JMS CompuServe messages collected by The Green Meddler . Subj: B5 Mailing Address Section: Babylon 5 To: All Tuesday, August 01, 1995 12:42:08 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286115 There is a growing diversification in the names and personnel to whom letters are being sent via the B5 mail drop (which is not the main studio address). Consequently, it is important to be absolutely sure to include the words C/O BABYLON 5 on any mail you send cast or crew at this address: 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Otherwise it may end up being returned. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: John Lester, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 11:34:09 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286700 "Joe, you do not disappoint." I'm trying *awful* hard not to. Doing this show right is terribly important to all of us involved in it. I really want it to be the kind of show I've always wanted to watch as a fan. And I'm very, very pleased that the writing is generally satisfactory. Sometimes, when behind the keyboard, one has grave doubts if it's good enough.... jms Subj: Great Maker Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Gardiner, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 3:43:23 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286265 Who are the 4 different races who all use the term Great Maker? Insofar as I recall, only the Ikarrans and the Centauri used that term. jms Subj: MoreMicrosComing! Section: Babylon 5 To: Rae Augenstein, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 11:34:07 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286698 As it happens, we've found out, a LOT of toy stores have gotten the B5 micromachines, but very few actually put them out on the racks, not knowing anything about the show (our curse continues). In general, if people go into their local medium/large sized toy stores, and ask them to check in the back, they appear. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: David Silkstone, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:44:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287137 Yeah, we can probably put up a cast shot. Season 3 airs in the US starting in November (with the last of year two in October); I think it'll probably start in the UK in the spring. jms Subj: <
> Section: Babylon 5 To: John McAuley, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:44:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287139 We've done a couple of steady-cam/CGI composite shots, but not that much; in "And Now For a Word," you'll sometimes see a floating recorder in C&C moving around...that was a steady-cam in use, and we composited in the CGI. It is, however, time-consuming, so we only do that sort of thing as required. jms Subj: Unlicensed Bumpersticker Section: Babylon 5 To: B.J. Mitias, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:59:12 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287161 Pegasus can *say* they are protected all they want...but parody laws do NOT cover the use of the B5 logo, which has been copyrighted and trademarked. If it's just text, that's one thing, but to use the logo in any unauthorized way is infringement. jms Subj: Unlicensed Bumpersticker Section: Babylon 5 To: B.J. Mitias, Thursday, August 03, 1995 12:00:14 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287744 We learn by doing. jms Subj: Section: Star Trek To: William A. Swanberg,Thursday, August 03, 1995 12:48:23 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287792 You always have to be careful when a studio says it hasn't turned a profit on the show. They say this for the primary reason that certain people involved with series and movies -- stars, creators, executive producers -- get a percentage of the net profit. Conseuqently, it is studio and network policy to make absolutely sure that, whatever the real facts might be, none of their products *ever* show a profit *on paper*. You always charge something more against the income, and make sure you zero out the profits to avoid sharing it with anybody else. It's the oldest gag in the book, and in any public statement, that's the party line. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Thursday, August 03, 1995 2:05:24 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288105 The Sigma 957 vessel has no connection to the Shadows. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Thursday, August 03, 1995 10:38:23 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288536 )> It was very old. jms Subj: Section: Star Trek To: Fred DeCosta, Thursday, August 03, 1995 10:38:25 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288537 Because it gives you at least a shot, if the show is a huge success, of eventually going in and having the right to examine their books and at some far distant point, if you're willing to throw away your career but there's some serious money to be had, of going after them. (Did you know that the majority of actors from the original ST, outside the so-called Big Three, have over 30 years received only about $16,000 from ST in merchandise, profit, and other areas?) I believe it was Fess Parker who finally sued over profits from his series, which after 25 years of syndication, was still supposedly "in the red." It took several years of litigation to get the money he was owed from his "net." jms Subj: Season 3 Starts Shooting Section: Babylon 5 To: Dimitri M LaBarge, hursday, August 03, 1995 2:05:15 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288102 It's just something I've had to learn out of self-defense; I've never actually been good with crowds, was always terrified of speaking in front of a group. But sometimes you gotta do what scares you.... jms Subj: Season 3 Starts Shooting Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael Grabois, Thursday, August 03, 1995 10:39:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288538 I guess I chose "Twilight" because it's just such a kick-ass episode that works great with an audience. And yeah, the whole presentation was a hoot. jms Subj: Season Three Narration Section: Babylon 5 To: Bob Cazzell, Thursday, August 03, 1995 10:39:07 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288540 "By the way, your dedication and commitment to your audience is the coolest thing I have ever seen come from the makers of a series, sci-fi or otherwise. You have no idea how much we appreciate it!" Thanks. I guess, really, it's just having been a fan, and still being a fan in many ways, I just figure fans should be treated the way I would've liked to have been treated by folks in TeeVee. It's really as much my pleasure as anyone else's. jms Subj: Season Three Narration Section: Babylon 5 To: Tom Knudsen, Saturday, August 05, 1995 12:22:31 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#289498 Yeah, Chris tends to get the lion's share of the credit for being online, though I've been here since 1984/85, but that's okay; it's the principle that matters. I'm glad it's helped to demystify TV, because that's been one of my goals from the very start. You can't hope to influence or control something until you understand it. jms Subj: U.S. video release Section: Babylon 5 To: Robert A. Russo, Saturday, August 05, 1995 12:22:08 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#289500 We're working on it.... jms Subj: the NEW sf standard Section: Babylon 5 To: David Chandler-Gick, Sunday, August 06, 1995 12:52:17 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#290359 Let me address the small points first, then go into the major thesis. What keeps B5 from becoming a "cult" series if it runs only its five years? I dunno...lots of shows run only 5 years or less. The majority of them, in fact. I'd also point out that in the moderately- hard SF area -- space stuff, star travel and the like -- no show has EVER gone five years except Star Trek. Even Lost in Space went only 3 years (September 1965 to September 1968). Prior to the new incarnations of ST, the original series ALSO didn't make it past 3 years. So if you really *want* to look at the only non-Star Trek spacefaring SF series to go (hopefully) five years in, oh, the entire HISTORY of American television and minimize that by calling it a "cult" series, well, that's certainly your right. I don't agree with it, but one wouldn't expect me to. Twin Peaks, which only went about 2, max 3 seasons, is a short enough run to be justifiably called a "cult" show. Five seasons is a credible series in *anyone's* book. Right now, at just shy of year two, we're still a cult series. By year five we would not be; we'd be in the same ranks as any successful TV series, and success is defined as 90-100 episodes in the can, enough to syndicate thereafter. So right from the git-go, the term being used, "cult series," doesn't apply, I think. It's no more a cult series than any mainstream series that goes 5 seasons. (Hill Street Blues just *barely* made it to six years.) Blake's 7 is a UK series, and to American audiences, that usually becomes "cult" by definition. And, again, B7 ran only 4 years, from January 1978 - December 1981. Dr. Who, though gifted with a 20+ year run, is also not much known in the US, and thus comes under a "cult" show heading by that default. (Because part of the definition of cult show is not a numerical issue, as you seem to advance, but a philosophical issue, the extent to which the society at large knows about the show, or elements of that show.) But to continue using your terminology for a moment...Space 1999, which you cite, ran only from 1975-1977, three years again, which once more does not allow for any real momentum to be built up in making the general populace aware of it. Quantum Leap made 5 years, but since we're talking space-SF at the moment, and it'sreally more of an anthology series with recurring characters, that goes into a separate category for now. If this show goes the full five years -- and it will -- it will become the only non-Star Trek space series to do so in the history of American TV. That is a *huge* accomplishment. Will it become widely known and accepted by the American consciousness, mainstreamed like ST, so that Jay Leno can comment on Klingons and everybody in the audience knows what he's talking about? Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't really matter to me one way or another. The show will be there. A painting is no less a painting for the number of people who pass in front of it. It is what it is. I could probably help matters a bit by going more for merchandising, put in some scantily-clad women, doing a lot of stunts...but I've said from the start, I'm not here to try and make a franchise, I'm here to tell a story. Some folks will like it, some won't. Them's the breaks. So the thesis of your panel, in some measure, seems to be, If B5 does not become as well known as ST, is it ultimately successful or important in American culture? To me, this is inherently flawed reasoning. ST is only the measure of ST, and nothing else. I'd even argue that except for the original series, there really isn't any one thing called Star Trek. There was the 3 season show that Gene did in the late 60s; there was the first movie Gene did in the late 1970s; the other movies that were done by other people, like Nick Meyer and Harve Bennet; the TNG series that was created by Gene and David Gerrold; the DS9 that was created by Berman/Pillar; and the ST:V created by Piller, Berman and Taylor. They are all, in many ways, very different creations, that share only one thing: the brand name. If you renamed B5, STAR TREK: BABYLON 5, the ratings would go up instantly, and it would become more of a household name than it is. It would be no different a show, but it would have that brand name behind it. "What keeps Trek from falling into the "cult" classification is the ongoing production." Negative. To play one side of the coin for a moment, the second most of the population knows or recognizes the word "Klingon," it has stopped being a cult show, *on a philosophical level*. And that happened long before TNG ever went into production. That happened over the 20 years the original three-season ST was in syndication. To play the other side of it...I hate to break it to you, but media SF is STILL considered a "cult" area, by critics, by networks, by the press, by most of the population. A very small portion of viewers watch SF, including ST. It may seem to you otherwise, because as SF fans we're nominally in the fishbowl, but it's true. In syndication, you need far fewer ratings points to survive. Overall, neither TNG nor DS9 got anywhere near decent network ratings, though there were a few times in TNG's history -- the pilot and a couple others -- where it approached that. Put onto a network series list, they would both be where ST:V is right now... in the cellar. So, overall, I think the entire thesis of the panel is flawed, and proceeds from the trap of accepted cliche, misinformation and fuzzy thinking that has little to do with the realities of TV and culture. Now to the main point of *my* thesis here. I'm frankly tired as hell of "ST vs. B5" or "ST/B5" panels, however they're couched. They are separate shows, they have nothing to do with one another, they're as different as night and day, and the only reason to put them into the same panel is to start a fracas or take a philosophical position by defined contrariness. And, fundamentally, it continues to put ST at the center of the universe. We're going on our third season now, and things look good for seasons thereafter. We've carved out our own identity. why can't we be taken or discussed on our own? Why does there always have to be this nutty feud? Are you going to be doing ST/Quantum Leap panels? Will there be any X-Files /Star Trek panels? No, because they're nothing like Star Trek, AND NEITHER ARE WE. Yet everywhere we go, ST follows us around like Marley's Ghost, rattling its chains and dominating the conversation. "Can Babylon 5 replace Trek as THE icon of SF?...without a continued run." First off, THE icon to whom? To core ST viewers? Of course not. To core B5 viewers? In many cases, it already has. You equate numbers of episodes to quality of episodes. Many SF writers have written MORE novels than Robert Heinlein... but how many have written them BETTER? And which is more an icon of SF? Who is this person who decides what a media or print SF *ICON* is? The Oxford American Dictionary defines "icon" as, "a painting or mosaic of a sacred person, *itself* regarded as sacred." If that's the Pointy Hat under discussion, I'd rather pass, all things considered. I don't WANT this show to become an ICON. I want to tell this story, about these people. You can't sit there worrying if it's going to become a Huge Eternal Monster, or some revered icon, or anything that comes after the fact. That way lies madness. You can only concentrate on telling the story, and making the program, as best you can. If the audience finds you, and likes it, you get to stay on the air and finish your story; if not, you don't. That simple. Nothing personal in this, btw, this isn't a flame, and I'm not annoyed, I'm just trying to answer the question honestly. And yes, the info you provided re: BB was most helpful. jms Subj: Section: Star Trek To: Alan Mulvie, Sunday, August 06, 1995 12:52:19 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#290360 "Surely that sort of thing is illegal, if not immoral?" It's Chinatown, Jake. jms Subj: Cresent City Con Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Sunday, August 06, 1995 1:42:15 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#290397 Actually, it's fairly well known that Ron Goulart ghost-writes the TekWar novels for Shatner. jms Subj: the NEW sf standard Section: Babylon 5 To: SysOp J. Shaun Lyon, Monday, August 07, 1995 2:39:03 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291470 Well, hell, if that's the case, then I'm owed some *MAJOR* perks around here. That official food taster never DID arrive, you know.... jms Subj: the NEW sf standard Section: Babylon 5 To: David Chandler-Gick, Monday, August 07, 1995 2:39:19 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291473 Understood. No healing needed; it wasn't directed at you as much as the topic. I do understand your point; but I still don't think it's valid. If by cult you mean, as you say, "anyone who is a fan of something that is no more," not being produced, then EVERY TV series ever produced, that is now no longer being produced, becomes a "cult" show. Again, that broadens the definition to the point where it's essentially meaningless. Specificity In Language Is Our Friend. The other point that I forgot to bring up in an already overlong reply was this: you ask, can B5 "become the mainstream reference to SF?" For starters, it shouldn't, because then, for the mainstream SF = B5, and I don't think that's correct. The whole point of the exercise is to broaden out and encourage MORE SF on the air. What is the mainstream reference for cop shows? Is it CANNON? HILL ST. BLUES? NYPD BLUE? DRAGNET? There are so many of them, there isn't one clear point of reference. That is the goal with SF, to get people to understand that there isn't any one thing that is a reference point to SF. What would it be in literature? Heinlein? Asimov? Clark? Ellison? Ashton-Smith? Russell? Simak? Bradbury? Anybody who says that Writer X is THE reference point in SF would be laughed out of the room. The only reason that ST has kind of "been" that by default is that there hasn't been much ELSE in 30 years that's been even moderately successful. Once that changes, you'll get to the *proper* definition of SF, as advanced by (I believe) Asimov, who said, "SF is whatever I point to when I say, 'That's SF.'" (Which, by the way, is one of Paramount's greatest fears. Until now, they've had a lock on the genre, and ST has thus been special, and they're worried that if there are lots of space genre shows around, that ST won't be *special* anymore, and will have to compete on its own merits.) The other thing to consider in all this is the cultural aspect. Will there ever be another Beatles? No. Because as well as their artistic contributions, the Beatles occupy a very special place in music history; they were nominally the first really big breakthrough for what we now consider modern rock. They were the biggest. They changed the field of rock forever, redefined it, gave it tools that did not exist before, gave it a measure of legitimacy it did not have before. Many other bands since have sold more records, but none will ever occupy that primary, pivotal position in our culture. There cannot be another Beatles, and you cannot define another group in that light, despite every six months somebody coming out and saying that X is "the new Beatles." Ditto Star Trek. It is very much a product of its time, and it fills that same kind of pivotal role in SF television. It changed SF TV back in the 1960s, no mistake. It occupies a unique niche in American television that cannot be replicated. Which is why I've always run from reporters who ask if this is the next Star Trek, if I'm "the next Roddenberry," and the like, because there can't be either, any more than somebody is the next Beatles. The fundamental problem is that after ST went off the air, nobody picked up the ball they'd created and ran with it. They chipped at the stereotype of SF, and broke some of it, but nobody followed through with another show. DRAGNET changed forever cop shows; prior to then, they were always considered low-ratings shows, of interest only to those who like police procedurals. For all its stiffness, DRAGNET showedcops with real lives, drinking problems, debts, marriages, dinners, dating...and in very short order, other shows followed suit. Had that not happened, cop shows that came 20 years later would've been compared with Dragnet, since that would be the only reference point. But it *did* happen with Dragnet ..and it *didn't* happen with Star Trek. The larger the possibilities, the less likely ANYthing is to be a "reference point." And that, to me, is the goal. jms Subj: Who is Heinlein? Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Gardiner, Sunday, August 06, 1995 3:17:13 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#290885 Heinlein is one of the great figures of SF; STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE ROADS MUST ROLL...the list of his works is enormous, and were pivotal in shaping much of modern SF. jms Subj: Who is Heinlein? Section: Babylon 5 To: Daniel M. Upton, Monday, August 07, 1995 2:39:09 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291472 I just put the titles out in the order they came into my fevered brain, there's no contextual or priority order there. jms Subj: B5 at general cons Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, unday, August 06, 1995 3:17:15 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#290886 That really honks me off; here Michael comes to be the GoH at the con, and some folks object to having his work on B5 shown there because it isn't ST. Whatta buncha meroons.... Re: showing letterbox...no, because we have not yet gone back and re- telecine'd the footage back to its original aspect ratio. We strike edit and master prints from the negative that are regular aspect ratio. To later make the widescreen versions we'll have to strike all new prints in the original format. jms Subj: Interesting Note... Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Monday, August 07, 1995 2:39:02 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291469 It's hard to tell; I think SQ is certainly in megatrouble unless they make substantial philosophical changes behind the desk. If they don't, well, the ocean's *real* deep, and a sub can sink and never be seen again. Especially if its torpedoed by a network. jms Subj: Sinclair - Sheridan Section: Babylon 5 To: Benoit Langevin, Monday, August 07, 1995 2:39:07 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291471 No, the Sheridan arc is completely different from the Sinclair stuff. If it were just a continuation, then there'd be no need for the change. The whole REASON was to do stuff we couldn't do otherwise. Book 3 will be out later this month. No plans on hardcover. DC keeps saying book 11 is the last, but I've been told by WB that the deal to extend the comic to #24 at least has been agreed to, so I don't know what the heck is going on. jms Subj: B5 CD in LA Section: Babylon 5 To: All Monday, August 07, 1995 2:46:27 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#291475 BTW, for those here in the Valley in LA, the Tower Records store on Ventura near Van Nuys has about 10 of the B5 soundtrack CDs just sitting there in the rack, waiting for pickup by those who've been looking for them. jms Subj: Interesting Note... Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Monday, August 07, 1995 4:28:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292036 Focus groups are the tools of the devil. Nothing good EVER comes out of them. Ever. And if they're looking, as you say, to the 4-12 year old market...you can pretty much forget the show altogether. jms Subj: Season 3 Starts Shooting Section: Babylon 5 To: Richard Cunningham, Monday, August 07, 1995 3:49:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292001 I guess some fears we just have to live with for a while, y'know...? And thanks re: OtherSyde. jms Subj: B5 Soundtrack CD Section: Babylon 5 To: Gary Weinfurther, Monday, August 07, 1995 3:49:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292002 Yeah, thanks...I love the soundtrack. Especially track 12. jms Subj: B5 Soundtrack CD Section: Babylon 5 To: Gary Weinfurther, Monday, August 07, 1995 4:28:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292034 Thanks. Yeah, I've listened to it constantly, since it wandered into my office, and continue to do so. It's just nifty. jms Subj: B5 at general cons Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Monday, August 07, 1995 4:28:02 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292035 Yes, that's correct, season 3 will be provided to France, Germany and potentially the UK in widescreen version; I thought you were asking about stuff *currently* available. jms Subj: Season Three Narration Section: Babylon 5 To: Tom Knudsen, Tuesday, August 08, 1995 12:44:05 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292609 I use a good old-fashioned standard QWERTY keyboard. As it happens, one reason I'm as fast as I am (100-120 wpm) is that knowing I was going to become a writer, I took 3 years of typing in high school, and by the time I finished I was *blazing*. jms Subj: Demon on the Run? Section: Babylon 5 To: Les P. George, Tuesday, August 08, 1995 12:44:08 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292610 Demon's on hold until it's finished. No season one/arc special eps will be aired prior to the debut of season three. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: JohnB, Tuesday, August 08, 1995 12:44:09 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#292611 Only twice. Mainly 'cause she tended to whack him real hard. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot Tuesday, August 08, 1995 11:22:21 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#293718 Yeah, the take you see is the first one printed. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: All Tuesday, August 08, 1995 7:21:25 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#293427 For some time, I've been cautioning people dealing in pirated material; videotapes, Links, PPGs, the whole gamut. The usual reaction from those involved is, basically, screw off, on the grounds that there's plenty of ST pirated stuff out there, and nobody does anything about it. Well, for starters, that's because there's a lot of grey about the copyright during the period during which ST wasn't being produced, and the copyright wasn't being enforced. Second... we're not ST. A mistake many pirates continue to make, to their detriment. To the pirates out there, be warned: Warner Bros. is prosecuting these cases to the full extent of the law. Case in point: I saw bootleg copies of B5 episodes for sale at the Chicago ComicCon, confiscated them, and told the person selling them, David Scott, *not* to do this anymore, because if he did, we would come down on him ..hard. His reaction was basically a shrug. So this same person showed up at San Diego Comic Con, selling the same B5 tapes. WB was notified. And the FBI showed up and seized the material. And that of the other shows he was selling. He tried to make light of it at the time, nobody follows through on this stuff, after all. Wrong again. He has been prosecuted by Time Warner Entertainment, with charges filed in United States District Court (case number 92-1602 H POR), and there has already been a judgment rendered to the tune of *thousands* of dollars. To the pirates out there: be warned. We're not kidding around. We will take you down, hard. Especially those selling the poor-quality videotapes, and those selling supposed "real props" from the series, which are simply cheap knockoffs with expensive price tags to separate fans from their money. (And to the OTHER dealer in Chicago, who was selling fake PPGs and other items, from whom I confiscated the illegal goods, and has since been mouthing off to other dealers that in lawfully confiscating this material I "shoplifted" -- and I confiscated this stuff in front of several witnesses, and put the dealer on notice as to what I was doing -- by all means, continue running your mouth; you assiduously didn't have an address anywhere available, and your behavior will simply make it that much easier for us to find you.) One of the reasons that I'm very careful on what we do and don't license is that I want them to be done *right* when they're done; as a fan, I've grown to despair over cheap knockoffs whose exorbitant price tags only feed the sharks that made them. I won't have inferior quality products out there, licensed or otherwise. We take great pains to make everything involved with this show of the highest quality, and will not allow anyone outside to hinder that effort. jms Subj: Harlan Ellison/TREK Book Section: Star Trek To: GREG LASH, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294974 The limited edition is numbered and signed by Harlan. Under the terms of the Writers Guild Basic Agreement, to which all the major studios are signatory, the actual physical manuscript remains the property of the writer, *not* the studio, under the Separation of Rights clause. So it's 100% kosher for Harlan to reproduce the material. jms Subj: Harlan Ellison/TREK Book Section: Star Trek To: Doc Zimmerman, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:09 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294977 Thanks, yes, Mira is a great lady, in the classic sense in which that word is used. As for the book, it puts forth a lot of documentary evidence, and the opinions of others outside Harlan (Nimoy, Takai, Koenig, Fontana and others) so it's much broader in tone than that. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Stephen Burrow, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:09 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294972 BTW, on the subject of marketing/merchandise...I've now seen the final prints on the Fleer trading cards, and they're *beautiful*...also, the text on the cards does a nice job of synopsizing the episodes and in a way, the series overall, making them great and useful "cheat sheets" for those new to the show. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:09:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294966 There were no negotiations. He showed me a prototype jacket (little did I know there were a whole bunch already made up, though he told me there were only two), and an associate of his showed me a prototype PPG, again saying no others were out there. I said they were promising, but they would first have to contact WB and make a deal before anything could be done or said. They never did...and began selling the jackets anyway. And I've now seen the exact same PPGs now at various conventions, and we're in the process of tracking them down. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:23:06 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294993 PS...word on the street, which I'm trying to confirm, is that he's split for parts unknown, dropped off the face of the earth, leaving *more* people unpaid (including those who provided security). jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Ian Macey, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294969 We have interesting things planned for all three this coming season, rest assured. jms Subj: Sand Garden Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:08 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294976 We've actually kept the Zen garden, in one form or another. The pilot was rough in places, but still the potential was there. jms Subj: B5 Music Videos Section: Babylon 5 To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:16 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294979 Professionally done by a fan of the show, John Hudgens. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Christopher R. Turn, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:23:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294992 No, B5 isn't on DSS. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: COLIN BRAKE, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294970 I loved Picket Fences...but this last season, I dunno, something's gone weird with the writing, it seems like all the characters I liked are self destructing, turning unpleasant. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeff Frank, Thursday, August 10, 1995 1:01:13 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#295517 Yes, the Pegasus Publishing bumpersticker has arrived here...and has been forwarded to Legal Affairs...who are now bringing in the lawyers who eat raw flesh and warming them up. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Jason Moore, Thursday, August 10, 1995 10:30:17 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296182 There are 3 companies currently bidding on the CD rom encyclopedia of B5; we'll see which gets it. A CD rom screensaver, with some additional stuff, will be out soonish from Sound Sources. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby, Thursday, August 10, 1995 10:30:15 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296181 Yeah, I put together a little something on the side; just as glad it didn't go, as it would've been a major effort, and B5 has to takeprecedence. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Bob Danielson, Friday, August 11, 1995 1:24:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296714 Depends on how you define knockoffs. If she walked into a store and found xeroxed copies of her book for sale, that's absolute, blatant copyright infringement, and can be confiscated. This is a similar situation. But you don't just "fill your bag with the offending items and depart." You go directly to the person running it, show them the item, and tell them exactly what you are doing, why you are doing it, what law they have broken, and that you are confiscating this illegal material. If they make a fuss over it, then what you do is to go find the nearest security person or police officer, put them into contact with the WB Legal Affairs office, and they will fax a note authorizing the police to not only confiscate the material, but to seize any *related* material, AND to press both civil and criminal charges against the person. If that means bringing the FBI in, so be it. They have a whole division specifically to protect tv and film product against copyright infringement, particularly video pirates. So it's in the best interests of the person at the dealer's table to cooperate. I'm fully authorized to do this, and they don't have a legal leg to stand on, and they know it. So it's best to just warn them, and take it, and hope they stop. They get one chance to do it right. After that.... If they choose to turn cranky, well, that's their perogative, and I won't carry anything out...I'll just have their butt arrested, charged, and fined. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby, Saturday, August 12, 1995 9:26:25 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#298175 Well, it was understood at the start that if the other show *did* get going, I couldn't and wouldn't be involved with it in the same fashion as B5; I'd have to get a different person to be show-runner, and just keep an arms-length involvement with the production. jms Subj: Harlan Ellison/TREK Book Section: Star Trek To: Leslye-Ann Lubkin, Saturday, August 12, 1995 9:47:11 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#298198 CITY was only published once before, in an anthology of SF play scripts, something like 20 or so years ago, and has not been seen since, nor is the original available. Two things I forgot to mention: the limited edition is a numbered edition SIGNED by Harlan, and the longest afterword is by David Gerrold, who I inadvertantly left off the list of contributers. jms Subj: Harlan Ellison/Trek News Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael Beemer, Sunday, August 13, 1995 3:17:10 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#298384 What's also worth pointing out is that, thus far, the new producers of The Outer Limits have shown no interest in doing a follow-up to Demon, which is short -sighted, to say the least. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby, Sunday, August 13, 1995 6:04:20 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#298908 It would be difficult, but do-able. It would've run like this: I hire a writer/producer as show runner on the every day aspects of running the series; all scripts go through me after he's done his work on them for any final thoughts from me (outlines also); the show runner handles casting of guest stars, but I'd be involved in the casting of regular/recurring cast. We'd work together where time allowed. But for the moment, it's a moot issue in any event. jms Subj: Series 3 - UK !!! Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Gillibrand, Sunday, August 13, 1995 6:20:03 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#298915 Not going to happen. We get a broadcast schedule from PTEN that tells us when new episodes/reruns will air, and we book our delivery schedule accordingly; this allows us maximum time to finish tweaking the episodes by taking advantage of the rerun periods. The only way C4 can run them straight through without interruption would be to start running them in late February or thereabouts. jms Subj: Sacramento Con 8/13 Rev Section: Babylon 5 To: C. Bussjaeger, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:34:06 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299353 Vir is staying on as a recurring character; his appearances this year will be pretty close to what he did for us last season. jms Subj: Sacramento Con 8/13 Rev Section: Babylon 5 To: Ed Schlotman, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:34:05 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299352 Vir is *not* leaving the show. We're making some room for him to do his new sitcom; he's in episodes 3 and 5 so far, and more to come, of season 3. jms Subj: Centauri Question Section: Babylon 5 To: Rae Augenstein, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:40:13 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299357 They believe in a variety of afterlives; the god you worship, of the centauri pantheon, holds dominion over a given "heaven" or afterworld. If you appease the god sufficiently during life, it will accept you into that afterworld, in preparation for the day when all heavens are united; if not, you will have to be reborn and choose another until one accepts you. jms Subj: Section: Star Trek To: Timothy Young, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:49:29 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299363 Creation Entertainment's main office is in Glendale, California, that's an 818 area code. They're listed in the phone book, and in directory information. If you have problems with someone running a convention, you can contact their main office there, and speak with Adam Malin, who with his partner runs CE. jms Subj: Sacramento Con 8/13 Rev Section: Babylon 5 To: John Sheridan, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:27:19 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299792 Yeah, that seems to be the tendency; each time we've introduced someone, it's gotten hammered...nobody liked Ivanova in the beginning, they said she was nothing but an ice maiden...they made fun of Vir, said he was nothing more than comic relief, ridiculous, had no business being assigned to Londo...there were grave doubts about Londo and the hair...Sinclair got hammered in the beginning...Sheridan got hammered in the beginning...and each time people assumed that what the character seemed to be at the start was all the person would ever be. Even when it was shown that other characters grew into something other, still it was hard for a lot of folks to assume that this new character would do the same, and become interesting over time. jms Subj: Harlan Ellison/TREK Book Section: Star Trek To: Randall Chrisman, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:27:21 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299793 The Trek book is now at the printers, I've seen the typeset pages, so it has been delivered, done, and is now being bound. So yes, it's real Real. And the cover art/wraparounds on Slippage just came in, so that should be out soon as well. jms Subj: Joe on Genie-3rd season Section: Babylon 5 To: Sandra G. Bruckner, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:40:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299805 Actually, for story reasons, I've moved the discussions about the two-parter so it'd fall closer to episodes 12-13. jms Subj: Centauri Question Section: Babylon 5 To: Daniel M. Upton, Monday, August 14, 1995 7:49:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300176 Then your soul drifts forever. Which is one reason to worry about the number of gods you may have pissed off over time. jms Subj: Mr. O'Hare/StarQuest '95 Section: Babylon 5 To: Patrick Morrissey, Monday, August 14, 1995 10:31:25 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300370 Thanks, I'm happy that it has gone as well as it has, and wish the con all good luck. jms Subj: B5 Future Episodes Section: Babylon 5 To: Paul Sulkowski, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 12:48:29 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300833 Of course, Morden has never had any income since then in Earth jurisdiction, so there's no taxes to pay. jms Subj: Centauri Question Section: Babylon 5 To: Rae Augenstein, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:11 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301154 The religious beliefs of the majority of our alien races have been worked out to varying degrees, also their sociology, culture, art, methods of reproduction, relative strengths, and so on. Seemed prudent. jms Subj: Germany / B5 videotaped? Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:48:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301181 Kann ich spreche deutsch? Nein, nein....nur English, nicht Hochtdeutch oder Plattdeutch.... jms Subj: Germany / B5 videotaped? Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 11:53:03 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302632 Yes, Mind War is a very nice episode, lots of stuff happens, and some great character stuff. jms Subj: Quickies Section: Babylon 5 To: All Tuesday, August 15, 1995 11:34:16 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301473 Look for Jerry Doyle on the Mike and Maty Show on ABC on Wednesday, and on Entertainment Tonight on Friday. Articles forthcoming in Cinescape (out now), and Cinefantastique (first a regular sized one, then a cover story). And for those who've asked...one of my better Murder She Wrote episodes, "The Committee," airs Thursday on USA. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Matt Allen, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 1:37:13 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302015 To this day, I don't think anyone at WB has ever had any kind of problem with fan computer art, freely distributed, based on the show, or altering images into something new and different. jms Subj: End of Second Series Section: Babylon 5 To: Pat Clifford, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 1:37:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302019 WB wanted to hold the last 4 for October to lead into new eps in November. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Linda Swiebocki, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 4:08:16 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302138 Tom: So good of you to emerge from seclusion to post this via Linda. I wish your message touched the facts at two contiguous places, but one cannot have everything. I do hope this won't be another post-and-run situation, because there's much to clarify here. So you're saying that because Michael O'Hare initially said he wouldn't be coming, you fined him the $5,000 remaining on his fee, and he agreed to this. Aside from the loathesome mentality behind this excuse, please explain to me why it was that on the Sunday of Chicago Comic Con, Michael had been told, by you, that you would be present by 12 noon, with that very same $5,000 owed as his balance...and never showed up. If he had agreed to this, then why was he still awaiting this payment, and why were you saying you would have it for him? Simple answer: because Michael O'Hare agreed to no such thing. This is a cover story to excuse non-payment of Michael's fee. Further, you told some users on this very system that Michael had been paid the balance of his fees, in phone conversations, even offered to send a photocoy of the canceled check (which of course never happened). You really should work more on getting your story straight. We have begun documenting, in writing, some of the destructive and hurtfulthings you have put out on the rumor mills about Michael, myself and others...so your assertion that you "would never hurt" anyone doesn't carry much weight at this end of the modem. I have had a good conversation just today with Deborah Smolinski at Visions, and we are working closely with them on this situation. Certainly they should notbe faulted for falling for rumors started by others. The purpose of the convention is not, and never has been, the issue. As for your statement that "I have never spoken to Bob Mcgloughlin since the Big Bang show in June," Deborah said about 90 minutes ago that you and he had spoken just recently about this situation. Who am I to believe? "JMS wants CMC and myself out of the science fiction convention business." No, I simply will not allow the offenses and incomeptence on record to stand without comment. Even after the Planet Hollywood debacle, in which I sent you a several-page letter explaining what would be required to fix the apparent problems, there was the spirit of cooperation until such time as you began selling unlicensed B5 jackets, patches, and posters for a non-existent charitable cause that used our name. At that time, I told you that Babylonian Productions was withdrawing all support from this convention, and I would caution my cast in this regard, though leaving them to make their own decisions. Some of them went out of concerns for the fans who had purchased non-refundable airline tickets and would be screwed otherwise. And as long as you're here, some additional points. Mark Hamill has been stiffed by you to the tune of $21,000. The check for his speaking fee has, he tells us, bounced. Another check made out to cover first class airfare and accommodations has also bounced. Why hasn't Mark been paid? Why do you write checks that can't be covered? I have received messages from many people...the photographer you hired to shoot the convention, travel agents, security people...who say that they have not been paid by you. Why have they not been paid? They come to me because you promoted this as a B5 convention, so I have inherited the problems you created by default. Why did you have someone working on designs on the fraudulent Project Starfury months after you had been told to cease and desist from such endeavors, with this individual putting in $5,000 worth of work that has now been wasted? Why were you telling people -- and we have now written documentation to that effect -- that I had been "tossed out of the Writers Guild" when such is not true? Many users here and on other systems have repeatedly asked you for refunds on their tickets. Why has this not been forthcoming? In your newsletters, and your talks, including your May 28th meeting with fans in Schaumburg, IL, you stated that one of the major features of the convention would be the transformation of the Odeum theater into "Outpost Odeum," with massive role-playing aspects, props, and a scripted game which would include appearances by paid actors performing with the "Outpost Odeum" game. Many went for this reason. Yet no such event was presented. You promised, in detail, a Sandman reenactment from Logan's Run; what happened to *that*? Would you care to comment on the assault on a dealer by staff, when he attempted to document poor conditions in the dealer's room, which led to hospitalization and surgery for severe injury to his eye? An individual began selling video tapes of our actors appearances at Big Bang. He was told, by you, that you had contractual freedom to make and distribute these tapes, when, in fact, the contracts stated clearly that no such video or audio sales of the performance could be done unless a seperate agreement were entered into and signed by the actors. Why was this person misled? For months now, many people here and on the other nets have been posting their dissatisfaction that what was promised by Big Bang was not delievered upon. Since you clearly have access to the nets, as shown by your posting, why have you not previously addressed the concerns raised by so many people who attended your convention? Finally, let me repeat once more: my concern, ever since the Planet Hollywood event, was that the Big Bang convention was being poorly and incompetently run, and would hurt fans, and I wondered at the capacity of CMC to deliver on its promises. The reactions from virtually every person attending the convention bears out my concerns. Cast members returned saying uniformly that it was the worst-run convention they had ever seen, and some had been attending conventions for over 20 years. It was a disaster, and has left a pile of debris that you have yet to clean up, and which comes to *my* attention because they can't find *you*...with phone numbers that get disconnected, calls that don't get returned...and always you try and blame others. Everything I have said about BB has come true; your statements, however, are another question altogether. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Linda K. Swiebocki, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 11:53:12 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302635 Except that Michael O'Hare has already been dragged into this. And Tom's latest message does it again. On the one hand, he says Michael is a good man...and then, by implication, by alleging that Michael agreed to do the Big Bang without receiving the second $5,000, implies that Michael lied to and defrauded the fans at Comic Con. That fundraiser was done because he did not receive the balance of his payment. According to Tom, there *was* no balance of payment. So clearly, someone here is fabricating. By his message, Tom is implying that Michael lied to me, and to the convention goers who came to his support. Or that we both lied about it. We didn't. jms Subj: Joe on Genie-3rd season Section: Babylon 5 To: Don Hardin, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 11:53:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302631 Yes, there's a five-year arc. The final 4 eps of this season air in October, with the new season beginning in November. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Friday, August 18, 1995 1:39:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304390 I'm also on GEnie, Internet, Bix (sometimes), here, AOL, and I lurk at a couple of other sites which function as control groups, minus any interference by or awareness of my being there. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Friday, August 18, 1995 7:15:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304766 "What're you, omniscient?" Yes, I am. And stop that. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Friday, August 18, 1995 9:37:06 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304969 I knew you were going to say that. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey Friday, August 18, 1995 1:39:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304391 Thank you. Over the years, I've worked extremely hard to develop a rep based on trust, and loyalty. That this has sometimes gotten me into trouble goes almost without saying. It's one of the things that matters most to me, because I've been in positions when I've been screwed, and vowed never to do it to anyone when I was on the opposite side of the desk. Here, for me, is the most telling thing. Talk to anyone who's ever visited the B5 set and production office. The one sound you hear the most often, in either place, is laughter, people *enjoying* their work. That is probably one of the things I'm most proud of. Whenever you hea a producer say, "Oh, we're one big family," you know nine times out of ten they're lying. And, in fact, we're not like a family; more like a bunch of guys who get together ten months out of the year to have fun, make a show, play around and hang out with each other. Everybody has lunch together behind the stage, whole huge groups go off on vacation together, after hours lots of them hang out, have dinner...we look after our own. We are one of the very few studios -- and this includes the majors -- that provides health insurance for our employees whose premiums are 100% employer paid. During the time after the big quake, we pulled carpenters off sets to help several people save their homes from water damage and other problems until real construction could be done; when the fires hit, we had teams ready to drive into fire zones to evacuate our DP when it looked like his house might go up. We take care of our own. And as much as is ever possible, we try and look out for our viewers as well. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Friday, August 18, 1995 7:28:10 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304773 You really do have to be totally and completely monomanaical to do this job if you're going to do it right. So B5 is my life. If I'm not writing or directly working on it, I'm watching dailies or thinking about where to take the show. I have a pad beside my bed and frequently I wake up in the middle of the night with a scrap of dialogue or a plot solution, so I scribble it down and leave it where my feet land so I'll remember it's there. I don't get a hell of a lot of sleep during the week, and try to crash on weekends. To the rest you cite...there isn't time for much of anything else. I've seen a grand total of 1 or 2 movies at theaters in the last eight months; I haven't gone to a single party for longer still; except for twice weekly dinners with Harlan, we don't see anyone for dinner, I haven't had a chance to read a novel since the start of the year, I barely follow the news anymore... it's literally a round-the-clock job. But it's okay, because this is what I've been working toward since 1987. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Nigel Nixon, Friday, August 18, 1995 7:14:19 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304763 I think it must've been a mis-statement by Ed. And believe me, we've got firm contracts with Andreas and Peter. jms Subj: Jump Gates and Travel Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Friday, August 18, 1995 7:14:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304764 They have to ride the signals between beacons; you can't just go wandering around or you'll get lost, so you have a highway of related beacons. jms Subj: Babylon 5: Quickies Section: Babylon 5 To: Bob Perse, Friday, August 18, 1995 7:15:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304767 Yes, he does; I think it is tiger-striped, in fact. jms Subj: Ship Spec Section: Babylon 5 To: Bill MacIntosh, Friday, August 18, 1995 9:37:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304968 No, I haven't had a chance; what might be most profitable is to leave a note here or in email for Paul Beigle-Bryant (he's in the directory) of Foundation Imaging, since he helped build the thing. jms Subj: Jump Gates and Travel Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Saturday, August 19, 1995 11:00:02 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#305864 Yes, you can follow the beacons while in hyperspace, that's rather the point; but you still go from one to the other, riding the "wire." jms Subj: Jump Gates and Travel Section: Babylon 5 To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot, Saturday, August 19, 1995 11:00:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#305865 I'll try and work it in where possible. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Gillibrand, Sunday, August 20, 1995 4:42:26 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#306373 I don't know for sure, I'd say probably there's no problem, but the notice would have to be (c) 1995 PTN Consortium. jms Subj: Centauri Question Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Sunday, August 20, 1995 4:43:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#306374 I kinda doubt that Dell would want any of the novels to become more or less textbooks on alien cultures, and it's hard to bend the freelancers to doing stories that touch on those areas anyway. But eventually some of this will probably find its way out, in some form or other. jms Subj: Jump Gates and Travel Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Sunday, August 20, 1995 4:43:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#306375 It's a model I considered, yes. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Hugh Kennedy, Sunday, August 20, 1995 4:43:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#306376 We shoot to protect the central area, but fill out stuff in the edges, and often compose for widescreen, which is why sometimes characters are a little off-center in the screen. jms Subj: B5 Comics Section: Babylon 5 To: Jonathan Hoopingarn, Monday, August 21, 1995 11:19:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#307628 The regular series ends with #11, but DC has already committed to a followup series of 12 more issues, in one-shots, and 4-issue mini-series. This is a done deal. jms Subj: Babylon 5: Quickies Section: Babylon 5 To: Richard M. Perry Monday, August 21, 1995 11:19:23 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#307629 Yes, Sheridan's icon is the Flying Tigers symbol, which is used with the express permission and support of the real Flying Tigers organization. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Tuesday, August 22, 1995 1:12:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#308093 Unfortunately, I don't yet seem to have this infallibility stuff down right yet.... jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey Tuesday, August 22, 1995 1:12:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#308094 I've thus far not dreamed an episode; but work is often in my dreams, so I guess it balances out. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Tuesday, August 22, 1995 11:12:00 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#308769 So you're saying that if I don't give you any other names, Jawa 2 will do terrible, mean, unspeakably rotten things to you. ... So, like, what part of this is a problem? jms Subj: Janeway in Murder..... Section: Star Trek To: Gregory D. Smith, Tuesday, August 22, 1995 3:05:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#308182 To show what a small world it is, check out the names of producers on that episode. jms Subj: Babylon 5: Quickies Section: Babylon 5 To: Morris L. Gavant, Tuesday, August 22, 1995 11:12:30 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#308768 Yes, I definitely think they'll be here still; and in some cases when we've shown BGs of Geneva, through windows, we've tried to keep that. jms Subj: The name game Section: Babylon 5 To: Julia E. Linthicum, Wednesday, August 23, 1995 9:34:18 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309711 This is doing terrible things to my sense of identity.... smj Subj: The name game Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Thursday, August 24, 1995 2:51:00 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309859 Joe Straczynski looks like a very small engine pulling a huge caboose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joseph Straczynski is too hard to say, even for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J.M. Straczynski just looks dorky and cumbersome. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Michael Straczynski, however, gives you a chance to sneak up on thelast name...a little squib, one letter, nice and inoffensive, then a longername, and then the big one. It looks balanced on-screen. It's fairly easyto say. It's also a good "gatekeeper" of sorts; if the phone rings and it's someone who asks for Michael, I know instantly it's nobody I know personally. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Wednesday, August 23, 1995 9:34:19 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309712 <>>Jawa #2 demands--no I mean, DEMANDS--to know who else will be script writing in Season 3. (Throw a name this way--she's vicious!)<< Calm down child. Now tell us, just how many Jawas are there living between your ears anyway? Oh, the delightful possibilities.... jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Thursday, August 24, 1995 2:50:26 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309858 Peter and I have talked, and it remains a possibility. Harlan and I have talked, and it remains a possibility. I'm still determined to get Neil Gaiman. Other than that, the ones in hand so far are all jms scripts. jms Subj: UK B5 Vids Section: Babylon 5 To: Neil Carter, Thursday, August 24, 1995 2:42:08 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309851 Okay, what's the glitch...? jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: David Chandler-Gick, Thursday, August 24, 1995 2:51:03 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#309860 Gradually, we're getting this TeeVee thing figured out, I think. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael "GANDALF" Kalus, Thursday, August 24, 1995 1:31:04 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#310219 Didn't create Captain Power, only served as story editor and primary writer on the only produced season. Didn't end, just sorta stopped. jms Subj: B5 Comics Section: Babylon 5 To: Robert Miller, Thursday, August 24, 1995 1:31:05 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#310220 Yes, it includes that as well. jms Subj: Babylon 5: Quickies Section: Babylon 5 To: Richard M. Perry, Thursday, August 24, 1995 9:10:31 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#310634 Yes, Sheridan chose that traditional marking. And it's a traditional Russian eagle on Ivanova's helmet. jms Subj: BIG BANG Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Thursday, August 24, 1995 9:15:08 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#310636 That was very brave of you to admit that. Remember, acknowledging your problem is the first step in dealing with it. I think there was a typo, though, since there was a question mark at the end, and it's clearly such an obviously intended direct statement, given our prior experience. I figured you'd want me to point that out. jms Subj: B5 CD: Where can I order Section: Babylon 5 To: John Stetzer, Thursday, August 24, 1995 9:15:09 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#310637 There's ordering info in the B5 library, section 5. jms Subj: Quick Questions Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Saturday, August 26, 1995 10:10:17 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312474 Claudia is a hoot, not mistake. The Writers Guild is the chief bargaining unit for working writers in TV, film and radio in determining minimums, residuals, and the like. jms Subj: Comming of Shadows Section: Babylon 5 To: Will Gearhart, Saturday, August 26, 1995 10:10:20 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312475 They were discussing possible use of a world on the fringe of Centauri space for something of, they hoped, benign use. jms Subj: Pouchlings? Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Saturday, August 26, 1995 10:10:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312476 Yes, there are pouches; Narns, despite public perception, are marsupials. jms Subj: SpecialFX Section: Babylon 5 To: Elyse M. Grasso, Sunday, August 27, 1995 12:32:02 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312551 The B5 model in the gift shop in "Honor" is now in Sheridan's office, bronzed, as is his right as captain. Once the show is finally off the air, be assured that the model will end up in THIS captain's office. jms Subj: The name game Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Sunday, August 27, 1995 12:32:07 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312553 Thanks, yeah, slowly, very slowly, we're starting to crack through the glass ceiling (if I can borrow that phrase) and get noticed in more and more of the right places. jms Subj: AOL Chat Room for B5 Section: Babylon 5 To: William H. DiPaola, Sunday, August 27, 1995 12:32:13 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312555 It's my understanding that in the next few weeks/month, there will be a separate B5 area on AOL, and I suspect this will help facilitate chat rooms. jms Subj: Rerun chopped? Section: Babylon 5 To: David Fox, Sunday, August 27, 1995 12:32:15 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#312556 I couldn't tell you without seeing the actual footage. jms Subj: Pirate Warning from jms Section: Babylon 5 To: Bob Danielson, Sunday, August 27, 1995 8:10:23 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#313225 No, I understand the dilemma , believe me...and on this end, we're dancing as fast as we can to get WB moving. jms Subj: Pouchlings? Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Sunday, August 27, 1995 8:10:24 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#313226 "And you called ME strange!" Well, yes, but that was journalism.... jms Subj: B5 Comic discontinued? Section: Babylon 5 To: Dana Wright,Sunday, August 27, 1995 8:10:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#313227 DC is cutting back on *all* their licensed properties; however, they've committed to essentially 13 more issues to be done as one-shots, and 4-issue miniseries/graphic novels. jms Subj: Pouchlings? Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Monday, August 28, 1995 12:51:13 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#313746 Shooting goes fine. Just walked out onto the stage a few moments ago, while they were setting up a shot. Aircon is off, fuse went out, but that should be corrected shortly. And I'm just kidding with you. jms Subj: sq and b5 Section: Babylon 5 To: Nik Scott, Monday, August 28, 1995 12:54:24 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#313750 It's been established in the series that when we made first contact with the Centauri, when they entered our space, they gave us a leg up on technology, including jump gates, as part of a trade program. jms Subj: sq and b5 Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael "GANDALF" Kalus, Tuesday, August 29, 1995 1:09:23 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#314362 The hope is to do all that in a cd rom, which is currently being considered and discussed with several possible designers. jms Subj: Babylon 5 Party success! Section: Babylon 5 To: Jason Moore, Monday, August 28, 1995 11:17:26 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#314300 When next you see Bill Loebs, tell him I love his work on the Flash book. jms Subj: More books? Section: Babylon 5 To: Mark D. Smith, Tuesday, August 29, 1995 1:09:24 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#314363 The books have sold well, and the third is coming out in the next week or two. Also, Dell has committed to 3 more at this time, including one by S.M. Stirling, and another by Neal Barrett Jr. jms Subj: sq and b5 Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael "GANDALF" Kalus, Tuesday, August 29, 1995 2:59:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#314984 <>>The hope is to do all that in a cd rom, which is currently being consideredand discussed with several possible designers.<< Like the Interactive Technical Manual for Star Trek?> Better. jms Subj: Babylon 5 Party success! Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael Grabois, Tuesday, August 29, 1995 3:21:29 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#315006 We're talking here William Messner Loebs, right? So I'm confused, then; I've seen his credit endlessly...I guess I'm having prolonged brain fart, because I could swear it was on Flash (but you're right on the Mark Waid part...senility is definitely creeping in). Whether or not GG is making a mess in Comics Forum is not the issue for me; he's *there*, and as such the forum members are vulnerable to being quoted out of context, without their permission, in his mean-spirited little rag, and I refuse to make that process any easier for him by being there. You should definitely have Rob Davis call Laura Hitchcock at DC, if he is interested; we're doing 13 more issues -- one-shots and 4-issue miniseries -- so there's room to play. jms Subj: B5/Roswell ? Section: Babylon 5 To: Alan Crump, Wednesday, August 30, 1995 1:41:29 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#315643 and B5's Minbari was rather striking.> Do you really think there's that much resemblance? I don't much see it, myself, but this too is in the eye of the beholder. jms Subj: Sci-Fi (Age) TV Article Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Thursday, August 31, 1995 1:23:18 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#316945 I'm looking forward to seeing the article, haven't come across it yet. As for posters, we can't do that, it has to come out of Warner Bros. via someone licensing the product. And yeah, we do seem finally to be getting some heat out there.... jms Subj: TCOS queries Section: Babylon 5 To: Michael Beemer, Thursday, August 31, 1995 1:23:20 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#316946 The emperor was referring to Londo and Refa. And if the Centauri telepaths suspected or picked up anything, to tell anyone would almost certainly lead to a quick demise. When you're that high up in the royal court, you learn to keep your mouth shut. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Andy Wright, Thursday, August 31, 1995 1:23:28 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#316948 Agreed. The use of different tactics and weapons at different distances gives a sense that there is a *strategy* behind what's going on, that it's not just two ships coming with city blocks of one another and clobbering each other. Strategy implies intelligence, and to see intelligence in the shadow vessels is scary indeed..... jms Subj: Sci-Fi (Age) TV Article Section: Babylon 5 To: Anne L. Warner, Thursday, August 31, 1995 12:45:23 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#317450 From his lips to Warners' ears. jms ******************************************************* * SPOILERS FOR FINAL FOUR SEASON-TWO EPISODES FOLLOW. * ******************************************************* Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Steve Trease, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 1:14:06 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286149 Thanks. It's definitely one of my favorite episodes. The intensity is terrific. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Tuesday, August 01, 1995 3:56:17 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286284 Thanks. Yeah, that scene is one of my favorites; a lot of work went into it, and I think it shows. jms Subj: <
> Section: Babylon 5 To: John McAuley, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 3:56:20 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286285 Oh, heavens, no...we often move the camera in composite shots; all of the push-ins to the Zen garden are that way. Hard stuff we do all the time; it's the impossible stuff that's fun. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Simon Grierson, Tuesday, August 01, 1995 11:23:18 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#286690 Thanks. It's difficult to keep topping each season, and each episode, but we're dedicated to continuing to try. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Gardiner, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:43:22 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287135 < The Long,Twilight Struggle just aired in Britain yesterday and I loved it. After stretching out our souls and hammering them with a mallet in 'Confessions and Lamentations' then delivering a steel-shod kick to the heart in 'Divided Loyalties', 'Long, Twilight Struggle' almost finished me off.> Thanks; the reaction to "Twilight" has been terrific, and I think it bodes well for us in the coming year. jms Subj: Shadow ship influence? Section: Babylon 5 To: Scott Belgarde, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:43:27 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287136 Not really, re: stealth ships, but there is something in us all that responds nervously when something large and dark and menacing flies overhead, particularly close-up. Maybe it's second-cousin to the instinct that makes baby ducks run for cover when the shadow of a hawk falls over them. Either way, it's compelling, and that sense is what I wanted in that shot. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Malcolm Pemberton, Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:44:02 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287138 Yeah, I wouldn't waste much time on the gun-hand, frankly. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Wednesday, August 02, 1995 12:59:14 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287162 Actually, what's probably confusing is that the shadow vessels are bi-level, so when two come together it looks like four or so; but it's just the two. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Richard Fincher, Thursday, August 03, 1995 12:00:11 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287742 Ron and I discussed the shadow designs, and he went off and developed this into what you see, and as soon as I saw them, I approved them, as they were very close to what I had in mind. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Mark Sloan, Thursday, August 03, 1995 12:00:09 AM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#287740 There are various kinds of ships the Narns have, some older than others; the ones in the first ep were older ones. jms Subj: Season Three Narration Section: Babylon 5 To: Brett Sherris, Thursday, August 03, 1995 2:06:01 PM From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#288106 "The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. But in the year of the Shadow War, it becam something greater: our last, best hope...for victory. The year is 2260. The place: Babylon 5." jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby, Tuesday, August 08, 1995 3:57:26 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#293226 Why bring up Sebastian's past? Because it's integral to who he is now, and what he's doing, and why he's doing it. Also, there's something very important here about greying up the Vorlons a little; of all the people they could've chosen for this job, why THIS kind of person? It makes them a trifle more morally ambiguous, which is necessary. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Nigel Nixon, Tuesday, August 08, 1995 7:29:30 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#293448 What happened is...basically...Joe is a moron. I did my research. I called up the info on the encyclopedia, got all the dates right, and my eyes saw East End and for whatever stupid, idiotic reason, my fingers typed West instead of East, and nobody, NObody, caught it until now. I'd loop it, but alas the line is on his face, and it'd look real stupid, and the delivery is *so* perfect as it is; if we looped it, we'd destroy it. So I content myself with the notion that it's west...of B5. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go shoot myself. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Tom Knudsen, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 12:57:08 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294259 Or one could say it's West of Babylon 5.> No, no, it's hopeless...I'll have to turn in my writer's card. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:09:26 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294968 Unfortunately (yes, we discussed this), he says the line *on camera*, and the shape of the mouth for West is very different than for East; also the performance wouldn't be nearly as good. So there it is.... jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: COLIN BRAKE, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 12:57:06 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294258 Yeah, it's always the dopey, small stuff that slips past, and nobody notices until it jumps out at you when it's too late. Should have something official about the comic shortly. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:09:23 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294967 They SNIPPED the shot of G'Kar slicing his hand? You're kidding! I find that quite astonishing; it was done discreetly. I'm dumbfounded. No wonder there was confusion about that scene. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Richard McLaren, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:07 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294971 You're right, btw; I was informed in another message here that they did snip that piece of G'Kar's action. Suffice to say I had *no* idea, and now that I *do* have an idea...I'm simply wog-boggled. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Mike Aragona, Wednesday, August 09, 1995 11:10:06 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#294975 A choir, yes; heavenly remains to be seen. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Thursday, August 10, 1995 1:01:15 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#295518 <>> A choir, yes; heavenly remains to be seen. Was Karl Edward Muller's compilation of a "choir to sing me into heaven when I die" significant in any way that will be important later?> Who can say? jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey,Thursday, August 10, 1995 10:30:14 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296180 Yes, I have a voice like five thousand moths dying simultaneously in a very large bowl of tea. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby, Thursday, August 10, 1995 1:01:17 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#295519 I tied him to a specific person because in writing, you *always* try to go for specifics, because generalities don't really work. It's the difference, in prose, between, "The room smelled good," and "The room smelled of cinnamon and fresh coffee." Also, the specific connotations to who and what Jack was were essential and integral to the storyline. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Colloby,Thursday, August 10, 1995 10:30:19 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296183 Sebastian was played by Wayne Alexander, a British actor of great skill who hasn't been seen much on TV before this, but should now, with this performance as a calling card. It was a stunning performance. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Gardiner, Friday, August 11, 1995 1:59:17 AM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#296295 Your analysis is *exactly* correct. Also, check Sebastian's reaction when he asks Delenn what if she's wrong, "have you ever considered that? HAVE YOU?" She responds, softly, "....yes." Look at his face when she says this. It rattles him. It's not the answer he expected, but more important, it's not the answer he wanted, needed to hear. He needed to hear her say that she had never had the slightest *scintilla* of doubt, that as he had been, she was a True Believer, a fanatic, incapable of doubt of mistake...and thus doomed to failure. He can't even meet her gaze; he turns, looks away, and suggests an "intermission" that is more for his benefit than hers. There's an awful lot going on in this show, a great deal of it sub rosa, under the surface, implied in gestures or hesitations or looks, some implied, some stated outright. He *hates* the memory of Jack; it's not his name, the one thing that is his...remember, he is caught up with "who ARE you?" and his answer to that is lost in the persona created by history...his true name, is what's totally forgotten to history. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Gardiner, Monday, August 14, 1995 1:40:15 AM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#299358 I'd say that those are good and accurate points all around, well considered. As for locale, it was similar to, but not exactly the same as the one in which the Marcabs died, though I did want to somewhat evoke the memory of that when I indicated the set I had in mind. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: David Gillon, Monday, August 14, 1995 8:06:00 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300195 Of course, his real name was never Jack Sebastian; "Jack" is his working name, Sebastian could be a first or last name. jms Subj:
Section: Babylon 5 To: Philip Hornsey, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:24:13 AM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300531 It wasn't intended that Delenn should touch Draal; it sorta happened on the set, and no one really noticed, and it wasn't worth going back and reshooting the whole thing. My sense is that if it's like a virtual reality situation, she would "feel" it even though it's not there, if the image was impinging correctly on the brain. But in either event, the image is not and should not be considered to be solid. As for Londo's shot...the director called "cut" I think a bit too soon, we used every frame we had to extend that shot (and, in fact, we even went so far as to freeze the final frame and extend the shot by a smidge, if you look at it carefully). Nonetheless, I think it works pretty spiffily. As for the mass drivers, the amount of energy required to move something that big would generate huge amounts of heat, possibly making them even white-hot, hence the glow. Anyway, thanks for the comments; I do think it's possibly either the best, or one of the best shows to that point. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Tuesday, August 15, 1995 12:48:31 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300834 <_The Fall of Night_ has just finished, and all I can say is that this has got to be the most 'OH MY GOD' episode ever! I don't know how you are going to top this one...> Thanks. That last sequence is the single biggest effects sequence done for TV, insofar as I know. There are 34 composite shots in a matter of just a few minutes. Our guys nearly went blind doing it, but it's cool. The whole feel, I think, is quite nice. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:11 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300944 Yes, it was a definite nod to Chamberlain, and a bit of foreshadowing for ominous things to come. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Spencer Collyer Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:19 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301157 Oh, yeah, I'd think that most folks will get it over here; and those who don't, just won't notice it, and will take it on face value. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Danny Phillips, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 1:37:06 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302013 There are a number of metaphors in the show that operate on many different levels; it can't be a one-to-one corrolary to WW II, because that limits and makes predictable your story. In musical terms, it's almost a tonal piece, taking elements to which we respond, almost subconsciously, and then rearranging them into something that is, one hopes, a new construct. You can find here echoes of Vietnam, of Kennedy, of Chamberlain, of WW II, of Korea, of the Mideast; in a way, it's a thematic piece that touches how we have come to think of war, and conflict, across the development of the 20th century, and the role of the individual in that regard. We have learned to think of war as something now on a huge scale, an entity in itself. Once upon a time, before the gatling gun and the automatic rifle, combat was something individual, even in larger wars, one person against the enemy...and that person was honored, one person could turn the tide against the enemy. In a world in which weapons of mass destruction exist, where then is the individual? Where then the bravery, the struggle, the triumph...and the failure? Where, fundamentally, is the responsibility? All of that is intertwined with the storyline, and to communicate that I'm not averse to taking elements of history that resonate with that theme and reworking them, knowing that on a cellular level, we *recognize* that aspect, we've seen it...but now in a new context, we can see it differently, discuss its implications, *learn* from it. This is one of the things I rarely talk about, because it's the kind of thing that is best left simply implied, or implicit, in the work, and because if you have to draw attention to something in the work, somehow I think it lessens it, because it works best unspoken. And because I guess it sounds kinda presumptuous, and high-falutin' and self-indulgent. But it's one the things that matters to me in the context of the story. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Glenn Curtis, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 11:53:30 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302630 C4 can't repeat the show in widescreen, because it hasn't been delivered in that fashion, it'd require going back to the original wide negatives; but they are negotiating to show season 3 that way (Germany and France have already signed on for that). jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Laurence Moroney, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 12:59:17 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300843 Actually, no, not really; Kosh is what you see when you look at him. And if a Drazi looks at him, the Drazi sees something different than a Minbari; yes, a being of light, BUT.... Is that what they actually ARE, or how they have programmed us to react when we see them? As Sheridan said, have we been *manipulated* to seeing them a certain way, seeing a certain image? We may not be seeing what they ARE, but what they WANT us to see. It goes a heck of a lot deeper than what it seems. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jeannette Fornadel, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:03 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300941 Take Kosh at face value? No, not at all, never my intent. And yes, my spousal overunit wrote "By Any Means." jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Lawrence Duru, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 1:37:11 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302014 <>Kosh is what you see when you look at him. Does that mean that Kosh would appear different to a Hindu, a Buddist and the members of all the other human religous belief systems? Will there ever be widescreen videos of B5, and, if not, when are the laserdiscs due to be released.> Yes, there would be some amount of variation among humans, though not in terms of beliefs that may have come along post-Vorlon influence. This sort of thing has been implanted almost at a genetic level, and they do have a hand, or a mind, in activating it when seen. The more people who see them in different ways, the longer they must maintain that, the greater the strain on them. And someday, some happy, distant day, we do hope to have widescreen laser disks, but that day is not yet in sight. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: IMRAN NAQVI, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:15 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301155 Her look varies depending on mood, day, and circumstance. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Martin Gillibrand, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 12:59:20 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300844 Is he? Or is that how we've been manipulated to see, as Sheridan notes? jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: All Tuesday, August 15, 1995 2:47:17 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300918 Since "The Fall of Night" has now aired in the UK, and word is getting out, herewith a post I left on GEnie about Kosh's now-revealed identity. I thought it came out fairly well, so I'm repeating it here. ***** Okay. Here it is. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna reveal Kosh. I'm not kidding. Bail now if you're looking in and don't want to know. No backsies. I mean it. Last chance. Okay, this is it. "If he leaves his encounter suit, he will be recognized." "By who?" "Everyone." "The First Ones taught the younger races, explored beyond the rim, built civilizations...." Kosh is what you're pointing at when you say "That's Kosh." "Yes, the Vorlons have been to Earth, the Vorlons have been everywhere. The Vorlons *are*." They *are*. "For centuries, the Vorlons have helped the younger races, guiding us, and --" "And manipulating us?" "It is, as you say, a matter... of perspective." They *are*...a matter of perspective. Each race who sees them, sees something out of their own past, their own legends, religions, faiths. A being of light, if you will, but a Drazi sees the Drazi version of that, Droshalla; the Minbari see the Minbari version of that, Valeria; humans see a human version of that. It is the mirror in which we see our beliefs reflected, but is it the progenitor of those beliefs...or an implanted image that overlays that vision on top of the true form of the Vorlon? Is it revelation, or is it manipulation? The Vorlons are a cypher. The Vorlons are a matter of perspective. The Vorlons are guides...or users, emissaries or puppeteers, who wish to be seen a certain way, so that we will react properly. Is this good, or is this bad? And the truth is, even though you have seen a Vorlon, have you seen THE Vorlon, the one behind the image that dances somewhere between your optic nerve and your brain? Or to quote a message I left long ago, paraphrased from memory, "The hand Sinclair sees is not the hand Sinclair sees, and the hand Sinclair sees is not the same hand someone else in the room sees, and is not even the hand that that person sees." The Vorlons Are. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Hans Peter Rushworth, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 11:53:15 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302636 Thanks. And finding Kosh slightly righteous is pretty much the desired intent. So you're clicking on all the right cylinders. jms Subj: TFoN No spoilers Section: Babylon 5 To: Ruth Ballam, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:02 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300940 How do we top this? We just do it, because we kinda have to. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jonathan Colhoun, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:06 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300942 I'm very glad to hear that, thanks. It's a great note to go out on. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Chris Jay, 100573,2376 Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:08 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300943 Thanks, that's truly great to here. A lot of sweat and blood went into that one. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Stephen Chatwood, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:02:13 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300945 Londo saw what he said he saw. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: David Gillon, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 3:12:17 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#300962 Actually, the "snitch" was the C&C tech, NOT the pilot, they just have a somewhat similar appearance. We've established that klaxons go off elsewhere in the station during an attack to warn civilians, but they aren't going off in C&C because they make it impossible to concentrate, as per military tradition (see "And Now For a Word" to confirm this). There wasn't time to call Draal, and they can't begin relying on him for every problem; they have to be able to hold their own. You would only bring in Draal on something really major. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Mark Sloan, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:08 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301152 Yeah, I kinda figured that recorders like this would be outfitted with a receiver for the ship's gun camera. This would be vital to locate ships that got lost, and track as long as possible what happened after the log was ejected, and before the recorder moved out of range. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Dean Long, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:09 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301153 The narrative was a tonal setup for next season. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Colin Glassey, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 6:33:16 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301156 Not much to the secret...they coordinated their firepower on one of the ships, in hopes of doing damage. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Mike Aragona, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 11:34:13 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301471 That would be telling. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Jacqueline Groom, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 11:34:14 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301472 Well...one out of four ain't bad. Thanks. jms Subj: Series 3? Section: Babylon 5 To: Dinie Kloosterboer, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 2:25:17 AM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301548 Don't worry, all will be revealed in time. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Arwel Parry, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 2:34:16 AM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#301549 Yes, the camera was still mounted on the Starfury, but cameras even today are constantly transmitting to other locations; TV cameras don't just transmit on a cable to the box they're attached to, they are uplinked to other places. Similarly, the recording device continued to receive transmission fro the Starfury until such time as it either went out of range or, in this case, the transmitter was destroyed. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: John Sheridan, Wednesday, August 16, 1995 1:37:15 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#302016 He is an Ex-Keffer. jms Subj: <> Section: Babylon 5 To: Arwel Parry, Friday, August 18, 1995 7:14:17 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304762 That was from a scene we cut from an episode. jms Subj: Section: Babylon 5 To: Eric Benson, Friday, August 18, 1995 1:39:25 PM ~From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#304389