their hands on him.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@929221874 "Will a CD of Chen's music be put out? I can't wait..."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yep, in fact, I have it right here, having gotten the first
|
|
pressing of the thing for approval. Chris's company will be putting it
|
|
out.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 <em><a name="JS.memo1" href="#NO.memo">About the TNT
|
|
memo, September 9, 1998</a></em><br>
|
|
At this time, officially, I cannot confirm or deny the report.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 <em><a name="JS.memo2">September 19, 1998</a></em><br>
|
|
The TNT memo was apparently real; however, the egregious points
|
|
have now been withdrawn, and on top of that, TNT has allocated a big
|
|
chunk of change to let us build some new sets and expand stuff.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 I think that to dwell on the thing would be to just open
|
|
wounds that are better left healed.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 Things are going well overall; we've filmed 5 episodes, and have
|
|
just extended a planned 1 week production hiatus (we take two such
|
|
hiatuses -- hiati? -- every year, one in the fall, one in the spring)
|
|
and added three paid weeks in order to allow time for construction on a
|
|
number of new sets.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906450790 What we've done is to try and expedite this so we can
|
|
have the new stuff in hand for the maximum number of episodes as quickly
|
|
as possible. We always take a one-week hiatus in every block of
|
|
episodes we shoot, all the way through B5's history and now. One week
|
|
around the start of October (depending on the start of filming), then
|
|
the Christmas break, then another one-week hiatus midway through the
|
|
last 10 episodes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So what we did here was to add on three weeks to the hiatus,
|
|
starting Tuesday. Well, three paid weeks off for most of the crew
|
|
directly involved with the actual filming, anyway. Construction, art
|
|
department, props, wardrobe and other departments will still be working
|
|
away to build and dress the sets and stuff so we can get right back
|
|
into shooting on with the new stuff in place.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We're talking here improvements to the corridors, to the
|
|
quarters to enlarge them, adding a wardroom/mess hall, an exercise
|
|
area...other stuff. We generally add sets each season, and wanted to do
|
|
these down the road, but now we have the chance to do them now.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906591943 In addition to the Christmas break, we have always taken
|
|
a one-week hiatus in the middle of shooting to avoid burning out cast
|
|
and crew. This was true of B5 throughout its history. One week in
|
|
the fall, one in the spring.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
TNT has allocated additional money to build some major (large) new
|
|
sets that we had thought we'd have to wait until season 2 to
|
|
implement, and to improve some of the sets. (We were always fighting
|
|
to spiff up sets throughout B5, and we always had to bring in our new
|
|
sets gradually, like Earharts and the War Room and others.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Since they're going to give us the money for that now, we figued we'd
|
|
extend the hiatus by a few weeks (a paid break for most of the actual
|
|
shooting crew), though we still have the art department, costume,
|
|
construction, props and several other departments still working away
|
|
to build the sets and stuff.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We start shooting again October 19th.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@907952425 It's been kinda hectic here, between the new sets under
|
|
construction,
|
|
meetings, and other stuff, some of which has been hinted around by
|
|
others. At this point, we're still on target for filming to start up
|
|
on October 19th.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
One of the issues brought up by TNT had to do with a decision we all
|
|
made early on that the first episode up, Racing the Night, would just
|
|
jump right into the story, without doing the usual pilot-episode thing
|
|
of showing the team coming together, which was our other option.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
On reflection, TNT figured that the best thing might be to do that
|
|
"coming together" episode after all, to set the stage for all that
|
|
follows. It's a lateral change, really, you could have it or not,
|
|
either way, it's dealer's choice. But if we're going to do that, we
|
|
may as well get the sets and other stuff ready to go for that first
|
|
episode and the ones that will immediately follow. We're also making
|
|
some adjustments to the wardrobe (and I've come up with a pretty funny
|
|
way to make the transition in the story). All of the prior produced
|
|
episodes are still in, and still going to be broadcast, nothing's
|
|
changed that as far as I know.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Anyway, things continue to progress, the script for the alternate
|
|
first ep is in, and all should be cool from this point on. Which is
|
|
not to say there haven't been some knife-fights...but we seem to have
|
|
reached some understandings....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@908224277 We're still set to go back into filming on October 19th.
|
|
As I mentioned in a prior post, TNT felt the need for an actual
|
|
introductory episode, one that sets the story by bringing together our
|
|
characters together for the first time, more of a conventional pilot
|
|
in that respect. "Racing the Night" was written to take place about 5
|
|
months after the Drakh attack, so that we got right into things. The
|
|
"bringing people into the story" story will, therefore, take place
|
|
shortly after the Drakh attack, two-three days later, to be precise.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Since we're doing a first introductory episode, TNT kinda wanted to
|
|
have the new sets in place for the first few eps (though they can't
|
|
appear in the first one for story reasons), and since we're making
|
|
some wardrobe adjustments, they figured they may as well have those in
|
|
place as well.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Nothing in the story has been changed. The five episodes already made
|
|
will be aired, and you will see that the characters, the story, the
|
|
feel of the show is *exactly* the same between those first 5 filmed,
|
|
and those that follow. What it comes down to are some cosmetic
|
|
changes, some new sets, and an episode that sets things in place.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
As we come back, the first two episodes up to be shot will be scripts
|
|
we already had in hand, then the new introductory episode, "War Zone,"
|
|
another one we already have, one new one, then another one from
|
|
on-hand, which will take us through into the Christmas break.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
No scripts are being thrown out, no episodes are being scrapped...none
|
|
of that has taken place, or is taking place. The show is the show is
|
|
the show.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
(And on the costumes themselves...no, they're not going to be "skin
|
|
tight" things; we're actually kinda going in the opposite direction.
|
|
They're more typically military jumpsuits, black, neatly tailored,
|
|
similar to some Air Force or Marine uniforms. And the only people who
|
|
will be wearing these are the basic technical crew, Captain Gideon
|
|
(Gary Cole) and Lieutenant John Matheson (Daniel Dae Kim); the others
|
|
are civilians, and thus are not affected.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Regarding air dates...we have thus far not been told if they want to
|
|
push for a January airdate or not. Part of the complication to all
|
|
this is that if we make #8 in shooting order the first aired, we have
|
|
to do a hideous amount of post-production on CGI to get it ready in
|
|
time. Rather than make us rush it, they have said they might consider
|
|
waiting until the February sweeps. Another option is to go in March,
|
|
if they don't want to go up against the Network sweeps period (which
|
|
is traditionally death for basic cable)...but the problem *there* is
|
|
that you can only air 4 episodes and then TNT would go into the NBA
|
|
playoffs, which means it would be another 6 weeks or so until any new
|
|
eps could be shown.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So on that score, nobody's decided anything yet, we don't know and
|
|
haven't been told because they haven't decided where will best serve
|
|
us, so we hit the ground with the least network opposition.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Anyway, that's where things are. Hope this puts to rest some of the
|
|
rumors out there.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@914520472 The intro movie, "A Call to Arms," is still slated for
|
|
January 3rd; the series initially was going to go in January, then they
|
|
moved it to June 2nd to make room for the NBA playoffs, and now that it
|
|
looks like the playoffs may not happen, I'm hearing March/April.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@908224277 <em>How much of the CGI for the new initial episode
|
|
could be done ahead of time, before filming starts?</em><br>
|
|
Zip. Because until it's edited, you don't know how long to make the
|
|
shots, or how they'll intercut with the live action...and there's all
|
|
the stuff from other eps to deal with as well.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@908606256 <em>Do you provide storyboards with ships and beams
|
|
or do the CGI people create something from the script or do you check
|
|
it prior to rendering in wireframe form or similar?</em><br>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Pretty much all of the above, depending on the complexity of the
|
|
sequence.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@909090496 To the gazillion or so folks who've asked in email...yes,
|
|
we began shooting again on Monday the 19th, as scheduled, making the
|
|
show we desired to make, and we're cranking along just fine. Actors
|
|
are happy, crew are happy, everybody happy but Zathras...but Zathras
|
|
never happy...Zathras happy once, had friend once, but wheels fell
|
|
off, very sad....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@856652269 "You have pretty consistently said that you would
|
|
*end* B5, and that there
|
|
would *never* be a sequel. Instead, you would do something in the B5
|
|
universe, but not realated to the B5 storyline. The description sure
|
|
sounds like a sequel to me."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
What I have said about this from the beginning, and the ONLY thing I
|
|
have ever said about this, was that there was a side-story in the B5
|
|
universe that could go off from the main story. That has been quoted in
|
|
many different places, and on line, and definitely includes any plans
|
|
for "Crusade."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
BTW, that new characters were mentioned does not exclude any current
|
|
cast members...doesn't include them, either, but bottom line, that ain't
|
|
a complete list of characters. There's room and flexibility in there,
|
|
depending on what happens.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@859536035 Actually, there'd be no rush at all in terms of getting a sequel
|
|
into prep and out the door. The discussions now are in the area of
|
|
fall 97 to shoot and January 98 to air (with or without a simultaneous
|
|
S5 of B5). We have a lot of the stuff we'd need for the sequel
|
|
(costumes, uniforms, some sets, prosthetics, that sort of thing), so
|
|
the lead time would be very short.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@877274170 With luck, we hope to have this puppy finally negotiated
|
|
and a Real Deal within the next few weeks.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@883868609 The contract has been sent to me for signing several
|
|
times, and each time it has had some problem or another that needed
|
|
fixing. (See, this is how the process works: your agent and the studio
|
|
negotiate over the phone. Come to terms. Deal memos go out, which
|
|
often don't reflect the conversations, but they hope you won't notice.
|
|
You catch the "errors" and send back the memos. Next come the actual
|
|
contracts, and sonuvagun, more "errors" have slipped through, and now
|
|
THEY need to be corrected, if you can find them in the 90 pages of 8
|
|
point type. So that's been the only real holdup. It's standard.)
|
|
|
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<p>
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<li>@@@891976541 As has come out in the press today, CRUSADE: The Babylon
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|
Project, is officially a go project as a series. We start shooting
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July 27th to go on the air January 6th. More info will follow over
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time.
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<p>
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<li>@@@911667926 Because 108 is now the slated fist episode, so that we
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|
can use it to introduce the new characters rather than jump in
|
|
in-progress, it means it will take longer to complete the CGI and stuff
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|
than 103, since it was shot later. TNT needs the eps a month or two
|
|
prior to airdate for critics...and there's the concern about showing
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|
only 4 episodes in March (which is when it would all be ready) and
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|
then being cut off for 8 weeks by the NBA playoffs.
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
So they figured going June 2nd would avoid all of the problems, and put
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|
the show out when the network shows were in reruns...meaning it has a
|
|
better chance of scoring large numbers, a strategy that worked well
|
|
with other shows like 90210.
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|
|
|
<p>
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|
<li>@@@882987634 <em>If "Crusade" is made, what will your involvement
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|
be?</em><br>
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|
I'll exec produce, same as with B5, develop the overall
|
|
arc, as with B5 (though it's not as rigorous an arc), do all the same
|
|
stuff in editing, post, all the same stuff. About the only real
|
|
difference I foresee would be my intent to only write about half the
|
|
episodes this time around; I'm looking forward to seeing what other
|
|
writers can do in the B5 universe.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@883993339 Our first two seasons were roughly 40-50% freelance,
|
|
which is a substantially higher average than most shows. Years 3 and
|
|
4 were mine, mainly because of the difficulty in farming out stories
|
|
in that situation.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Crusade will almost certainly to back to the 40-50% freelance mode,
|
|
which is frankly my preference, and it's been that way on all the
|
|
previous shows I've done.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@891709736 There are many other good writers out there who I have
|
|
every confidence can do a good job on Crusade. And bear in mind that
|
|
any script that comes in generally gets revised by me, so I'll be in
|
|
there. The plan for now is that I'll do about 11 scripts out of 22,
|
|
and have freelancers doing the other half.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@921834231 <em>Has Goran Gajic been approached about directing a
|
|
Crusade episode?</em><br>
|
|
Yes, Goran has been slated for a Crusade episode.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@898572630 <em>Will it start off with a movie?</em><br>
|
|
No, the first episode will be of normal length. A Call to Arms
|
|
is primarily a B5 movie, which sets the incidents in place that lead to
|
|
Crusade, which then hits the ground running with its first episode,
|
|
regular length, same as the other 21 TNT has signed for.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@905790074 <em>Is the Biblical reference in Captain Gideon's
|
|
name intentional?</em><br>
|
|
There are certain reasons for that name choice, yes, which is
|
|
all I'll say for now.
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|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@906591943 Peter is superb as Galen, utterly brilliant. I think
|
|
we lucked into a character and an actor that is going to be extremely
|
|
popular with fans. I couldn't be happier with his work to date; I'd
|
|
put his work up there with Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas, easily.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@916729235 <em>Is Matheson's name a reference to horror writer
|
|
Richard Matheson?</em><br>
|
|
Yup. I fell in love with Matheson's work as a kid, and since we had
|
|
Bester in B5, I figured it might be good luck to have Matheson in
|
|
Crusade.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@929221492 "But you are saying that dispite the numerical sequence
|
|
being disordered, Crusade remains a contining story rather than
|
|
standalone episodes?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
They're somewhat stand alone that was introducing characters and
|
|
setting up the details that would kick the arc into gear with #14.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
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|
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|
<h2>See Also</h2>
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|
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|
A translation of this page in
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<a href="http://www.webhostinghub.com/support/by/edu/midwinter-overview-be">Belorussian</a>
|
|
is available.
|