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158 lines
5.3 KiB
158 lines
5.3 KiB
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<title>Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: The Philosophy</title>
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alt=" #### PHILOSOPHY ####"><a
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<p>
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<hr>
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<h2><a name="philosophy">The Philosophy</a></h2>
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<a href="creators.html#jms">JMS'</a>
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main criteria for a good science fiction television series include that it
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must be good science fiction <em>and</em> good television;
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it must be geared towards adults, not kids (one slogan
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on the set is, "No Cute
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Kids, No Cute Robots. Ever!") doing for science fiction what <cite>Hill Street
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Blues</cite> did for police shows. It must be done on a reasonable
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budget and it should look like nothing ever seen on TV. And to make it a
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series, it should not be just individual stories (alien attack/ possession/
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misunderstanding of the week) -- the stories should be part of an overall
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larger story, but still watchable each week as a separate chapter.
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<p>
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In keeping with those ideals, a
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<a href="/lurk/universe/five-year-overview.html">five year storyline</a>
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(the "arc") has been planned
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as if the show were a five year miniseries. Events have been planned for each
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season, which will tell a larger story over time. There is plenty of room for
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individual stories within each season and each episode can stand alone,
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though certain episodes (which JMS calls "WHAM" episodes) are pivotal to the
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big picture -- for example,
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<a href="/lurk/guide/013.html">"Signs and Portents"</a>
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from season one.
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<p>
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One common complaint about science-fiction shows (and TV in general) is that
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fan input falls on deaf ears. Not so Babylon 5. JMS participates in online
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discussions in several places, such as
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<a href="/lurk/ftp/CompuServe/">CompuServe,</a>
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<a href="/lurk/ftp/GEnie/">GEnie,</a>
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and
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<a href="/lurk/ftp/Usenet/">Usenet,</a>
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actively soliciting discussions and thoughtful criticism about the episodes
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and the show in general. Some of this online discussion even goes onto a
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"Best of the Nets" bulletin board on a wall in the production offices, where
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it's read by many of the staff.
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<p>
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In fact, since the airing of the pilot, fan input has had
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<a href="/lurk/resources/fans.html#effect">visible effects</a>
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on the show.
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<p>
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All freelance scripts have the original writer as the sole credit. Contrary
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to prevailing practice in Hollywood, any
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rewrites or additions (such as a "B" plot or additional scenes) by Babylon 5
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staff do not add to the writing credit. This allows freelancers to
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get full royalties for the episodes they write.
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<pre>
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</pre>
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<h5>
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Last update:
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October 8, 1995
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</h5>
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