Date: 01-Apr-96 14:07:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Brad Davis <102416.342@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams> Spoiler

 Brad Davis <102416.342@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will anyone back on earth recognize the White Star defending
> Babylon 5 as the same ship that was accused of destroying the
> base on Ganymeade?

       Probably not.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 14:07:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 (blocked) asks:
> Are the Thunderbolt class Starfuries as durable as the "Thuds"
> proved themselves in 'Nam??

       The new fighters are pretty solid.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 14:07:49
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Copyright infringement?

{original post had no questions}

       All three of those items are absolutely bogus, pirated
material. Totally illegal.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 14:07:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Talking Kosh

{original post unavailable}

       He wasa certainly feeling the strain, and not used to
interacting physically with people, certainly not for a long, long
time.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 16:37:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: spoooooooooooooo!

{original post unavailable}

       Fun, ain't it?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 16:37:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: Minbari Physiology

 Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com> asks:
> Didn't G'Kar ask Lyta about interspecies mating in the pilot with
> the intention of producing a telepathic Narn?

       Yes, he did ask her about mating, and in the course of that
discussion mentioned the genetic manipulation that would be required.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 16:50:49
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Hiroshi

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is Captain Sandra Hiroshi that we saw in "Severed Dreams" related
> to the security officer Hiroshi we saw in "Convictions"?

       No intentional relation, no.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 16:50:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Paterson has an *upscale* part?

"Paterson has an *upscale* part?"

       Used to.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 16:50:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Jack Beckman <73227.3066@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post had no questions}

       "...hit between the eyes."   Yeah, that's the correct reaction,
I'd say.

       Yes, it's easy to fire on the enemy when it's a faceless
entity; not as easy when it's someone you know.  Kinda brings it home,
makes it personal.

       We rode the audio on some sequences right to the legal limit;
don't know if we got clamped at any point along the way, to explain the
surround drop.  Will look into it.

       Thanks again.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 21:17:12
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: Talking Kosh

{original post had no questions}

"That makes me feel *marginally* better about the universe."

      Good.  So you won't mind that I gave him your address....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 21:17:14
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks; it's a great sequence for Delenn.

      The next episode is kind of clean-up time for some loose threads
still lying about, then a couple of smaller stories to give us
breathing space before the next big wave (and it's a doozy).

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 01-Apr-96 22:03:25
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Gail Marsella <71551.3200@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 - TV Guide Contest

{original post had no questions}

      Y'know...it's a wacky idea, but It Just Might Work....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 02-Apr-96 12:05:00
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

{original post unavailable}

       A talking na'ka'leen feeder can ask a question like this...?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 17:52:14
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Time on B5

 (blocked) asks:
> How long is a day on B5?
> Does it take 24 hrs for B5 to rotate?

       No, but it's kept to 24 hours on B5 in order to sync up with
Earth back home.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 17:52:15
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Barney vs. The Shadows

 (blocked) asks:
> but who the hell knows??
> In getting worried?
> Do you concur with these opinions?

       Actually, I'd say the song is just about right...mostly.

                                                               jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 17:52:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mark <70004.1111@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Effects

 Mark <70004.1111@compuserve.com> asks:
> What kind of medium are you dumping the 24 bit data to?
> How much "hard drive" space does say a 10 second efx shot take
> up? You wouldn't happen to have the raw data of a Shadow ship
> hanging around would ya?

       ...urk...math...technospeak.....(thud)

       That's a Ron question.  Rendering not Zathras' skill.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 19:16:02
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Time on B5

 (blocked) asks:
> Isn't B5 a group effort of many worlds?
> Why should Earth dominate?

       Nope.  B5 is not "a group effort of many worlds."  The Earth
Alliance funded the construction on all the Babylon stations, accepting
a little extra money from the Minbari and the Centauri toward the end
to help finish B5.  The currency is regulated in terms of Earth
credits, the laws in the Ombuds courtroom are Earth laws (except as
they encounter cultural laws between members of the same species), it's
Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5, and so on.  Is it fair?  Probably
not.  But that's how Earth wants it, and Earth runs, finances, oversees
and built B5.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 19:16:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5:New pricey toys

{original post unavailable}

       Well, all Bandai has to do is make WB an offer, and if the
details work, they'll do the models.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 19:16:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Caru Hong <73267.257@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Severed Dreams'

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks...the pleasure is entirely mine.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 19:18:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steve Augustine <102202.200@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Entertainment CD

 Steve Augustine <102202.200@compuserve.com> asks:
> Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong when I try to access the
> personnel files on the CD?

       The scritttttt sound is the same sound made by the identicard
scanners in the show; watch the start of Severed Dreams, you'll hear it
there.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 19:18:18
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Daniel Barer <74033.167@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Entertainment CD

{original post had no questions}

       Not a problem; see my other note on this.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 22:05:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Londo the puppet

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this true?
> If so, why did you want Londo to be played by a puppet?

   I've wracked my brain trying to remember if that's true or not, and
I honestly can't remember ever having a discussion about Londo being a
puppet. Prosthetics, yes, but not anything animatronic.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 22:05:11
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Minbari society

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are you intending to explore further the possibility that Minbari
> civilization is stagnated and their culture may be in need of a
> revitalization?

   It's a topic I'm open to exploring, yes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 22:33:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Continuity

{original post unavailable}

"do you run your scrips by others?  IOW, do you make sure that it will
all make sense to others?"

      You must understand several things.  First, there's no one else
on a writing side to *run* things past here.  There's just me.  I *am*
the writing staff this season (which will probably not be quite the
same next season, if I can find the right people).

      The other thing is that writing is really a solitary business. 
There's the impression that in TV, stories get whomped around and
mushed up by some faceless committee.  While this is true in some
cases, it isn't true in all cases.  David Kelley's scripts are his
scripts.  Steve Bochco's scripts are his scripts.  My scripts are my
scripts.  If I don't know my craft well enough to know whether or not
it'll make sense to others, I should get out of the business
immediately.

      As soon as I finish writing the script, alone, it goes right
into production.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 22:33:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 6, 7 ...

 John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com> asks:
> I know you have said that Babylon 5 will run only 5 seasons, but
> I cannot see how this can be possible? Without a season 6, to what
> will WB tack on the last Eight or so episodes of season 5? Are the
> upcoming 8 episodes all we're due to get until fall?

      I don't know about the "after the eight" matter; it's possible
that we could get 2 more run in July, the rest, I dunno...could be
sooner, could be later.  We won't know this for a while yet.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 02-Apr-96 22:33:24
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 (blocked) asks:
> Out of curiosity, however, was Ta'Lon killed in the attack on the
> station, or was my nearsightedness just flaring up?

      Thanks, and Ta'Lon is still alive and well.

      It's a good episode, no mistake.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 01:58:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Shadow strength

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who is the strongest according to pure physical strength, a
> Shadow or a human?

      A shadow is *definitely* much stronger physically than a human.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 01:58:25
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com> asks:
> When will we find out to which castes they belong?
> Was the council leader one of them?
> Is it just my imagination, or was her speech more "human,"
> perhaps due to her time on B5 or her transformation? And I ask
> myself, "Why do people let it come to this - that they must kill
> each other to resolve their differences?" I found myself saying,
> "No, it can't be; JMS wouldn't do that," Then, "Wouldn't he?" Is
> she related to the Senator?

      Toni: thanks.  All of the characters shine in this one, Mira in
particular as Delenn.  It's a nice contrast; her speech to the Grey
Council is an intense piece of work that goes on for a while; her
declaration to the EA ships is short, to the point, and absolutely
deadly.  The right tool for the right job.

      I'm utterly pleased and proud of the job we did here.  Partly
because it's just so nifty on its own terms, and partly because it
gives us a new level to try and beat.  Up until now, I've been looking
to top "Coming of Shadows;" now the goal is to top this one...and I
think it's possible there may be one or two even this season that'll do
that, but tonally I think they're different enough that it might end up
as a tie.

      I definitely wanted the close-in, hand-to-hand fighting to
personalize what's going on.  It's also very logical strategically. 
You send in your forces to disable or overwhelm C&C, distract them,
slip in a cadre of troops to a station that (you hope) didn't know you
were coming...then they race to C&C and seize control from inside,
shooting anyone they have to en route.  If Sheridan et al hadn't known
the ships were coming in, this could've gone very differently.  But
once they were in, they were in close quarters, and you want to get in
closer if you're on the defensive side so that they can't use their 
weapons without cutting down their own people.  After that you have to
hope you can overwhelm the intruders with sheer force of numbers.  It's
an ugly, awful way to win a fight, because it *guarantees*
casualties...but what war doesn't?

      Something to bear in mind when rewatching, btw...it was during
this scene that Jerry fell and broke his right arm and right wrist. 
And they still had one last scene to film.  He stuck it out and they
rolled film, to get the shot of him and Zack at the end of the fight. 
Next time you watch it, keep an eye on the right arm as he releases the
helmet...it bends in directions never intended by evolution.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 03-Apr-96 11:40:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 escape pod

{original post unavailable}

       We're still trying to figure all this out ourselves....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 11:40:37
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Celia J. Penham <102454.540@compuserve.com>
Subject: Homicidal rages

 Celia J. Penham <102454.540@compuserve.com> asks:
> Will we ever *see* alcohol's effect on a Minbari system?

       No immediate plans for this, but knowing how my brain works,
we'll probably see this sooner or later.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 11:40:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

       Thanks.  We have to keep shooting ever higher or we're dead.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 11:40:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Benoit Langevin <74434.3136@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD:Garibaldi>

 Benoit Langevin <74434.3136@compuserve.com> asks:
> And by the way for the last two week, we don't see the next week
> preview, is it in the satelite uplink or is it our station,
> CFCF-12-Montreal, that didn't put it on air?

       No, it's a different scene than the flash-forward in Babylon
Squared.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: General Hague <Spoiler>

{original post unavailable}

       We'd booked the actor long, long in advance.  At the last
minute, he bailed to do a DS9 episode playing, essentially, the same
character, despite our having first dibs.

       So I killed off the character.  Didn't change the story by the
smallest measure.  May actually have helped, since it raised the stakes
in the story right from the start.

       Rule #1: Never honk off the writer.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: 'Severed Dreams'

 (blocked) asks:
> As an aside: Are you planning anything special for your
> appearance at Marcon next month?

       Nothing special per se planned for Marcon...I generally play it
by ear on these things.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:29
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Did we get cut or did you leave it to our imaginations?

       No, we cut that shot pretty close, to go out on the bang.  Your
local station didn't cut anything there.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:31
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

       Yes, the Thunderbolt furies were seen both on Mars and
attacking B5.

       A normal Starfury can't function in an atmosphere environment. 
The new Thunderbolt models have airfoils/wings that are folded back
over the body of the ship for non-atmospheric maneuvering, and then
extend out to full sized wings when entering an atmosphere.  (You'll
get to see in detail how this works back and forth in "Ship of Tears.")

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:34
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com>
Subject: stuff

 Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, Is there any hope of convincing David Gerrold to write a B5
> novel?

       Thanks.  Marcus is a great character...he can go back and forth
between deadly serious and quite funny without batting an eye, it's all
quite smooth. He adds a lot to the show.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 15:20:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steve Augustine <102202.200@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Entertainment CD

 Steve Augustine <102202.200@compuserve.com> asks:
> You mean even when a picture of Delenn, Vir, or the others
> display during the screen saver, it's supposed to make that same
> 'scritttt' sound?

       No, if you're talking about the white screens with the black
and white photos and text, no, it's all Identicard stuff.  (Check the
pilot, and you'll see the same display used there for Lyta's entrance.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 20:56:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Puppets sue Babylon 5

{original post had no questions}

      Go to your room....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:11:55
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dust to Dust question

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Who is the second Narn that G'Kar talks to?
> Is it his father again or G'Quon?

      It's the same thing, the image of his father.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:11:57
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      Well, at this kind of range, they could eyeball the targets for
the most part, as far as the big ships are concerned; the smaller ones
would be much more difficult.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:11:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  That's exactly the impression I wanted...you do the
dolly/zoom move, isolating Sheridan visually...you don't cut back to
the others as they speak, just let the camera stay on him, put the
other voices down under the music and off to the side, just *HOLD*
there...works great.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:12:02
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Daniel Barer <74033.167@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post had no questions}

      I agree, but Jerry was determined to do it, and more time
would've been lost arguing about it than it took to do the takes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:12:03
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com> asks:
> I presume there was some dialog snipped giving him a new pinpoint
> location for the pod?

      That was because the Narns just kept right on going, even when
he'd said "we'll wait here."  That's Narns for you.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 21:12:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: General Hague <Spoiler>

{original post had no questions}

      The show comes first, absolutely.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 22:56:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ray Pelzer <70475.1263@compuserve.com>
Subject: L.A.,April 1, 1981

{original post had no questions}

      I'd forgotten about that part of it...thanks.

                                                                jms

------------------------------

Date: 03-Apr-96 22:57:00
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Soul Hunters

 (blocked) asks:
> I've been wondering about the Soul Hunters for a while JMS Will
> we ever see them again? How advanced was thier tech?
> How many are there?
> Will they play any part in the Shadow War?

      I'd certainly like to see them again....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 00:54:55
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD - White Star!!>

{original post unavailable}

      Well, President Clark would know it, from the Aggy records, but
the general population wouldn't know it yet, since those records
weren't released. But it does give him a card to play at some point in
the future.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 04-Apr-96 11:54:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: L.A.,April 1, 1981

 (blocked) asks:
> What aniversary did you forget?
> Do we all help Kathryn (sp?) beat on you with dead lemmings?

       April 1st 1981 was the day I moved to LA to become a Big Shot.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 11:54:45
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Was this a member of the Warrior Caste defecting with Delenn?
> Who the hell is running the Mimbari government now?
> Incedently, if the warrior caste was *not* in on it, where did
> they get the warships?

       At this point, with the Council broken, Delenn isn't currently
running Minbar...there's a vacuum of power.  The system can carry on
for a while, the balance between the castes is pretty efficient, but
this is going to have to be resolved, and some in the warrior caste may
suspect Delenn of doing this so she *can* rise to power.

       As part of Valen's covenant, to prevent one caste from taking
over the other, each caste has access to its own warships.  This was
done to create trust a thousand years ago, and since then, since there
hasn't been any conflict between Minbari, the three castes own their
own warships still, but in general are assigned to Warrior caste as a
courtesy, which can be revoked. As Delenn noted, the worker and
religious castes control 2/3rds of their forces.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 12:06:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Press Release

{original post unavailable}

       "...telepathy, telekinesis, prophesy..."

       Basically, I wouldn't consider those technology in any form. 
The technology on which the *show* is based is pretty
rigorous...starfuries designed for zero gravity, a dyson-style sphere,
rotational gravity, and so on.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 13:49:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Press Release

{original post unavailable}

       (sigh...some days I have the brains of a flea).   I typed Dyson
sphere when I meant to type O'Neill sphere or station.  Brain fart.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 13:49:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did some of the Military follow Delenn?
> May we assume that Neroon did not follow Delenn?

       No, 5 left the council with her.  And one can wonder, Did she
turn down the position of leader of the Grey Council, which would be a
balance for that role, in order to eliminate the council and become
primary ruler? (That is what some of the warrior caste are bound to
begin wondering after a while.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 13:49:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

       Each caste populates the ships in their jurisdiction with their
own people.  Which is why those on the Minbari warships that came in,
which we'll see shortly, are religious caste, no warriors among
them...but even the religious caste is well trained in combat, as part
of their education in temple.  We've seen some of this already in
Lennier's abilities in a fight.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:24
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com>
Subject: stuff

 Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com> asks:
> Joe, What about Gerrold writing a novel?
> Can this be done?

      It can be done, sure, but I think David is generally more
interested in writing his own novels than a farmed-out concept book,
and rightly so.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:26
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: L.A.,April 1, 1981

 (blocked) asks:
> What are you doing on line in mid-day?

      I dived on for a bit from my office at the stage.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com>
Subject: Gravity in core shuttle

 Phil Koltko <71604.2145@compuserve.com> asks:
> What holds people to the seats and floor of the core shuttle?

      There are mag-strips, also hand-holds, seat belts and
foot-straps.  As you enter you hear the voice warning that this is a
reduced gravity area, and to exercise proper precautions.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:30
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Narn contribution

 (blocked) asks:
> Did the Narn contribute to the making of B5?

        No, the Narn didn't contribute to the making of B5.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Jinxo

 (blocked) asks:
> Are there plans for seeing Jinxo on the series again?

      No, no plans for Jinxo for now.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:34
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dust to Dust Problem

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> In "Dust to Dust" why did you have G'Kar refer to his father in
> the third person when he said "I must honor my father's name" to
> his father? Also why wasn't G'Kar happy and embracing his father
> when he appeared to him right after G'Kar watched his father die
> hanging from the tree?

      Both questions have the same answer: logically, G'Kar knows that
his father is dead.  He saw him die.  So whoever this was, wasn't his
father, even though he was appearing that way.  Or was a spirit, and
either way, he would've been sufficiently apprehensive about it not to
go blithely around embracing something he didn't understand.  I sure as
hell wouldn't.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:37
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Has Ron and the folks at Foundation picked up some new rendering
> iron (or silicon)?

      No, I just think they're getting better at using what they have.

                                                                   jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Celia J. Penham <102454.540@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:25:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Lee Whiteside <76711.2660@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD- Special Scene>

{original post had no questions}

      Yup.  We designed that scene very carefully to have that impact.
No cutaways, just *hold* on him.

                                                               jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:38:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Last Shadow War>

{original post had no questions}

      Nope, sorry, that theory couldn't possibly be more incorrect....

                                                                   jms

------------------------------

Date: 04-Apr-96 22:38:56
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD - Narn Sacrifice>

{original post unavailable}

      What you also have to bear in mind sometimes is that *this* is
the only way to get things done.  When the Allies stormed Normandy
Beach, they knew that German bunkers and machine nests and fortified
positions were right there on the beach waiting for them.  But they
stormed out, onto the beach, and the first lines were cut down, one
after another after another, hundreds, literally thousands of soldiers.
But those behind were able to get through, take up position as best
they could.  Some of them clung to the edges of cliffs as Germans above
laughed and threw down grenades into their midst.

      Sometimes there's no other way.  But you do it because those who
command you have the moral authority to say "You probably will not come
back, but the cause is just, and fair, and necessary."

      Thus do we go off to die.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 05-Apr-96 01:35:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams-Classic>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, and thanks especially for the comment about Delenn.  She
really hit home here for a lot of people, and the exchange was a good
one.

      I think we may have done something quite extraordinary here. 
One hopes for that, of course, always...but I've finally allowed myself
to think we may actually have done it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 05-Apr-96 01:35:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

      No, there's an actual limit to the frequency/volume you can pack
into an episode.  Go over the legal limit and you can get into dutch
with the FCC.  We went real near it, but didn't pass it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 05-Apr-96 01:35:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

      Yeah...the reference was kafuffled.  There was so much going on,
so many EFX shots, so much rearranging of shots to make everything work
(we literally delivered this 2 hours before the process for uplinking
started) that this slipped past.  I'll assume that Sheridan got excited
and said the wrong name. It'd happen to anyone.  Right?  Right?

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com>
Subject: Dust to Dust Problem

 William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com> asks:
> So are you possibly indicating that G'Kar could have been seeing
> a spirit as well?

      Well, G'Kar doubtless *thinks* he saw a spirit, possibly the
spirit of his father, possibly something else...revealed later as
G'Lan, of course, taking that image in order to give him a revelation.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Senators Giving Orders

{original post unavailable}

      Real simple.  For starters, both Senators are on the Babylon 5
Oversight Committee, and the CO of B5 is answerable to that committee,
as those in the Pentagon are answerable to the senate for senate-funded
activities.  Also, the matters in question, such as the labor strike,
were not strictly military matters, but *civilian* situations.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: The Best Yet!

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks, and welcome out of Lurkdom.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Comic Disappointment

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is there anything that you can do to get DC comics to start
> publishing new B5 comics? Aren't you concerned that the story you
> wrote for the first few issues may never be seen by your fans? If
> you're having trouble with DC, why don't you just let another
> company publish the comics?

      The comics may finally be getting back on line.  There will be a
meeting in May in NY to finalize stuff there.

      I will not, however, be writing directly for the comic anymore. 
DC has a policy that they will not allow writers final say on their
books.  Only the editors.  On all books written by other writers, as
per their contract with DC, I via WB, have final approval.  However, if
I function as a writer, then I must give up that right and allow myself
to be rewritten by the editor. It's a jurisdictional matter.  Suffice
to say I was appalled by some of the rewriting done on what I'd turned
in on the four issue arc.

      Consequently, I will not be writing that arc, or any other books
for the DC title.  I will be happy to provide information to keep the
story current with the series, farm out premises so it stays canon, and
work closely with the writers in my approval status.  That way I can
make sure the work is to our standards; if I write for the book, I
cannot do so, because the editor insists on rewriting me to maintain
DC's jurisdictional structure.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:53
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do advertisers have to stay within those boundaries?

      Advertisers generally go right up to the limits of the sound,
but can't go over it.  They just use up *all* the frequency range, so
it seems louder and bigger.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:57
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joe Salemi [ZD Net] <72631.23@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Joe Salemi [ZD Net] <72631.23@compuserve.com> asks:
> And Mira?
> And the look in her eyes?

      Thanks, and yes, there's definitely fire and steel in Delenn,
which she calls upon when she needs it.  And nobody crosses her when
that happens.

                                                                   jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:17:58
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  Yes, it's designed to get you revved up at the retreat,
it's our natural reaction.  The TV Logic thing to do would be to go to
black at that point, and the commercial.  But this show is about
consequences, choices and responsibility, and to *not* have that last
scene would be a betrayal of that.  Otherwise it's just jingoism.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Of course, one wonders how he managed to get such a plum
> position, hmmm? When exactly did the effects get finished for this
> episode?

      All I'll say here is that there were *so* many EFX here that we
mixed the episode a few days before delivery, and got it down there 2
hours before the process for uplinking the episode to stations.  It was
the hardest thing we've ever done...but it was worth it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Randy Upshaw <75464.1275@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 Randy Upshaw <75464.1275@compuserve.com> asks:
> So Is "Ship of tears" the next big arc episode?

      Exactly.  If you're going to do something as monumental as what
Sheridan does here re: B5's status and Earth, it can't be done lightly
or frivolously or without sufficient cause.  It has to be an absolutely
last resort.  If we'd done it any sooner, it would've been less
effective, and more of a cheat.

      And yes, after two breather stories, "Ship of Tears" starts the
arc moving again, and with very few exceptions doesn't let up for the
rest of the season.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: William O. Powers <102124.3327@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks, I agree, I think it is our best work.

      So far.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com> asks:
> How can you possibly top this one?

      How can we top SD isn't the question.  It's when.  We *have* to
keep constantly getting better, improving the show.  As Bob Dylan
wrote, "Any man not busy being born is busy dying."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

 Daniel M. Upton <75442.1331@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does this mean that there are warrior and worker caste Minbari
> doing religous duties in the temples and warrior and religious
> caste Minbari doing worker caste duties as well?

      No, those aspects are kept absolutely separate and
caste-specific. It's only when you get into the warships that, by
tradition, some warrior caste have been involved with the others,
mainly as a courtesy.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:13
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post had no questions}

      Except, of course, you now have an extraordinary situation in
which the Major, through the death of his CO, was now the commanding
officer of the Alexander.  In ordinary circumstances, this would mean
he'd be given a field promotion.

      Second, I don't recall any situation where the Major was "giving
orders to a commander."  The aide on the deck of the Alexander was a
Lieutenant, as I recall.  Also, if Hague indicated that he was to be
given command as he died, that would likely be honored.  Finally, yes,
the Major was involved in the discussions of strategy, but in *every
case* he presented Sheridan and Hiroshi with options, and because it
was Sheridan's neck of the woods, it was left to Sheridan to give
orders.  He coordinated the defense, and was the only one speaking
directly with the Agrippa.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

      Re: Foundation "adding a new flame effect"...sort of.  One
night, we just went out into the parking lot, set up a camera pointing
up behind a plexiglass screen, and set off a bunch of explosions above
it.  Went great until one of the blasts was so big it melted through
the plex *and* the camera lens....

      Looked good though, didn't it?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: General Hague <Spoiler>

{original post unavailable}

      I think Sheridan was kinda up to his ears in matters graver than
the Major's field promotion, though you're right, he had one coming (as
I noted in an earlier message).  Given that they'd just broken away
from Earthforce, and walked away from the rank structure to some
extent, it would seem a rather indulgent exercise, since Earth
certainly wouldn't recognize the field promotion of a renegade officer.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Al Lipscomb <75204.2225@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD - Narn Sacrifice>

 Al Lipscomb <75204.2225@compuserve.com> asks:
> With the station rotating for the simulation of gravity, and the
> breaching pod attaching to to outside of the station: Should the
> opening the pod mad have been in the floor instead of the wall?

      Yes and no.  They came through the "floor" which would be the
outer hull.  Like any good ship, the station has two hulls for
protection, an inner hull and an outer hull.  Once breaching the outer
hull, they moved into the inner hull, then angled up for a wall they
could blow out.

      I figured this would make more tactical sense because if they
just blew through the floor, they'd have to *crawl* out one or two at a
time, whereas if they angled in safely and then came in through a wall,
they could pour in more quickly, en masse, and be less vulnerable.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD- Special Scene>

 SysOp Dupa T Parrot <70040.104@compuserve.com> asks:
> Isn't that type of shot (camera pulling back as the lens zooms
> in) a Hitchcock original (ala "Vertigo")?

      Probably; the shot gets used in many films.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:25
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams-Classic>

{original post unavailable}

      Bingo.  You hit it right on the nose.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams-Classic>

 Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com> asks:
> And thus my question about this on EA ships: while we are shown
> that they have rotating compartments, what happens when these
> ships are under acceleration (or deceleration)?

      Narns are strapped in because they don't have artificial
gravity, or rotating sections; if they weren't strapped in they'd be
floating about.

      C&C is a little over one-third of the way from the central hub. 
This gives you about 33-35% of normal gravity, so a person weighing 200
pounds would weigh about 66-70.  (Yes, we did the math on this.)  So
you're not going to see anybody bouncing around the walls.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:18:31
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams battle>

 (blocked) asks:
> What happened to the fourth one?

      That would've been killed off-camera.  We tried to fit in every
ship getting nailed, but finally realized it would've required another
half an act.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:34:37
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: SD - Thunderbolts

{original post unavailable}

      The Thunderbolts have extension wings on the sides, which extend
to lock for full flight capacity.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 00:34:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Deonaha M. Conlin <102531.2627@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams >

{original post had no questions}

      Re: caring for the characters...this is exactly the point I was
going on about a few weeks ago here.  Somebody was wondering why the
personal stories, why not just arc-arc-arc.  You *need* the occasional
personal stories so you learn more about the people, and grow to care
about them *as* people, not just arc-movers, so that when stuff like
the events in SD happen, you care about it and get involved.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 06-Apr-96 14:01:29
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rob Edin <102623.2165@compuserve.com>
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

 Rob Edin <102623.2165@compuserve.com> asks:
> 5 stations, hmmm?

       Clarifications: B1-B3 were never finished, but sabotaged very
early in construction, so the cost impact wasn't that high.  Only B4
was completed. When it vanished, the project was almost abandoned, but
then the Minbari and Centauri agreed to help finance the project, and
the EA went ahead with a scaled-down version, their last shot at it. 
Hence, B5.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:18:58
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Larry Rosenblum <72122.1555@compuserve.com>
Subject: San Jose Merc and B5

{original post had no questions}

        Great, thanks for the info.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:18:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Sandra G. Bruckner <76642.3664@compuserve.com>
Subject: Comic Disappointment

 Sandra G. Bruckner <76642.3664@compuserve.com> asks:
> When you mentioned the editing problems you were encountering
> with DC in your phone conversation to the DC Gathering a while
> back, did you notice the reaction? Everyone was apalled that some
> comic book editor would have the nerve to want to re-write your
> story? How can someone else write it better than you can?

      Yeah, it's kind of the Red Queen's Race sort of logic.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:19:01
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: stuff

 Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Would I be wrong in assuming that he is out of the renumeration
> range for a B5 novel?

       Probably, yeah.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:19:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Rick Sharon <76416.2213@compuserve.com> asks:
> What can I say?
> Is this your best to date?
> You and your entire crew (actors, special effects, casting -
> EVERYONE) must be extremely proud of this masterpiece - as well
> as a little aprehensive - how do you top this?? But, who are the
> traitors? But, what of the Grey Council members that broke from
> the council to side with Delenn? Traitors to what had been their
> ruling body? Probably won't be enough, but at least he'd go down
> fighting and it could help distract Clark's troops? I guess their
> (Shadows) time of quiet preparation is over? Definitely not
> comfortable but, who would would be? I could almost see/hear the
> wheels turning in John's head ("this is it, no turning back, time
> for "the" decision, it's in my hands, -my- decision" - replaying
> events up to that point, wrestling with alternatives, "are there
> alternatives?"
>  - just plain numb over the weight of these events?
> ships, situation hopeless - surrender or die?
> "What do I tell his and Hague's wives?"

        Wow, that's a lengthy examination.  Thank you for all that,
and the effort.  Great encouragement.  I appreciate it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:19:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Stephen Burrow <70640.40@compuserve.com>
Subject: "The" John Smith

{original post had no questions}

        No, he's just funny that way....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:19:07
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chad Underkoffler <102512.1310@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Rage'sThots:JS's Dream>

 Chad Underkoffler <102512.1310@compuserve.com> asks:
> "Do you know who I am?"
> He sees himself, this possible being a question to himself along
> the lines of "Am I dreaming?" Perhaps "You are the hand that
> killed her?"

               Not bad....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 16:19:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD - Narn Sacrifice>

{original post unavailable}

       Thanks...

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Automedia, Inc. <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Abuse in Sactown

{original post had no questions}

      Nuts, you're right, that *is* very unfortunate.  Especially
given how good the episode is.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Fan Club

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> What do we have to do to get the fan club applications?
> Do we have to send a letter, or do we get it if we signed up
> online, on AOL or the web, a few months back? When should we
> expect to receive the applications by?

      I'll post the full information this coming week.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Stern on B5

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Since Howard Stern is a big fan of your show, do you plan on
> asking him to guest star on B5 sometime?

      No immediate plans for this, no.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Elyse M. Grasso <70302.3304@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks; you're right, it's the moments that make any good show.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  Any work of fiction must, on some level, make you
*feel* something for the characters, so it isn't just an intellectual
exercise, or the resolution of the plot.  If you can touch the
emotions, then you've got something very special.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 (blocked) asks:
> done, is this do?

      Yes, this one had more CGI than anything we've ever done before.
And thanks.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Meryl Yourish <103470.2703@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Severed Dreams'

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  If you've got someone new to the show, who might not
know the backstory very well, then probably the Michael York episode,
"A Late Delivery From Avalon" would be a good one.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 06-Apr-96 22:50:53
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Al Lipscomb <75204.2225@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD - Narn Sacrifice>

{original post had no questions}

      Yeah, the ships kinda turned fast there, but we were just out of
time in the episode, and had to move it along.

      In any event...thanks for the great comments.

                                                                   jms


------------------------------


Date: 07-Apr-96 13:50:47
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Minbari society>

 (blocked) asks:
> Did that look like A'Shan in the Grey Council ship too you, as
> well?

      That wasn't Ashan, no.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 13:50:49
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD :-O >

 (blocked) asks:
> Did she mean on the WS, or the Grey Council cruiser, or Minbar?
>  -Was Sandra Hidoshi related to Sinclair's Senator contact in
> season 1?

      Several corrections to your note:

      1) That was not Ta'Lon in the episode.  He didn't appear
anywhere in this episode.

      2) Jerry didn't hide his broken arm in the pocket because it
wasn't broken at that time.  That scene was shot previous to the
earlier scene (we shoot out of sequence, like all shows).

      3) It's Sandra Hiroshi, not Hidoshi, so no relation to the
senator.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS: Severed Dreams?

{original post unavailable}

      Well I wouldn't consider the story with Mr. sebastian to be a
wedding like scene (unless you go to some different sorts of weddings
than I've ever been to), and the fruit scene (with Sinclair, not
Sheridan) was primarily a rebirth ceremony, so again, I think the
"pattern" is perceptual.

      "...can we settle on the fact that the shadows are "bad" or at
least completely and utterly selfish?"

      You're putting human motivations on an *extremely* alien
culture, which may have its own reasons for doing what it's doing. 
(Actually, *everyone* has their reasons for doing what they're doing,
even the Nazis used the argument of Lebensraum, living space, to
justify their actions.)  So I won't say we can settle on this, no.

       Thanks....

                                                                   jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <<Severed Dreams>>

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.

      Re: Marcus...yes, he was away from the station when all hell
broke loose; we find him returning in the very next episode.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:49
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Joe Salemi [ZD Net] <72631.23@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Joe Salemi [ZD Net] <72631.23@compuserve.com> asks:
> Are they new?
> Whose are they?

      Those are the Vree; we saw them in season one, in Deathwalker.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> "Will you give all you can give so that our battle may advance?
> Some will fall and some will live; will you stand up and take the
> chance?"

      Thanks.  Yeah, the older I get, the more I realize there are
things you can do with silence you can't do with words, though I still
love the form of the speech.  There was a lot of counterpoint in this
episode, a tool I'm still playing with as a writer; eventually I'll
figure out how to really use it properly.  (Though there's an
interesting scene up later this season using another kind of ironic
counterpoint which I think works pretty well.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      All of them....

                                                                   jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:57
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      Thanks.  I agree, Bruce has definitely made the role his own. 
It's a slow and difficult process for any actor, but he's done very
well at it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:15:58
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

      I'd have to check my figures, which are at the office, and I'm
at home, but I *think* we've got about 600 crew and support on a
Minbari cruiser.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:16:02
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Ceremonies Question>

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> In "Ceremonies of Light and Dark" why did G'Kar not accept
> Delenn's invitation to the Rebirth Ceremony? G'Kar been trying for
> awhile to become part of the army of light, why would he turn
> down a chance to get closer to Delenn?

      Because he saw the actual co-running of security, and their
duties, more important...that is physical, and concrete, and he feels
is his surest way to win a seat in the new council.  Actions, not
ceremonies.  He's very direct that way.  (Which is pretty much what he
said at the time.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:16:03
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Ceremonies-Delenn>

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> In "Ceremonies of Light and DarK" Lennier says that Delenn is
> destined for another, is this part of the prophesy?

      It is now.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:16:05
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD: Praise & Questions>

 (blocked) asks:
> a) Will those Minbari warships be staying with Babylon 5?
> b) Was that Minbari that Delenn talked to beofre meeting with the
> Grey Council the same one as in "There All the Honour Lies"?

      No, the Minbari wasn't Ashan, no.  And yes, the Minbari war
cruisers will be staying for a while...but they know they can't rely on
Minbari protectino forever.  They have to take control of the
situation.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:33:21
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      "JMS is on an anti-typcasting crusade."

      That's actually true, in a lot of ways.  My sense is that here
we have many actors who created enduring works because they were good
at what they did; they're *good actors*.  But because they were so good
at it, they got typecast as only able to play that.  How many people
snickered, wrongly, when they heard Walter was going to be Bester? 
"Chekhov in the Psi Corps," was the usual lament.

      Until they *saw* him.  And saw what he could do.

      To work against the typecasting is simply payment on a debt to
those who created enduring characters.  And I'll continue to do it
wherever and whenever I can.  (Look for Robert England in an upcoming
episode playing a very different sort of character than he's played
elsewhere lately.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 14:33:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD - MAJOR error>

 (blocked) asks:
> How would Delenn know about B5 declaring independence, and know
> that they needed help?

      Real simple.  Lennier was still on-station.  All she had to do
was check in with him en route and find out.  Also, she went to the
council for the purpose of getting military support because she knew
heavy stuff was coming down, in one form or another.  Knowing that "the
humans are fighting one another" as she said to the council, it's
evident that if they didn't come to B5 that day, they'd come shortly
thereafter.

      So no, not a major error at all.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:20
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

{original post unavailable}

      We shot the last scene with the cane *before* we shot the scene
in which Jerry broke his arm.  It costs way too much to go back and
reshoot.  At the time we shot the later scene, he hadn't yet broken his
arm.

      And G'Kar isn't all the way in yet; he wants to be, but so far
he's still being held at arm's length a bit...he may make an issue of
this.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:23
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Novel

{original post unavailable}

      No, the story is not from a novel.  It's all original.  Nothing
from it has ever been published.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:30
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Is there a reason she wanted Sheridan's part in the Conspiracy of
> Light kept under wraps, but expected something very different
> from the Grey Council? Wouldn't that have jeopardized the chances
> for success for the Conspiracy of Light? Secondly, I'm curious as
> to whether the three Minbari warships are the sum of the fleet
> the Religious and Worker Castes have at their disposal? Anybody
> ever tell you your stories are addictive? ?

      Thanks.  The Grey Council could've taken a lot more action to be
supportive behind the scenes, getting the warrior caste more involved
with the rangers, giving aid to the non-aligned worlds...there was a
LOT they could have been doing all this time that wouldn't have
required tipping their hand. Instead they sat and did nothing.  And
now, with B5 on the edge of falling, to say it's not their problem was
too much.  Now is the time they have to start coming forward.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

      In a sense, it's going from one emotion or thematic element to a
very different, but equally strong one, either as bookends or through
intercutting. Going from the high of the victory, to the sudden shot of
the dead troops, is thematic counterpoint.

      Here's another...in "Cabaret" you've got a scene where the
performers in the Cabaret are doing the sort of German dance where you
slap your knees and thighs and chest...and they take it a bit further,
slapping one another, it's all for comic effect...but during this,
you're intercutting the owner of the cabaret being beaten to within an
inch of his life by some Brownshirts outside.  You go from comic to
brutal and back, with the result that the happy little dance suddenly
takes on ugly characteristics, and the beating takes on the sense that
the participants are having a sick kind of fun, that it's all just
another kind of dance, a ritual.

      That's what you have to look at as a writer...how this scene
works, and how it interacts with the scenes in front, behind and
"beside" it (for things happening simultaneously).  Sometimes, with the
proper counterpoint, you can add whole new levels of meaning to a
scene, or make the scene much stronger than it would've been on its
own.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Why have we not seen any scenes showing the people in the
> opposing forces?

      We haven't seen those scenes because we don't know anyone there
really, and in an hour show you only have so much time, and within our
budget we only can do so much.  Every speaking role you add costs
thousands of dollars. Every set costs thousands of dollars.

      We're doing the absolute best we can with a budget roughly 1/2
of any of the ST episodes.

      If it isn't *absolutely necessary* to the scene, it isn't in. 
Yeah, seeing some folks in EA talking back and forth about well, maybe
this isn't a good idea, maybe it is, well, let's get back to
work...it'd be an interesting aside, but in addition to slowing down
the pace of the episode, and this one had to move like a house afire,
it's just not something I felt we could or should do.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:40
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 (blocked) asks:
> Also, was his arm in a cast during that scene at the end?
> Was General Hague played by Robert Foxworth in earlier episodes?

      Because we shot the cane scene *before* the fight scene.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams >

 (blocked) asks:
> Will we see Anna Sheridan before the end of the story?

      You're absolutely right.  I didn't answer that question.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams battle>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks back at you....

                                                                 jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:47
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com>
Subject: <JMS-Severed Dreams>

 John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com> asks:
> You ignored the question, "Was what was going on in real Earth
> History about 1000 years ago relevant?" Note, when Delan says the
> last war was 1000 years ago, was that Earth or Minbar years? Was
> this intentional?

      No, that period on Earth was not terribly significant to the
arc.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Technomages, and + ?

{original post unavailable}

      Harlan does pretty much whatever Harlan wants.

      As for the fight, ships on either side would have FOF (Friend Or
Foe) displays tied into the ID of their own squadrons to minimize
friendly fire.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD-Best Episode>

{original post unavailable}

      It's a new bomber...and don't be misled, the next 7 episodes are
all new.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 07-Apr-96 21:49:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Ceremonies<<

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  What you say about relationships is quite true.  The
slow process of getting to know somebody, the courtship, the parries
and feints and false starts are 85% of the fun.  It's the process of
getting into somebody's mind, discovering who they are.  And that's
what these two are doing.  It's an awful lot of fun.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 00:53:26
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 Rebecca Eschliman <76072.2345@compuserve.com> asks:
> Because of the success of your anti-type casting, has there been
> any kind of surge of actors wanting to be included in the B5
> epic?

      No, not really...mainly because we're still not very visible to
most agents.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 00:53:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post unavailable}

      Yeah.  Bill kept bugging me to put him in a scene with June, but
I just felt it'd get in the way.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com>
Subject: >>Delenn<<

 Toni Muller <75223.1575@compuserve.com> asks:
> _Why_ is she doing this?
> And what will Sheridan's reaction be if and when he finds out?
> Also, when you said we'll see Anna soon but not in this batch of
> episodes, did you mean we'll see her at least by the end of this
> season?

       I'm in the awful situation of not being able to answer either
of those questions without giving away something major.  All I can say
is that Delenn has good reasons, or what she thinks are good reasons.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >Severed Dreams/Kurosawa

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks.  I agree with you about Garibaldi; it has to be treated
properly and with weight.

       Actually, I've never seen Ran, though it's on my list of films
to see when I get enough round tuits.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:45
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: 'Severed Dreams'

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks, and may you only continue to keep saying that....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chad Underkoffler <102512.1310@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post had no questions}

       I hope nobody takes this the wrong way....but I think some of
the earlier slowness in the first season episodes has something to do
with being ST-programmed.  It's a pacing we've all kind of gotten used
to, lots of standing around and discussing stuff, and for everyone
concerned, particularly the freelancers, it's a *very* hard mindset to
break.  It took a while to work that out of everyone's system so we
could concentrate on telling a story the way only we can.

       Also, bear in mind that the first season or so we had to spend
a lot of time establishing our universe, the politics, history and so
on, so that the events we're seeing now would have some weight.  Now
that we've done all that, laid the foundation, we can just rip along at
top speed.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> How do they protect the station from damage caused by collisions
> with debris, and do they even attempt to gather up the remains of
> the dead floating around out there?

       We've shown clean-up crews before outside, including a hazmat
station that goes out to clear away fuel cores or other toxic material.
They would've been dispatched for this.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:56
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Then we both wondered whether the plasma weapons tend to
> cauterize and seal the wounds???

       Correct, PPG bursts, being superheated helium, tend to
cauterize the wounds as they go through.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:00:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 (blocked) asks:
> Who is loyal and who is traitor?

       Actually, yes, I tend to ask for musical counterpoint in the
show from time to time.  For instance, when Sheridan et al were going
to the area where the crowd was waiting, I told Chris to fool us...give
us an ominous sounding sting going into what's going to be a very "up"
scene.  In the battle earlier on, when you'd normally do something fast
and exciting, I asked him to give me something more somber, to pull out
the Requiem theme in a few places. Sometimes, in other shows, I ask for
music that works against a scene to control the emotional core of it;
if it's a bit too silly, perhaps, then I go for a more serious musical
cue to balance it out.  Where a scene would seem to ask for major keys,
I go for minor chords.

       It's all just part of the tapestry.

       (BTW, a little secret...just for fun, I wrote a couple of songs
that you'll be hearing in an upcoming episode.  I used to write songs
here and there, even did a couple for an ABC prime-time special, and
figured I'd try it again.  I wrote the lyrics, discussed the music with
Chris, and he took care of the score, and it's about what I first
conceived.  Came out pretty well, actually.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:02
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams >

{original post had no questions}

       True; he would, and does have other photos.  But would you
entrust a prized photo in Mr. Morden's hands...?

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Babylon cereal

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just wondering, what is your favorite brand of Cereal?

       Kellogg's Raisin Bran.  (Usually laden with blueberries and
raspberries.)

       What a very odd question.

       (I suspect that if I'd said Cap'n Crunch I'd've lost the
respect of everyone in the group.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:06
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: >>Severed Dreams<<

{original post unavailable}

       No, just a member of the warrior caste making sure one he
considered a friend *really* wanted to do this....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:07
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Alan L. Ravitch <73627.3126@compuserve.com>
Subject: More SD Praise

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks, that's about what we hope we are, and will become.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:10
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

 Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Did you ever actually write for "V" other than the script posted
> here?

       No, I had no involvement in V2 (which is simultaneously and
appropriately the term for the series, and the German rocket-bomb that
plagued Britain).  I just knew of Robert's work in general.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:13
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams, WOW>

{original post had no questions}

       It would've worked, but the scene would've forever been about
the mini-LIS reunion.  If it isn't important to the story, it shouldn't
be there.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:01:15
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

       Yes, Dukhat was killed at the start of the Minbari war (that
*caused* the Minbari war), and the Council did without a leader for a
long time.  She was taught and sponsored by Dukhat.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:18:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: J. Michael Straczynski

{original post had no questions}

       Actually, the moderated group is now up and running.  It's a
lot of fun.  rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 14:18:30
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5: The Other Side

{original post unavailable}

       Bear in mind that if we had gone over to the other captains and
what was going on in the other ships, to make room for those scenes we
would've had to cut anywhere from 3-5 minutes of the other stuff.  You
can't just add to the show's time; if that goes in, something else has
to come out.  So you'd probably have to cut the scene between Sheridan
and his father since that was the only stand-alone set piece.

       Any time you write something, you must decide "who is it
about?" This episode was about *our characters*, the ones we've come to
care about, and how they deal with this.  To take away from that and
spend time with people we've never seen before, and won't see again,
would be to cheat our characters of the time on screen needed to pay
off all the things we've set up over the years.

       Would it have been an interesting aside to show the other
captains? Sure.  In a movie, with an open-ended running time, I
probably would have. But there's nothing I would want to cut out of the
episode as it now stands to make room for it.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is this something we can expect MAY happen by the end of this
> group of 8 episodes?

       Could be....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Cerreta <72630.3433@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Cermonies of Lt&Drk>

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks.  I was kind of afraid that after the big Stuff Blowing
Up Episode, anything afterward would be a let down because it couldn't
have the same level of huge action (without killing everyone making the
show).  So the way to deal with that is to go in an entirely different
direction; I was hoping that'd work, and glad that so far it has.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:41
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5: The Other Side

 John M. Graham <74166.3727@compuserve.com> asks:
> Any chance of talking WB into some sort of two-hour special at
> some highlight of the arc, or is this just too difficult in
> syndication?

       It's too difficult to sell a one-shot thing like that in
syndication, I've been told.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:43
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams battle>

 (blocked) asks:
> Another thing I was wondering about was, how long is an act in
> viewing time? What is considered an act?

       An act is a discrete dramatic unit separated by commercials
front and back.  An act can be anywhere from 6-11 minutes as a rule;
act 4 of SD was about 8:20, as I recall.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: David Belt <72142.1365@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 David Belt <72142.1365@compuserve.com> asks:
> I realize that this is not another household, but my son will now
> start raving to his friends at school, so who knows? Question,
> will we learn more about the fate of Anna Sheridan this season? 
> Will we see more of Sinclair after this season?

       Thanks...and we'll certainly hear more about Anna Sheridan's
fate this season.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:47
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Comic Disappointment

{original post unavailable}

       Thanks.  As for Sandman...well, Neil's a special case in every
sense of the word.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com>
Subject: J. Michael Straczynski

 Tom Knudsen <72347.1626@compuserve.com> asks:
> What would be the average message load if I wanted to start
> reading the new group?

       I think the moderated group has had about 1800 messages so far
since it went on-line last week.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:51
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

{original post unavailable}

       Actually, though, because he *did* have his hand in his pocket,
it let me handle the break in the next episode without stretching
credulity too far. It was...well...I guess you'd call that part of it a
lucky break.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 18:53:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Supportability Issues

 (blocked) asks:
> Now that they are cut off from Earth, how will they support
> themselves? How will they support these?
> By the way, how do they get back into the station?

       Fighters re-enter via the main docking bay and are recharged
and lowered into the fighter bays.

       No question, spare parts would be a problem, and they'll have
to cannibalize a lot (plus whatever they scrounged up from the fighters
blown apart outside).

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 19:04:19
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rex Brynen <75040.472@compuserve.com>
Subject: combat ops: StarFuries

 Rex Brynen <75040.472@compuserve.com> asks:
> 1) Given the ease of tracking objects in space, the absence of
> factors affecting projectile weapons trajectories, and the
> possible use of beam weapons, wouldn't (capital) shipboard
> countermeasures have a decisive advantage? If they don't, wouldn't
> it be better to "swarm" ship defences with automated missiles of
> some sort? 2) Given their size, could they really deliver much
> firepower? If they could, shouldn't "carriers" (such as the EA
> destroyers in SD) deploy their fighter squandrons at some
> distance from the intended target? And screen themselves from
> enemy counterattack? 3) At StarFury speeds, wouldn't some form of
> guided missile be preferable to line-of-sight projectile or pulse
> weapons for fighter-to-fighter combat?

       Starfuries serve a *lot* of functions which we've shown before
on the series.

       They can take out a ship's defensive screens and
countermeasures, allowing access by the big ships' armaments.  In a
group, they can take out a good sized ship on their own (a la the
Centauri cruiser in "Fall of Night"). They also serve to protect the
station's defense grid from aggressor starfuries.

       Also, a number of small support ships, including a Hyperion
class ship came through as part of the "carrier group" that went after
the station.  It was up to the starfuries to take care of those ships
while B5 and the other destroyers took out the biggest threats.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bernard F. Dowdy, J <76550.347@compuserve.com>
Subject: SD: The Roanoke

 Bernard F. Dowdy, J <76550.347@compuserve.com> asks:
> How did the Earth Alliance destroyer, Roanoke come by its name?

      Well, Roanoke is a place rich with history.  Some of it a little
odd, given the colony's disappearance, but rich nonetheless.  (Clark
has edged away from giving Omega class destroyers and others names from
Greek mythology and history, toward more conventional names like the
Clarkstown and the Roanoke.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:24
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Bendel [MA] <73447.741@compuserve.com>
Subject: Outstanding job

 John Bendel [MA] <73447.741@compuserve.com> asks:
> Were they wearing new uniforms as it appeared?

      Thanks.

      Re: Foxworth...it was really the only thing to do.  I'd created
the character *specifically* to have him available for this episode,
after which he'd basically fade away while others took up his standard.
It was all leading up to this.  Without being in this episode, there
was nothing more to do with Hague, hence I felt quite comfortable with
his fate, it changed nothing.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: Ed Wasser

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Morden wearing a crystal was Ed Wasser's idea and not yours, will
> the crystal have any importance to the character in the future?

      Nope.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Ruth Spradlin <73477.3155@compuserve.com>
Subject: Star Furies

 Ruth Spradlin <73477.3155@compuserve.com> asks:
> How does everyone tell enemy Furies from friend Furies?
> Don't they all look the same?

      FOF...Friend Or Foe systems on board the furies.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:30
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: Mechanical evolution?

 (blocked) asks:
> Do you design your ships so that the more advanced they get, the
> more animal-like they become? Kind of like backwards evolution, we
> start out animal-like, then become more mechanical, then the
> mechanics become animal-like?

      Certainly as they get more sophisticated, when just *doing it*
isn't the main goal, a certain level of aesthetics comes into play. 
Compare an early Model T to a modern Corvette, for instance.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:33
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

         Basically, the warrior caste doesn't think it's their war;
there's also a certain amount of resentment in it, I think...they *led*
the last war, they *did* their job, and got yanked back and forced to
surrender.  That was a terrible blow to their pride, caused in part by
an alien race, so their attitude now tends to be more or less, "Screw
'em."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anthony J. Bryant <71233.3035@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.

      But really, can *anyone* under 6'2" *really* be a manly man?

                                                      jms (6' 4-1/2")

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:11:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com>
Subject: General Hague <Spoiler>

 Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is the show in great danger now, or did the story just happen to
> be written at a time of some chaos, which has now passed?

      The article portrayed, and somewhat overstated, the events of
last year. (I take some of the blame for this; I may have spoken
unwisely in a few places.)

      The main problem overall right now, for *every* syndicated show,
is that the available time slots are just totally disappearing, thanks
to committments to WBN, UPN and Fox.  They just yanked Lonsesome Dove
even though the ratings were good, and the show was a good show, simply
because they couldn't find enough berths on independent stations to
make it worth it for the national advertisers.

      It's certainly a dark cloud on the horizon; we'll just have to
see whether it blows past harmlessly or not.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 08-Apr-96 23:25:08
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Amy Smith <104476.1020@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Cancellation RUMOR

{original post had no questions}

      Okay, Horse's Mouth time.

      We have not, repeat, not been canceled.  Right now, WB has
bought covers of newspaper TV magazines in over 80 cities that'll debut
over the next couple of weeks; they've also invested a huge amount of
money in a series of radio and TV spots that'll be airing on cable and
indie stations over the next 6 weeks.  They're currently running the B5
contest.  Several stations have announced that they're going to go back
to double-running B5 twice a week.

      Do you think they would do this for a show that's been canceled?

      They don't.  They cut their losses and run like hell.

      This is a jumble of information.  Yes, PTEN seems to be going
away; I've been saying this on the nets for the last several months,
and that we're going to move into straight syndication.  Someone has
apparently taken this and blown it all out of proportion.

      Every season, somebody announces that they've heard it on
absolutely firm grounds that we've been canceled.  Hasn't happened yet.
We've had our ups and downs, like any other show, but we're still here.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 02:37:36
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: All
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!


The following information has just been released by Jim Lochett,
coordinator for the OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 FAN CLUB.  (Note to
convention organizers: the address given below can now be used
as a central clearing house for invitations to cast and crew.)

                                ***

                  THE OFFICIAL BABYLON 5 FAN CLUB

Join today and you will receive the Official Membership Kit,
including:

     A Subscription to The Universe Today: The Official Newsletter of the
     B5FC filled with exclusive interviews, news about Babylon 5, and
     exciting merchandise offers.
     An 8x10 Cast Photo
     Full Color Babylon 5 Mini-Poster (13"x20")
     B5 Fan Club Button & Full Color Sticker
     Membership Certificate (Signed by the show's Executive Producers, J.
     Michael Straczynski and Douglas Netter)
     Membership ID Card granting you discounts on merchandise, conventions,
     etc., as well as access to the Members Only section of TheStation.com,
     the B5 Fan Club Web-site (to be up May 1996).
     Plus as a bonus, the first 100 people to join get:
     A Limited Collection Sticker of the alternate B5 Logo as designed by
     artist Peter Ledger.
 ================

To Give a Membership as a Gift, simply make a copy of the entry form,
fill in the name of the person you wish to make a member, and send it
off. (Don't forget to include your name on the Suggestions line, so
that we can include a gift card.)

Each year the Renewal Kit will offer new and different goodies,
savings, and of course another year's subscription to The Universe
Today.

Remember, this is more than just your run of the mill fan club; the
Babylon 5 fans time and time again have gone that extra step for the
show, and the Babylon 5 Fan Club is our way of giving something back to
those who've been so loyal to us.

 ---------------  CLIP OR COPY AND GIVE TO A FRIEND  -----------------

YES!  I want to join The Official Babylon 5 Fan Club.  Please send my
membership kit to:

Name:    ______________________________________________________________

Age:     __________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City:    _____________________________ State:  _________ ZIP: _________

Country: _____________

e-mail address: _______________________________________________________

Local Station you watch B5 on: ________________________________________

Suggestions: __________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________

 _____ I am already on the mailing list.

 _____ I got this form from a friend.

Enclosed is $12.95 for a U.S. membership; $14.95 for a Canadian
membership; and $19.95 for Foreign memberships.  Orders must be in U.S.
funds. Send check or money order (DO NOT send cash) made payable to:

Babylonian Productions/Fan Club

Mail to:  The Official Babylon 5 Fan Club
          PO Box 856
          North Hollywood, CA 91603

Please allow 5-6 weeks for delivery.  Foreign and Canadian orders are
shipped surface, please allow additional time for shipping.

All returned checks are subject to a $15.00 service charge.

 ----------------  CUT HERE FOR THE END OF THE FORM  -------------------

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 02:43:13
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

{original post unavailable}

       That was because there were so MANY of them; our PPG bursts
usually take a great deal of work.  If we'd given all of them in this
scene that amount of work, we'd still be doing them.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 02:43:14
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Automedia, Inc. <70530.2521@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Previews

 Automedia, Inc. <70530.2521@compuserve.com> asks:
> A quick question: Do you know why WB/PTEN isn't bothering to put
> previews for the next new episode at the end of B5 anymore? What
> gives?

       The space usually taken by the B5 preview is now being used up
by the WB B5 contest.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 02:43:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <SD, visual images>

{original post unavailable}

       Actually, this is the second time she's appeared before them in
more colorful garb.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 02:43:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Marte Brengle <76703.4242@compuserve.com> asks:
> Ah, is it "the taller, the manlier"?
> Dang, how come my 6'7" son isn't dating?

       Because anything over 6'6" is unnatural.

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 09-Apr-96 12:14:00
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Cancelled Rumor

{original post unavailable}

       Nope.  Not true.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 12:14:02
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com>
Subject: J. Michael Straczynski

 Bill Hirst <104106.431@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is it just that you genuinely enjoy chatting about your show
> enough to take the negative comments along with the praise? BTW,
> how are the wrists doing?

       Why?  Why not?

       I was on CIS and GEnie long before B5 got going.  I figured,
why change my habits just because now I was supposedly a vip?  (And I'm
not always comfortable with that designation.)

       Beyond that, my job as a writer is to know as much as I can
about my characters and universe.  In answering all these questions, I
learn more about those areas, which helps me.

       Finally, it's a matter of being accessible and *accountable* to
fans, as I'd wished producers had been when I was primarily a viewer. 
SF fans are generally the most exploited sorts of fans...you're told to
line up, watch the show, buy the merchandise, and shut up.  I didn't
like it then, and I don't like it any better now that I'm on the other
side of the lens.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 12:14:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Steve Ramage <74731.235@compuserve.com>
Subject: SD: Boarding Party

 Steve Ramage <74731.235@compuserve.com> asks:
> What was the decision making process behind the costuming of the
> EarthForce boarding party? How does that go again, and who said
> it?

       Exactly.  These aren't perfect or superior people...they're
just like us, faced with the same problems we're faced with.  What's
inspiring is seeing that people just like us *can* overcome these
things...at great price, yes, with great difficulty, yes, but if we
decide to act, we can succeed.

       And yes, instead of going for a sinister EA look, I wanted the
uniforms to be something we're used to, "our side," as you say.  There
aren't many blacks-and-whites on this show.  It's all greys...and
sometimes olive drab.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 12:14:06
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: This season so far

 (blocked) asks:
> Is there a spoiler sheet for the episodes that have aired so far
> this season?

       We're not on UPN, by the way, though some UPN stations carry
us.

       Try the Lurker's Guide, http://hyperion.com, which has synopses
of all B5 episodes.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 12:42:18
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 v Star Trek

{original post unavailable}

       Let me tell you about a certain kind of sickness.

       The sickness manifests itself in pathetic individuals who, in a
non-electronic forum, would be lighting cats on fire to watch them
howl, or throwing rocks through somebody's window to see them all run
out.

       A few very sad, very pathetic individuals who want to feel
alive come into a forum and leave a message written in insulting terms
because they like to watch everybody get all wired up.  They sit back
and giggle and laugh and wonder gee, whatever was it I said? when they
know exactly what they said.  It was done deliberately, to manipulate
people and get them upset.

       You have no interest in a "survey."  You're a sick, sad and
pathetic individual with nothing more in his life than the need to
tweak people who follow a show that for whatever disturbed reason you
feel should be attacked in the name of Star Trek, even though that
means violating every principle of tolerance ever advanced in ST.

       Some here will probably tell you to get a life.  I would
suggest that you have a life...unfortunately, it consists of the kind
of life where one spends one's time pulling the wings off flies because
you like to see them squirm around on the table.

       And most pathetically, you've probably never even watched the
show, to bolster your opinion.  Maybe a minute or two here and there. 
But getting the facts doesn't matter.  Getting people's opinions
doesn't matter to you, really.  Just causing a flurry of angry messages
and upsetting people is all that really matters to you.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:04
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: First Contact

 (blocked) asks:
> Will B5 ever address in its universe why the alien races waited
> so long before making first contact with Earth? Did EA have to
> pass some technology test to get contacted by the Centauri? Or,
> did they just come across us accidently and try to exploit us for
> their own political purposes?

       Yeah, I'll probably try to get to it, but the basic reality is
that nobody really either knew or cared much that we were here...we
were kind of off the beaten track.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:08
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 v Star Trek

{original post unavailable}

       "I tried to give people a motive to send their vote to me."

       You could have accomplished exactly the same thing by just
asking. And I'm sorry, when someone calls a show a "cheap knockoff,"
and derides those who might actually watch it, it makes your statement
that you "did not intend to offend" rather...unbelievable, at best.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:09
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!

 (blocked) asks:
> Is there any chance that the fan club will start accepting credit
> cards?

       Unfortunately, we're a small operation, and not yet set up for
credit cards.  With luck, we'll eventually be set up that way.  (Once
the web site is up and running, it's our hope to have it credit card
ready, so you could perhaps wait for that if it's a burden for now.  It
should be up within about a month.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:16
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!

 (blocked) asks:
> Is the fan club going to have its own e-mail address?

       Eventually we'll have our own web site, probably within the
coming month, which will provide some rather nifty services....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Biebel <102414.3341@compuserve.com>
Subject: Effects record question

{original post had no questions}

       I don't know...I wouldn't *think* we beat the record...but it's
possible that we did.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:20
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Chris Biebel <102414.3341@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Cancellation RUMOR

 Chris Biebel <102414.3341@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does this mean that B5 will now have a standard time and day so
> that I won't have to check the listings every week to make sure
> it hasn't been moved?

       No, scheduling still remains at the whim of the station.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:22
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!

{original post had no questions}

       Thanks.  Yeah, we could've gone for something more expensive,
but our sense for now is to make it as accessible as possible, not to
turn this into a big profit venture.  This will about cover the
expenses, after a certain number of memberships, or a little less.  But
that's okay.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:25
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: SD: The Roanoke

 (blocked) asks:
> When is the 'Elvis' going to be leading an attack?

       As soon as I can find a pair of blue suede cruisers.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 17:58:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: John Yuen <72466.1621@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 at SyndiCon SF

 John Yuen <72466.1621@compuserve.com> asks:
> Do you know your schedule at syndiCon for the coming weekend?

       I haven't heard a final schedule, but I'd imagine one day will
be much like the next.  (Yes, planning to bring the blooper.)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09-Apr-96 18:07:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Rex Brynen <75040.472@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 v Star Trek

{original post had no questions}

       One also doesn't yell "Fire!" in a movie theater in Los Angeles
because people will shoot at you....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:17
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Carol Naylor <100645.2613@compuserve.com>
Subject: Universes: ST vs. B5

 Carol Naylor <100645.2613@compuserve.com> asks:
> That was _lucky_ ?

      "...the way your mind works can be *really* scary."

      Why, thank you...that's the nicest thing anyone's said about me
in days.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:26
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: JMS question

 (blocked) asks:
> What is your perspective??????
> Do you believe that we are all here due to one big happy (or
> unhappy) accident? From your perspective -- what is the meaning to
> life? Where does it come from then?
> Can I assume that at some point in your life that you did belong
> to a religious faith? What brought you to the conclusion that
> there is no god?

      I declined to answer this privately because I'm really and
honestly leery of spreading, or trying to spread, or being perceived as
trying to spread my own notions about.  What works for me, works for
me; your mileage may (and obviously does) vary.  What I do or don't
believe shouldn't enter into it.  That's why I've deliberately left it
*out* of the show. Otherwise you're not telling a story anymore, you're
engaging in propagandxa.  But if you're going to press the issue....

      As a writer, I don't feel it's my obligation to be fair to every
group on the planet.  That way madness lies.  But I do feel that it is
my absolute obligation to be *honest* in my portrayal of any group, as
well as I am able to perceive it.  If I write about a Minbari, then I
must be as honest I can in addressing who that character is, what he
feels, what he believes, and so on.

      So why should it seem such a leap that, as an atheist, I do the
same when it comes to religion?  I suppose the question itself is the
truly astonishing thing...that it should seem strange or unusual to be
even handed and at least *try* to be honest.  Have we dropped so much
as a culture that the absence of pushing one's own agenda, and giving
an honest hearing of someone else's viewpoint, is considered
extraordinary?

      "The weaving of religion and scifi in your show is so well done.
Where does it come from then?"  It comes from the characters who
believe in whichever religion is under consideration.  If I am fairly
rigorous in presenting the scientific or extrapolative aspects of the
show, what then is odd about this other part?

      As a writer, it's my obligation to put myself in the mind of my
characters, and feel what they feel, and while I'm in their head,
believe what they believe.  If I do my job right, I offer those
opinions and thoughts and feelings with conviction, sincerity and
strength.

      Also, bear in mind that the religious impulse is not that far
removed from the sense of wonder of a scientist on unlocking a
particularly thorny DNA code.  (Note: science and religion are NOT the
same thing, their methodologies are diametrically opposed, and
creationism is NOT science, and evolution is NOT religion, however much
some might wish to make it so by saying it is.) The emotion is the core
truth of it all, what it *feels* like.  We've all experienced the sense
of wonder in one form or another; it's no major task to translate it to
another venue.

      The religious impulse, and the scientific impulse, both spring
from the same source...the desire to answer the questions, Who am I? 
What am I doing here? and Where am I going?  Those had to be the very
first questions we began asking when we became sentient, and we're
still asking them.  The supernatural or religious approach to that
question came first; the scientific approach much later.  The
scientific approach is, "How can I figure out the answer to the
question?"  The religious impulse leads you to, "Who can tell me the 
answer to the question?"

      The one approach is not intrinsically better than the other;
they feed very different needs.  And the whole point of *asking* the
question is to feed that particular emotional need for an answer.  You
find the venue that most matches the wellspring of your desire.  They
serve vastly different functions, are not comparable, but are no less
valid experiences for those involved.  The core feeling of a scientist
on receiving the first images from the surface of Mars are not far
removed from the feelings of the newly converted upon stepping forth at
a revival meeting.  Each gets what he *needs*.  And each is an
honorable pursuit within its own framework.

      "What brought you to the conclusion that there is no god?"  That
I haven't yet seen one in any of our "holy books" that deserved the
name; not one that wasn't afflicted by the same jealousies,
pettinesses, irrationalities and meannesses of the average human.  I've
met many humans who were better and nobler than some so-called deities,
who sacrified their limbs, their fortunes or their lives without the
sure knowledge that they would end up on the great white throne of
heaven for doing so.

      "Do you believe that we are all here due to one happy (or
unhappy) accident?"  My belief doesn't enter into it.  The best
physical evidence indicates that we evolved ourselves up from the
ground, pulling ourselves up by our genetic bootstraps across a million
years of struggle, evolution and blood, surviving because we were
smarter than anything that was stronger than us.  This, to me, is
something to be proud of; we did it ourselves, we weren't just created
whole and complete, all the work pre-assembled at the factory. We
walked on the moon because we *earned* it by growing smart, and
learning -- in however inconsistent and fractured a way -- to live and
work together more often than we fought with each other.

      "From your perspective -- what is the meaning of life?"  As an
atheist, I believe that we get just one ride on the merry-go-round, one
shot at the brass ring before they close the park.  That's it.  As a
result, I view life as being *incredibly* precious, a resource rarer
than any jewel.  A resource that must be protected, nourished, put one
step further along the road to a better road.  What we leave behind,
our only shot at immortality, is the work we leave, the accomplishments
that hold their place in the record books long after we've turned to
dust, so that our names have meaning.  In 50 years, nobody will care
much what religion Jonas Salk subscribed to; they will care only that
he cured a terrible disease, and made the world a better place.

      If we believe we are immortal, then we have wiggle-room to screw
up, because we'll get another chance; to waste our lives on the theory
that as long as we believe a certain way, it doesn't matter if we do
anything of consequence, we're guaranteed an eternity of harp music. 
If we believe the world will be swallowed by armageddon in a few years,
then there's no reason to protect the planet, plan for the future, find
a comfortable balance between nature and industry, so that we can
achieve the stars without destroying the planet.

      I don't have that luxury, and a luxury it is.  So I find my
version of immortality in the words, and in the work, and in the memory
of those I may touch, or help, or instruct, or entertain.

      You may not operate that way.  And that's fine.  It's our
differences that make us human, and our humanity that makes us
endlessly interesting.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:28
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!

 Shane S. Shellenbarger <104305.3404@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is there anything special being done for those of us who were
> subscribers to the newsletter that Christy Marx edited?

      Yes, those individuals will receive the newsletter free of
charge even if they don't join the fan club, until such time as the
remaining 2 issues are worked off.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:32
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 candy

 James R. Kapesis <104154.27@compuserve.com> asks:
> Quick question, what is your favorite candy bar?

      Anything, as long as it's solid milk chocolate.

      (Isn't this rather a silly waste of forum space?)

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:35
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com>
Subject: I hope this is a rumor..

 Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com> asks:
> Is it only rumor-mongering?
> Or sad truth?
> Can you even comment at this time?

      No, it's just a rumor.  These things come up every year.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:38
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Cancelled Rumor

 Mike Hoffmann <100321.2604@compuserve.com> asks:
> But who will pick up with the collapse of PTEN?

      In theory, should PTEN truly bottom out, we'd go out via
straight syndication, same as most syndicated shows.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:39
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Anthony J. Bryant <71233.3035@compuserve.com>
Subject: <Severed Dreams>

 Anthony J. Bryant <71233.3035@compuserve.com> asks:
> NOW are you happy?

      Beleve me, with my rate of folliclelessness, I'm not going to
complain about anybody else....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:42
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com>
Subject: General Hague <Spoiler>

 Randall A. Schanze <74724.762@compuserve.com> asks:
>  -is there any truth to the rumor that TNT has bought the re-run
> rights for '98?

      Yes, TNT has bought reruns starting 1998.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:44
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Theresa Kinney <70751.3262@compuserve.com>
Subject: <SD- Special Scene>

{original post had no questions}

      Thanks.  Yeah, the lighting is quite nice, and very atmospheric.
We try to give it a film-look wherever we can.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:46
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: <Cermonies of Lt&Drk>

{original post unavailable}

      It's okay...so are most of the women who work in the editing
bays at B5. The first few days of this season, as his stuff started
coming in, one of them pulled me aside, and with hand firmly on my arm,
to let me know she meant business, said, "Listen very carefully: I want
to see a LOT more of Marcus."

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 00:20:48
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: DVD disks

{original post unavailable}

      Right now we're still working on getting ANY video out....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 01:26:27
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 Cancellation RUMOR

{original post unavailable}

      I'd say it's certainly more than has been the case...

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


Date: 10-Apr-96 16:13:50
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 FAN CLUB INFO!

{original post unavailable}

      If I can, I will....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 16:13:52
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Previews

 William H. DiPaola <76521.1751@compuserve.com> asks:
> If PTEN really exists no longer, why would such an advertisement
> be inserted when a B5 promo could be shown in its place just as
> easily?

      No, the PTEN change wouldn't really take effect until after year
three, assuming that goes on as it seems to be.  This year is still
under the PTEN aegis, and thus the cross promotion is necessary.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 16:13:54
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: This season so far

 (blocked) asks:
> Have you had any word on DSS picking it up any time soon?

      No, DSS doesn't pick up individual syndicated shows.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 16:13:56
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: Bruno Melancon <102647.3222@compuserve.com>
Subject: Earth Gov Question

 Bruno Melancon <102647.3222@compuserve.com> asks:
> Does Earth still have different nations/states with
> presidents/prime ministers and so on, under rules from the Earth
> Alliance gov., with its own Senate and President? Are the EA
> senators and president elected by all earth population?

      Each nation/state elects a leader, and that leader is either one
of the Earthgov senators, in the case of a smaller nation, or appoints
a rep to be on that body.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 10-Apr-96 16:13:59
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
To: colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com>
Subject: Season 3 of Babylon5

 colin heaps <100622.3610@compuserve.com> asks:
> Just finished it, by all accounts, the new season is better, err
> like how???