BABYLON 5: THANK YOU JMS DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 12:21:12 AM #12187 It will definitely do; thank you for your kind words. They (and all the others noted here) mean a lot. There were many times, over the five years we worked to sell B5, that we thought it would never happen; that I was told to just forget it, move on; that I could've sold 3 other series in the same amount of time and made big bucks. But there was a story that I needed to tell. And there have been times of great doubt, if it would all come together; tough times in particular when the pilot first aired, and in between that and the first season. Then you do the best you can, and you begin to wonder if anyone will ever notice, or care; with the snipes in the trades and the magazines, you start to wonder if you're crazy. Very few people *really* understand what goes into the making of this show, the care and dedication, and the years it took to get this on the screen. It is nothing less than a labor of love *for the genre*, which is very important to all of us who work on Babylon 5. jms DATE: SAT OCT 29 1994 6:56:18 PM #13616 Thanks. Overseeing the audio mix are me, John Copeland and George Johnsen, and the latter in particular is a REAL perfectionist. We try to use the surround channels to heighten certain effects, because frankly, we all have killer systems, and WE want to hear it. jms BABYLON 5: B5 SOUNDTRACK @ LOSCON TO: ALL DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:56:21 #16172 I'm pleased to announce that Christopher Franke's soundtrack for BABYLON 5 will be available starting around December in most markets (a great stocking stuffer). In addition, a LIMITED EDITION version, which I'm told will be different from the mass release version, will be for sale at LosCon in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving weekend. I think only about 500 or 1,000 will be avilable there, and I expect they'll be grabbed up pretty fast. (If those here involved with LosCon could get me about fifteen minutes of open room prior to the start of my Sunday presentation, I could play about 15 minutes of the CD, assuming a player is available and hooked up.) It is, by the way, a *beautiful* album. Chris has done something quite extraordinary, in that instead of a series of cuts and snippets, like most soundtracks, he's reorchestrated all the primary themes in the show into one long symphonic piece. It's gorgeous and rich and full, non-stop for the length of the CD. I received an early prototype, and have it on almost constantly while I'm working. Never get tired of it. (I also just did the liner notes for the album, I'm that excited about it.) jms BABYLON THE BOOK #14707 DATE: MON OCT 31, 1994 2:29:13 AM For a while, back a few years ago, when I was working on the new Twilight Zone, our offices were just a few blocks away from a B. Dalton Booksellers, which was across the street from the local Scientology HQ. Whenever a load of books came into the store, one of the clerks there told me, they'd come in from across the street and buy them en masse, to keep the book high on the selling charts. In a few cases, he said, the new boxes of books had B. Dalton price stickers on the covers...meaning they took the purchased books inside, repackaged them, sent them back to the distributing warehouse, which sent them back to the stores again. jms BABYLON 5: B5 RENTAL TAPE SEEN (UK) #9736 RESPONSE-TO: ARWEL PARRY DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 3:12:21 PM I'd be very appreciative if some willing volunteer could purchase a copy of the "Voice" tape when it comes out in the U.K. and send it along to me, in exchange for an official B5 crew cap. jms DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 11:46:08 PM #10337 Now, now...just *one* person, please; I don't really need 30 copies of the tape. If one person commits (and you were here first, I think), I'll wait and see what happens, then try another later. jms DATE: WED OCT 26, 1994 2:11:07 #10789 No, actually, insofar as I know, there's nothing wrotten in the UK tape; I'd just like to have a copy for my personal archives. (See, I don't tend to get sent this stuff otherwise.) jms BABYLON 5: B5 SECOND SERIES DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 12:30:26 AM #12200 Arwel: would love to see the full ratings figures for B5's run in C4. I think the airings will end up about simultaneous with the US schedule. jms BABYLON 5: SCREW-UP DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 3:12:23 PM #9737 Well, we tracked down more on the screw-up, and that's how the "To be continued" got in, and there's a second composite shot missing (from the DownBelow area). We rousted our post production people out of bed last night, and at 3:30 a.m. had them correcting the mistakes made by others, reassembling the entire episode. The correct version is going out on the bird today, tomorrow, and tomorrow night. It will also be hand-delivered to KCOP here in town to make sure they get it. I encourage anyone who saw "Chrysalis" over the last day or so to look at it again on the rerun; I think you'll find parts of it much better. This has been a complete and utter meltdown, and we're all out for blood at the moment. jms DATE: WED OCT 26, 1994 2:41:25 #10541 We sent the refeeds to the stations this afternoon, and will send again tomorrow. It'll definitely be in your market for the rebroadcast. jms DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 12:21:19 #11318 Yeah, it can make you crazy. Y'know that game, where you have a mallet and your job is to whack the gophers as they stick their head up out of the ground? That's as good a description of my job as I've ever seen. And there are always new gophers.... jms DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 12:21:24 #11321 Odd...one person said WWOR got it right, another that it got it wrong. Which is which, I wonder...? jms DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 3:15:25 PM #11673 I wuz confoosed...I mistook WPWR for WWOR. NY got it right, Chicago got it wrong. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30, 1994 12:47:22 AM #13877 Sigh...if anyone needs me, I'll be up on the roof.... jms =============== QUESTION 14129: =============== DATE: SUN OCT 30, 1994 3:53:01 PM #14251 I know...I know.... Hand me my chainsaw, I'm going shopping for dinner. jms DATE: MON OCT 31, 1994 2:16:21 AM #14701 The mistake wasn't made by us. It was broadcast correctly overseas, in the UK, perfectly. This was done by the video house that supplied the satellite feed. jms NEW SEASON CONFUSION DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 6:06:11 PM #14331 You couldn't possibly be less thrilled to see that than I was. I can only attribute it to a problem with WB PR, given that we switched publicists and there was a period in between where no single person was really in charge, and I suspect a lot of stuff got out. jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 2:16:18 AM #14699 Mira's accent is quite natural, as a native-born Yugoslavian who fled her country because of the war. jms HUMANS PLACE IN THE GALAXY DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 3:30:22 #15915 Basically, I think our strength comes, and will come, from the fact that we are (in my universe-view, at any rate) the only species that really tends to build *communities* of diverse groups, humans and aliens, whereas the other species tend to either congregate only with their own kind, or conquer, rather than form communities which, in the long run, become stronger than the sum of their parts. jms BABYLON 5: B5 MOVES? DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 12:42:24 #11344 I think our tags are one of the better things about the show; I like the sense that, okay, the *incidents* of the story are over, but life goes on, and there are things yet to delve into, how the events we've just seen AFFECT our characters. Sometimes we put major information into the tags, so they're not throwaways; sometimes we just treat them for fun, or for some nice character moments. jms BABYLON 5: NEW SEASON CONFUSION DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 2:53:26 AM #11443 If you heard Sinclair say "Nothing's the same anymore," then you saw all of it; act 4 and the tag both end on Delenn. (Though the tag also has the exec producers' credits.) jms DATE: WED OCT 26, 1994 2:42:00 #10543 Good news is that the soundtrack will be out in the next month or so; I'll have more to say on this shortly. jms BABYLON 5: BRUCE ON SNYDER DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 3:12:24 PM #9738 Bruce Boxleitner will be on the Tom Snyder show this evening. Just FYI. jms DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 11:40:26 PM #10318 I only know that Walter Koenig will be over in the UK next week sometime for a convention, and will be bringing some B5 stuff with him. jms DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 11:46:06 PM #10336 Yep, Synder's on CNBC, though he'll be moving to CBS after Letterman in December. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30, 1994 8:25:02 PM #14440 I think Bruce is on Marilu sometime this week. (And he drank from the side where the coffee table was located.) jms ======================== QUESTION #11449: Any plans to be at Intersection (the 1995 World SF Convention) In Glasgow next August? ======================== DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 3:15:22 PM #11670 That's way too far in my personal future for me to plan now; I would definitely be interested, but it all depends on schedules. jms CHRYSALIS SPOILER DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 3:30:23 #15916 I like symmetry and mirroring stuff from time to time, but I don't like to over-do it, so no, we generally won't do it every season. jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 3:18:10 PM #14932 The Shadowmen stuff was all CGI, no models. Spiffy stuff. And yes, we'll find out in time what Delenn asked Kosh. Glad you enjoyed the episode. jms =========== QUESTION #11592: What was the question that Delenn had Lennier relay to Kosh? What Delenn has done, is it generally not known? =========== BABYLON 5: CHRYSALIS - WHAM! DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 3:15:24 PM #11672 What Delenn has done is not generally known, but will become so in time. The question...is another issue. jms DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 12:21:22 #11320 Thanks; it's definitely one of my favorites. jms DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 8:52:06 PM #12848 Yes, in syndication, you're generally free of the restraints that the networks operate under. Also, you don't need mega-numbers to be successful. jms DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 12:21:07 AM #12185 I'd say the next two weeks will have 90% of the answers you'd like. In the next two episodes alone, we discover a) why the Minbari surrendered at the Battle of the Line, b) what happened to Sinclair in the missing 24 hours, c) where G'Kar went and what he found, d) what Londo is going to do about his situation, d) what Delenn becomes, e) why Sinclair was reassigned and why Sheridan was sent to B5... and so on. jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 2:29:14 AM #14708 I wouldn't look for too much of Garibaldi in the first episode; he was shot in the back...my feeling is that, TV logic to the contrary, it takes TIME to recover from that. Consequently, this will take a few episodes to get even remotely back on track. jms DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 12:21:09 AM #12186 "...found myself with my nose pressed against the screen...." When you do that, we can see you, you know.... jms BABYLON 5: KENNEDY AND DOOM #13617 DATE: SAT OCT 29 1994 6:56:19 PM Well, I appreciate the sentiment, though fortunately living next door isn't necessary, as we have wired your house for sound and can pick up just about everything you say or do. And for god's sake will you PLEASE leave that chicken alone.... jms BABYLON 5: CHRYSALIS - WOW DATE: THURS OCT 27, 1994 3:28:15 #11680 Here is Londo's arc through the five year storyline: Funny and light; then funny and dark; then dark and tragic; then tragic and light. jms DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 12:21:05 AM #12184 Yeah, there's hope for Londo...but not in the way I think anybody will expect, and not in the way Londo would like. jms DATE: SAT OCT 29 1994 6:56:16 PM #13615 Londo is a fascinating character to write; there's layers upon layers, and every time I sit down to write him, he surprises me with something else. And it's certainly more interesting to watch someone you like falling into something terrible than to set up a bad guy from day one; no complexity or sympathy there. It's kind of like watching an accident in slow motion. But in the final analysis, all is not dark for Londo. jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 12:04:07 #15442 Peter's having the time of his life. He loves where his character is going, loves the range of emotions he gets to play...I saw him for a bit on the set today, shooting "Soul Mates," and he's just tickled (particularly since he's acting opposite Lois Nettleton, Jane Carr and Blair Valk as his three wives). jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 12:47:27 AM #13879 Basically, yes, the characters are real for me. Having created all of them, I'm essentially in the position of having Londo, G'Kar, Kosh, Delenn, Garibaldi, Ivanova and all the rest chasing each other in circles through my head 24 hours a day...which may explain a lot. Usually, when I put one of my characters into a situation, I pretty much know how they're going to respond, though sometimes they surprise me. I took very much to heart Mark Twain's advice that you should never sit down to write a scene until you have finished it to your satisfaction; as a result, I "play" the scene over and over in my head, sometimes a dozen times or more, until I can see it clearly from start to finish, THEN I write it down. It is strange sometimes to read other writers writing my characters; sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't. But realistically, you can't expect other people to write someone you gave birth to with the same degree of familiarity that you bring, and that applies to any show. jms BABYLON 5: MORDEN'S CLOTHES #16171 DATE: TUES NOV 1, 1994 8:56:19 Our sensibility is that men's fashions *really* don't change that much, in the long run (and to a lesser extent, women's). Pull out some pictures of the settlers in the 1880s, and you see button shirts, jeans, shoes, socks, hats...they *really* haven't altered that much. Some of the lines, yes, but the silver or spandex jumpsuits that were predicted in the 1930s for the 1980s have not materialized. Form follows function. People dress in layers. So we tend to keep the silhouettes pretty much the same, but adjust the lines and details. (And yes, G'Kar definitely returns in the second season, in a big way.) jms BABYLON 5: EPISODES TANKED DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 3:09:26 AM #12320 Negative. Absolutely, totally, completely untrue. We filmed 22 episodes last season. We've now aired 22 episodes of season one. There ARE no other episodes from that season, or from season two, that have been filmed and not shown. Every episode made has been shown. Period. (Anyone who has been keeping track of the episodes during development, as Lee here has, title-by-title, can verify that.) jms BABYLON 5: DATE: TUES OCT 25, 1994 11:46:05 PM #10335 All of our writers on B5 are not only welcome on the set, but even *encouraged* to come to the set during filming. (On ST, freelance writers are generally discouraged or outright forbidden to visit the set, and even staff writers labor under this.) The writer is to be on-set, and if there's a question about a line, if I or my story editor aren't available, the director is under orders to take his or her question to the writer for final determination. As for season two, I'm currently writing about half the episodes, 12 or so. jms BABYLON 5: NEW SEASON DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 8:52:07 PM There was a new episode aired a few days ago, "Chrysalis," that was our season ender, which shows Delenn entering the cocoon and we'll learn more on why later. jms =============================================== QUESTION #12550: Why do the Minbari bear a grudge against Sheridan, a warrior who killed the enemy while defending his home? ================================================= BABYLON 5: POINTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: FRI OCT 28, 1994 8:52:04 PM #12847 They don't much like the way he did it, which was rather sneaky. Also, the Minbari do have something of a superiority complex, and that he got them rankles more than a little. jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 2:29:16 AM #14709 My sense is that the Minbari have something of a superiority complex; the idea of being beaten, even briefly, by a technically inferior race is going to grate on them. Also, bear in mind, that the military caste has not been fully informed about WHY they were ordered to surrender...so there's a great deal of animosity just barely submerged there, which is pointed at the only real human they know from the war...because he cost them. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 8:25:04 PM #14441 Actually, there have been other times we've shown C&C empty, or nearly empty. In the first episode, we have Sinclair alone in C&C the first time we see him, and Garibaldi mentioning that he goes there when no one's around because it's quiet; also, in "Chrysalis," we see Ivanova pretty much alone there, feet up on the console, because no ships are coming in for now. So we've established it previously, just didn't button it down here. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 3:53:05 PM #14253 Well, my thought at the time, and I probably should've put this into dialogue in retrospect, was that there's a window about every 36 hours when the entire C&C system goes through self-maintainance for about half an hour, backing things up, doing self-repair, filing logs with Earth Central, that sort of thing. They normally pick a slow period in docking, and any other routine stuff is handled through the backup C&C on the other side of the station axis (you can see it directly above the docking bay when the normal C&C is directly below it). At first I'd considered putting that in Ivanova's mouth when she says, "Of all the time he could've picked," but then the reveal of where he was and what he was doing fell flat; it needed to be a surprise or it lost its impact and the humor. Ah, well.... jms DATE: SAT OCT 29 1994 6:56:25 PM #13620 Yes, Delenn's reason for the chrysalis is covered in the next episode, "Revelations." jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 9:02:05 #16184 We will be changing the main title sequence after "Revelations" airs to include the new version of Delenn. Would be silly of us to include the new version in episodes prior to her unveiling. (Jesus...how many producers will sit down and RE-DO their opening, with all the expense involved, just for two seconds? I gotta be nuts.) Also touching up a couple of other shots in the opening as well, just for the hell of it. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 3:53:00 PM #14250 Re: the ever-improving CGI...there's an action scene in the teaser of the second episode, "Revelations," that is particularly amazing. And there is one shot of a Narn ship in extreme close-up toward the end of the scene that looks absolutely *solid*, and every bit as real and detailed as any model, and then some. It cannot be distinguished from a physical object. jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:56:15 #16169 Oh, yeah...there's some shots in the second episode in particular that are absolutely dynamite, and totally solid. Very cool indeed. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 12:47:21 AM #13876 Thanks. If you think PoD was a "wham," then I can't wait to see your reaction to "Revelations." Interestingly enough, I figured on giving Sheridan a tie to the Civil War through his ancestor, General Philip Sheridan (sometimes called "Little Phil" by Lincoln). Afterward, I discovered that Bruce is a big civil war buff, so the Lincoln stuff worked very well. One of my favorite sequences from this episode is the stuff aboard the Minbari cruiser during the Battle of the Line; the shots surrounding Delenn and the other Minbari gives it a very god-like aspect. Just wonderful. jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 2:16:19 AM #14700 Chris did interpolate a little of the Battle of the Line music, but it couldn't build to a cresendo as originally done because the musical cue had to continue out through the next scene, and had to operate under dialogue, so it was more restrained. And yes, the EFX are definitely improving even further. jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:56:12 #16167 Yeah, Chris Franke is terrific. (And check elsewhere here for a great announcement regarding this.) jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 12:11:31 #15446 Yes, they are the same set, for the most part. Actually, the series set has been expanded; the CO's "office" adjoining and slightly above the tech pit, off to one side, was added for the series. We've also added a lot of additional stations and filled stuff in, though, which may make it feel smaller. jms BABYLON 5: HELPING RATINGS DATE: MON NOV 7 1994 4:40:06 PM #21671 "I was asked how to show appreciation if the program is received by satellite." Tie the letter to a balloon....? jms (Or write Warners directly.) BABYLON 5: B5 AND BALANCE DATE: SAT OCT 29 1994 6:56:21 PM #13618 Actually, I prefer to think that everyone on B5 is a little unbalanced to start with. jms JOE OR JMS DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 12:04:05 #15441 I'm usually referred to in third-person as jms or Joe, but when spoken to directly, Joe is preferred. Some people, of course, call me Mr. S....and some people call me the Big S, which I know because I've heard them refer to me as the biggest S in town, and... hey, waitaminnit! jms -------- RESPONSE: -------- DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 9:02:06 #16185 You are a woman of inestimable good taste... jms BABYLON 5: POINTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:04 PM #18745 People have been removed, and that's all I'll say about it for now. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:08 PM #18748 Not only is Harlan still our consultant in our second year, that's his voice over the end credits on the show. jms B5 STAR SYSTEM DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 11:04:12 #23192 I'll have to go check my notes, but I believe it's Epsilon Eridani. jms ------------------ REQUEST: ------------------ DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 11:40:30 #18266 One crisis at a time....yikes. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:50:23 #18114 Thank you. Granted, sometimes it's tough to hang out as openly as I do, but I think overall, the experiment and the conversation is eminently worth the effort. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:16:02 #17370 The only software that we use is a word processing program called Movie Master, that's it, so I don't really know what he's referring to other than that. jms B5 RATINGS DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 2:16:24 AM #14703 We're doing pretty good. Only complication is that right now, pretty good (which would've once been nothing less than wonderful and a guarantee of future seasons)... is not a guarantee. First Fox grabbed a bunch of CBS stations. Then CBS grabbed a bunch of independent stations to fill the gap. Then Paramount grabbed some stations, and now there are VERY few berths left for syndicated shows, and the only ones who will survive are those that can pull in BIG ratings. So we'll see...I'd say that we and every other syndicated show are right up against the wall just now.... jms DATE: MON OCT 31 1994 3:18:13 PM #14934 PTEN will never be bought by Paramount, believe me. jms DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:56:17 #16170 It's not something I let myself think about. If I ever thought about this stuff, this show never would've gotten made. "Never tell me the odds." jms --------------- QUESTION #15549: Why don't we see more B5 coverage on the entertainment shows? --------------- DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 3:30:23 #15583 Re: coverage...I dunno, we just can't get a break. jms EPISODE LENGTH? DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:40:00 #16150 Negative. ST and B5 have *exactly* the same number of commercials; the difference is in how we break them up. The amount of program time is the same. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 11:57:01 #18276 As I understand it, here's the difference. B5: teaser, four acts, tag, then right into the credits. You get five commercial breaks from start of teaser through end of credits. ST: teaser and five acts: you get six commercial breaks before you get the end credits. So you get fewer commercials per break, but more breaks. In B5, you get fewer breaks, but more commercials. I believe that our running time is 41:42 total, with a fairly short opening. The ST opening title sequences tend to run longer, which may account for the difference in time; but the "dry" time (meaning that spent on story) is pretty much the same. jms MERCHANDISE DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 12:08:08 #22227 Yes, I believe the opening theme is interpolated into the CD. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:35:26 PM #20794 I've just seen the B5 CD (well, the case, artwork, interior booklet and everything but the CD proper, though I have an advance copy of the prototype which I play *constantly*), and it's a gorgeous presentation, full color photos in a foldout book...just nifty stuff. (For those needing the ID number of the CD to order it from Sonic Images or your local store, it's SI 8402-2.) BTW, starting next week or so, Mira Furlan will be appearing in an alternative-theater production of Brecht's "Baal," at the Second Stage Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in LA. She will also be appearing at a Creation Convention in New York in about a week. jms DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 11:04:09 #23190 No, the CD is a basic audio CD. The picture on the cover is of, big suprise, Babylon 5. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 4:10:28 PM #14259 It's always best to simply contact your local TV station, in writing, and express your thoughts to them directly. jms FRIEND LOST B5!! DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:02:16 PM #19200 Alas, there's nothing I can do at that level. If enough folks petition another local station, they might pick it up. jms KUDOS ON SEASON 2 DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:00:17 #17548 Thanks. Much appreciated. Re: Sci-Fi Channel...they can just afford to buy old show, and can't afford to produce any new dramatic series programming. jms ------------------- QUESTIONS: (1) (2) Will we ever find out what Kosh looks like & the identity of the assassin or helper? ------------------ DEATH OF MAJOR CHARACTER DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:50:21 #18113 The only question that I can answer is #2, and yes, this season you will discover what Kosh looks like. (The assassin was the Minbari with the changeling net in the pilot movie, and the helper was Takashima.) jms FREEZE-FRAME CLUES DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 3:06:09 AM #13920 Yep, that's exactly what it was. We even based it on the photograph. (We shot it, by coincidence, the same day as the anniversary of LBJ taking the oath. Very weird atmosphere on set that day.) jms SEASON 2 MONOLOGUE DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:04:26 #17551 The voice-over is by Captain Sheridan this season; it'll probably change again next season, to continue our tradition of changing points of view as we go. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:06 #18746 Actually, the 5 transition is something that, when I first discussed it with Kevin Kutchaver, was considered almost impossible to do because of the elements: it's a raised etch, which dissolves into a cutaway, then a fade, then a wipe, all in one continuous move. (I don't actually remember whether it was me or Kevin who suggested the move, or both, so I'll assume it was him for the moment.) Kevin had to come up with some real tricks to make this work. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:59:22 #18125 There's a reason for this: due to time constraints, we have to get Bruce to do the narration *without* having the images in front of him; he had no way of knowing where beats would go with the images, or what would be under it (since we were still putting the new opening together), so we had to artifically build in pauses when we did the final transfer (as opposed to year one, where we had the images assembled long before we had Michael do the narration). What took forever was that 5 fade/dissolve/wipe, which just killed us time-wise, but is spiffy to look at. Now that it's all together, we plan to have Bruce re-do the narration with the images in front of him, so he can respond naturally and make it flow, the way he would've been able to do had we had the material ready in time. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:09 #18749 Actually, we just redid the narration with Bruce yesterday, and it's MUCH better. We'll be able to get it in starting in episode #4. While we were at it, btw, we took the opportunity to re-do the faceplate shot in the main title sequence. It was fine, but it could've been better. Now it is. Expect it around the same time as the new VO. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 1:41:11 AM #20282 Actually, Kevin works closely with Ron, and many of the better effects in the show are collaborations. Nowhere is this more evident than in two episodes to come, "The Geometry of Shadows" (my personal favorite of the first six), and "The Long Dark," where they've done some real landmark work. jms DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 11:04:11 #23191 Exactly. That's something that a lot of folks haven't noticed (or at least haven't commented upon). We had to digitally isolate the moving (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) head shot within the larger picture, bring in the five between that, and frame-by-frame continue the digital isolation, the fade, and the push-in. It was a real headache, but I love the effect, and Kevin did a great job on it. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:02:18 PM #19201 I think the movie will be out on video sometime winter/spring. jms B5 SOUNDTRACK @ LOSCON DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 8:56:21 #16172 I'm pleased to announce that Christopher Franke's soundtrack for BABYLON 5 will be available starting around December in most markets (a great stocking stuffer). In addition, a LIMITED EDITION version, which I'm told will be different from the mass release version, will be for sale at LosCon in Los Angeles over the Thanksgiving weekend. I think only about 500 or 1,000 will be avilable there, and I expect they'll be grabbed up pretty fast. (If those here involved with LosCon could get me about fifteen minutes of open room prior to the start of my Sunday presentation, I could play about 15 minutes of the CD, assuming a player is available and hooked up.) It is, by the way, a *beautiful* album. Chris has done something quite extraordinary, in that instead of a series of cuts and snippets, like most soundtracks, he's reorchestrated all the primary themes in the show into one long symphonic piece. It's gorgeous and rich and full, non-stop for the length of the CD. I received an early prototype, and have it on almost constantly while I'm working. Never get tired of it. (I also just did the liner notes for the album, I'm that excited about it.) jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:15:26 #17369 My rule is that my appearances can be taped, but not any material that I bring with me to show. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:15:15 #17367 The soundtrack will be coming out from Christopher's own label, Sonic Images. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 11:48:29 #18265 I imagine that the soundtrack will be available in Canada, through Christopher Franke's label, Sonic Images. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:04:25 #17550 The theme of the first part changes as the show changes, to reflect the tone of the season. Re: the closing music not matching the original closing music...er, they're exactly the same.... jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:15:19 #17368 We tend to use the full surround whenever we humanly can. Ah likes surround.... jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:17:05 AM #18448 The scores in B5 are done by Christopher Franke, of Tangerine Dream, working with the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra. We're *very* happy with the work he's been doing for us; it's inventive, imaginative, moving and at times very touching and personal. Chris composes here in LA, faxes the score to Berlin, watches and conducts the orchestra over two-way closed circuit video over high compression phone lines, they record it there, the music is then sent digitally back here over the same high-compression fiber optic lines, and delivered to us. As for how it's determined where music goes...for every episode, we have a "spotting session," which is where I get together with Chrisopher, our sound effects and post-production people, to go over the sound for the episode. As part of this, I sit and watch the show with everyone else, and when I think a music cue is called for, say, "Music in." We note the time code on the episode there, and at the point where I say "Music out." Chris then finds the core of the scene, its meaning, and finds ways to illuminate it through music. jms NEW SET LIGHTING DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:13:30 #17795 You didn't see moving spotlights because we weren't in the sets that use them, like the Zocalo, Central Corridor, DownBelow, others. Believe me, they're there. jms BABYLON 5: POINTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:04:29 #17552 What you have to understand is that we figured we're going to be getting a lot of people sampling the show in its first episode, year two. We were therefore a bit heavy on exposition, telling rather than showing, because there's so MUCH to tell, particularly for a new audience. If we don't get that new audience, I don't know if there will be a third season, given how competitive the marketplace is getting, so we have to be careful how we bring them in. Yes, that means explaining a bit more than long-term viewers have been accustomed to in the first episode; I think it's a relatively small price to pay. The next episode, "Revelations," is really the culmination of the events of "Chrysalis," and shows more than tells...and it does a lot of it. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:26:31 #17800 The soul hunter glimpsed her plans re: the chrysalis. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:16:14 #17372 You'll note, if you check your tape, that the middle-section of the Agamemnon (the officer's section and the bridge) rotates, thus creating gravity. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:16:17 #17373 The Agamemnon was constructed after the Earth/Minbar War; the Hyperion was a survivor of that war. And yes, ships can sit in hyperspace (something also mentioned by Laurel Takashima in the pilot, "If I were the Vorlons, I'd have a warship standing by in hyperspace just waiting to attack." jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:50:25 #18116 Heads definitely rolled (figuratively speaking) in the Minbari warrior caste after the Black Star incident. They allowed themselves to get cocky, and didn't do a proper job, which was more than an embarrassment to them. jms DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 11:23:09 #23243 Yes, you can go in and shoot at a Minbari *cruiser* visually...but the reality is that any long-range weapon will be intercepted by targeting fire, and if you get up real close and personal... well, actually, you *can't* get up real close and personal because, as Mitchell learned in "Sky," you get shot by the fighters. What the fighters tend to remain engaged with are the Minbari fighters, which are *incredibly* fast...much too fast to target visually. And believe me, as Sheridan stated, Earth's been *trying* to break the stealth tech for a while, just hasn't been able to. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:26:01 #17801 Yes, the closure is the same as male/female garments today, reversed. And the flagship Sheridan destroyed was the Black Star, hence the term Starkiller. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:59:20 #18124 Actually, it was my decision. The original costume designer on the pilot asked if I wanted all the fasteners to be uniform, or if we'd go the traditional way (which is true of military uniforms today). I figured, again, that the key to B5 is more how we're alike than how we're different, and said to keep it. We'd've saved some money if we'd made them all fasten the same way, design-wise, but it made more sense this way. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:13:15 PM #19221 Let me get into this for a second. A lot of people, in the beginning, said they didn't see "a lot of depth" to Sinclair when he first came on the screen, just as you did with Sheridan. Later, the majority of these changed their minds. Why? Because you don't get depth from spending one hour with somebody. It's like any friendship; after knowing that friend for several months or years, you don't ever *see* your friend quite the way you did at first. You now have layers of familiarity. A number of folks said that they liked how much Michael had settled into his role by "Infection," only to learn that that was the first one shot. It wasn't that Michael had settled into the role, it was that the audience had finally settled into Michael. We are a nation hooked on instant gratification; an impatient nation. As with Sinclair, there's a lot of depth to Sheridan, but you only get to see that, as with any show, over *time*. jms DATE: SAT NOV 5 1994 1:11:29 #19368 Re: Foxworth...he was someone we spoke to in case Bruce turned out not to be available, and we liked him instantly, and he liked the show. So for good luck, we had him come in for this role, which may appear again. He's a terrific actor. jms ---------------- QUESTION #20121: ---------------- DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 1:41:09 AM #20281 I'll have to check, but probably most of those medals are for actions during the Earth/Minbari War, and during the Dilgar War. I'll have to check to get anything more specific than that. jms DATE: SUN OCT 30 1994 4:10:29 PM #14260 Yes, Mira Furlan definitely returns next season as Delenn. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:00:16 #17547 The new character is Warren Keffer, a Starfury pilot who we'll see in several episodes (I think 8 or so) this season. Given the logic that you'd have lots of folks other than the CO and XO leading missions, we're filling in that gap now. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:13:28 #17794 Note that Lennier says he wishes he could have told them (us) the *rest* of the prophecy...and there's definitely more to Sinclair, as will be seen later in the season. Remember, the Grey Council never tells anyone the whole truth (note how Kalain asks that question upon being told that Sinclair is just an ambassador). jms CATHERINE SAKAI DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:07 PM #18747 This is the one thread that I'm still trying to decide about. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:02:11 PM #19199 Let's just say for now that Londo's eventual fate is kind of everything at once.... jms LONDO/SIR JOHN FALSTAFF DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:13:17 PM #19222 I'd have to agree with the sentiment that Londo is a classic romantic figure, odd as that may sound. And Falstaff isn't a bad analogy. jms FIRST HUMAN CONTACT DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:16:20 #17374 Sinclair was the first human the Minbari (or at least the Grey Council) had ever met, having come this far for the final victory. The Earth Explorer vessel was part of a military fleet that encountered a Minbari convoy, there was a miscommunication, a misperceived threat, and our ships opened fire. There was no person-to-person contact. jms -------- QUESTION: Is it true that humanity was responsible for Dukhat's death? -------- DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 11:48:28 #18264 This is true, yes. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:28:03 PM #18744 Thing is, I don't think that those two elements -- the "hard SF standard that (we've) maintained through season 1," and "the concept of Minbari souls being reborn as humans" -- are in any real conflict. The definition of hard SF is a technical solution to a technical problem. But now does that mean that everyone in the story has to be an atheist? Not at all. You have to separate *hardware* from *people* to make the SF equation work. Your hardware has to be as rigorously based in fact as possible; that's the science part of SF. But the people have to be people. And that means that they will, sometimes, believe things that may seem foolish. But that is not a contradiction in the approach. Back as far as "Believers," we've always set belief against science, and generally tried to avoid making ANY pat statement about either. Whether or not the part about souls is true is secondary to whether or not some of the characters *believe* that it's true. Some will, some won't. Will I, as the Old Fart of the Galaxy, say in the series *THIS* side is correct? No. My job is to start arguments, not resolve them. jms DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 3:05:18 AM #18444 It has been established, in prior episodes, that there are brief periods when C&C is in "standby mode," during which time no ships are due, the station is in "night" cycle, and the operational equipment in C&C goes through routine backup and maintenance. In "Midnight on the Firing Line," our first episode, Ivanova is told by Garibaldi that Sinclair is in C&C when it's in standby mode because he likes the quiet during those brief periods (usually only about an hour or so); in "Chrysalis," Ivanova asks Tech 1 if any more ships are due in for a while, is told no, and she puts her feet up on the console, watching the news, with the place pretty much deserted. This isn't the bridge of a starship; this is mainly a center of operations for docking and other station activities requiring command personnel. Every separate department -- environmental, other resources -- has its own separate control center, with lots of redundency. In addition, there's always somebody monitoring stuff as it comes through, so if there *were* any kind of problem, there'd be somebody on site in C&C in thirty seconds. Basically, we're talking an hour or so once every 36 to 48 hours. I could've explained this in dialogue, but it would've taken the edge off the revelation and humor, and I figured we'd done this before enough times that it wouldn't be an issue. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:51:09 #18118 Argh...I can't lay my hands on the specifics on the Lincoln speech, as to where and when, and it just fell out of my head. (I was just talking about this yesterday, too.) Will try to pull it out. And thanks for your kind words; we've had some bumpy times, and it's rewarding to know that we're getting our intent across. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:16:09 #17371 Yes, the quote definitely comes from Lincoln. I hated the old Babcom logo, so we dumped it. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 1:41:13 AM #20284 Actually, we kept the phrase BabCom, but got a much better screen for it. We also divided it up: BabCom is JUST for internal B5 communications; StellarCom is for communications outside B5. jms DATE: MON NOV 7 3:38:24 AM #21324 StarCom was also the name of an animated series; and it's a real corp name, so we can't use it. jms DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:35:01 #17417 Re: yankeecentrism...we always strive for balance. Yes, he quoted Lincoln, but he also noted that on his 21st birthday, he flew to see the new Dalai Lama being sworn in. jms BABYLON 5: BESTER'S LEFT HAND DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 12:35:31 #17416 Walter decided that an interesting character trait for Bester would be if this skilled psi cop had a useless left hand. jms B5 ON LASERDISC? DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 4:04:23 #17549 While B5 will eventually be out on disk, the chances of including extra scenes is zilch, since that would mean re-editing and rescoring all of our shows so intended, and we don't have the resources for that. jms NEW SEASON CONFUSION DATE: TUES NOV 1 1994 3:12:17 #15889 You may want to avoid seeing the photo until after the *second* episode, not just the first. jms BABYLON 5: REVELATIONS DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 11:02:20 PM #19202 I started writing "The Customer is Always Right," and partway through discovered that ST had trod upon similar terrain, story wise, and thus opted to shelve the story. It wasn't an arc-story, just something kinda fun, but my feeling is that if they did something close to it on ST, I'd rather not come anywhere near that particular pond. Oddly, the new makeup takes *longer* for Mira than the old, which went on in a couple of fairly straightforward pieces. Now there's a lot more detail work and more pieces. Also, the intent is that G'Kar looked at both Sheridan and Londo, not sure which of them may have leaked the info, though I think the editing may have focused too much on Londo in that shot. jms BABYLON 5: B5 BOOK COMING FROM: JOHN VORNHOLT DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 4:28:10 PM #18786 Ken, what a nice message. I'll correct one thing -- I'm writing the first and third of the books. Lois Tilton is writing the second of the three original novels; I think it's called ACCUSATIONS. I think the books are going to be real successful, beyond the initial expectations. But the first three have to do well for there to be more. The first book, VOICES, is a story featuring the telepaths, Talia, Bester, Gray, and many more. In fact, there a Psi Corps conference on B5. My other book features G'Kar and the Narn. I was just in Louisiana for World Fantasy Con in New Orleans, and I could definitely be coaxed back. John DATE: THURS NOV 3 1994 9:59:17 #18123 Shon'Kar. jms FROM: JOHN VORNHOLT DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 4:11:04 PM #18771 Joe, thanks. John FROM: JOHN VORNHOLT DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 4:17:26 PM #18779 Jason, my TNG books are MASKS, WAR DRUMS, CONTAMINATION, one classic Trek, SANCTUARY, a DS9 book, ANTIMATTER, Starfleet Academy CAPTURE THE FLAG. And the novelization for kids of GENERATIONS. John FROM: JOHN VORNHOLT DATE: FRI NOV 4 1994 4:33:17 PM #18793 Larry, I just remembered that BLOOD OATH was a DS9 episode. But they still owe me a title as DS9 used SANCTUARY and TNG used MASKS, both from older Trek books of mine. John Altho I wouldn't be adverse to using the Narn word, SHON'KAR. NEW WATCHER DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 12:08:18 #22231 Eventually the tapes will be released commercially. My theory on the B5 universe is much akin to a spider's web; we are at the center of the web, and if something happens, it may happen well out at the fringe of the web, but we sense the vibrations, and it affects the whole web. We should always get a sense of things going on elsewhere, that there's a real world out there; and a sense that there is something dark and menacing gliding just beneath the surface, ready to come out at any second. jms PTEN CANCELLATIONS???? DATE: MON NOV 7 1994 4:40:07 PM #21672 Can you give me the specifics of which station this is? Fox 66 doesn't give me the market/call letters. Would definitely appreciate this, and I'll try and look into the situation. jms POINTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 12:08:12 #22228 I've been trying to figure out exactly what it is about this season's graphics that's so much better than last season's (the folks at Foundation try to explain it to me, but generally there's math involved, at which point I get confused and fall down), and I think that it's the way they've managed to separate the background from the foreground images. Last season, the images were superlative, no mistake; sometimes, though, they had the sense of moving matte paintings, more or less all at the same focal distance. Now they've somehow been able to clearly delineate foreground stuff (ships) from background stuff (nebula/stars), giving it all a more three-dimensional appearance. Or it's pixie dust. jms DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 11:23:07 #23242 You're forgetting several elements. 1) It would be in the VP's best interests to go along on the trip, to help defuse any suspicion ("Boy, was I lucky."). 2) Going a few hours out of the country is one thing; you're not looking at the aspect that traveling in normal space takes a lot of time and expense...a ship as massive as EF1 is hideously expensive; two would be a major waste of government money, and they'd both be traveling side by side, further wasting money. Also, whereas Air Force 1 travels nominally alone, EF1 has a full escort of fighters, with a minimum of four in the "air" at any one time, plus another batch inside. Going between planets is a much different process than going between here and London; and if both parties are required at the other end, the only sensible way is to have them go together. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:03:27 PM #20757 Thanks. And yes, Sheridan was Santiago's first choice to replace Sinclair. Clark has no problem with that decision, given Sheridan's record; he's just the sort he'd like to have in that place. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:03:30 PM #20759 Let's just say for now that there's a lot more to our captain than meets the eye. You'll get a much better sense about what's going on with him after episode 11. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 8:02:09 PM #20961 The correct phraseology would be, "I'm Captain Sheridan, commander of Babylon 5." He is the station commander, and his rank is captain. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 8:03:17 PM #20962 1) Captain Sheridan will retain command of B5 and not give it over to Ivanova unless he is off-station. First, he's the ranking officer. Second, Earth currently doesn't much care if the Minbari are mad. 2) C&C stands for Command and Control. Since Sheridan is in command and in control, thus he is in C&C a lot. I'm also trying to get Ivanova out from time to time to explore other aspects of her character. 3) No, you wouldn't put someone who's not a main character making contact with ships because in many cases, you need a command officer making decisions. Routine communications with incoming ships are already being handled by lower-ranking officers, the dome techs located in the pit and around the edges of the dome. jms DATE: MON NOV 7 1994 4:46:10 PM #21675 John Iacovelli worked up a kind of Esperanto for some areas of B5; you can spot it from time to time. SECUR AREA for Secure. Mainly to help newcomers. Me, I'm not entirely sure it's successful, so it may be dropped after a while. jms DATE: MON NOV 7 1994 4:40:09 PM #21673 We have a *lot* of sets...I think 16-20 standing sets, and something like 59-60 swing sets, more than just about any other show I can think of. As we were making some minor modifications to the costumes, such as putting some red piping along the edges, it came up that if you're a qualified fighter pilot, you generally get wings. Thus, we added them. The chrysalis is virtually all prop, with some roto work to enhance the glow in "Chrysalis." In syndication, it takes a while to get in the final ratings, because it's aired over the course of a week; we should know more by this Thursday or Friday. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:35:21 PM #20792 You're going to see more of the "grunts" here and there on the show; more of the Starfury pilots, and in one episode, "GROPOS," you'll meet the equivilant of EA Marines. (GROPOS is slang for Ground Pounders.) jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:03:28 PM #20758 Re: the rotating section...at first Paul didn't want to do the design, but I kinda pressed the issue. I think it looks terrific. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:03:25 PM #20756 I understood the question; it's just that it strikes me as Trek-think; "Here's this alien civilization that worships the great god Bobabloo, but we discovered that what they call Bobaloo is actually a scientific device left behind by a greater civilization to guide them...." Feh. When you reduce everything like that, where's the mystery? Where's the ambiguity? To do this is to pluck the teeth of the lion, and I much prefer it with its teeth intact, however more dangerous it makes the journey. jms EPISODE TYPES DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 11:55:26 #21167 Yes, we definitely show the episode titles at the top of each show, in the first act. As for introducing a lot of new aliens, the danger in that is that soon the show becomes the Alien of the Week, and given where the story is going, I think it'll be a long time before any of our current alien characters gets boring. That can only happen if the character simply is what he is, and never surprises you. Not much chance of that here. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 8:03:19 PM #20963 "Which course will Babylon 5 follow later on this season?" Both, as usual. jms DATE: TUES NOV 8 1994 12:08:15 #22230 I tried, I *really* tried to get through Earth 2, but after about 45 minutes just ran screaming from the room. But who knows, the series may be better...because after all, who am I to complain about pilot movies...? jms REVELATIONS DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 1:41:12 AM #20283 Generally speaking, yeah, I tend to end up writing most of the arc related stuff, though I give Larry some of it from time to time, and a bit gets filtered out to the freelancers from time to time, but not much major stuff as a rule. On the other hand, though, sometimes I do so much arc stuff that I *have* to do some fun stuff to balance it out, like "Parliament" last year, and "Geometry" this year. jms DATE: SUN NOV 6 1994 4:03:04 PM #20762 Thanks. The humor will *definitely* continue, as you'll see in "The Geometry of Shadows." Again, good points. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:16 AM #25196 The Star Wars X-wing fighters are not really efficient within space; you need something with thrusters on all sides -- front, back, top, bottom -- to facilitate movement along an XYZ axis. This is the most sensible, non-aerodynamic version we could develop. (We've heard from a number of scientific types at JPL and Nasa and elsewhere commending us on the design, btw.) jms WHITHER ELLISON? DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 2:03:16 #23449 Harlan's script for us for last season encountered trouble when he was injured in the earthquake, and other health problems associated with his heart cropped up. He is currently working on one now for us. Harlan's role on the show is basically under the category "free floating agent of darkness." He's free to get involved with anything he chooses; he can wander into wardrobe (and has made many useful suggestions there), props (ditto), gives suggestions to outside writers like David Gerrold and Peter David and D.C. Fontana, contributed to the narration last year, and did the closing narration (over end credits) on the show this year. Primarily, though, I liken him to Jiminy Cricket, perched on my shoulder...someone who's been through the wringer (on Starlost) and can point out the potholes in the road and help me avoid the same things that caused him grief. jms DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 2:14:24 #23475 My brief take on Spielberg: the man is a *terrific* director. But he doesn't know what makes a *story*. He knows images, knows how to bring your emotions right to the front, but a story is a very different creature. When he has done his best -- Duel, Jaws, Schlinder's List -- he has always been working from someone else's story. Whenever he has personally gotten into the writing process, he slips. Take the highly-touted debut episode of "Amazing Stories," as an example. Old man's saying that the Ghost Train is gonna come by, pick up Grandpa, and take him to the Other Side. This is in the very top of the first act. They talk about this a lot. Lots of nice shots. And then, at the end of the episode, the Ghost Train comes by, picks up Grandpa, and takes him to the Other Side. One of the most common errors directors make in trying to create stories is that they get caught on the image...and as a result, the stories they become involved with END ON THEIR PREMISE. The premise should be where you START, not where you finish. This problem has nowhere been more obvious than in the series work he's been involved with. There's no real direction, nothing to *say*, just images and moments that don't entirely add up. So they pour money into it to make it look spiffy. I sometimes think what I could do on B5 with the budget of DS9 or DSV or E2 or ST:V...then, sometimes, I think maybe it's better this way. We don't have a lot of money...so we have to be creative instead. Works for me. jms --------------- QUESTION: --------------- DATE: THURS NOV 10 1994 4:30:24 Sadly, I haven't seen either film (no discernible life here), so can't really comment. jms BABYLON 5: "BE SEEING YOU" DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:13 AM #25194 Thanks. Lines in scripts don't generally get there by accident. Somebody writes 'em. Very little in this show happens by accident. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:04 AM #25189 The "Be seeing you" is a kind of nod to the Prisoner, yes. As for Kosh, when it came time to design the character, I gave very specific instructions to, first, Peter Ledger (the artist who did the early conceptions of Kosh for artwork for the studios), and then our costume designer and prosthetics people. I had very detailed elements that had to be included, given what's inside, so everything kind of had to bend to that. jms NA'TOTH DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:04:25 AM #25186 The actor wanted to pursue other avenues. She'd primarily worked as a romantic lead in films, then came in at the last minute to help with season one. She then wanted to go back to that. The character stayed because we need the character to have some prior knowledge of the situation, rather than bringing in somebody new. jms EPISODE LENGTH? DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 2:14:22 #23474 Usually, stations can't afford compression; it's done at the network level, cable or broadcast, or point of distribution. Thus, insofar as I know, it isn't happening and won't be happening with B5. jms PTEN CANCELLATIONS???? DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:02 AM #25188 I've heard about the Channel 66 situation, and unhappily it's one of those things that I can't do anything about, much as I'd like. This is something that has to happen at a local level. It's certainly a pain in the butt, though.... jms DATE: THURS NOV 10 1994 1:44:30 #24276 The executiver producer's job is to make sure the script is as good as it humanly can be. If it's not good, he's to either rewrite it, or cause it to be rewritten. An unsuccessful script is the executive producer's primary responsibility. If a B5 script doesn't work, it's fundamentally my fault, regardless of whether I wrote it or not; ditto for Earth 2. Otherwise, what the heck is the producer drawing a salary *for*? jms REVELATION DATE: THURS NOV 10 1994 2:14:19 #24302 I don't think *anyone* really knows the amount of tap-dancing that goes on to get this show made the way I want, or the even greater amount that was required to get it on the air in the first place. Nor, in the final analysis, should they, I suppose; my problem is my problem and nobody else's. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:08 AM #25191 Yes, generally stories are self-contained, but in the case of season endings like "Chrysalis," it takes time to get everything back up and running again. The bigger the explosion, the longer it takes to clean up the mess. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:18 AM #25197 All of the characters' personality traits remain there. Some move forward or backward into the light, depending on the situation, but they all are there. I think it's more interesting if someone does have these traits, because then it opens the arena for self-doubt, angst, and inner conflict. To tell you Londo's fate would be like opening the last page of the book before buying it. jms B4 ON B5 DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:09 AM #25192 No, it's not Babylon 4. Definitely. jms SHOWERS DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 2:03:17 #23450 A vibe shower would theoretically use sonic waves (in combination with other elements, like disinfecting lighting, as seen in "Signs") to remove dirt and kill bacteria. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. jms DELENN'S REASON DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:23:11 AM #25223 Mind, however, that Delenn might have known Sinclair was going to be leaving. Remember, "If you come, it must be soon; certain things have been set in motion, and we do not have much time." That she went into the chrysalis prior to his leaving doesn't preclude prior knowledge by any stretch of the imagination (as we'll discover). All of which is, of course, a separate issue from whether or not she is telling the *whole* truth for the reason behind the transformation.... jms GOOF IN PTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: THURS NOV 10 1994 12:29:04 #24203 Nope. Not a good recover. That's what's in the script, and that's what's on the audio. jms POINTS OF DEPARTURE DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 5:20:12 #23825 Just to clarify: in Soul Hunter we set in place the question of what these things are, and do not resolve that question. Dr. Franklin offers that with the correct technology, it might be possible to make (for lack of a better term) a clone of someone's neural patterns, copy his personality and memories into a storage device...but also dismisses the notion of soul stealing. I traffic in ambiguity. jms REVELATIONS-NARN HIST. DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:11 AM #25193 Let's just say for now that about a thousand years ago, Narn was used as a lay-over and supply spot for a Shadowman group that landed there for a time, and used it briefly as a base of operations. jms GARIBALDI'S AIDE? DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:14 AM #25195 There was a bit of bleed-over in the audio track from the high intensity lights needed to make that scene pop. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:23:14 AM #25225 No, Jack wasn't *seduced* at that time...but he WAS there to meet them, and escort them to see Sinclair. Why him? Perhaps a contact there...? jms DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 2:03:18 #23451 The only time a name is associated with his aide is when Garibaldi refers to him later, at which time he just says Jack. jms REVELATION DATE: WED NOV 9 1994 5:20:14 #23826 Re: "switching places"...this is *exactly* what I noted early on; the intent to set up in the very beginning a situation where those who've seen basic SF before on the tube will go, "Oh, okay, I got it...this is the Bad Guy, this is the Good Guy, this is the Comic Relief, this is the Ally," and so on, because that's generally what's been the case in TV SF; you set up the various sides from day one, and virtually nobody moves. So you get them to rely on their conditioning, then you begin to move the chairs around, so suddenly what you THOUGHT was the good guy is maybe something else; and what you THOUGHT was the comic relief is a tragic and dark figure; and what you THOUGHT was the bad guy is maybe one of the real heroes of the story. And you try and make the path that results in those changes as interesting, moving, or scary as possible. jms DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:05:07 AM #25190 Of course Londo realizes he's being...not exactly set up, but that he's getting into a very bad situation. But on the other hand, he sees that perhaps this is his last chance to grab for something more than what he is; he's not a young man anymore, and offers such as this, even though he knows there will be a price someday (as he states to Morden), do not come along every day. Here is the key to characterization: who is your character, what does he want, how far will he go to get it, and what is he prepared to lose in that process? jms ----------------------- QUESTION: Was the rebirth ceremony to welcome a soul into Sinclair? And what ever happened with Talia's new power? ----------------------- DATE: FRI NOV 11 1994 12:23:13 AM #25224 Re: the rebirth ceremony actually tied more into Delenn's comking change. Note the repetition of "and so it begins" both times, and the use of the same white robe, the same unveiling. Re: Talia...you'll get more on this by episode 8. jms