b5_jms_answers.txt JMS's Answers & Info about Babylon 5 09/25/94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This document contains a selection of actual quotes by J.Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, from Usenet, GEnie, and CIS groups. The latest version of this document can be found via anonymous FTP at ftp.hyperion.com. This document contains: * Extractions from the more-or-less complete GEnie/Usenet/CIS JMS archives. * An organized set of information & answers to questions, paraphrased here. * Fun tidbits of useful and useless information you may have missed. * Answers to questions you might have, so look in the FAQ and in here first! * Original typos and anachronisms. These are direct quotes, you see! * Some lead-ins from quotes may be confusing based on questions asked. * Minor spoilers (more like tidbits) for present and future episoded. * Keywords to help you find a subject. Search for an important word (singular, not plural, and lowercase) preceeded by the ~ mark. Examples : ~delenn ~g'kar ~twin-peaks * An index of keywords can be found at the end of the document. * An update -- many additions, some deletions -- of the 5/14/94 version. (most episode-specific stuff is gone; see the guide pages.) | | Changes: Took out much episode-specific stuff (better off in the guide | pages) and obsolete information, and added new information. Some general | information on season 2 exists, though season 1 is still the main topic. | This file contains material Copyright 1992, 1993, 1994 by J. Michael Straczynski. He has given permission for his words to be redistributed online, as long as they are marked as being copyright JMS. This compilation is Copyright 1994 by Dan Wood, and may be distributed electronically. Comments, corrections, and additions are encouraged via e-mail. This document is being maintained by dan wood . Thanks to David "jazz" Navas, Elana Beach, Kyle Haight, Michael "Admiral" Zecca, Michele Worley, Lee Whiteside, David Strauss, and the Psi Corps. And so it begins..... =============== Contents =============== I. Story II. Aliens General; Language; Vorlons; Centauri; Minbari; Narn III. Characters Delenn; Franklin; G'Kar; Garibaldi; Hernandez; Ivanova; Kosh; Lennier; Londo; n'grath; Na'Toth; Sakai; Sheridan; Sinclair IV. Technology Station; Ships; Jump Gates; Weapons; Communication; Medicine; Other V. Universe Vision; Earth Alliance; Psi-corps; Powers; Miscellaneous VI. The Pilot VII. The Episodes VIII. Books and Comics IX. Show Production Writing; Casting; Music; Visual Effects; Makeup; Sound; Editing; Video; Production; Promos X. Audience XI. Nitpicks XII. Will there be...? XIII. Products XIV. JMS Himself XV. Miscellany XVI. INDEX OF KEYWORDS =============== Story =============== ==== ~date ~episode ~time ~story ~2258 ~year ~month ~day ???? What will the timeline be in the B5 story? I'm working it so that real-time comes close to paralleling story-time in the series. The events of the series will pick up approximately six months after the events of the pilot. We'll have crossed into another year, so the first "year" in which the series takes place is 2258, year two of the series (if we get that far) would be 2259, and so on. --- No, we generally don't announce the day/month in the episodes, though sometimes dates or seasons are referred to tangentially or offhandedly. The real significant progression is year to year, which is why each year of the show will be marked in the opening narration and parallel real time (season 1: 2258, season 2: 2259, etc.). --- There will be some time between episodes in the B5 universe; in some cases it's about a week, in some cases much longer, as long as we end up covering roughly a year. --- Approximately nine months have passed since the time of the pilot and the birth of the series. ==== ~arc ~story ~five ~miss ~episode ~emerge ~change ~file ???? How is the B5 story going to be told? If B5 is a five-year arc, will I miss out if I miss some episodes? I've constructed the B5 writing scenario more or less as follows: 1) Each episode will be able to stand alone. If you come in on season two, without having seen anything else, you'll be able to get into it. 2) Questions asked in the course of an episode or a season will be answered in that episode or season. 3) BUT...if you continue to watch the show, then over time a story writ on a much larger scale will begin to emerge. Consider it like a triptych, something out of Hieronymous Bosch...each individual panel is sufficient unto itself, but put them all together, and suddenly you see connections and a whole picture that wasn't there a moment earlier. Relationships will change. People will live, and die. Alliances wll shift. And at one point or another, everything you THINK you know about these characters will be turned upside down. --- You have to understand the way this show is going to be structured. There aren't going generally going to be a lot of loose threads hanging around. Episodes will resolve themselves. It's just that, from time to time, we'll carom off some point that seems tangential, but which will later become significant. You don't have to watch every episode. Hell, if I do this right -- and this is one hell of a hat trick, lemme tell you, when it comes to structure -- you can even watch them out of ORDER, within a season, and still follow what's going on. The trick is to make it so that if something slips past, the viewer doesn't trip over it. And when you do an episode that you've set up before, that set-up should in some subtle, non-heavy-expository way, be re-established for those who might not have seen the episode. Telling people "This is a five year arc" in a big way almost as a warning is actually more destructive than constructive; it might lead people to think that they need to commit five years of their lives to get the whole story, and it's hard to get people to commit to even one ten-hour miniseries. You can watch any part you want, and get a good, solid, independently enjoyable hour-show out of it. You can come in at any point you want. The key is that the more you watch, the more you will pick up on the nuances and the threads we're going to be playing with. Generally, we're going to keep those threads a bit light in the first season, then begin to draw in more of the general story arc in the second and subsequent seasons. Let's use the first year to get the audience comfortable with the B5 universe, and with our characters, and in a handful of episodes, carefully begin leading everyone where we want them to go, so that when we start to accellerate things in year two, those who've been with us from the start can get right into it, and those who come to the show late can play catch up without any problem. --- The 5 year arc is worked out in considerable detail; 200 single spaced pages in a triple-encrypted file. --- There is a five-year story arc, yes. What's planned? Cool stuff. --- That said...I think the ending for the B5 storyline is pretty cool. That said...I don't think it's really about the ending. The ending is simply where the story finally stops. Look at the ending of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Frodo back in the shire (though not entirely the same shire it was when he left), glad that it's all over. --- Will you be satisfied by the ending? More to the question, are you being satisfied by the beginning, and the journey so far? That's the more telling question. B5 is more about the journey than the destination, though you have to craft one hell of a climax and a solid ending nonetheless. --- I think maybe 45-50% of our subtext and allusions have been noted to date, which is *real* good. --- Actually, one follow-up...one thing we've been very careful about is that when something is referenced in episode 9 that took place in episode 3, you don't *have* to have seen episode 3 for it to make sense; the information you need is collapsed or somehow incorporated into the dialogue in episode 9. Meaning that while VCRs and repeated viewings and groups can help to *predict* stuff, you don't need to have seen ANY prior episodes of the show to enjoy any one episode of the show. But the *more* you watch, the more you get out of it. ==== ~arc ~twin-peaks ???? Watching Twin Peaks requires watching every episode, will B5 really be any different? The comment re: Twin Peaks is correct; I loved TP dearly, but if you missed one episode, you were screwed. The way the story is constructed, you can come in at any point, even miss episodes, and still be able to follow the thing. It's just that the *more* you watch, the more you'll get out of it. the more things you'll pick up on. It's a very difficult task from a writing point of view, but worth the effort, I think. ==== ~extend ~beyond ~more ~five ~series ~story ~thread ~franchise ???? Any chance of extending beyond five years? What happens at the end of the five year arc? The "Babylon 5" series ends...if I have anything to say about it (and I do). If something esle follows, we'll see what that is, but it won't be the same series, or the same title, or really the same characters. Barring that very distant possibility, at the end of the five year arc, I take a very, very, VERY long nap.... --- Re: the end of the 5th year...I've noted before that there is a thread raised during the B5 run that could be extended into its own series. But it wouldn't be B5. The story of Babylon 5 ends at the end of the fifth year. regardless. --- I'm being very careful not to let B5 turn into a *franchise*. It's a story, created in X-parts, for television. This thing will turn into an industry over my dead body. The most that the framework will permit is a 2-hour TV movie that caps year 5. That's it. ==== ~season ~five ~year ~22 ???? Though the story is locked into a five year time frame, is there a chance of more than 22 episodes per season? At this point, it's way too early to even *think* about topics like expanded seasons. Obviously, yes, we could easily expand each season's worth of episodes from a story point of view. That ain't no kind of problem. As for the rest...only time will tell. ==== ~philosophy ~holographic ~story ~arc ~episode ~image Had an interesting conversation today with one of our crew. I was talking to someone else about the writing philosophy on the show, and how it's comparable to a tryptich...you line up the stories and you begin to see a much broader story after a while. A series of interconnected images. And this crew person said that I was wrong, that wasn't how the show is being done. Now lemme tell you...we encourage people on every level to speak frankly, at any time, to any one, but it takes considerable cojones to say something like that to one's exec producer, that he has his own series wrong in the description. "Oh?" says I. He explains that what it is, is "holographic storytelling." I asked him what the hell this meant. He said that the image of pictures side by side. linear storytelling, wasn't right. That after he read two scripts, he went back and reread the first one, and now he could see things in it that he hadn't seen before. When he'd read three, again he glanced over the first. and new things had come out. "What it IS," he said, "is not side-by-side images, but *overlaping* images, like old fashioned photographic plates stacked up one on top of the other. Each has a piece of the whole picture. When you line them all up, one behind the other, and look through all of them at once, you realize what the picture is. It's three-dimensional storytelling." I had to think about that one a long time, but frankly, he's right, and I'm wrong. That *IS* what we're doing, and I've been describing it incorrectly all this time. Holographic storytelling...well, live and learn, I say. ==== ~story ~arc ~ditillio ~five ~lunatic Just recently, btw, I gave Larry DiTillio a printout with just a little of the coming 5 year arc...if he's going to story edit, he needs to know what lines not to cross, and I can't ride herd on that all the time. He took it home, read it. Called me. Didn't even say hello. Began the conversation with, "You are out of your f'ing mind." I asked for some small clarification of his position. He indicated that he thought it was absolutely great. something that'll really go down in the rolls when the final tally is done. "But you GOT to be out of your f'ing mind to try and pull something like this off. It *can* be done...but it takes a lunatic to do it." Sounds about right. --- Kiwi...understand that no changes are just made willy-nilly (to use your term). This is a STORY. As with any story, any novel, you have your moments of surprise, of sudden turns where you kick over all of the tables and watch the pieces scatter. But the writer already knows where the pieces will land. It's all according to plan. Nobody's going to be screwed over. Anymore than when somebody reading, say, a Stephen King book feels screwed over when suddenly Salem's Lot, a nice quiet little town, suddenly gets filled with undead and characters are suddenly going through some remarkable changes...it's all part of the story. ==== ~opening ~narration ~future ~history ~past ~tense ???? How does the narration relate to the telling of the story? My sense is that we have Sinclair narrating from some point in the future. The transition of grammar takes place as we push into the station. from the outside in. This was the last of the Babylon stations, and this particular segment of it is set in 2258. (Season two would say, "The year is 2259." And so on.) Many here will remember a show called "You Are There." The usual narrator would say, paraphrasing here but keeping the grammar, "The year 1776 was crucial to our nation's history. The founding fathers were on the brink of declaring independence. It's a moment of great importance. The year is 1776...and You Are There." It's along those lines. The purpose of the narrative changes to transition us into the story. --- The tense shifts are intentional, and go with the scenes we're seeing. They're *supposed* to shift, with the visuals, in order to bring us into the present from the future, at which point this story is being introduced. ==== ~narration ~pilot ~opening ~londo ~history ~third ~age ???? Why did Londo do the narration in the pilot? Yeah, Londo seems like the *least* likely person to do the opening narration for a show like this; you don't even see him for nearly two full acts, and it's the kind of thing you'd expect the Commander to do. But there are reasons for everything.... --- "Mankind" was being used by Londo specifically in relation to humans, not sentient aliens including his own race. Earthers. Which was one reason (of many) I wanted his character to be the narrator, someone looking in from the outside. As for the Third Age, it's -- oh, darn, look at the time, have to go.... ==== ~narration ~season ???? What about narration for upcoming seasons? For the series, my feeling is that the intro should be as short as possible, almost more for mood than for information. --- The rotating narrator thing was something that I mentioned en passant at the LosCon screening of "Midnight." What I noted was that I was considering rotating the narrators each season; Londo for the pilot; Sinclair for year one; Ivanova for year two; Garibaldi for year three; G'Kar for year four; and Delenn for year five. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to do it or not.... --- Yes, we will definitely be changing the narration each year; the year two narration will likely be shorter, with some personal touch (I'm in the process of writing it now), and it'll vary in phraseology with each new narrator. --- Second year narration will be Sheridan. Third year probably either Ivanova or Delenn. Fourth year G'Kar. Fifth year...possibly no one. --- Yes, we'll definitely be redesigning the opening sequence visually as well as in the narrative. ==== ~name ~babylon ~why ~myth ~history ~four ???? Why "Babylon 5"? Thing is, Babylon has become a myth that can be interpreted and re-interpreted a zillion ways, and can't be unmentioned forever because of one of those interpretations. That's why the name has come up more times than I want to think about, in song and story. (Remember the song "Babylon," by, I believe, Donovan?) We did a titles search before we began production, and the title Babylon 1 has been used 4 times, Babylon 2 has been used twice, Babylon 3 appears in a copyrighted song title, and Babylon 4 has also been used (though neither copyrighted nor trademarked, so we've taken that step). Which also goes to Somtow using a Babylon 5 in his story. It's a name that merits lots of re-interpretations. --- And here's a little something to consider. Some have noted the location of B5's namesake, it's proximity to the Tigres and Euphrates, that sort of thing...speculated on other aspects of the show...but much of what you need to know about what will eventually happen in the course of the B5 story arc is already available to you. In any decent desk encyclopedia. What, you thought I pulled the name Babylon out of a hat? Let's just say that there are going to be some interesting historical parallels.... --- You have to really dig to get any good material on Babylon; it's not a big topic among commercial publishers, you really have to go for the academic publishing houses. (Beware of religious publishing houses in this area; they have their own spin on things that tends to infect the text.) --- Ancient Babylon kind of began with a good idea, to form a central location for business, commerce, trading...and gradually went downhill from there. The *idea* was solid, and that was the goal of the Babylon project...to form a place, a freeport, of trading, where cultures could come together. And it sounded exotic. Naturally, no one expects Babylon 5 to go the way of the original Babylon.... After all, we're *so* much smarter now. ==== ~four ~story ~squared ~ditillio ~thornton ~three ~two ~one ???? Will we find out what happened to Babylon four, three, two, one? After the meeting, Ron Thornton and I were talking, and he said, "Okay. what's the deal on Babylon 4? I mean, are we ever going to see what happened to it, or see it again?" I smiled. "Do you REALLY want to know?" He considered it for a moment. I think he gets nervous when I smile like that. "Okay...sure." So I told him. And his eyes went wide as pancakes. It was a wonderful. Tex Avery effect. "Get out of here," he said, at first sure I was kidding. I explained that I was quite serious. Last I saw him, he was wandering off, muttering to himself, but growing increasingly enchanted with the idea.... --- The EA has owned all of the Babylons; 1-3 were sabotaged early in construction, so it wasn't too much of a loss. They dumped a BIG budget into B4, and when that died, barely passed the budget for #5, skimping all the way. cutting it down to bare bones operating expenses. They will and would never approve a #6. --- B4 never got as far as having a commander attached to it. The last stages of construction on Babylon 4 were supervised by one Major Krantz. assigned specifically to that task. He managed to get the station completed. and on-line, and Earthforce was just beginning the process of selecting a commanding officer to run the station when, 24 hours after the station became operational, it vanished, taking roughly 1,200 of its skeleton crew with it (including Major Krantz). --- B1-B4 were located in roughly the same sector, with B4 using some of the materials from 1-3 leftover. B5 was constructed about 3 hours (traveling time in real-space) from the location of B4. ==== ~first ~season ~story ~squared ~who ~what ~why ~answer ~line ???? What will the first season be like? What kinds of things will happen? So far, this season you'll learn a lot about all the cultures of our ambassadors, especially the Big Four; you'll see the League of Non-Aligned Worlds in action; you'll learn a LOT about the Psi Corps, Earth government and economics, the inner workings of Babylon 5, the history of the Babylon project, Sinclair's background (also a lot about Ivanova's and Garibaldi's past)...you'll see a darker side of Londo, a lighter side of G'Kar, a more ambiguous side of Delenn, some very weird sides of Kosh...and you'll come away with a real sense of B5 as a *place*, a habitat, where things are, what they do, how it works. There will be an awful lot of action, and an even greater amount of humor...there are parts of the show that, even having seen them 16 times, are still fall-down funny. Other than that...not much to say. --- Since Mike mentioned it...yes. "Babylon Squared" answers the B4 question...though posing new questions about *why*. Basically, every question we ask going into the first season we will answer, because I don't think it's right or fair or smart to keep people hanging around 3 years to get a simple answer to a simple question. Season 1 of B5 is what I generally call the "what" season...you find out WHAT the Psi Corps is, WHAT happened at the Battle of the Line, WHAT happened to Babylon 4, and so on...whereas Season 2 is the "why" season...WHY did that happen to Sinclair? And so on. New questions arise, and we proide new answers, generally within the course of the following season, but while at all times making sure that each episode stands alone, regardless of where and which season you enter the series as a viewer. (It's kinda like being one of those guys on the old Ed Sullivan show. spinning plates on top of long, thin rods...there's a LOT to keep in motion at all times.) I'd classify the pilot movie as "who." --- Season one will generally answer 90% of the questions raised in season one; season two will answer the remaining 10%, and answer 90% of the questions raised in season two...and so on. There will not be a sense of unfulfilled waiting. --- You will find out what happened to Sinclair, for starters, during the Earth/Minbari war. In that respect, the pilot movie is like the first chapter of a novel. For nearly 10 years, Sinclair has worked to convince himself that nothing happened to him on the Line other than what seems to be the case: that he blacked out for 24 hours. He's just managed to convince himself of this. Now, suddenly, someone comes into his life and with seven words -- you'll know them when you hear them -- completely unravels the self-deception. He knows then that something DID happen to him, that someone DID mess with his mind...and he is going to find out who, and why. This he will do. And the ramifications of that discovery will have a major influence on the series, on his relationships, and the future of not only his character but many others. You will see what a Vorlon is...and what it represents. And what it may have to do with our own saga, and a hidden relationship to some of our other characters (watch the reception scene carefully). We'll discover that there are MANY players in this game. One thing that separates this show from others is that on other shows. very often you do things to them to make for interesting drama...you take them prisoner, you make them kids, whatever...in this show, it's what's INSIDE the characters that will pose the greatest problems...and the greatest possibilities for drama. Most every major character is either running to, or away from something in their hearts, or their pasts, or their careers. Garibaldi's past will catch up with him in a very difficult way that will affect his role and make him a very different character for as much as a full season, and have lasting effects thereafter. Lyta will take part in a voyage of discovery that will very much change her character. Some of the established empires will fall. Some will rise. Hopes and fortunes will be alternately made or destroyed. At least one major group not yet known even to EXIST will make its presence known, but only gradually. Some characters will fall from grace. Others will make bargains whose full price they do not understand...but will eventually come to realize, and regret. At the end of the first season, one character will undergo a major, MAJOR change, which will start the show spinning on a very different axis. The first season will have some fairly conventional stories, but others will start the show gradually moving toward where I want it to go. One has to set these things up gradually. Events in the story -- which is very much the story of Jeffrey Sinclair -- will speed up in each subsequent season. Someone he considers a friend will betray him. Another will prove to be the exact opposite of what Sinclair believes to be true. Some will live. Some will die. He will be put through a crucible of terrible force, that will change him, and alter his destiny, in a profound and terrible way...if he goes one way, or the other, will determine not only his own fate, but that of millions of others. He will grow, and become stronger, better, wiser...or be destroyed by what fate is bringing his way. In sum, it is a story of hope against terrible adversity and overwhelming odds. That, in broad brush strokes, is a *taste* of what I plan to do with the series. I note this here because when the pilot airs, I am going to ask for your continued help in supporting the endeavor for the series, and it occurs to me that you ought to have at least SOME idea of what you're buying, and being asked to support. One should never be asked to sign a blank check on the bank of one's conscience. ==== ~second ~season ???? What kinds of stuff do we get in the second season? Overall title for season two: "The Coming of Shadows." --- Next season's last episode will not be a cliffhanger per se, but will, like "Chrysalis," just escalate the hell out of the show. --- Haven't yet seen or heard what the airdate schedule will be like for next year, but like you I hope it'll be with more new episodes straight through. and fewer interruptions by reruns. --- There will be 22 episodes in season two. --- Yes, in season two, we'll be seeing a lot of the jumpgates from up close, and straight through. ==== ~adult ~nudity ~mature ???? Will the show feature mature themes? You really have to do whatever's right by the story. Some adult themes have to be handled in an adult fashion. There are some very adult themes in B5. Some you may like, some you may not. I don't think we'll be able to go in for nudity or the like because I don't think the stations would permit it. If they did...I still don't know if I'd use it or not, because it would really depend on the story. ==== ~cliffhanger ~finale ~season ~end ~chapter ~change ???? Will seasons be ending in cliffhangers? As for "season finale cliffhangers," that depends on how you define that. If you mean a cliffhanger that, once resolved at the start of the next season. ends up having been more or less meaningless...no, we won't be doing that. But the end of each planned season will make a left turn designed to bring the show in new directions that will have long-erm (or long-term) effects on all of our characters. Whether it's a chapter ending in a book, or an act break in a TV series. you build to a moment of change and transition, upping the stakes at each turn. That's how our season-enders are constructed. --- RE: cliffhangers...not between episodes, certainly. Between seasons. it's...hard to explain. There are, or will be *changes* that happen from one season to another (as planned), specific events that take place that should bring one up short...but "cliffhanger" in the sense of leaving some guy hanging from a string over a lake of fire...no, no plans for such at this time. ==== ~lie ~truth ~pilot Matt: I like it when people lie in television, and we find out about it over time. The "lost colony" routine was one such. At one point, Garibaldi confronts Londo with this as reason for why he doesn't trust the Centauri. Londo shrugs it off as a "clerical error." There will be a few points in the series when we'll get information, and we'll buy into it...and discover after a while that that character bald-facedly lied to the other character (and, by proxy, to us). And naturally there will be consequences to this.... --- Actually, at one point or another, just about *everyone* lied in the course of the pilot...including Sinclair, who lied to G'Kar, and of course Delenn lying to Sinclair in the Garden...and so on. Basically, I have this theory that there are five kinds of truth. (This is Joe's Theory of the Five Truths.) There is the truth you tell to casual strangers and acquaintances. There is the truth you tell to your general circle of friends and family members. There is the truth you tell to only one or two people in your entire life. There is the truth you tell to yourself. And finally, there is the truth that you do not admit even to yourself. And it's that fifth truth that provides some of the most interesting drama..... ==== ~laurel ~pilot ~abandon ~story ~inside ~assassin This isn't so much a spoiler, since it concerns an abandoned story like (or, let me rephrase that...a modified story line). I mention this here since I just mentioned it elsewhere, and might as well do so here. Think hard about the pilot for a moment. Whose job is it in the observation dome to monitor incoming ships...but apparently let the spider transport slip through unnoticed? The station's skin should have (and likely did) detect something clamping onto it...but apparently someone over-rode that for the spider transport. Someone had to PRE-arrange access via the computer for the assassin, since it easily palms its way into Varner's quarters. (And what is the name of the person the access computer recognizes?) Someone had to arrange for the transport tube to be delayed, and then *erase* that information from the computer system. Someone who knew *exactly* when the Vorlon ship would be docking. We see, at various times, the following people interacting with the assassin, in different capacities: Garibaldi, Lyta. G'Kar, Londo, Dr. Kyle, and of course, much later, Sinclair. Who did we never see in direct contact with the assassin? Who was put in charge of the station after Sinclair was removed? Do you notice a pattern developing? Do certain things here point to a certain individual...who may, or may not, have been acting on her own volition? And yes, this is something we planned to explore, though it wasn't on a *direct* line to the arc of our story. It definitely impinged upon it, of course. This has been modified due to the change in the character of the Lieutenant Commander, and this now won't go where it was going to go...but we still have some very interesting plans for our secondary character, not at all along the Takashima lines (which is why this isn't a spoiler), but certainly intriguing on their own terms. --- Now, I didn't say she was a villain. I said that certain things may or may not have been done of her own free will, her own volition. What this means...we'll see. --- The one thing that I dropped fairly completely due to the delay in getting the series going was the Laurel thread, which has now mutated and become something even more interesting, actually. It's something that's enabled me to now build in a trap door that you won't see for a long time. even though it's sitting there in plain sight. =============== Aliens =============== ======= General ==== ~variation ~alien ~diversity ???? Will there be diversity among aliens, just as there are among humans? Yes, I *strongly* believe that there has to be diversity among our alien races...accents, political beliefs, religion, name it. I think that is VERY important. Yes, from time to time, you want the monolithic, perfectly homogeneous aliens, but if so, you want them to stick out a bit in contrast to the rest. --- G'Kar has the dominant accent of his people. So does Kosh. ==== ~alien ~humanoid ~n'grath ~grail ~kosh ~oyster ~pak'ma'ra ~cgi ~shadow ???? Will we see really non-humanoid aliens? Re: Non-humanoid...bear in mind, you still haven't seen what Kosh is inside that suit...others, very non-humanoid, will make their appearances down the road...and there's one race that has not yet been heard from, one shadow government so secretive its existence is only whispered about, and when *they* make their appearance, and you finally see what *they* look like...well, let's just say that I've talked at some length with our EFX people, and it'll take about 2 years to work out how to do this and make it credible. --- What you have to understand, though, is that if you're going to have a character BE a character, alien or not, you've basically got two choices: put a human actor in makeup of some kind or other. or you use puppets or animatronics, and in general the technology to realize that still isn't enough to make it really lifelike. --- Okay, but now, the only problem is...let's say we take your advice, and build an alien around the design of an oyster. Now we have Sinclair having a converstion with an oyster. Can you *imagine* the audience reaction? Some things sound nice in theory, but when you build it, and try to play it for drama...it ends up very, very badly. --- On the other hand, the pak'ma'ra, which you'll get a good look at in "Legacies," are *quite* different from earth critters. --- We were going to have a CGI creature in the bar at one point, but vetoed it at the last minute. So it's not there. However, a CGI character/alien/critter does play a substantive on-camera role in one episode this season entitled "Grail." --- We've had other kinds of aliens, including the CGI creature in "Grail," and we're doing more non-humanoid stuff in year two. mixing prosthetics with CGI. ==== ~alien ~drazi ~abbai ~fishhead ~pak'ma'ra ???? What are some of the non-aligned aliens? Well, let's see...there's the Drazi (slightly purplish heads, the ones who beat the crap out of the guy in "War Prayer," and brought in the Drazi Sunhawk in "Deathwalker"), the pak'ma'ra (the ones who shuffle through frame in greenish robes, with tentacles where their mouths should be...and about whom there is something very weird, rather icky, which you'll see in "Legacies"), the Abbai, commonly known around the studio as "fishheads"...will post a fuller description later. Those are the ones you see mainly in DW. ==== ~drazi ~violent ~deathwalker ~prayer ~survivors ~sunhawk The Drazi are a very violent, ill-tempered species; they were the ones who first showed up in "Deathwalker" in a Sunhawk to threaten the station; they beat up the guy in "The War Prayer;" they show up here in "Survivors;" there's an episode about a form of martial arts among the aliens that has a Drazi going at it...if there's a fight around, you can often find a Drazi at the center of it or at least nearby. ==== ~second ~season ~alien ???? How about the second season? Even more aliens? At this point, not much in the way of new aliens planned; we'd like to get away from the alien-of-the-week story (which though we didn't do it a *lot*, we did it enough that I want to edge away from it a bit), and concentrate on the aliens we already have. If you just keep on throwing new aliens into the mix, soon it loses all impact. We decided to try a whole bunch of aliens over season one, and pick the ones that worked, which we would then work to refine and integrate more fully into the storyline. Right now. I think we've got about 15 races in addition to our primary groups (Narn. Minbari, Centauri). Concomitant with this, we'll be working to make the prosthetics far more detailed and better able to be used in a dramatic context. We scattergunned a lot in season one; now is the time to adjust, refine. focus and improve. We'll still do the occasional new group, I just don't want that to begin driving the show. ======= Language ==== ~language ~alien ~translation ~spelling ~english ~ambassador ???? How do languages get handled in B5? There are actually several languages heard on B5, though you have to work to hear them. (Those with surround will have an easier time.) For instance. in the customs area, announcements are made first in English, then in Interlac. In the bazaar area, you'll hear chirrups and whistles and clicks and a wide range of language-sounds. --- Re: language...if you're going to America from Russia as an ambassador. you're expected to know English fluently. B5 is funded by (mostly) and operated by Earth, and English is more or less the dominant language. Hence. they know it well enough to communicate with us. (BTW, this is already happening here...every airport on the planet, for example, uses english consistently in the control tower to planes, and more people outside english-speaking countries are educated in english than we are in alternate languages.) --- The language facilities of aliens will vary; probably the most fluent (by virtue of necessity) are the ambassadors, whose english is perfect or nearly so (cyberlink to the brain dumping the English equivilants of their own language and grammar directly into the brain, very expensive and not a little painful). The drawback is that some cultural references or some contextual areas may not be as clear as required. (Londo wondering about ramoras, Delenn unsure for a moment about poetry....) --- We've already instituted the need for translation devices on several characters. There are basically three dominant languages on B5, a kind of interstellar esperanto, Centauri, and English, which is the more or less official military/diplomatic language. But not everyone is going to know those languages, so you need another way. We have translation teams (referenced though not seen in "Soul Hunter"), and physical translation devices for use after we've had sufficient contact with a given group or individual to be able to decode two languages into one another. (Incidentally, we're going with a slightly different version of English for things like airlocks and such, alongside the visual pictograms. Not everyone who can speak english will have an immediate grasp of the intricacies of the language, and there have been multi cultural/esperanto like influences on English over the next 200 years. So for things like Universe Today, you have standard conventional English, since that's primarily an Earther-oriented publication. But then you have signs that read, for instance SECUR AREA, with an accent over the U. We've taken the liberty of simplifying some aspects of english for nonhumans, as well as trying to figure out how the impact of multi- culturalism might affect language ovese of 200 years.) --- Yeah, that's one thing I've kind of slated in as a B story in a given episode...an alien comes aboard and they just can't quite manage to communicate, it's just too damned foreign in its thinking. (What I'd love is for them to find out at the end that it's some other alien's damned cat or something, and they've been spending all this time trying to communicate with something that ain't sentient...but with aliens, how can you tell sometimes?) --- We're trying to work out the languages to some detail, but not as much as I'd like, at this point. It'll probably have to wait until the post-season hiatus before I can sit down and really start pulling together a rough dictionary of sorts. ==== ~native ~language ~subtitle ???? Will aliens speak in their native languages? I don't believe in monolithic aliens who all talk exactly alike, with the same accents, any more than I believe in humans who all talk exactly alike. Hence, the difference between Vir and Londo. When they're together in their quarters, they're talking in Centauri. which we hear as English, as in WW II movies, the Germans are obviously talking to each other in German, but we hear it in English. (The only other alternative is to subtitle whole lengthy segments of the show, which is both unworkable, awkward, and unfair to blind viewers.) --- No, it won't be rare. And that's the reason why we're NOT doing subtitles. This is the difference between something sounding neat on paper. but not in reality, and especially not on a TV series. If you're doing a feature film, and only have one or two shots of aliens talking in subtitles, for brief periods, you can do this; also if you're doing an SF series in which you're mainly talking to humans, and only rarely among your own kind. But in B5, a LOT of our time is spent with our various alien characters. And sometimes the conversation can get quite detailed, quite complex or political. In one script, for instance, there's a 2 1/2 minute scene with G'Kar and Na'Toth, followed by two lengthy scenes with Londo and Vir, and Delenn and Vir. So you're talking about maybe 5 minutes here. The conversation is very detailed, very elaborate. So are you a) going to put all of this complex dialogue on screen, line by line, and b) use subtitles for FIVE UNBROKEN MINUTES? You'd kill yourself as a series. No one would stand for it, and they'd be right. Again, not every good idea is a workable or practical idea. ==== ~n'grath ~language ~communicate ???? How does n'grath communicate? It speaks in cicada-like chirps and whistles, which are translated by the translation device on its chest (the lighted thingie). ==== ~kosh ~language ~communicate ???? How does Kosh communicate? Now that we've finished mixing some shows, we've now seen how Kosh speaks, followed through to the end. It's a very unusual system that he's got there, and it's *real* creepy to watch/listen to it. The kind of thing that makes your skin crawl after a while. I love it. --- Correct, Christopher Franke designed Kosh's voice. ======= Vorlons ==== ~kosh ~vorlon ???? When will we know about Kosh Naranek, and vorlons in general? There's simply nothing that I can say about Kosh just now. --- We will reveal what Kosh is a LOT sooner than year 5. Closer to the end of year 2. --- The Vorlons are the great unknown. They occupy a *huge* sector of space. No expedition ever sent to Vorlon space has ever returned, or sent back word. No human had ever even *seen* a Vorlon prior to Kosh's arrival on B5. Their technology is vastly superior to just about everyone else's. To unravel the mystery, to maybe get a *piece* of their tech, is more than sufficient inducement, I'd think. --- Kosh doesn't need an assistant. In fact, no one's *really* quite sure what it is Kosh *does* most of the day. --- Kosh is always and forever *exactly* what he appears to be, no less and no more. At the same time, Kosh is absolutely *nothing* like what he appears to be. These are not contradictory statements. And this is about the straightest answer I've given yet on the subject, believe it or not. ======= Centauri ==== ~centauri ~metaphor ~rome No, the closest parallel to the Centauri would, I suppose, be ancient Rome. I tend not to go that much to contemporary sources for metaphor, since it's too obvious and over-done. Much of what's in B5 is drawn from much older sources. The only exception, the only means of creating a metaphor for the present, is one that will take some time before it's even perceptible, though by the end of the season, you'll see what it is pretty clearly. ==== ~centauri ~hair ~jewelry ~ornamentation ~bald ???? How do centauri wear their hair? Centauri males wear their hair in this fashion, the length of which is determined by the person's status. Centauri women scorn such symbols of status and go bald except for a knot of hair from the back. (Sort of a peacock approach.) --- Certainly, you could wear your hair longer than your status permits, but it's like pretending to a status you don't have, which is viewed as pathetic. --- Londo's people go for jewelry and ornamentation such as medals and sunbursts and the like. --- It's a standard bed, works fine. Though we *did* have a thing in mind where Londo sits up in bed, having just had wonderful sex, and his hair is now hanging limp...but in a sudden burst of sanity we decided against it. ==== ~centauri ~sex ???? How many, um, tentacles do Centauri males have? What do females have? Centauri males have six. --- The awful thing is that the two women in props -- who were having FAR too much fun with this -- kept bringing me the tentacle to verify the shape. size, consistency, do we see veins or not.... --- Centauri females, btw, have six narrow...ummm...slots on their backs. three on either side of the spine, right around the base of the spine. --- A sick thing that you should want to know these things; sicker still to come UP with these things.... ======= Minbari ==== ~minbari ~caste ~military ~religious ~religion ~line The religious and military castes have rarely disagreed on anything. until the religious caste ordered the surrender at the Battle of the Line. Since then, things have not been proceeding as smoothly.... --- The three main components of Minbari society are the religious caste, the warrior caste, and the workers...which aren't really a caste per se, which is why they're not often included. It's a very different. less influential part of their society. --- Valen was the one who brought Minbari civilization together. he is their Christ-figure. --- Generally, the religious caste takes precedence over the warrior caste. ==== ~ornamentation ~minbari ~texture Minbari don't do a lot of ornamentation, going instead for fabrics. textures and colors. ==== ~minbari ~clan ~name ~caste For those who might be interested, we've come up with some name for the various clans of the Minbari warrior caste. The primary five are the Star Riders (the oldest), the Moon Shields, the Wind Swords, the Night Walkers and the Fire Wings. (The first three refer to the early Minbari version of a mounted force, for which you need riders with shields and swords, with #4 referring to foot soldiers, and the last to those whose clan first used flying machines in battle.) (Oh, and Star Riders refers to those mounted soldiers who were trained to use the stars for navigation. Behind them came the foot soldiers, who were expert at traveling by night.) ==== ~minbari ~head ~bone The bone that grows out of the back of Delenn's head is exactly that, not a decoration, but an actual part of the physiology. It will differ with various Minbari in size, configuration and texture (another Minbari seen in the show has a darker tint to the bone structure, it's cracked and so on). The thought is that it grows from the back of the skull structure, and comes forward with age. You can see the "root" of thed -- the -- structure whenever Delenn turns around. ==== ~minbari ~grey ~council For the most part, lower level types don't know the names of those in the Grey Council (speaking of Minbari for a moment). They are kept fairly anonymous to avoid the cult of personality arising. You'll see the full extent to which they preserve their anonymity in some of the upcoming episodes, specifically "Sky" and "Babylon Squared." --- A little aside for you...at one point this season, Delenn goes to the Grey Council. There's a ritual she has to observe when she joins the ranks of the Nine. Part of it is this statement she makes upon entering the circle: "I am Grey. I stand between the candle, and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness, and the light." ==== ~minbari ~number ~triangle Yes, I would think it fair to say that the Minbari have a thing for triangles and things that come in threes. --- Minbari use base 11, not base 10, so twelve would be eleventy-first year, and so on. --- Minbari base eleven includes fingers and head, from which the principle of mathematics comes. --- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven Eleventy-one, eleventy-two, eleventy-three, eleventy-four, eleventy-five. eleventy-six, eleventy-seven, eleventy-eight, eleventy-nine, eleventy-ten. twelfy Twelfty-one, twelfty-two, twelfy-three, twelfty-four, twelfty-five, twelfty-six, twelfty-seven, twelfty-eight, twelfty-nine, twelfty-ten. And so on. Who here still has a problem with this? ======= Narn ==== ~narn ???? Are the narns going to be more than just the "bad guys"? As for the Narns...yes, they are portrayed in a favorable light in many episodes, from "By Any Means" to "Chrysalis" and "Mind War," to name but a few. Nobody is just one thing on this show. Not nobody, not nohow. ==== ~narn ~religion ~diversity Actually, there are varying religions within the alien species as well; G'Kar is a follower of G'Quan, while Na'Toth's father followed G'Lan, and Na'Toth herself doesn't really believe in anything (this as noted in "By Any Means Necessary"). So that diversity isn't strictly or exclusively human. =============== Characters =============== ======= Delenn ==== ~delenn ~character ~makeup ~prosthetic ~female ~mask ???? Why did you change Delenn's look after the pilot? Once the decision was made to make her definitely female, that led us to modify the makeup. Also, the original make up was done with very little lead time, and some things we liked, some things we didn't. It's now sleeker. more attractive, and easier to apply and take off. --- Since we only really got a good look at one Minbari, it's kind of a moot point. The new lines are generally consistent throughout Minbari. --- We're also modifying the prosthetics a bit. Again, because Delenn is definitely female, we can use a little less in the way of heavy overlays on the head and face to convey ile keeping the desired androgynous look. This lets us get the same basic image, but make a lighter and more easily applied mask that will allow Mira greater degrees of comfort and free her up to act without being hampered in any way. ==== ~video ~croatia ~furlan I can't remember if I mentioned this here or not...but did I note that apparently the B5 pilot is the #1 best selling/renting tape these days in Croatia? What this means I have no idea.... --- Mira was in a Croatian choir?! I didn't know this. She's never mentioned it. I know that she was an actress there, but this part is news to me. I must ask her about it when she comes in next week. ======= Franklin ==== ~franklin ~biggs For the role of Dr. Stephen Franklin we have found an intense and powerful african-american actor named Richard Biggs. He's younger, in his mid- to late thirties, dedicated, sharp and...again, the word I keep coming back to is *intense*. Consider a younger Dr. (and I'm going to misspell this) Debakke: self-assured, confident almost to a fault. He comes largely out of an experimental background, so his bedside manner isn't all it should be. He's often impatient. His character is the newest addition to the B5 "team" of characters, and this will lead to a fair amount of conflict. --- Just a word or two on Dr. Franklin. We're not bringing in someone who will play the role as a sloppy, floppy puppy with a ball. Dr. Franklin is someone who's a little on the arrogant side, very serious, very dedicated, and is frequently in opposition to the military side of B5. He's a very intense character, little in the way of bedside manner, invariably sure that he's right. And sometimes he is going to be very, very wrong...with some difficult and painful consequences. ======= G'Kar ==== ~g'kar We won't see G'Kar's mate this season. --- I believe G'Kar is about 50-60 in Earth terms, which is early middle age for Narns. --- I keep constantly fighting the urge to have G'Kar return from a trip to the Narn homeworld with a limp, a cane, and a (temporary) eyepatch, muttering. "Boy, the Thenta Makur have *no* sense of humor." (Now we'll see how many get *that* one.) ==== ~g'kar ~makeup ~prosthetic We're also doing some minor modifications to G'Kar's prosthetic, making the chin less squared, the mouth a little broader, and the whole thing again easier to put on and take off. It will also look far more realistic; parts of it LOOKED like a prosthetic when you got up close. It's one thing to throw heavy prosthetics on an actor who's only going to wear it for the 4 weeks required for the pilot. But to wear something day in and day out for 22 episodes...you have to think about that. Our own concern was making it look even *better* for both of them, and we've found a way to do that. ======= Garibaldi ==== ~garibaldi ~pilot ~alcohol Regarding Garibaldi...in the first hour-script that I've turned in, we do learn more about his past, and what brought him here. And yes, there were some lives involved, but he was framed. Doesn't mean he didn't screw up other things...and doesn't mean he won't screw up NOW, either. He's had a problem with alcohol, and it may come back. But there is a strong link to Sinclair that prompted him to give Garibaldi what is, essentially, his last chance. --- Brett: this isn't a case of jack-of-all-trades. Garibaldi *has* to be a qualified fighter pilot as head of security of a *space station* where problems can come up in the space surrounding the station. Also, as mentioned here before (I think) and certainly in one of our scripts, during the period between Garibaldi's last security job, and now, when eh (he) couldn't get a job as security chief, he was a pilot, running transport shuttles on a couple of ice mining operations. (It was not a good period for him.) Nothing is done arbitrarily with these characters. All three of our main EA characters -- Sinclair, Garibaldi and Ivanova -- are qualified fighter and transport pilots. ==== ~garibaldi ~shoe ???? Do Garibaldi's shoes have a custom tread? Don't know if GAribaldi's shoes have a custom tread or not; it's possible. ==== ~garibaldi ~red ~italian ???? Was Garibaldi's name taken from 19th century Italian hero Giuseppe, who once led a group of soldiers called the "red shirts?" Coincidence? The rest I can't comment upon, but for sure I took his name from the Italian hero you mention. ==== ~garibaldi ~relationship ???? Will Garibaldi get any relationship next year? [season 2] Garibaldi will get something going next season.... ======= Hernandez ==== ~maya ~hernandez She's a medical doctor, running one of the many medlabs on B5. (Dr. Franklin, as chief of staff, runs the primary medlab, supervising other doctors on-station.) ======= Ivanova ==== ~ivanova ~russian ~christian Quick sketch of Ivanova: Russian, pessimistic, wry, very sharp. She isn't in "Believers" because there was a one-week overlap with a prior committment on a film project, which we accommodated. -- Being of Byelorussian descent, I've always wanted to write for an ethnic Russian character. Not someone with an accent, any more than I have an accent even though I have a last name with 10,000 consonants and no vowels. There's a wry and formal and stiff-necked and sometimes very passionate streak that runs through the Russian spirit, and a certain rough-hewn mysticism, a sense of absolute fatality and doom punctuated by moments of great belief in humanity. It's a mix of traits you don't much see in American television. Which is why the new second in command is Lieutenant Commander Susan Ivanova, who will be played by Claudia Christian, a fantastic and very strong performer who just knocked us out of the room. Very much a commanding presence, a little quirky when she wants to be, a shade on the pessimistic side. Having come out of an Eastern European background, I've long lamented the stereotyped roles usually written for that kind of character, and look forward to drawing upon the real thing for her character. --- Claudia has settled nicely into the role, with this great edge to her performance. Pessimistic, fatalistic, occasionally sarcastic, but in a funny way...that can turn right around and tear your heart out. --- I like Ivanova as well; she's got a very sly, very *sharp* intelligence going there. She can deadpan you and whap you upside the head with a comment delivered almost as an aside, or an afterthought. It's the difference between wit and humor. She doesn't tell jokes, but she's got a great sense of wit. --- Here's what I find curious (not necessarily in direct response to anything you said, but in general on this topic)...is that when Ivanova makes her remark to Garibaldi about snapping his hands off at the wrists, many people have assumed that she was insulting him, berating him, being bitchy. truly disliking and threatening him. But the same words, put in the mouth of another male, wouldn't have drawn that reaction, and would've been classified under, "kidding around" or affable sarcasm. Which is exactly what it is in this case. In this place and this time. they're comfortable enough to mess with each other without it being taken seriously (among these characters, that is). There are times they kinda like to phuque with each other a bit, just for the hell of it, as comrades will sometimes do. ("Babylon Squared" has a great example of Sinclair and Garibaldi messing with Ivanova.) --- There's a Billy Joel song, where one particular lyric (and I'm quoting from memory) says, "You still have a pain inside you / That you carry with a certain pride / It's the only part / Of a broken heart / You could ever save." That's Ivanova. She's had her heart stomped on a lot. And she's been holding it in. Even with her father's death, she sucked in the pain, fought back the tears. There is one episode, which will be right at the end of the year, where she finds she can't run from her pain anymore...can't run from the tears...and deals with them in a scene that's very moving and absolutely brings tears to the eyes. --- Kwicker, Ivanova has *not* said stuff about being Russian "every other episode." I made the error of having her say it twice in the two-parter, now everybody's seeing it as a big thing. It was mentined in Soul Hunter. Survivors, and Voice, and insofar as I know, that's it. (I'll allow for the possibility of one more, even though I don't recall any others.) I don't think that 3-4 episodes in a 22 episode season quite qualifies as "every other episode." --- The main reason for the Lt. Cmdr. distinction in most circumstances is because otherwise you've got two Commanders on deck, and it helps to keep distinct which you're addressing. But we have some different ideas in mind for year two. --- And yes, Ivanova was born on Earth, in the Russian Consortium, though she was educated in large measure overseas. ======= Kosh ==== ~kosh ~word As reward for the humor, here's what Kosh will *really* say, when he utters the first words we hear. He's on the Observation Dome, looking out through the window as a ship passes overhead, the lights shining down at him through a window. "Ahhh....beautiful." Long beat as he looks around the place. Then: "I will miss this...when it is gone." And then he exits, as Garibaldi mutters to Ivanova, "I *really* hate it when he does that." --- The scene was trimmed for time. It may show up again later. ==== ~kosh ~writing The hardest part is always writing Kosh, because you have to be very careful how much you use him, and what he says. Too much and he loses his sense of mystery, and you don't want him spouting fortune-cookie type aphorisms. He has a very deliberate way of speaking in which everything. every smallest nuance and inflection means something, but sometimes not what it appears to mean, or comes at it from a very different angle than normal conversation. So I go as minimalist as possible, to get the meaning down to the smallest number of words possible. And in one scene, one of only two he appears in, I got him down to *one word*, and that one word -- and it's a totally inoffensive, neutral word on its own terms -- should scare the hell out of *everybody*. ==== ~kosh ~reception ~vorlon Here's one little extra for you: only one person aboard Babylon 5 has any idea of what a Vorlon is, inside that suit, and only one race has had dealings with the Vorlons before. Watch the reception at the end, and see if you notice anything unusual in the way the various people respond to Kosh. --- And who else isn't at the reception? ======= Lennier ==== ~lennier ~mumy ~minbari ~makeup Well, we finished casting for the role of Lennier, who is Delenn's aide/attache. We were looking for someone who could give us the most as a quiet, restrained, almost monk-like character, fairly innocent in his way. And in a very nice bit of synchronicity, the person who came in and knocked us out with his audition was Bill Mumy, who has now been cast in the role. Aside from his work in Lost in Space, Bill is a terrific actor whose role, I think, may sometimes have become a stumbling block from time to time. as did the roles of Shatner, Nimoy and others from Trek. Here he will be a very different kind of character, barely recognizeable beneath the Minbari makeup, and can show a very different sort of approach to his work. We're very excited to have him on the team. (I think it will also be good to have someone around from a prior successful SF TV series who can help our cast prepare for the reception this show is likely to receive...and I suspect that very few if any of them really understand yet what that will mean.) --- Mumy's role, to answer that question, is a recurring role; I think he'll be in about half a dozen episodes or so for us. To the best of my knowledge. this won't interfere with any other obligations Mumy has. --- BTW, this week will Bill Mumy's first week on B5, and he's done a very nifty job as Lennier. He brings a wonderful sense of absolute innocence...the proverbial innocent abroad...to Lennier's character. The Minbari prosthetics look great on him, enhancing the sense he brings to the character. He's also great with the cast, and keeping things up during shooting. At one point, as they're leaving camera, Delenn says to Lennier, who has just arrived at the station, "Now tell me of home; I have been away far too long." His ad-libbed off-camera response: "Beatlemania is back." (Another ad-lib for another shot: "Minimalls...they're everywhere," and "Well, we just got Pizza Hut and cable.") ======= Londo ==== ~londo Yeah, the more I delve into Londo's character, the more I find him intriguing. He mourns for the loss of his beloved Empire, and this makes him vulnerable to some dangerous temptations. There are a number of dark corners in his personality...but at the same time, a vulnerability, a sadness. In the B5 story arc, Londo goes through some *major* changes, some good. some tragic, some frightening. He becomes a major player, but not in the way he would ever have anticipated. (Hold back, Joe, you've got a long stretch ahead of you here....) --- Re: Londo as a romantic character...bless your heart. You are the first to have nailed it absolutely on the head. If I had to write a description of the character, I doubt I could have done any better than what you just wrote. There are a *lot* of episodes that bring this out in him, including the next one up, "Born to the Purple," which I suspect will end virtually all of the hair jokes once and for all. --- Actually, no, Londo was not based on Brother Theodore, who I only discovered some time later on Letterman. But Harlan and Peter David mentioned at the panel that Brother Theodore could make a swell brother for Londo in some episode, so this is something I may consider.... ==== ~cast ~jurasik ~garibaldi Behind-the-scenes humor: because it had been so long since the pilot, it took a few of our actors a bit of time to get back into their characters, to find the characters' "fingerprints" for lack of a better term. This is quite understandable given the long waiting period. When he needed to find his character for a scene, Peter Jurasik mentioned that he would just stand up straight and yell, "MISter GariBALdi!" and he'd be right back in character. Sort of the B5 version of "Shazam!" Minus the lightning bolt, of course. ==== ~londo ~hair We're going to re-create an entire new hairpiece that will lay flatter and look better from the back, which I felt was one of its drawbacks. Also. we don't want to have Peter shave his head for the whole series, as he did for the pilot, so we're coming up with a longer prosthetic that'll come all the way over the top of the head to the eyebrows, where we'll blend it in unnoticeably. This will make Peter's life just that much easier. --- We're not changing Londo's hair to make it anything less than what it is. It'll still be as outrageous as it was in the pilot. What I was referring to specifically was the way it bunched up at the back of the head, just above the nape of the neck. What they had done was take a conventional wig and shove the hair up and lock it into place; in this case, we're stringing a new. custom wig that will gently come up in the back, as if growing naturally in that direction. The top part will be the same, it's only a matter of cleaning up the back, which simply didn't work aesthetically. --- I find it interesting that people can accept spots, scales, fur. foreheads, reptiles and parasites...but not a different style of hair, used to denote one's rank or position (as is done in some primitive societies right here). Look at the history of hair just around us in the last hundred or so years...long hair, powdered wigs, crew-cuts, braids, dreadlocks, spikes. mohawks.... Among those I've talked to, it seems that folks from other places -- England, Europe, some from Japan -- have *zero* problem with the hair. It seems genuinely an American reaction. I was talking to someone about this earlier this evening, and the comment came back that Americans in particular are absolutely *obsessed* with not being embarrassed, or being made fools of. When they (we) see someone who doesn't match our view of what's the norm, we imagine how we would feel in that position. And to make ourselves more secure, as in high school, we make fun of what would personally embarrass us. When the underground/subculture of the 60s got ANY chance to express its views, what did people focus on? Their hair. Sometimes other personal traits, but usually the hair. "Damn longhaired freaks." To see *hair*, of all things, being somehow less acceptable than funny foreheads, scales, or other aspects of alien-ness flatly astonishes me. (It was also pointed out to me that in the first season of the original Trek. there was a *lot* of mail to Paramount about losing the pointy ears on Spock. that they just looked stupid.) It just seems sad to me, and somehow informative, that people are unable to see past the hair to the person. Are we really that conservative and ethnocentric? I particularly feel strongly about this for Peter, who is absolutely *out there*, taking a great risk with this character, who is doing an amazing performance...and all people can talk about is the hair, as though that somehow diminishes the performance. Amazing, really.... ==== ~londo ~wife ???? What's up with Londo and his wives? ...moment in a script where Londo is talking about homeworld, where marriages are still arranged, to someone who doesn't want any part of that life. "Here," he says, pointing to three photos, "these are my three wives: Pestilence. Famine and Death. You think I married them for their personalities? Their personalities could shatter entire *planets*. Arranged marriages, every one. But it worked out. They inspire me. Knowing they're at home, waiting for me. is what keeps me here, 75 light years away...." --- We'll see Londo's -- spouse/spouses, I'm avoiding saying which -- in time. ???? Was Londo's "It can't be that bad" wife one of the three? Actually, sadly, that was Londo's first wife, who he was forced to divorce later. Eventually I'll get into this. ======= n'grath ==== ~n'grath I would not describe n'grath as a "Mafia boss," since that's a very specific term. Nor is it really any kind of organization. He's a fixer. somebody you go to when you need something...a bodyguard, forged identicards. what-have-you. --- Garibaldi is quite aware of n'grath...and knowing that if he just vanished, somebody'd take his place in five minutes, prefers the trouble he knows to the trouble he'd have to track down. ======= Na'Toth ==== ~na'toth Replacing the character of Na'Toth could be done, but at this point she knows stuff that is important for us to have access to in year two. (Stuff mainly happening in "Chrysalis.") ======= Sakai ==== ~sakai ~caroline ~julia ~nickson ~sinclair Finally, having gone his separate ways with Caroline -- she wanted him to leave his job, he wouldn't -- Sinclair renews a longstanding relationship with Catherine Sakai, a role we are going to cast sometime fairly soon. Catherine works for an Earth Corp surveying asteroids and planets for minerological exploitation, making sure they're uninhabited, and finding items that might present the greatest possibility for profit. --- We've shot our first scenes between Sinclair and his new love interest. Catherine Sakai (as played by Julia Nickson). This is a very, very strong character, and she brings a wonderful vibrancy to Sakai. They have a unique relationship that looks and sounds like a real relationship, with all its ups and downs and dumb moments. One way that I've reinforced this is that...well. in the first episode in which they meet again (they were involved before). just about every scene between them is lifted almost directly from personal experience. And given some of the awkward, even painful conversations that take place, it was very, *very* hard to watch this being rehearsed. (Michael and Julia worked over a weekend with the director to get the nuances just right.) When it came time to shoot the scenes, much as I wanted to be on-set, I just couldn't do it. My heart just kept falling right down to my shoes. I can't wait for the first person to say "I don't buy this as a real relationship" just so's I can whap him upside the head. But I have a hunch that won't happen. It comes across as very real, and as a very vulnerable moment for both characters. "Write what you know," they said. Right. How about I just take a power drill and stick it in my ear...it'd be faster, less painful, and after a while I might even come to like it.... --- Catherine Sakai is a surveyer. She has her own business. She has her own ship. In some episode, she has nothing whatsoever to do with the commander, she's off doing her own business. In "Mind War," as one example. we see her for 30 seconds with the commander in the morning, with both going off to their respective jobs, and that's it...the rest of the story she's in is exclusively hers, concerning something she runs into while on a survey run. --- Regarding Catherine Sakai...believe me, this ain't a consort kind of relationship. It will be monogamous, but difficult in many ways. This has been an on-again/off-again relationship between them for years, made up of three parts passion and two parts teeth. It will be a very fiery relationship. And this is a woman with her own business, her own ship, who comes and goes as she wishes. You have to understand that I love writing strong female characters, and Catherine will be probably one of the strongest. ==== ~catherine ~spousal ~overunit ???? Is Catherine based on your Spousal Overunit? Actually, no...Catherine Sakai is based more closely on another woman of my acquaintance, with whom I was involved for quite some time. And that's all you'll get out of me on the subject. ======= Sheridan ==== ~sheridan I have, btw, now seen the finished (minus music and some minimal EFX) first episode of B5 with Bruce. We did the producer's cut yesterday, and I have to say that I think it's very nice. --- And Bruce does a wonderful job in the role. He's brought a lot to the table, and I think people are going to be very pleased. --- Yes, Sheridan is descended from Gen. Philip John Sheridan of the Union Army. --- Sheridan, the universe willing, will be there throughout the rest of the B5 story. --- Only Ivanova has served with him before; Garibaldi doesn't know him from Adam, and this will lead to some awkwardness and questions of trust down the road. --- Sheridan is a soldier. A soldier is told, in wartime, THIS is your enemy. You kill the enemy or your enemy kills you. Afterward, you're in the same position American soldiers were in after the end of WW II when it came time to reconcile with the Germans and the Japanese. It can sometimes be very awkward...and sometimes reconciliation takes a while. --- Captain John Sheridan is a war hero, of sorts; he squeaked out the only real victory of the Earth/Minbari War. (Which means the Minbari don't generally like him a lot.) He did what he did because that's his job. He's a professional soldier. For the last two years, he's been commanding the Agamemmnon, a high-visibility Earthforce starship on deep patrol. As such, he has had to learn to work with a number of different races and species. --- "Sounds like a forumla to really PO the Minbari." Yup. --- In some ways, his character is somewhat more well-rounded than was the case with Sinclair, over whom a general sense of doom often seemed to hang. Sheridan is often very thoughtful and introspective; at other times, he can be just a bit eccentric; he leads by respecting those who work under him, and giving them room to grow; like any career officer, he HATES the bureaucracy with a passion, and this is the one thing that can drive him nuts; he knows that commanding B5 is a great opportunity, but he also knows that his presence brings certain complications with it, and he's very ambivilant about that aspect; he's the son of a diplomatic envoy who disappeared on his 21st birthday, running off to see (of all things) the new Dali Lama being installed; he has a very easygoing manner, and a great sense of humor. He quickly re-forms a friendship with Ivanova, for whom he has great respect and professional admiration. (For a time she served under him at Io.) ???? How critical to the B5 arc is Sheridan? How critical was Aragorn to the storyline of Lord of the Rings? ======= Sinclair ==== ~sinclair As I recall, the photo and article is about Sinclair's ancestor, who fought in the Battle of Britain. And the framed piece is indeed a Sinclair Aircraft logo. --- There is some history there with Sinclair's father, but I'm not getting into it this season because there are some other family issues involving our characters that I want to delve into initially, and I don't want to step in the same stream too many times, as it were. --- You won't see Sinclair's brother this season...and that's all I can say for now. =============== Technology =============== ======= Station ==== ~station ~technology ~size ~capacity ~layout ~sets ???? How big is the station? What parts are there? The station is a touch over 5 miles long. It can hold roughly 250,000 humans and aliens (many of whom are in transit at any point). --- 250,000 is the *maximum* number of beings who can be there at one time; that's not necessarily the maximum number of living quarters. In some ways. B5 is like an airport; you come in, linger, then move on to your eventual destiny (catching a few winks in the customs area waiting for the right ship to come in or go out). --- The blue fins at the back of B5 are, as I recall, for the purpose of radiating internal heat out of and from B5. --- The Starfuries are launched from the rotating part of the station. They're launched from the cobra bays, which are the cobra shaped projections alongside the round front of the station, and attached to it. --- Many aliens (all who require alternate atmosphere) live in the alien sector. Those who can breathe oxygen can live in other areas, but tend to congregate with other non-humans in the oxygen sections of the alien sector. The ambassadors have their own environment supported quarters in the Green Sector, which is the high-security area for diplomats. --- The interior of the station does have some farm-land, orchards, an open-air hedge maze, and other green areas. We'll be seeing them in varying degrees of detail throughout the series. No specs are yet publicly available. --- Located above the station proper is the long zero-g cargo loading area. You'll see, in later episodes, ships pulling up in front of the area and offloading cargo. That is accessible from many parts of the station. --- The zero-g cargo section extends from the front of B5 well into the middle of the station, *inclusive* of red sector, which is below it. --- The 2.5 million tons of spinning *metal* refers only to that part. the metal casing. It doesn't include the furniture, the structures. the Garden, the 250,000 humans and aliens...so the total mass of the thing is MUCH greater than the 2.5 megatons. Also, the body was shoved out of the area around the cargo bay, non-rotating, which would also cut down on the momentum (as opposed to shoving out out of the rotating part, where it would speed away at 1g). --- On the one hand...we have more interior sets than any other series that I know of; 18 standing sets and 42 swing sets. And we're building a number of other sets for next year, including an Officer's Club. In addition to C&C, we've seen various holding cells, numerous quarters, a conference room, Sinclair's briefing room, the Council Chambers, the business room, two separate restaurants, the Zocalo, the Dark Star Club, the Casino, the Happy Daze Bar, Doug's Dugout Sports Bar, the Ombuds Courtroom, various DownBelow sectors...we've shown a *lot*. --- Medlab is the smaller facility exclusively for Dr. Franklin, as Chief of Staff. There are larger medical facilities, more like proper hospitals, elsewhere on the station. --- The CO's office next season will have a view of the Garden area, as will some other rooms. ==== ~own ~earth ???? Who owns the station? The station is owned by the Earth Alliance, and if you're going to be staying there, you pay a fee. Station employees are charged a fee against their salaries...which some of them aren't happy about. ==== ~move ~position ???? Will B5 ever be moving from its present position? Re: B5 and movement...no, it ain't going anywhere. Nor will it. ==== ~rotate The station was designed to rotate mainly because it's scientifically accurate. Afterward, we realized that, as you suggest, it *does* give the station a very dynamic look. Which only proves the point that if you take the time to actually do things correctly, to answer the next question, it works FOR you, not against you. ==== ~defense ~grid ~weapon The defense system for B5 consists of a system of moderate level defensive grids, hull-mounted weaponry (which is generally concealed behind large plates, which would be blown off with explosive bolts to reveal the weapons beneath), and a small number of individual fighter craft stored in a docking bay at the rear of the station. --- As for defense, you'll see a full demonstration of this in the first season; for now, let's just say that that smooth looking exterior is laced with sections that can open and reveal all kinds of interesting things. Imagine a five mile long Swiss Army knife.... ==== ~computer ~voice The computer system is quite good, based on a crystalline technology that's a mesh between alien and human-developed stuff. --- The computer voice belongs to Haley, our script supervisor. ==== ~inside ~gravity ~garden ~illuminated Yes, there are definitely different levels in each section of B5. And yes again, down the road there will be both small flyers and individuals with air-packs in the zero-G section at the center of the Garden. Ron's worked out how to do it. How's it illuminated? Quite nicely, actually.... ======= Ships ==== ~ship ~fighter ~starfury ~atmosphere ~wing ~fly The fighters are the SA-23E Mitchell-Hyundyne Starfuries, and B5 has four fighter wings, each with approximately 12 fighters. --- The starfuries are *only* non-atmosphere craft, and they can't hold more than one person. The other specs are over at Ron's, and I'll try to remember to snag them at some point. --- The fighters are built on a cross-wing structure (four wings), but very different from either X-wing or tie fighters. The four wings have fore, aft. top, bottom and side thrusters, so that they can move in any direction...they can fly left to right, turn backwards, and continue to fly left to right. flying backwards, and thus fire right to left. They're perfectly designed for zero-g environments. --- There are a number of influences that go into the markings on the Starfuries. (And not all 'furies are so marked; only those that are generally used by only one pilot, to whom the ship is assigned.) We took in general the WW II model, where pilots used to decorate their craft with nose art to personalize it. So some of it is of that flavor, while others echo more ancient heraldry. (Ivanova's 'fury has an old Russian two-headed eagle in stylized form.) Yes, again, an attempt to connect past, present and future. --- Your message is correct; there are various "weights" of Starfuries, some much more massive and impressive. The ones on B5 are light, fast, not overly complicated, and quick-strike machines. Another kind, which you'll see in the two-parter, has cockpits fore *and* aft, a two-person ship with much heavier shielding and armaments; the "Black Omega" version is made for top speed as an interceptor with advanced stealth components. --- Black Omega Starfuries are *hideously* expensive, rather like Stealth Bombers. They have to be carefully maintained, and their existence isn't generally trumpeted. (Like the Aurora, for instance.) They're not mainly a defensive system, but rather an infiltration unit used on black projects/covert missions. They're not really meant for an operation like B5. --- Definitely; there are additional fighters berthed inside Earthforce One, with a minimum four outside on constant patrol. In addition, it's got some pretty hefty defensive weaponry on board, though they're worked into the design so that they don't appear too obvious (bad for PR). ==== ~starfury ~launch ~bay ~pressurized ~dock ~grail ~fighter ???? How do starfuries launch? The bay is pressurized, with drop doors beneath each fighter. A ramp extends to the fighters individually, bringing on pilots. The bays are depressurized as the pilots (in flight suits) prepare. Then the drop doors open, the fighters pivot to nose-down position, and launch. --- The fighters are in regular configuration when the pilot boards. Then the drop doors open, the ship tilts down on a massive pair of arms, and then they're released, the centrifugal force of the station sending them out the drop doors. --- The starfury fighter is launched by a drop straight out, nose pointed "downward," toward space. Upon release, it flies pretty much straight out. still containing some of the momentum from the rotation, so it would appear to be going straight away from the station because its position in relation to the station, like a geosynchronous satellite, is still more or less correct. Shortly after getting out of the bay, the fighters fire up their engines. which lets them take any angle or direction they choose. So they can very quickly head away on any trajectory. --- There is nothing wrong with the launch sequence. It causes them to move directly away from the station, on a slight spiral, facing out to the stars from the pilot's POV. Whether or not it looks funky has little to do with whether or not this is the most efficient means of doing this. I think it's kind of funky that the space shuttle flies upside down while in orbit, its cargo bay facing down toward Earth, but that's the way it's done, and there are good reasons for it. We sat down for a very long time with a bunch of designers and techies who know physics and know math and know flight dynamics. we ran computer models, and the physics are right. ==== ~ship ~dock ~bay ???? How do ships dock? As you'll see in the series, we've worked out the docking bay stuff very clevely. A ship enters dead center. It is then taken and lowered into one of a number of different bays deeper within the station (by deeper I mean lower. more toward the hull). That's how we can have a series of different docking bays in the first place. There's a nifty CGI shot we'll be using at some point in the series where you can see the entirety of the docking bay, with the various ships arrayed inside. Then there are the more secure bays areas, with restricted access, as when Kosh arrived. ==== ~starfury ~dock ~bay ~enter ???? How do starfuries dock? The fighters enter via the main docking bay, where they are shunted back into the Starfury launch bays. (BTW, for those who've asked, and let it never be said that we're unresponsive...we asked Ron to develop a CGI sequence that shows how ships get from the interior of the main docking bay down to the customs and loading bays. I've seen it, and it looks pretty spiffy. Look for it in "Grail." ==== ~ship ~variety ~color ~witch ~starfury ~drazi ~sunhawk ???? Will there be a variety of spaceships? Yeah, we do a LOT of ships this season. I have gifs of them all, and some of them are mind-bogglingly nifty. What I like about Ron's work is that many of the space shots are works of art you could practically frame. And he's done one very important thing: he's brought COLOR into space, in a big way. Ships are personalized, painted, textured and made into things you enjoy looking at. The Starfury nicknamed the Sea Witch is a great example of this...as well as a bunch of others. Not all Starfuries are the same, btw...you'll be seeing a different category of them in "Mind War," and they're gorgeous. Also very scary. Not as scary, but more nifty, are the ones in "Survivors" and "Chrysalis." Ah LOVES spaceships.... --- There are other kinds of fighters; it's a question of what's intended for use where. The Raider ships, and the Narn heavy fighters, are both atmospheric and non-atmospheric ships. Some fighters, such as B5's Starfuries, the Drazi Sunhawk, the Ipsha Battleglobe and others (you'll see the latter two in "Deathwalker") are configured only for non-atmosphere activities, and have different configurations. --- On the ships...when Ron was pulling together the ships for that episode. we talked about it on the phone for a while, and I have to take the rap for the saucers...which I still think are cool. I said, in essence, why the hell not? Ron thought it was a great idea, and went and made it real. I think if we ever see this kind of ship again, it'll need some more work, a little more weight and substance, some more detail, but they're okay. ==== ~civilian ~earth ~ship ???? Will there be starships from earth? civilian spacecraft? Re: starships from Earth...yes, you'll be seeing a wide range of ships. from smaller transports and trading vessels to big mothers. It is something of an empire, and the ships come in as many varied forms as we have cars and trucks and semis and tanks and on and on.... --- Civilian spacecraft are fairly common; they're expensive, to be sure, and if you're just going from point a to point b, it makes more sense just to book passage on something, but many folks now make their living in space, so transport is required. --- BTW, have named an Earth Alliance Cruiser Hyperion, in notation of the library.... --- The Hyperion is not typical; it's one of the ships that survived the War. Not many did. There are niftier, newer ships built in the last eleven years that you'll be seeing eventually. ==== ~ship ~cost ~economy Owning your own space ship isn't cheap, but it also isn't as expensive as it might be. The investment is about the same as starting up your own business. There's not a lot of civilian "touring cars," for lack of a better term; better to use the liners and shuttles. But for businesses, surveyers. explorers, traders and the like...yeah, they're within one's grasp. And these sorts of ships are pretty much all run by computer. No crew required. Just go from place to place. If it's a scientific survey ship, then you'll have some more. ==== ~vorlon ~ship And there *is* a utilitarian reason behind its design. In addition, we want to show something VERY alien in design and construction...and frankly. there's NO reason a ship that isn't ever going to enter atmosphere needs to look aerodynamic. In time, you'd move toward things that are visually or aesthetically interesting. In this culture (Vorlon), art and science are closely allied, so this extension into the look of their ships is quite natural. Concepts about what ships are have become very rigid and inflexible thanks to the preponderance of SF-TV shows. We want to loosen that up. And that look DOES, as stated, have a practical aspect about it as well, which will be seen down the road. ==== ~raider ~ship ???? How about the raider ships? Why so vulnerable? RE: the Raider ships...they turned by a less effective system of thrusters put in here and there, not nearly as powerful as the systems used by the Starfuries. The reason -- verifiable by the shape of the Raider ships -- is that Raider ships are handicapped by the fact that they're made to function both in space *and* within an atmosphere (hence the aerodynamic wing shapes). which gives it something of a problem when dealing with the Starfuries, which are made ONLY for fighting in space, and are most ideally suited to it. The Raider ships make compromises for greater utility, which is generally okay unless they run into superior forces of ships designed for spaceborne combat. ======= Jump Gates ==== ~jump-gate ~hyperspace "What is the principle behind the jump gate?" Manufactured by Whammo. (Still working out the details.....) --- Re: jumpgates...I knew that multiples were used, but was still working out the *exact* details of how they work, and I hate to post anything until I'm 100% set, since this stuff tends to end up in FAQs.... --- Jump gates aren't instantaneous; transit within a gate is usually a couple of days, though it seems a bit longer to those outside. --- Yes, most of the energy is expended getting in and out of hyperspace. with a fair amount being expended navigating through it. ==== ~jump-gate ~action And the action *doesn't* always happen conveniently located to a jump gate. Sometimes, it can take *hours* or even days to get to where a ship or other object is located. ==== ~jump-gate ~ship ~pay ~government ~bill ???? How does a ship pay for use of a jump gate? As soon as the ship comes through, its signature is registered and the fees debited against their account, if they have one at the station. If not. the incoming person is asked for payment before being allowed onto the station. In some cases, as with transports, corporations buy jump gate access in bulk, and then assign the routes to their various transports. (Believe it or not, this actually comes up in dialogue in "Midnight.") Ah, but remember, the government is the one who put the jump gate in; no one individual or corp could afford to do that. When your ship, if Earth registered, comes through, you're automatically billed, just like income tax...it goes against your credit. If you're not Earth registered, you pay when you arrive at an Earth port or orbital transfer station. Either way, you pay. If you try to land somewhere without proper authorization, you'll be arrested and your ship confiscated. Now, you could probably come through the gate, hang in space for a while. and go back in again (IF you're a non-Earth registered ship) and not pay anything...but in that case, what's the point? It'd be like taking a difficult trip in a small ship across the Atlantic, and not getting out or going ashore once you arrive. ==== ~jump-gate ~identify ~ship ~war ~minbari ~jump-point ???? How are ships identified when they come out of jump gates? 1) Jump gates can only give you the frequency identification of a given ship some minutes prior to exiting hyperspace; just as it's about to exit, you can get much more detailed information, such as silhouette, mass, and so on. By then it's pretty much out...but at least you know as soon as it's out what it is. 2) You can't just shut down a jump gate like a light bulb. It is a VERY powerful piece of equipment, and it takes a long time to shut down and a long time to start up again. It's like a nuclear or fusion reactor in that respect. If you shut it down, it'll *stay* down for some time, which may put you in a very bad position if you have to leave fast, and that's the only way out. (During the Earth/Minbari war, jump gates created by the Earth Alliance were programmed only to accept certain coded frequenies that were changed regularly. [That should read frequencies.] This helped prevent Minbari ships using EA gates.) 3) Really large ship, such as war cruisers and long-range explorer vessels are powerful enough to punch their own entance into hyperspace. creating a jump point. (Something you'll see happen in our first episode. btw.) They can go in and out of hyperspace on their own, so they don't strictly need a gate, which is primarily a) for smaller craft incapable of generating their own jump point, and b) to help larger craft conserve energy. The Vorlon fleet could have come in via its own jump point, but the gate was there, and it allowed them to separate their smaller attack fleet while in hyperspace, so they could all come out together, as opposed to releasing them after making their own jump point. ==== ~hyperspace ~jump-gate ~tot Travel from point A to point B takes some amount of time. But when you're near your destination, you can wait in hyperspace and choose to come out at a specific moment. There's considerable speculation that both the Minbari and Vorlons have ships standing by in hyperspace, at various locations, in case they're needed quickly. (In the pilot movie. Laurel Takashima even mentions that they are probably doing this.) It's a correlation to the TOT (Time On Target) philosophy; you can send ships in from various sectors, have them lurk in hyperspace, then all come out at once. ==== ~effect ~jump-gate We've made some minor modifications to the jumpgate effect, in the texture and color of the warp EFX. It looks a little less computer-y, and some science guys suggested that there should be red-shift built into the thing. So now when objects come *out* of hyperspace, and we're looking into the jumpgate, the warp effect is blue; when you enter the jumpgate, it shifts toward orange/red. ======= Weapons ==== ~weapon ~ppg [Phased Plasma Gun] PPG = Phased Plasma Gun, and yes, the settings work about the way you describe. At full settings, it burns right through the body (and you can see this in some shots, albeit briefly and discreetly). We also deal with the reality of what such a weapon *does* to you...internal burns, clothes melting into the skin, that sort of thing. We don't get gross about it, but we try to stay with the reality of what we're creating. --- Re: the PPG firing...we talked to some high-IQ types about how a plasma-firing weapon might work. There would be superheated bursts, some marginal escape of the gases used, and it would burn through the air, creating a small thunderclap-like sound. So this is what we did. --- The PPGs are Phased Plasma Guns, using superheated helium. It doesn't ricochet like conventional slugs, dissipates quickly after a hit, can be adjusted to produce surface damage, or cut straight through the body, or to make a big impact without burning through. At full strength, they burn straight through any kind of body, causing massive internal burns and damage to the internal organs. The clothes melt right into the skin. It's not a pretty thing. Generally they're operated at a lower or less lethal setting. --- The ripple is caused by heat from the discharge. --- There are definitely PPG assault rifles, which are visible in "Grail." They can fire faster than pistols, but I don't think they could handle the power-buildup to fire 3-6 per second. That's definitely slug-thrower turf. ======= Communication ==== ~communicate ~communicate We're using a tachyon communications system to handle the FTL problem regarding communications. --- Communications will be instantaneous in *most* cases. Once a ship enters hyperspace, however, communications can become more problematic. --- I've told our people that in season two (Neilsen willing), I want a new Babcom or general communications standby screen...and if I ever see the old one again, someone's going to get hurt.... ==== ~communicator ~link ???? What's that thing on the back of [Sinclair's] hand? The item on the back of Sinclair's hand is a Link, which is their personal communications system/powerbook/mainframe access system/pager. --- It's made to be adhesive to skin, but easily removed. ======= Medicine ==== ~medicine ~technology ~surgery ~math ???? How do you envision medical technology? Our medical advisor tells us that regen technology should be well in hand within the next 100 years, so you can grow back damaged internal organs and the like, and avoid having to do transplants. Also that the system of surgery is moving toward non-invasive procedures, using light in more and different ways. He went on past that, but there was some math involved... --- Re: the medical tools...we brought in a medical science consultant, who helped us design our instruments. His sense was that we're moving more and more toward light as a system of treatment, non-invasive procedures, that sort of thing. No, there aren't anything like those devices in today's operating rooms...but this is 250 years from now. In any event, it *is* based on the latest info we're getting on new science from our medical advisor. ======= Other ==== ~gravity ~tractor ???? Does Earth have any kind of artificial gravity? Others? I've said that Earth tech doesn't have any kind of gravitational tech, including magnetic/tractor beams. The Minbari have a much greater control over and knowledge of gravitational science. ==== ~computer As for computer tech in 2258, it's something we're exploring for a story. Larry has an interesting idea or two on how to realize it visually, but it's hard to find something that's possibly accurate without making it godlike. Still, we're trying... =============== Universe =============== ======= Vision ==== ~universe ~human ~future ~vision What I want to do with this show is to connect our past, our present, and our future, melding familiar images with new ones. This isn't what you're used to seeing. But it's what I want to *do* with it. Otherwise all you have are unattainable futures about people who we barely recognize as being humans. doing things we can't relate to. I'm sorry, but that just doesn't interest me. --- The main line I've been stressing with our writers and others who we're working with is the goal of making our humans more human, and our aliens more alien. Much of our life is focused around things that don't generally show up in SF television...we cut ourselves shaving, we have to find a bathroom, our shoes don't fit...and these are the elements that help make a character more real somehow. So yes, we're very definitely going for that aspect. ==== ~human ~language ~history ~future I don't believe in the notion that, when we go to the stars, we have to leave behind our individual languages, and cultures, and ethnic backgrounds. and fashions of dress. We bring that with us as part of who and what we are. It's our differences that *strengthen* us. It's not all going to vanish in 200 years. There are cultures in the eastern part of the world that have survived with minor changes for literally thousands of years. 250 years is the blink of an eye. It's really a Western phenomenon; to us, 200 years is a long time, the whole history of our nation. That changes when you go outside. I stood on the cobblestone walks of Trinity College in Dublin, and realized that on those same cobblestones some eager student raced across to the living quarters to announce news of a big revolution in the American colonies. I stood in the neolithic burial mounds at New Grange, the oldest man-made stuctures in the world, older even than the pyramids...and realized that in human terms, 250 years isn't even a blip. We're not going to change that much. 250 years ago, people worked, got married, had families, separated, had affairs, and hoped for a better world for their children. 250 years from now. it will be exactly the same. Only the chrome of technology will vary. For a good example of this, go find an SF movie musical called "Just Imagine" made in the 1930s. Set in the 1980s, it pictured a world of people with names instead of numbers, pills instead of food, and birth by machine. Much of TV SF makes the similar error. ==== ~station ~future ~realistic ~human ~fantasy On your point that B5 looks and feels and, arguably, *is* something that humanity could build, is nominally within our grasp...this is something that we've been building toward for a while, is part of what we want to do with the show. At a recent screening of some episodes for cast and crew, the one most frequent comment I got afterward was that it *felt* real, that this felt like how it might really be to work and live out on the fringe. Many SF futures are so far beyond our grasp as to enter the realm of unattainable fantasy...I'd like to point to something as more within our grasp, to remind us that we can do this, and that maybe we SHOULD do this. ==== ~religion ???? How do you tie religion into the story?? Let me just lay the foundation here for a moment in the area of religion and Babylon 5. I'm an atheist, that simple. But that's me. If you look at the long history of human society, religion -- whether you describe that as organized, disorganized, or the various degrees of accepted superstition -- has always been present. And it will be present 200 years from now. That may not thrill me, but when one is a writer, one must deal with realities, and that's one of them. To totally ignore that part of the human equation would be as false and wrong-headed as ignoring the fact that people get mad, or passionate, or strive for better lives. So we do deal with the questions of religion, and spirituality, and their definitions, without being abusive. A couple of stories on this area, like David Gerrold's "Believers" may be very controversial. On the other hand, my script for "The Parliament of Dreams" is a straight-ahead showcase, in which every species on B5 is encouraged to demonstrate his or her dominant belief system, as practiced back home. So we learn more about Minbari religion, more about the Centauri's rather Bacchanallian form of religion, along with others. And Sinclair is put in the difficult position of being asked to show what Earth's dominant belief system is. The solution to which is, I think, kinda cool. In the Babylon 5 universe, all the things that make us human -- our obsessions, our interests, our language, our culture, our flaws and our wonderfulnesses -- are all still intact. --- Yes, Earth religions have had to come to grips with the existence of alien cultures; and religions from both sides have filtered into human an alien life. We won't be dealing with that this season because we deal with the topic of religion a lot this season, and don't want to get too bogged down with it. --- Garibaldi is an agnostic. Ivanova is jewish. Sinclair was raised catholic and underwent training as a Jesuit. Dr. Franklin is a Foundationist. Catherine Sakai is buddhist. --- What kind of Jewish Ivanova is...is something she's trying to resolve in her own head. --- The Foundation is a new religion, started close to the year 2000, which gradually grew and achieved a fair amount of respectability over the following 200 years (as with mormonism, for instance). --- Great Maker is a term for the creator or god that has currency among many different races. Its origins are lost in history. ======= Earth Alliance ==== ~history ~earth ~2257 ~2258 ~year The history of Earth for about the last 100 years prior to the time of B5 is broken out, and though it isn't laid out in detail in the series, it forms a reference backdrop for us, so it's all consistent when we refer to any part of it. The pilot was 2257, the first year of the series is 2258, year two would be 2259, and so on. The story requires 5 years of story time as well as 5 years of real time to tell. Things have to go through some real time lapse for the story to work out properly. Consequently, the narration at the top of the show ("...the year is 2258, the name of the place is Babylon 5") will be changed each season. ==== ~ea ~earth ~bronze ~mars ~moon ~colony ~io ~centauri ???? How big is the Earth Alliance? The EA is fairly large, but not on a par with the Centauri at this point. There are various space platforms/colonies, colonies on the Moon, Mars, a major transfer point off Io...they've gone in and "helped" a number of bronze-tech worlds (that happened to have certain resources useful to EA), and are generally spreading like mice in a cheese factory. --- You are correct in that the Earth Alliance consists in the main of humans. Aliens are generally not integrated into the system, except in very low-level stuff. (In some bronze-tech worlds where humans have come in and pulled an India/England relationship, you may have colonial governors who are native aliens, but are basically puppets.) There's more than just Mars, Earth and the Sol colonies; there are a number of other worlds and systems out there into which Earth has made a dent. ==== ~earth ~politics ~senate ~nation ~state ~earthdome ???? Will we be seeing Earth, or what's been happening on Earth, during the series? While we will not be *seeing* much of Earth in B5 (as in going there). what's going on back home will be a *constant* undercurrent to the series. You'll learn a lot about the state of Earth in 2258 in our universe during the course of the series. --- Actually, my plan is to show a *lot* of what's happening back on Earth. because that will tie into what happens on B5. Social changes, politics. religion, sports...again, this relates to one of the themes of B5 from my point of view, the continuance of our species,the thread that connects our past, our present and our future. And again, that's something that'll become fairly evident from episode one on. --- The questions concerned B5 and the political situation on Earth at this time. Back home, there is an Earth Senate, which is made up of elected representatives from each nation-state; the larger and more powerful the nation, the more reps they get. Which annoys the smaller nations no end. (And there's quite a bit of conflict between them; the smaller nation-states, with limited resources, keep grousing about why they should support B5 financially. as well as other space endeavors, when their economy really isn't set up to take as much advantage of the situation as the larger nation-states. --- The Earth government -- located in Earthdome -- is basically a republic, with reps from each nation serving as senators or in other capacities. --- Earthdome is on Earth. In what used to be Geneva. --- And of course there still *are* conflicts between Earth countries at the time of B5. Including conflicts over space. In a news broadcast featured prominently in the upcoming two-parter, because of another item in the broadcast that's important for that episode, it's noted that the representatives in Earthdome from several countries have pulled out in protest on the grounds that since they do not benefit equally from the exploitation of space, they should not be expected or required to help pay for it on an equal basis as everyone else. ==== ~fund ~economy ~ea ~four ???? Who funded the Babylon projects? The Earth Alliance funded the first few attempts exclusively; after they'd dumped all their money into B4, they needed outside funding to get B5 going, and the Minbari were first to contribute money as a show of good faith. Then the Centauri added additional funding. Those are the only two other races that've contributed significantly. ==== ~found ~babylon ???? Who founded the Babylon project? David...what an absolutely wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful question. I think I'll answer this in an episode next season. It's something that I've known, and just filed away, but yeah, this should be dealt with. And I'll do so. (Though now you have to wait to see it on TeeVee.) ==== ~rank ~military ~navy ~air ~badge ~uniform ???? What is the rank system on B5 based on? On the theory that some of the militaries have blended, the system of ranks is kind of a cross between the navy and the air force (at least the ones with which our characters will have any interaction). --- All Earthforce uniforms in this division are blue; EA marines are olive/brown; security and other NCO areas get grey. Within those areas, it's further subdivided, and is distinguishable by the horizontal bars below the EA insignia. Gold is command; silver is for command staff. (Ivanova, being in between, has a divided bar, half gold and half silver.) Red is medical, green is security. Yellow is for science division. The rank bars are on the shoulder. --- Sinclair and other officers are pure EA military, so they get the EA pins on the chest. (Also the techs wear them in the dome, and others in charge of various divisions.) Security is under the jurisdiction of EA, but are a separate component, staffed under B5 financing. These, and medical, and scientific and environmental and other areas have their own symbol, which is worn on their chest and shoulder. You can tell who works for EA because they have the EA also on their shoulder, whereas those who are employed directly by B5 have the B5 symbol on their shoulder. The patches connote specialization: command is a starburst, lines that radiate into every area; security is a gunsight/targeting symbol; medical is a stylized medicine symbol, and so on. Sinclair and Ivanova wear their officer's bars on their epaulets; not the triangular part per se, but the bars at the very far end of the epaulet, below the triangles. ==== ~earth ~alliance ~ea ~administration ~autonomy In most everyday situations B5 operates fairly autonomously; EA doesn't generally get involved unless there's a very good reason. And from time to time, they do. That happens right off the bat in the pilot movie, where they stomp down hard. They exercise other authority from time to time -- "suggesting" that a group of Centauri representatives be given the VIP treatment in order to encourage them to invest and help to defray the cost of running B5 (an issue that never seems to come up in TV SF...just how much DOES the Enterprise cost to run?), and in the series, there's considerable conflict planned for down the road between those on B5 and the EA officials (especially since not everyone is 100% behind B5, and would love nothing more than to see it shut down). Wheels within wheels...that's the secret. ==== ~sinclair ~administration ~autonomy ~earthdome Sinclair functions within the parameters of Earthforce Command, but much in the way as a provisional governor might function. He is answerable both to his superior officers in Earthforce, *as well as* the Babylon 5 Senate Oversight and Appropriations Committee. A senatorial liaison often works between Sinclair and Earthdome (the EA capital city). ==== ~mars ~colony ~ea ???? Is the Mars Colony independent, part of Earth Alliance, or what? The status of the Mars Colony is in considerable debate in B5's time. It's chafing under the EA's tight controls. I wouldn't be surprised to see it try to secede at some point.... --- The Mars Colony situation will be raising its ugly head on and off again for quite some time to come. ==== ~squadron ~patch ~fighter ~starfury ~line ???? Names of squadrons of Starfuries? BTW, for those who might be interested in such things...continuing the Earth tradition, all of our various fighter wings have their own names. The fighter unit that Ivanova belongs to, for instance, is the Ghost Riders. The name of Sinclair's Earth/Minbari War Fighter unit was Death's Hand. We've had patches made of these and other insignia, which get used at appropriate moments on their flight suits in the cockpit. (I don't remember offhand the name of the primary fighter unit on B5, which is technically Delta Wing, but it has a specific name beyond that, and it just fell out of my head.) --- BTW, today I was gifted by some folks in B5 with a collection of some of the patches we've used on the fighter pilot suits. You'll see these on the front breast and arms (both sides of each) of the suits, if only in the occasional glimpse. Even though they'll probably never bee fully seen, we felt the need to make 'em real looking and finish them off to the last stitched detail. These include the Earth Forces Off-World patch (gold-handled sword against a starburst within what looks like a cross between a mobius strip and human DNA), Earth Force Command (similar, but minus the starburst, with transverse red stripes against a black background), a B5 Fighter Wing Squadron patch (Flying Nightmares, B5FA-1013 on the outer ring, with a B5 symbol on the left side outlined by up-and-down red stripes, and on the right a black up and down stripe bordered by 2256), a rectangular Earth Alliance Fighter Identification patch (five-pointed command insignia circled by red and gold. overlaid with gold wings over Joe Straczynski), and the insignia worn by those on the Battle of the Line, a triangular patch with Star Fury on the upper left angle in silver on black, FA-23E in silver on black on the right upper angle. with the inner part of the triangle divided in two by a vertical silver stripe, blue on the left, gold on the right, over which is the design of one of the fighters in full accelleration, leaving trails behind it, with the squadron number 361st - TFS, with UGLY beneath it, and on the lower left angle of the patch, in black on silver, the words BUT WELL HUNG. Which refers, of course, to the figher craft itself. (They hang upside down prior to launch, you'll recall.) ======= Psi-corps ==== ~psi ???? Telepaths are common in the B5 universe, but not in the our reality... Interesting, innit, how they suddenly blossomed like that...? --- The whole telepathy issue is an interesting one in the universe of B5. There have always been attempts to prove the existence of telepathy, but in general the findings have been inconclusive. But about 125 years or so ago in B5's timeline (2100-2110 and thereabouts) the findings began suddenly to tilt. and full-blown telepaths began to be discovered. There were some abortive and confused attempts to legislate around this, most of which failed or were overturned in various courts of law. About 2150 or so, the government agencies that regulated and oversaw telepaths were rolled over into the newly established Psi Corps, which became a clearing house for locating. controlling, and licensing telepaths for commercial, some very restricted legal, and military purposes. ==== ~psi ~telepath ~rating ~legal ~scan ???? Where do psi-corps ratings come from? What are their legal restrictions? Psi Corps ratings are assigned from within the Academy, based on test results and personal interviews/training. Restrictions: NO unauthorized scans -- you need the permission of the person, tacit permission, or written permission of next of kin -- and no "dipping," going into other areas not relevant to the current scan. In criminal cases, psi's may not scan defendants during a trial or before to determine guilt or innocence, as this violates the right of due process. After a conviction, a psi may be called upon to function in various capactities (which will be seen in "The Quality of Mercy"). A psi *may* scan the victim of a crime unable to remember details of an attack, but that information must be backed up by physical evidence, or it is inadmissible. --- The number of psi's in each category, from 1-12, gets rarer as you get higher. Lots of folks have a minimal tendency, very few have any real talent. --- A Psi-rating comes through training and examination of a person's skills over time. Ivanova's mother never went through the full sequence to get rated. (Although they generally don't bother with P1s through P2s, so she was at least a P3 or above, in terms of raw ability.) A psi rating isn't hereditary. --- No, the accused cannot ask for a psi to validate his or her innocence; the trial can ONLY proceed on the basis of evidence. This is to prevent abuse, trials where a Psi looks at you and determines your guilt. When a life is at stake, you can't risk the possibility of some hidden agenda on the part of the telepath. You'd have to use a telepath to verify the first telepath's scan, and on and on. Best simply to exclude them from that aspect of the law. --- We're going to be doing a lot on the Psi Corps toward the middle of the series, btw. There's quite a bit in D.C. Fontana's new story, "Legacies," and in a script I just finished, "Mind War." The more I play around with the notion of legalized, licensed telepaths, the more room there is for all kinds of intrigue. --- As Walter says in "Mind War," about rogue telepaths, "Only Psi Cops are qualified to bring them down, so we're afforded greater...latitude." (That's a paraphrase from memory.) ======= Powers ==== ~league ~non-aligned ~world ~empire ~security ~council ~un There are more aliens than just the 5 major groups. In addition to them. there's *bunches* of oththe classification of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. The Big Five constitute what is in essence the Security Counsel. while the rest are the General Assembly. We will see these groups participating in that capacity in "Midnight." --- It was Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, Vorlon Empire and Earth Alliance, for anyone keeping track. And yes, most all of them have some other alien species within their sphere of direct influence. --- Most of the non-aligned worlds have a less technologically advanced society, but mainly what constitutes membership in the Big 5 is the size of the government in question. If it's just one planet and maybe a sister world or two, that's not enough to qualify. --- The Babylon 5 Advisory Council and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds functions in much the same fashion as the Security Council and the General Assembly in the U.N. The smaller worlds and alliances can't weild as much power as any of the Big Five. Together, they as a group get a vote equal to one of the Big Five; they can deputize one of their number to speak for them and cast that vote, which can often break ties or create ties. It is not a terribly equitible situation, but it was the only workable solution that would be accepted by the other Ambassadors. We'll see them chafing at this in "Deathwalker." ==== ~peace ~war ~status ~alliance ~centauri ~narn ~vorlon ~minbari I'll have to be a little circumspect here (damn it, you're doing it again....). The Narn Regime is not currently at war with the Centauri Republic, which occuped the Narn homeworld for nearly a century before finally being driven off by the Narn resistance. Their resources depleted they are not currently in a position to make war on anyone; being naturally rather paranoid, and having just been more or less enslaved, they have a dread of other races getting together and possibly harming them, as well as a hunger for the technology that might protect them down the road (as Russia feared invasion its Eastern Front after WW2). There's a rough alliance between the Earth Alliance and the Centauri. since theirs was the first race we encountered. (They told us at that time that they were the biggest guys around, that they ran everything, that we were a lost colony of theirs...which eventually was disproven by genetic examination. The rest of their claims were also BS. They were trying to impress the natives.) There's some movement toward making nice with the Minbari, but also a GREAT deal of resistance, given the recent war. --- The Earth/Minbari war started with a Minbari first encounter (by us) that went tragically wrong and resulted in a firefight, in which the leader of the Grey Council was killed. --- The attack killed the Minbari leader, head of the Grey Council, Dukhat. the most evolved and wise soul of all the Minbari. --- The only questions I can remember...the vorlons have never fought a war with any other race. (At least none has ever been recorded.) And right now in the Minbari race there's a big split that took place after the Earth/Minbari war between the religious leaders and the military leaders. which culminated with the suicide of the Minbari commander at the conclusion of the war. They've now arrived at an uneasy truce, but with time, who knows? --- The minbari warrior caste leader who committed suicide rather than issue the surrender command was Sineval. --- ...and as far as Kosh goes, better to have him where you can see him. than not. They *are* a powerful group, and it wouldn't serve to ignore them. We courted them for 10 years for a first contact...and now we're stuck with them. --- The Earth/Minbari war lasted almost five years. The terms of surrender were conditional; there was to be no reparation. It was simply a cessation of hostilities. It was not a clear-cut issue of being beaten or doing the beating; it just stopped...which left a lot of people feeling about the same way some did after Vietnam. Peace with honor? Maybe, maybe not. ==== ~earth ~ea ~war ~dilgar ~deathwalker ???? Has Earth been in other wars besides the Minbari war? Earth has fougth in some other conflicts, on a smaller scale; prior to the Earth/Minbari war, they came to the assistance of the Non-Aligned Worlds against a race known as the Dilgar, which devastated whole worlds. --- The Dilgar War was one of the first conflicts that the EA got into, soon after establishing a presence in space. We mainly entered it to try and make a "rep" for ourselves, then got more morally involved when we saw what was going on. That and the Minbari War are the only real major conflicts Earth has been involved with, and Earth was not directly at risk in the Dilgar war. though if they hadn't been stopped, that might have changed eventually. ==== ~earth ~ea ~centauri ???? What was the Centauri relationship to Earth? The Centauri never really got around to us. They've been in a decline for a long time; the Narn occupation was one of the last of their imperialist rampages. Now they're pulling back further and further. And also as re: Earth...space is big. 100 years ago, we weren't putting out any radio or television or microwave transmissions; they can't check EVERY planet. We got overlooked for a long time by lots of different groups. --- While we were in an agrarian state, and an early industrial state, we a) were of very little use, b) had little to offer, and c) came at a time when the Centauri were starting to fall back into isolationism just a bit. The Narn had the misfortune to be strategically well located, had many resources the Centauri wanted, and provided other advantages. One doesn't just conquer worlds helter-skelter; it takes time, money, effort and some blood to conquer worlds. You only choose those which offer you enough to make the process worthwhile. That simple. ======= Miscellaneous ==== ~station ~distance ~earth ~star ~universe ???? Where in the galaxy is the station located? We're still in the process of drawing up a detailed starmap with the distances from B5 to each of our major governments, but we're looking at roughly 25 light years from Earth. --- We'll imply some of the geography in the series, but the interactive computer program coming out soon has a map of the station, and shows where what is in relation to everything else. ==== ~star ~location Yes, we're trying to use real stars and constellations in our script references, as well as indications of new ones that may have been discovered in the 200 years between now and the time of B5. (At one point, a tech-runner's background is being discussed, and they mention that he ran forbidden technology into the Vega and Proxima systems, for instance.) Which star is the one Babylon 5 orbits? One that hasn't been discovered at this point in time...but in about 50 years, it'll show up on the starcharts. It's a fairly small star, dwarfed and hidden by several nearby binaries that overwhelm the spectrum visible from Earth. Yeah, that's the ticket.... --- The sector of space was chosen for B5 because a) it's pretty much in neutral territory, and b) of the neutral territory areas, this is the one that seems to have nothing of value in it, so nobody will be interested in fighting over what's there. This may not necessariliy be true in the future. ==== ~music ???? Does rock music still exist in the Babylon 5 universe? There's still rock and roll, plus other new musical forms that have come along, and still some franchises. TZ3 is being played on various local stations, but not everywhere. ==== ~drug ???? How about drugs? Has marijuana been legalized? It's never come up, and probably never will, but in terms of backstory. yes, it was legalized quite some time ago. There are only a certain number of drugs not allowed on B5; those which would lead to destructive, violent behavior that would disrupt the station, and Dust, about which you won't be hearing for a while. Near as I can figure, all grass makes you want to do is sit around eating pizza and watching old Lucy reruns.... ==== ~money ~economy ???? How does the economic system work, on Earth and on the station? The Earth economy still runs on basic capitalism; the corporations under-write surveying and exploitation of planets, in some cases then selling what they find to the government in return for a piece of the profits, or via direct exploitation itself. (By law they're forbidden from exploiting or strip-mining worlds with sentient life.) There is also, as we discover in one episode, a big market for archaeologists who dig into now-dead worlds for whatever technology they can find, which might have been ancient there, but are new to us. --- Money works as in any large city. You come in with the money of your place of origin (assuming you haven't made adjustments prior to arriving), and exchange it for prevalent Earth value credits, as determined by the current exchange rate. You are issued a credit chit that has your name, ID, other information, including genetic information to prevent forgery, and that has your available credits as stored in the B5 computer. As you pay, as with any credit card, you whittle away at that amount until it's gone, at which point you either cash in more of your money...or go broke. --- The credit chits work differently depending on who you are. If you work for B5, your salary is tied into your credit chit, and you pay accordingly. If you're a visitor from elsewhere, bringing in non-Earth currency, you exchange that currency (as Aldous noted in "Grail"), much as you do now. Difference is, you turn in the currency at the B5 exchange. It is processed on the current rate of exchange. and you are issued a credit chit programmed with an amount equal to whatever you brought in. You use it the same way as a