This file contains messages posted by J. Michael Straczynski on GEnie for November, 1994. Postings are copyright 1994 by J. Michael Straczynski with compilation copyright by GEnie. ************ Topic 1 Mon Oct 26, 1992 SF-MARSHALL [Dave ] at 18:50 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - The Series (Non-Spoiler) Welcome to the Babylon 5 General category. This is the main topic for the hit SF series. We discuss all general information on the series in this topic. Topic 2 is for SPOILERS! DO NOT POST STORY IDEAS! 444 message(s) total. ************ ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 652 Tue Nov 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:41 EST The stations were put on notice *by* Warners about the error made by Modern Video, and told which one NOT to air. This isn't between us and PTEN, but a station thing. "Chrysalis" will be rerun in time, but don't offhand know when (my guess would be sometime around Christmas/New Year). jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 675 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:16 EST We're dedicated to improving all of these elements on a regular basis; CGI, sets, directing, lighting, name it. The music will change every year, to get in sync with where the season is going; the tone and tenor and mood will shift. Re: the narration...last year, Michael had the benefit of being able to see the sequence prior to reading the narration, and reading with the images. That was when we were shooting in July to air in January. In this case, shooting in August to air in November, Bruce had to wing it, without any images for reference, just text. Now that we've got the opening completed (and we weren't satisfied with it or done tinkering with it until a few days before delivery), we'll probably let him do it again with the visuals before him, so he knows what he's reading to, since it'll have a *big* impact on how he delivers the stuff. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 392 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:42 EST As noted elsewhere...we have previously established that the Dome is periodically on Standby Mode, when the system is performing autmoated (automated) backups, routine maintenance, that sort of thing. It was in "Midnight," when Garibaldi informs Ivanova that that's where he likes to go, when it's on standby, and is quiet. It was in "Sky," when Ivanova asks Tech 1 if there are any more ships due in for a while, is told no, and she puts her feet up on the console, nobody else around. Also, B5 tends to run on human cycles of day and night, something we try to reflect in the sets and effects, showing the Garden bright during day times, and dark during night stuff (as around dinner time in the Fresh Air Restaurant). Maintaining such cycles has been found to be critical in these kinds of environments. The standby mode only happens every 36-48 hours, for about an hour. Most departments also have their own control areas, using C&C mainly when command personnel are required. In addition, there are folks monitoring C&C, and if anything *should* happen, someone could be there within seconds. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 394 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:41 EST In fact, we just re-did the narration yesterday, now that we have the visuals in hand, and it's MUCH improved. And since we're re-dong (er, re- doing) that part anyway, we had Ron re-do the faceplate pull back shot, which I think is good, but can be better. Now it is. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 396 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:58 EST Probably episode 4. jms SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 410 Sat Nov 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:25 EST Yes, Delenn does explain why she entered the cocoon after emerging. Not that it's the truth, of course.... jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 411 Sat Nov 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:44 EST BTW, having now edited seven episodes, and seen several finished ones, I think that of the first three, "The Geometry of Shadows" (#3) is my personal favorite. "Revelations" is certainly a biggie, a staggering chunk of the arc...but "Geometry" is just an absolute hoot, something of a breather from the intensity, and largely for fun with some undertones. If you liked "The Parliament of Dreams," you'll probably love "Geometry." jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 431 Sat Nov 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:01 EST Actually, G'Kar's makeup wasn't changed this year; the actor put on a few pounds over hiatus, which shows in the face, which changes how the prosthetic looks. This was dropped very quickly by Andreas, however, and the makeup has adjusted itself. (Hell, we all put on a few pounds during hiatus.) jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 443 Sun Nov 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:55 EST The voice of B5 is done by Haley, our script-person on the set. Re: the theme music...to me, one is neither worse nor better than the other. They're *different*, and meant to convey different moods and themes. Each year it'll change. This year was heavy on strings and brass; next year it'll be heavy on percussion. The main theme will be reinterpreted and interpolated in different ways. In the B5 universe, change is the only constant. ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 467 Sun Nov 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:11 EST Because of the many actors we have in our main title sequence, we have roughly two seconds in which to show their faces (the minimum SAG will allow). If you show someone in action, you won't see their faces well enough to recognize them, and there isn't enough time to do any kind of action. Now, we could, as stated, do both...we could show some action on each character, and then a closeup. But the opening title sequence as it is now isn't long enough for all of the actors. So our choice is as follows: 1) exclude some of the actors, or 2) make the main title longer, and cut time out of the episode to compensate. Those are the ONLY two options. There is a point where reality and art intersect. This is one of them. If we're going to show their faces, then we need to show them in closeup. And there isn't time for anything else. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 479 Mon Nov 07, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:44 EST After the hassle last year with Kawasaki and Zima, I'm inclined NOT to do brand names anymore. Re: split-screen...you end up seeing less of both in the final analysis. It's TOO busy. And either you put the name of the actor over one half of the picture (meaning you squeeze it down, all the more so since the titles are letterboxed, making them practically unreadable), or you spill them across the two sides of the split screen which'll look real bad. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 527 Tue Nov 08, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:42 EST (He coughs and speaks in his Executive Producer Voice:) "I *LIKE* the opening title sequence." Now...onto other matters. We re-mixed the narration and music today in the titles, and it's a LOT better. I slightly shifted the placement of some of the lines, and Bruce's rendition is very nice. Really carries the weight. Look for it to appear starting in episode #4. Also, yesterday I turned in script #11, "All Alone in the Night," which now marks the half-way point through season two. Just eleven more scripts to go.... jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 576 Fri Nov 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:16 EST This is something we've discussed with Christopher, and as long as we're messing with the main title, he's going to slightly adjust his music cue so that, rather than kind of a sustained note after the big B5 logo (monologue/gallery transition), it'll be cleaner and bigger going in. This, btw, is kind of emblematic of what we do in the show; we are constantly looking for ways, big and small, to improve things; often we never mention them. We continue to improve the sets as we work; after we finish shooting an episode in a set, we'll sometimes go in and refine it a bit more. I wasn't very happy with some of the screen displays in the observation dome, so they were changed last week, and will probably show up starting around episode 8 or 9. We made a very tiny modification in one CGI shot in the main title that probably nobody will notice, but it's better. And cleaned up another shot in the title sequence. The only real aberration here is that generally, we do this fairly quietly, over a long time. Because this time it's in the main title, it's a bit harder to do it discreetly. No detail is too small to be noticed and improved. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 585 Fri Nov 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:11 EST I'm sorry, Lynda, but your friends are pinheads who seem to have no broader reference in their lives than Star Trek. Boxleitner was not "doing" Kirk consciously or otherwise; he brings his own natural speech qualities and movements to the character. The way he is as Sheridan is very close to how he is in real life. Those are his natural speech inflections, and his natural movements. I know, I've sat across from him at lunch. That's just him. You'll excuse me if I'm a bit cranky here, but I'm getting pretty damned tired of people who, themselves unable to see past Star Trek, naturally assume everybody else is trying to *do* Trek. I did not work seven years to get this show on the air to "do" Trek, and Boxleiter has not worked to perfect his art as a performer to suddenly "do" Shatner or Kirk. The problem here is in the person doing the observation. "I think the actor did it subconsciously, trying to get a feel for the role." The role is not Kirk. So why would someone do someone who is NOT the role in order to get a feeling FOR the role? "...because I didn't notice any similarity to Kirk in episode two." Because there IS no similarity in EITHER episode, or in the performance. I'm sorry to be angry about this, but I've heard this from people again and again whose frame of reference extends no further than Star Trek, and they make it OUR fault that THEY can't get beyond their own narrow frame of rerence, and you'll excuse me if I'm getting a bit tired of it. Looking at Boxleitner's performance, which is NOTHING like Shatner, to see him get gigged on THIS of all things is pathetic and laughable. Like or don't like his performance, fine, but does anyone even VAGUELY think that this guy is sacrificing his chance to create his on character in order to "do" Kirk? C'mon, that's fanboy thinking of the lowest order, and frankly deserves nothing more than contempt and ridicule. jms ------------ SFRT II RoundTable Category 18, Topic 1 Message 589 Sat Nov 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:21 EST I did not call her a pinhead, I called her friends pinheads. Jose: this has got nothing to do with slamming B5 or slamming Trek. I'm not defending B5 against a Trek slam, and I have no interest in defending Trek. I'm talking about the weird individual mindset that can't see past that. Nowhere in my message do I slam Trek, nor do I ask people to stop comparing B5's quality to Trek's quality. Your message has nothing to do with the message that I wrote, or the topic. Y'know, I sit here, reading 500+ messages a day, some with the most rude, snide, condescending, insulting content I've ever seen...nobody ever thinks twice. I get a little tired of the same attitude on the part of a few people, leave one message, and suddenly I'm being taken to task. If I'm upset, I have a right to state that. Jose, you have been pretty damned vicious, and insulting in many of your messages. Even when you find something positive to say, you phrase it in an insulting way 99.9% of the time. So please take your lectures somewhere else. If Lynda's friends think Boxleitner is "doing" a James Kirk imitation, consciously or otherwise, they are exactly what I stated: pinheads. If that doesn't sit well, if it isn't politically correct, I'm sorry, but I don't do that. It's simply one of the most breathtaking moronic things I've heard this year. If that hurts, I'm sorry, but it's true. Should I sit here and pretend it's not a stupid idea? Everyone here is quite free with their opinion; should I not be allowed equal freedom? I spend half my time on various systems biting back replies to some pretty mean spirited comments; I let them slide. Sometimes, though, something rises out of the background noise enough that I have to notice it, and respond. Reality check: anybody who could conceivably believe, and tell others, that an accomplished actor with successful series, and highly rated movies, one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, would suddenly, one day, turn around and start doing a William Shatner imitation in what is his lead role in a series is simply out of his or her respective gourd. I'm sorry if that offends, but it's true. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 20 Sat Nov 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:11 EST 1) Restatement, especially to Lynn: this has nothing to do with anyone comparing the quality of show A and show B, but rather the insinuation that person A is copying person B's behavior, which is untrue. 2) Personal attacks name individuals. You can't personally attack a group you don't know. 3) If that "personal attack" rule were exercised here as stated, you could not post half the messages in this forum. When actors are called "lame- o," is that not a personal attack? And there the actor is named. That has happened here *countless* times. But nobody ever seems to have a problem with that. So you'll forgive me if I think this is just a bit skewed. I have seen my work, and that of my actors, and directors, on this system and others, characterized as "lame, stupid, mindless, boring, ridiculous, cheesy," and about a hundred other adjectives I could bring up. Nobody blinks. No discussions about whether or not that person should be allowed to say that, or the person was out of line. If you're going to allow one, it's hypocritical not to allow the other. If everyone here is supposed to express their opinions, in whatever harsh terms they choose, except me, then just say so, and I'll keep my opinions to myself from now on. Either we all play by the same rules, or we don't. And if we don't, you'll forgive me if I feel that's more than a tad unfair. Message after message about Michael O'Hare, right here in this forum, calling him wooden, calling him a bad actor, calling for actors to be spaced, replaced, fired...that's fine...but one comment from me and the fabric of the universe begins to unravel? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 24 Sat Nov 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:55 EST I've been called a hell of a lot worse on these nets, and here; including a liar, untrustworthy, a shill, a sellout...please. Pinhead? I don't think I'd even notice. Y'know what this reminds me of? Ever play Whack-A-Mole? I had this image while I was shoving a carton of Kung Pao Chicken down my gullet prior to getting back to the writing, of the Whack-A-Mole game, and for two years, everybody whacks the mole, whack-whack-whack-whack-whack, and one day, the mole -- with stuffing leaking out of his ears, one eye missing, nose hanging on by a thread -- mutters, under its breath, "...pinhead"...and suddenly everybody runs around screaming "EEK! EEK! Get it! Get it!" WHACK!WHACK!WHACK!WHACK!WHACK! Really stupid thing is, the mole was a volunteer. Ah, well...I knew the job was dangerous when I took it.... jmoles ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 33 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:11 EST I guess I do tend to get defensive on the part of other people, because...I don't know, I guess I'm just wired-up funny that way. It may come from being raised in the kind of family I was raised in, and those of you who've come from families with heavy drinking above you will know instantly what I'm talking about: you start protecting others around you, whatever the personal cost might be. When it comes to stuff directed at me...unless it's absolutely off the wall stuff like allegations of lying...it tends to just wash off because I can't take myself very seriously on the best of days, and thus it doesn't bother me. I'm goofy on the best of days, I sometimes screw up *monumentally*...the kind of screw-ups that can just take your breath away and make one *very* relieved that I've had a vasectomy...so when someone points out that I committed a dumbness, it basically goes into the pile with all the others that creep out from under the bed at night and dance behind my eyes when I'm trying to get to sleep. John: thanks for the good words, and my condolences (I guess) on your change in perspective. More than anything else, I wanted to create with Babylon 5 something that would outlive me, that would *excite* people and get them talking, thinking, debating, arguing. We're not here to preserve a franchise, we're here to tell a story. If we succeed in that attempt, then everything, *everything*, was worthwhile. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 56 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:00 EST ...intellidrivel? What an interesting new word. One of the things we've noticed at the B5 offices, from mail from folks and in some cases teachers (not that they're different), is that we seem to be cutting across all age groups. A *lot* of kids are hooked on the show. But we also seem to be getting the old-time SF types, and seem to be drawing more or less equally from print and media SF fans (though, curiously, slightly more from those who consider themselves print SF fans than media SF fans). BTW, late notice...there will probably be a B5 piece on EXTRA tonight. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 78 Mon Nov 14, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:30 EST Actually, that kind of dedication and attention is really only required if you're trying to figure out what's going to happen BEFORE it happens, which is primarily a thing on the nets. Most folks non-wired in seem content to see what happens WHEN it happens...and there, *all* of the information needed to follow it is always provided in the episode in question. (You don't need to have seen "Quality" to understand what the healing machine was, and what it was designed to do, for instance, in "Points." Franklin recaps that info for the viewer.) One person, just as an experiment, watched the episodes completely out of order, and found that he could follow it just fine either way. On an unrelated note...just finished another script tonight, "Acts of Sacrifice," which despite its rather ominous title is more a slice of life episode...and contains probably the funkiest, weirdest sequence that I have ever written. Full tilt whacko. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 85 Mon Nov 14, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:15 EST Might it be better to say that Star Trek is the best Star Trek that has ever been made, and that Babylon 5 is the best Babylon 5 that has ever been made...? Some level of competitiveness is good, in the sense that it should promote us and the ST folks to work harder to out-do one another; in that fashion, the viewers win every time. At the same time, remember that a lot of the hard-core ST fans *really* dumped on B5 bigtime when it first came out, and may be perhaps a bit annoyed at having the tables switched around and for the first time being asked hard questions (whcich, or which, if answered, will make both shows continue to improve). The thing to remember is that this marks the *first time* since the original Star Trek that there has been an American series set in our future, with humans as spacefaring entities building colonies and forming relations with other races. (Space Rangers came after, and is now gone in any event, and Battlestar was about others coming here in our present.) So on that level, we're going toe to toe, but with the goal, one hopes, of wedging the door open enough for MORE shows to come down the pike of this sort. Can you *imagine* the Lensman books, or the Foundation books, done for television? That will NOT happen untiland unless it can be shown that just one other such spacefaring futuristic show can be done successfully for television. My criterion has always been, what does the show bring to the table that is new? The original ST brought transporters, phasers, starships, communicators, medical scanners, air-injectors and warp speed into common parlance; they weren't throwaways, they were important parts of this new universe. Babylon 5 has introduced O'Neil stations, gravity through rotation, jump gates, non-aerodynamic Starfuries, use of the full x-y-z axis in showing movement, non-atmospheric combat (flying backwards and firing forwards), alternate atmosphere sectors, and other stuff. I think that this will in time become common parlance and part of the culture, assuming we stay on the air that long. (What new elements -- not one-episode throwaways, but new, regular technologies like transporters -- TNG and DS9 have developed, I don't know, only because I don't tend to watch. So I'll leave that to others.) Which is all a long and roundabout way of saying that I think the whole question of "better" is less the issue than what the series leaves in its wake; does it contribute, does it ennoble, does it illuminate, does it educate? And that generally can't *really* be known until well after the fact. The original ST was considered a failure when it was cancelled; there was little evidence of it affecting society, the ratings were low...it was only with the passage of time that it took on a new life, and became part of the popular culture. Now if only I can lean on Bruce to stop saying the new Enterprise looks like a park fountain.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 106 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:20 EST Elissa: I think your analysis is quite good. Doc: actually, funny thing is, I'd say about half of the message I see (make that messageS) are from folks either directly or indirectly involved with real space...from NASA, from JPL, the High Altitude Observatory, various space science research organizations...so I'm sure this aspect will come in time. Some rather astonished reactions at the studio today to a just published script...lots of folks found out somebody isn't entirely who they've been assuming. I love doing this.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 123 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:41 EST Actually, I think the positronic brain/android brain was introduced in TOS, as were replicators. BTW, I heard the other day about planned Mars observers and landers to be launched every two years starting in '96, but haven't heard more about it since. Anybody got the skinny on this? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 148 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:22 EST What I found weird about the Mars thing was the comment from somebody at NASA that they were sending the lander/observer missions in order to "learn more about the patterns of extinction." Which seemed an awfully odd comment, and wasn't followed up on. If a planet has ALWAYS been dead, then sending a probe to look into patterns of extinction seems kinda pointless.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 155 Wed Nov 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:54 EST Arne: I generally don't let the actors know what's coming unless it's important to the current performance. Otherwise you risk having the actor play the *result* instead of the *process*. Had to make one divergence from this recently, so that Peter could understand better a sequence in "The Coming of Shadows," which you'll understand when you see it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 175 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:23 EST Yeah, the actors love being surprised by turns in their characters, because it gives them more opportunity to explore the range of their craft rather than playing the same attitude week after week after week. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 197 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:50 EST Random 2 AM thoughts...can you go into an International House of Pancakes in Germany and order Luftwaffles...? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 215 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:57 EST That's Mira's hair, yes...and barring genetic engineering or alteration, reproduction between varying species is not possible in the B5 universe. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 219 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:54 EST I covered the aspect of genetic engineering in the course of G'Kar's conversation with Lyta. He said he could clone her, "...but we'd STILL have to alter its genetic structure," same as with anything she would do. And, frankly, he was more just trying to get laid than anything else. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 256 Sun Nov 20, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:44 EST I heard the news about Peter early this morning, but didn't want to say anything here until Christy had allowed the news to come out. It's very strange...you kind of have to understand who and what Peter was. He was close to my height, maybe 6'3 or 6'4, and just MASSIVE, muscular, solid from toes to fingertips. Solid in his voice. Solid in his views. Solid in his appetite. We sometimes referred to him as Peter "The Mad Australian" Ledger. He could take over an entire table and turn it into a party with himself as huckster, ringmaster, cannonballer and fireworks show all rolled into one boisterous, funny, irresistible force of nature. We all burn from time to time, but Peter burned brightly twenty-four hours a day. He was full of turns of phrases that could put you away; "slippery as a bucket of monkey's foreskins" being one of the more...memorable. He was into exercise, food, had endless stories about the Australian outback, hunting, traveling the world...he was a gourmet cook and a sculpter and an artist and a raconteur...when he used to look at how I eat (red meat, everything fried or broiled to within an inch of its life), live (haunting the midnight hours, "the vampire people" he called Kathryn and I in our cave, not getting enough exercise), he said that I was doomed and he would be sure to come by and pay his respects when my entire cardiovascular system seized up finally in protest and pulled a work stoppage. And it was easy to believe, that Peter would go on forever. I have lost too goddamned many friends to traffic accidents, and this one is hardest of all. Though we hadn't spoken much since he moved up north, schedules and work being what they are, it is a loss, for those who knew him, and those who now won't have the chance. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 324 Wed Nov 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:07 EST This is kind of an alert, more of a heads-up, I suppose.... I have now had something on the order of half a dozen reports from people who have either been told, or heard indirectly, that stations are being pressured to drop B5 or they won't get Voyager. I suspect the reason for this is fear; DS9 support was always soft; according to some of the demographics, it looks like DS9 has been steadily losing viewers, albeit gradually...at about the same rate that B5 has been *adding* viewers...leading to the clear implication that they're going here from there. If anybody out there knows about this, or has any first-hand info, or can *find out*...please let me know in email. It has to be specific, with names and dates, and we'll need a letter, possibly an affidavit. (Some viewers in Rochester, NY were apparently told this flat-out by their local cable company.) The seriousness of this comes from the fact that there's a certain threshold of markets required to maintain enough coverage to suit national sponsors; if you drop beneath that threshold, they drop out, and you're in serious yogurt. We're nowhere near that at the moment -- we'd have to lose 20- 30 stations for that to happen -- but we'd like to try and nip this in the bud. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 347 Thu Nov 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:12 EST I have no problem with the monolog being posted. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 355 Fri Nov 25, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:47 EST I have *no* idea what they're talking about, since "the distributer" is/was the satellite uplink, and everybody ELSE got it...I dunno.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 356 Fri Nov 25, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:11 EST Just an update to stuff like ratings...and while the ratings continue to be strong, and build in the overnights, the demographics are improving at a buying commercials, this is very good news. Overall, B5 comes in #3 in ALL syndicated dramatic series, as opposed to talk shows and game shows, which are in a separate category and fill up the upper echelons of the syndie ratings. Here's the breakdown for one week: M 18-34 M 18-49 M 25-54 W 18-34 W 18-49 W 25-54 Star Trek: DS9 5.4 6.1 6.5 5.2 5.4 5.5 Baywatch 4.7 4.3 4.1 5.3 4.9 4.6 BABYLON 5 3.3 3.8 4.0 3.3 3.4 3.3 Renegade 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.0 2.3 2.5 Kung Fu 2.4 3.0 3.7 2.1 2.2 2.5 Forever Knight 1.8 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.4 1.4 Time Trax 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.2 Highlander 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.9 2.0 2.1 Thunder in Paradise 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 Lonesome Dove (series) 1.1 2.2 2.6 1.9 1.9 2.3 Sirens 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.9 High Tide 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.7 1.4 1.5 Heaven Help Us 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.7 1.6 1.4 Robin's Hoods 0.8 0.9 1.1 2.1 1.8 1.5 Space Precinct 0.8 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.9 Hawkeye 0.3 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.3 1.4 Number 3 out of 17 dramatic series is VERY good placement, and PTEN is very encouraged by this, very pleased. (You'll note a fairly big drop between #3 and #4, while the difference between, say, 20 and 21 are not (is not) as substantial. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 381 Sun Nov 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:29 EST Never said Kosh was going to get an assistant anytime soon. BTW...as an aside...for the last 3-5 days, my GEnie Internet gateway has been down, which means it has to be re-opened...but I'm wondering if that's such a smart thing after all. The problem ain't negative opinions, or anything like that; I get plenty of comments everywhere, of all kinds. And I'd say 90% of those on rec.arts.b5 are only terrific; intelligent, funny, thoughtful, critical, insightful...but the problem with rec.arts.b5 is that because there's no fee, and anybody can get on, and there's no moderation, it tends to attract people who come in *deliberately* trying to cause trouble mainly because *they know I'm there*. I hear from time to time from folks on the alt.b5 area, and apparently there's a lot less trouble there. What's the main difference? Well, the knowledge that some folks can come in and screw with the producer of the show for fun...which by itself isn't a problem, I can handle that...but I'm getting genuinely concerned that it's poisoning the well for everybody *else*...that they're getting into fights, for only the best of reasons, and the atmosphere is just getting really tense, making it difficult for those using the service. I'm really in kind of a quandry over the whole thing. It's like enjoying the company you get at a local bar, but you know that every time you go in, somebody's going to pick a fight or drag the whole place down, so is it really fair to everybody else to keep going there? And it's only a small number, but they seem obsessed with making life unpleasant for everybody else. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 417 Wed Nov 30, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:01 EST Well, in today's Variety, B5 climbed back into the top 20 again, and the third highest dramatic series overall (not counting the Action Pack, since it's a movie each week). DS9, Baywatch, B5, then everything else. We're hanging in there. (These are, again the syndicated ratings, not the network ratings.) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 1 Message 427 Wed Nov 30, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:59 EST That's a great story. Mira's makeup is now a notch closer to her regular skin tone in general. jms ------------ ************ Topic 2 Wed Nov 20, 1991 STARR [Arne] at 19:41 EST Sub: Babylon 5 -- The Series!! >>SPOILERS<< Babylon 5 is moving into a second season of 22 episodes. This series can be seen at 8 Pm on Wednesdays, in most areas. This topic is for SPOILERS only. Just remember our NO STORY IDEAS rule and we'll let you live. 293 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 78 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:19 EST We decided on visuals, showing our cast with their names and their characters names because it's clear, after a season, that a LOT of people still don't know which actor goes with which character, or how the characters' names are spelled. We need to identify them more clearly. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 124 Mon Nov 07, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:45 EST Actors contracts specify where, and how often, they appear in the credits. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 159 Fri Nov 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:36 EST It ain't B4, basically a different display. BTW, to those who've inquired, the correct spelling on the name of the Shadowmen world is Z'ha'dum. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 193 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:22 EST Oh, I'm quite sure there was backup made of the data. But step back for a moment and ask what that entails, and will any of it stand up in ANY court of law? There's a difference between that which we knor or (make that know or) believe, and that which we can prove. Without the one most important piece of all, Garibaldi's aide, the rest is speculative, inconclusive, circumstantial and conjectural. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 213 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:48 EST I'm starting to get the impression that our pals at Modern Video may have done it to us again; they are the company that also inserts the national sponsors into the show prior to uplink, and I'm beginning to suspect that somehow they clipped some acts at the last clear frame before the fadeout; we're currently investigating. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 227 Sat Nov 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:07 EST We do our own cut on film, and deliver to Modern Video. MV then handles the closed captioning (about which the less said the better), and readies the film for uplink, puts in the national spots, leaving room for local commercials, that sort of thing. All of our pieces are also stored there in case there's any kind of glitch. Sheridan wasn't talking to himself, but rather to the tech who just seconds before asked if they should let the techno-mages go. (I'd trimmed the first part of his speech which made this a little clearer, figuring it'd be evident who he was talking to. What can I say...sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you.) And yeah, purple/green sashes make pretty easy costuming.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 255 Thu Nov 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:32 EST A couple of thoughts on Sheridan, btw...triggered by messages I've seen or had alluded to in which he's gigged for smiling too much, unlike Sinclair...just checked back in some of my archives, and for the first four or five episodes, the number one complaint about Sinclair was that he either smiled or smirked too much.... Meanwhile, just a little something for the folks on-line to contemplate...remember the first rule of Babylon 5: nobody is what they appear. Not entirely, anyway. There's always something going on, something that somebody's not telling. Some folks are making the error of looking at Sheridan -- as they looked at Sinclair, or Londo, or Vir, or G'Kar -- and thinking "this is all that he is." Except, of course, that they weren't and he's not. I would not create a character that is just what you're seeing. Aside from that, and this is a separate issue...there are really two ways to deepen a character and give him a dark side. One is to do something to him *before* you meet him, which he's still recovering from (Sinclair). The other is to meet him, and THEN drop him down a well. In a way, Londo is illustrative of the latter; you get to know him, and he's funny, colorful...and then you start to move him. So suffice to say that Sheridan is going to end up getting more and more conflicts, and getting booted to the head, and as someone noted above, caught in the conflict between being a good officer and being a patriot...which can sometimes be the same, and sometimes VERY different things. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 277 Sun Nov 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:32 EST Dave: talk turkey all you want; what I said was that we would be seeing Sinclair again *this season*. I have been very careful NOT to specify when, because I want it to come as a complete and total surprise; many folks assumed it would be the first few, and stated such, and as is typical because this had now been seen, speculated and commented upon, it was assumed that I'd said it. Didn't. Consequently, nothing has changed in plans, footage hasn't changed, nada. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 286 Wed Nov 30, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:03 EST "All Alone in the Night" also has Robert Foxworth in it, and is directed by Mario Di Leo. (Janet directed "The Coming of Shadows.") Jim Johnston directed "GROPOS," and will also direct "Acts of Sacrifice," which guest-stars Paul Williams and Ian Abecrombie. Following "Acts" is another jms script, "Hunter, Prey." jms ------------ ************ Topic 3 Tue Nov 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:09 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Computer SFX Tech-Talk Some of the new computer EFX used in BABYLON 5 will be revolutionary, a new approach never seen before on this scale. It's all new tech, and this topic will try and address the new technologies involved. 305 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 266 Wed Nov 02, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:41 EST .....thud. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 271 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:46 EST Can someone confirm if, indeed, somebody in Stargate is seen reading a copy of Universe Today? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 298 Wed Nov 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:56 EST No royal Centauri vessels this week. That's from the trailer, which doesn't intersect reality at any two contiguous points. jms ------------ ************ Topic 4 Tue Nov 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:12 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Cast & Characters For discussion of the actors who will be bringing BABYLON 5 to life with their performances...for information before, and discussion after the airing of "The Gathering" pilot. 376 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 263 Mon Nov 07, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:15 EST Additional cast members in guest starring roles: Terhan Bey, Malachi Throne, and Paul Winfield. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 269 Tue Nov 08, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:38 EST Yup, *that* Turhan Bey. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 275 Fri Nov 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:41 EST Re: Na'Toth...you have to remember this was not our decision, but rather Caitlin's, in order to pursue some romantic lead parts. We made an offer equal to the other cast, but she opted out to pursue films. We cast the best actor to come in the door to fill Na'Toth's boots, and we need that character there because of the prior knowledge she needs to have to fill her role in the story. Mary Kay is, I think, trying to reinterpret the character. We're nudging in the other direction. One way or another, this will be made to work. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 309 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:26 EST It's really a question of what would work in the real world. Ivanova doesn't have anywhere NEAR the experience needed to run a station like this; it isn't given because somebody's a nice person, or because they know you; it's based on rank, and experience, and she has neither at this juncture at a level sufficient to command a major operation like this. The ONLY reason that Sinclair had it at Commander rank was that it was a condition of the Minbari in funding the place. In ST, the actress who played Beverly Crusher felt she needed a chance to show she could command, to be more featured, so they put her in command for an episode. It had nothing whatsoever to do with reality, just servicing the cast. I don't think that's appropriate; the moment you do that, you compromise the reality of the program, and it's just a TeeVee show. And there's lots of other reasons why Sheridan is there; I'd say wait until mid-season, after about episode 11 or so, and you'll learn some more of them, and they might not be what you'd expect. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 323 Sat Nov 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:09 EST Except, of course, she's *not* first officer. You don't DO this in the real military. You'd go through about ten different command ranks before you even got *near* anyone from the medical division. If you go into this with the sense of, okay, it doesn't matter if this is realistic or not, then it's not a problem. Otherwise...it is. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 331 Mon Nov 21, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:28 EST Okay, you beam down your senior officers *in their areas*. The Captain goes down. Now your First Officer, usually a commander, takes the helm. The commander goes down, now the lieutenant-commander takes the helm. The lieutenant commander goes down, now the major or a lieutenant goes down (I know I'm muddying this a bit, just tracking the theory here). Divisions in the military are specific; you don't jump from a command type officer to a physician if one person leaves the bridge; it just Doesn't Happen. In ST, it seems there is rarely any real chain of command; there are the Top Guys, a few in-between button-pushers, and ensigns. There should by all rights be LOTS of command officers of mid-level rank to fill that job. It's got nothing to do with reality. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 338 Tue Nov 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:45 EST Star Trek is military when it is convenient for the storyline that it be military; and not-military when it is not convenient for it to be military. Sort of a supermarket approach. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 352 Thu Nov 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:18 EST Pat: sorry, but you're strictly wrong about "all the inhabitants of B5 speak English." Yes, the ambassadors do, because this is an Earth run station, for which English has been selected as the baseline language, and if you're going to be an ambassador to Russia, you learn the language you're working in. This is simple common sense. There are MANY races on B5 that either don't speak English, or do so in very primitive ways (like the Drazi). The pak'ma'ra, which we saw in "Legacies," use a physical translation device, which we saw being used when Garibaldi interrogated one of them; nagrath also used a translation device hung over his chest because his mandibles aren't capable of making human sounds; similarly, Kosh speaks in musical tones, which are translated by the flashing device on his encounter suit. When B5 ran into a new species in "Voice in the Wilderness," they were shown taking our langauge and translation files, and using them very haltingly in order to communicate with us. So I'm sorry, but you're simply wrong on this point. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 4 Message 370 Thu Dec 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:44 EST Morden is human. Morden dat I can't say. jms ------------ ************ Topic 9 Wed Nov 11, 1992 T.RESTIVO [Little Guy] at 18:27 EST Sub: Babylon 5 Humor From *Beep Beep*, to Top Ten Lists, to full-blown parodies, this is where to put your funny bone in writing! 359 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 9 Message 339 Sat Nov 26, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:08 EST At Alices' Restaurant...... jms ------------ ************ Topic 11 Sat Nov 14, 1992 J.SHEEN1 [Leviathan] at 18:09 EST Sub: B5 Adrift! BABYLON 5 Topic Drift If you feel like talking about it, but it doesn't fit anywhere else... If its only connection to B-5 is that you thought of it in this CAT... This is where to come and get it out. 232 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 184 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:02 EST What is this song, where can I find it, and is it public domain? jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 208 Tue Nov 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:49 EST We're already on top of this. At this point what it looks like we'll be doing (having run some experiments and test runs) is to transfer all of our composite shots/CGI to film, and recut the negative using the added replacement footage. We have to do this *anyway* to do the change back to the original aspect ratio, so it's not that big a deal. I think one reason ST simply doesn't think it's worth the time is that they aren't shooting in HDTV widescreen format *anyway*, so any changes to accomodate that format would be of limited use anyway. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 212 Wed Nov 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:07 EST "Ulysses" is available in most anthologies of Tennyson's work, and in many anthologies of british verse. It's just a lovely and moving piece of work. Don't know where things currently stand re: HDTV out in the real world...though I just bought a new IDTV set, so at least I'm starting to get ready.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 11 Message 214 Wed Nov 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:04 EST It's a Proscan, widescreen format. 34"; the old set was 32". First one blew up out of the box; hope for better luck now. jms ------------ ************ Topic 12 Wed Nov 18, 1992 B.WIST [Brad] at 18:12 EST Sub: Babylon 5 Sightings Post here when you've spotted Babylon 5, whether it be on Television, Magazine, or somewhere else. Let us know where we can find it/see it, too. 489 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 12 Message 480 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:28 EST Also, this week's Comics Buyers Guide has the first of three Peter David columns (long ones) about his experience on the set while we were shooting his episode. On reading the first installment, next time maybe we'll just shoot him.... (jokejokejokejokejoke) Re: LoSH...yeah, I agree. But hell, nothing in the DC universe has been the same for me since Byrne royally screwed over Superman. I have the last two issues of the original Supes books written by Alan Moore, and those for me are the last issues of the real Superman. Who this new guy is, I dunno.... jms ------------ ************ Topic 13 Mon Nov 23, 1992 T.ORTH [Mr. Rico] at 21:00 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Science & Technology Jump gates, nanotech, high-tech weapons, starship drives, sound in space, and other subjects of science and technology in Babylon 5. 308 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 263 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:25 EST The Narns were belted in. Matt...how else is a person supposed to behave? Look at the shuttle footage when a fairly short-haired person is strapped into his seat; they look about normal. It's only if something is loose and floating, or if they get out of the chair, that you can really notice the difference. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 272 Wed Nov 16, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:57 EST Older model. Different race. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 278 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:29 EST The Hyperion was built before the EM war, and survived. The Agamemnon, a much superior ship, was built afterward. Sheridan was not commanding the Aggy during the war. It's one of the best ships we've got, almost the equivilent of an aircraft carrier or battleship, and it took a lot of seniority and work to get it. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 288 Sun Nov 20, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:10 EST Re: the comparison to Coast Watchers...that's exactly what was done, as gets mentioned in some detail in "The Long Dark." Good to know that so far the military campaign as worked out seems to scan. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 13 Message 299 Wed Nov 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:09 EST What I *don't* understand is why the pen was weightless and he wasn't. Yes, you will see the Agamemnon again. jms ------------ ************ Topic 14 Thu Dec 31, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:59 EST Sub: Lurkers/Introductions: Please Sign In A place for newcomers to come in, say hello, whether you want to jump into the conversation or not, just to let us know you're here. 280 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 14 Message 255 Sat Nov 05, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:05 EST Gary...whilst you're here...lemme ask you a question. (And please don't take this in any way requiring defense; I'm honestly curious about something that you mentioned that others have mentioned, and I'm trying to wrap my brain around this.) You say, "I avoided the early (B5) episodes." This is something I hear a lot, particularly in the mail I'm getting these days. Many of them were ST fans, but some didn't say one way or another. Some of them simply avoided it, some of them VEHEMENTLY avoided it, and some of them admitted to ripping the hell out of the show simply on principle without ever having actually SEEN it. So what I'm curious about -- and again, please, there's no need to feel put upon by this, we're glad to have you -- is your statement; can you in any way elaborate upon your feelings at the time, and why you avoided it? jms ------------ ************ Topic 16 Fri Jan 15, 1993 T.ORTH [Mr. Rico] at 01:02 EST Sub: "No kids or cute robots, ever!" This is a topic for discussion of the unofficial slogan of Babylon 5. 221 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 16 Message 182 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:26 EST It's actually kinda funny...at no time do I get more positive comments on B5 than when SeaQuest and E2 went on the air.... this time, replicating the Planet of the Apes denouement, I mean, come ON.... jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 16 Message 193 Mon Nov 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:23 EST Chats...calm down. It's got nothing to do with the actor,and everything to do with the characters. You're talking apples and oranges. It's nearly traditional in SF that you stick in a kid genius, or a kid liability, and skew the show towards kids (talking regulars here). We won't do that. Period. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 16 Message 202 Tue Nov 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:47 EST I know it *can* be done. I just don't wanna do it. It's my show an' I don't hafta, and I can hold my breath until I turn blue, and...and...I don' WANNA. (In adult voice now): If others are doing it, fine, let them do it. I'm telling a story for the most part about grownups. Just because a thing CAN be done doesn't mean it MUST be done. And because it HAS been done so much, on so many shows, I'd kinda like to keep this show free of that, for the most part. jms ------------ ************ Topic 17 Tue Jan 19, 1993 C.STOBBE [Colin] at 21:02 EST Sub: Babylon 5 - Merchandising A place to discuss all the neat Babylon 5 merchandising coming out (hopefully) soon 390 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 303 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:17 EST Can't remember if I mentioned it here, but I also did the liner notes for the CD. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 307 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:46 EST No rubber stamp deals have been made. (Oh, nearly forgot, there's a MicroGames hand-held B5 game that should be out shortly, if not already out. It's one of those noisy LCD screen jobbies, where you use B5 to collect damaged ships. It doesn't fire at the incoming enemy (Vorlons), because a) that's a very bad idea with Vorlons, and b) given that kids are the primary audience for this stuff, I didn't want a shoot-em-up.) jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 324 Sun Nov 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:28 EST To help with record ordering info, here's the ID on the B5 CD from Sonic Images: SI 8402-2. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 327 Sun Nov 06, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:14 EST I think it's probably the same number for both. And there will be a table at LosCon; don't know what the rules are going to be about buying multiples. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 371 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:57 EST The Script City sales of B5 scripts comes under the heading of pirated material. They do not have the rights to sell this material. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 373 Sat Nov 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:04 EST Scripts are sometimes sent to actors' agents when getting an actor to come in for an audition, or to accept a part without auditioning if the actor is a Name. This is the #1 source of pirated scripts. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 377 Mon Nov 21, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:30 EST Lemme know if the toys are there (and what's TRU?). Also, yes, Creation does have a non-exclusive license to make shirts and other stuff, as does a company called All-U, the latter of which are *real* nifty. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 17 Message 386 Tue Nov 29, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:48 EST Thanks, Rob. jms ------------ ************ Topic 24 Fri Jun 04, 1993 J.ROY18 [Jonathan] at 21:11 EDT Sub: Babylon 5 - Weapons and Warfare! For discussion about the weapons, counter weapons, armor, shielding, tactics, logistics, and so forth, of small combat and large scale war in the Babylon 5 universe. 490 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 442 Thu Nov 10, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:11 EST SA. Have to check on the others. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 445 Fri Nov 11, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:43 EST I'll have to go back and check my notes, but I believe standard Air Force terminology is FA = Fighter Attack and SA = Strike Attack; but will backtrack to be sure. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 452 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:04 EST I think they're picked up by the arms, and lowered into the cobra bays, where they hang until dropped. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 24 Message 455 Mon Nov 14, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:25 EST Looked at dead-on, they have a thin neck (on the outside), and then flange out almost like a cobra-head. Hence the name. jms ------------ ************ Topic 25 Fri Mar 12, 1993 S.SHELLENBAR [>> SHANE <<] at 08:47 EST Sub: J. Michael Straczynski Speaks in Public This is the place to find out where and when JMS will be appearing next. JMS has honed his skills as a public speaker and is taking his act on the road. 386 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 379 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:17 EST Me, probably Larry, still seeing if anything else gets added. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 382 Mon Nov 28, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 15:27 EST We nailed a piece with Michael before he left for New York; when we shot "Points," he had long since returned to NY and was in the process of pursuing other things. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 25 Message 385 Thu Dec 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:45 EST No current plans for ICON this year. jms ------------ ************ Topic 29 Thu Jun 30, 1994 B.SHERRIS [Brett] at 00:03 EDT Sub: The Master Plan WARNING! THIS TOPIC MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS VITAL TO THE FIVE YEAR STORY ARC OF BABYLON 5. DO NOT READ THIS TOPIC IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO POSSIBLY DISCOVER THE PURPOSE OF THE FIVE YEAR STORY ARC! 224 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 29 Message 181 Tue Nov 15, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:29 EST The Narn aren't waiting. Or, more accurately, G'Kar isn't. The rest of the Kha'Ri (Narn inner circle government) are still somewhat skeptical. The Minbari know the shape of what's coming, but they know full well that if they go to us with this, we won't believe them; there's still enough residual dislike over the war that they feel we have to find this out for ourselves (and we will). jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 29 Message 201 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:38 EST Agrarian usually means not very technologically sharp; they never really went after the tech required to go into space. Heck, there are cultures here on our own planet that are as old as all humans here, but which have barely moved past the bronze age. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 29 Message 205 Sat Nov 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:06 EST The answer to your question involves ancient Narn history, a certain outpost long ago on the Narn homeworld, and some other stuff which you'll just have to wait and see. jms ------------ ************ Topic 36 Wed Nov 02, 1994 BOB-WALKER [P12+] at 22:13 EST Sub: Babylon 5 Trivia Questions Help contribute questions to a B5 trivia game. Our goal is to get 300 questions for each season. We need easy, medium, hard and killer questions in both True/False and Multiple Guess formats. 22 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 36 Message 2 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:52 EST Shouldn't there also be Kosh level...in which you can give any answer you want to any question, provided it's obscure, and it's up to the other person to assume your answer has meaning...? jms ------------ ************ Topic 37 Sat Nov 12, 1994 DUNEWALKER at 00:25 EST Sub: Questions, answers and/or speculations General questions, and answers or speculations concerning plots and sub-plots of Babylon 5. 11 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 18, Topic 37 Message 4 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:15 EST They're all three the same style ships. It was rendered on the darkish side, because a real problem is how do you show a black ship against the black of space? Lately, though, Ron has come up with some rather nifty ways to get light kicks and some specularity off the ships, which has the side effect of making them look even MORE creepy. jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 37 Message 7 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:53 EST Shon'Kar. Satai Delenn. Frallis 12. Ikarra. Xon. G'Quan. G'Quan Eth. (Also, in Narn stuff in that episode, the other religion is G'Lan, and the ship was the Tal'Quith.) Jala. Kha'Ri. Shai Alyt (which is a title, not a name; a commander of a ship absent the captain is just the Alyt). jms ------------ Category 18, Topic 37 Message 10 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:39 EST Mollari. Londo Mollari. Vir Cotto. Delenn. Lennier. G'Kar. Na'Toth. Kosh Naranek. jms ------------ ************ Topic 26 Mon Apr 18, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 00:03 EDT Sub: #112 - "Chrysalis" by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek. Season finale. 226 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 26 Message 164 Tue Nov 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:14 EST That's correct. "Chrysalis" was filmed last November, as episode #12. We are now, for instance, shooting #8, and will again be shooting around #11 or so in November. (We started shooting a few weeks later this year than last.) jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 26 Message 167 Tue Nov 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:15 EST Negative; more passes than just a few minutes. The reporter says that they're sending rescue ships, but she doesn't see how anyone could have survived an explosion that massive. Then, considerably later, the death is confirmed (it's not even in the same act). Also, *too* much power exerted at the outpost would've signalled something terribly massive. They don't want to tip too much, too fast. They want it to look like it was something others could've done. jms ------------ ************ Topic 27 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] (Forwarded) Sub: #201 - "Points of Departure" by JMS. Directed by Janet Greek. 161 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 27 Message 29 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:11 EST Nothing has been dumbed down or simplified; in a first season episode (in other words, the first episode of any given season), you get a lot of sampling. If the show is obscure, or there's too much prior knowledge required to get into it...they go away fast. So there was a bit more straightforward exposition in this episode in order to avoid scaring off new viewers. And I stated, some time ago, that this was a lighter episode because it's sandwiched between two very intense episodes, "Chrysalis" and "Revelations," and I think you need some relief there. And as Walker noted, there are times when the dome is on standby, as noted in "Midnight." The systems every 36 hours or so go through a period of self-repair and maintainance for an hour or two; if anything comes out of the gate or into local space, someone's there within seconds. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 27 Message 32 Thu Nov 03, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:35 EST I'll have to go check, but they may be fighter doors. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 27 Message 48 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:35 EST Sure, you could blind-fire at a Minbari cruiser, but it's pretty heavily armored. And while you're shooting at it, you're not only being hit by cruiser blasts, but the several dozen Minbari fighters coming in behind you. And shooting at a sublight traveling fighter by eye would absolutely never work. It *has* to be computer guided. (BTW, for the sharp of eye...if you go back and sill-step through some of the cockpit screen shots in "Sky," you'll note that on the tac screen in Sinclair's cockpit it says something to the effect of "Unable to lock-onto target.") jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 27 Message 60 Fri Nov 04, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:18 EST You'll actually see several of those admissions by Garibaldi over the first few eps after his return. And some suspicion. And some lack of trust. We'll change Delenn's shot in the titles after she's revealed. jms ------------ ************ Topic 28 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:31 EDT Sub: #202 - "Revelations" by JMS. Directed by Jim Johnston. 144 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 28 Message 70 Sat Nov 12, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:07 EST Well, the pace overall of year two is about 50% faster story-wise than season one; season three will be 50-75% faster than *that*. And so on. This sucker's got to start cranking. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 28 Message 81 Sun Nov 13, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:00 EST The amount of money involved in bluescreening the starfield would be prohibitive. We spend a LOT of time out there, and you have to matte this stuff in frame by frame, and at 24 frames per second, even with digital cutting, you're looking at a *massive* amount of rendering time. We could do it...but it would tie up our compositing and rendering machines so we couldn't do much of anything *else*....and I'll swap one nifty shadow fighter/collision shot for a whole SEASON of moving stars. jms ------------ ************ Topic 29 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:32 EDT Sub: #203 - "The Geometry of Shadows" by JMS. Directed by Mike Vejar. 79 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 29 Message 21 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:37 EST Actually (and not that this matters), the last Sheridan bit was half of what was originally there. The first half (cut for time) showed that he was talking to the Tech who moments earlier tells him that the ship is ready for jump. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 29 Message 41 Thu Nov 17, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:45 EST The technomages are from various races and worlds; there are some who are Centauri, some who are human, even other races such as the Vree and the pak'ma'ra, though these in particular happened to be from Earth. (If they were Centauri, why would Sheridan have been interfering with their emigration?) Re: the Drazi...yeah, they all look different in that episode. Our prosthetics folks did a great job with that, as did the actors, and I think this one should earn Optic Nerve another emmy. And yeah, Garibaldi's "joke" was supposed to be pretty lame; we even edited it to widen the awkward pause, to make it more difficult. He's trying to hard, and his spirit isn't in it. Of the first six episodes, btw, as I may have mentioned over in 18, this is my personal favorite. It's wonky and fun and just a hoot. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 29 Message 49 Fri Nov 18, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:01 EST My philosophy in general is that it's better to have more story than time, rather than more time than story.... jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 29 Message 67 Wed Nov 23, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:00 EST Yes, Ivanova's title in the opening credits *will* be changed to Commander, to reflect her change in rank. And we'll be adding a rank for Lt. Keffer. It's kind of funny; we keep treating the opening title this year as a work in progress, reflecting little changes here and there...changes in faces, narration, little musical changes that will come by about episode five or six..... jms ------------ ************ Topic 30 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:34 EDT Sub: #204 - "A Distant Star" by D. C. Fontana. Directed by Jim Johnston. 97 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 30 Message 34 Thu Nov 24, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:08 EST I'd have to sit down and work it out if you'd want specifics, but it would have to be *huge*...in the tens of thousands, given that you need not just the people to run the ship and maintain it, but you'd ALSO need all the construction crews AND the materials and everything else. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 30 Message 69 Sun Nov 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:19 EST To be filed under the heading of, "What I does, I takes the rap for; what I does not, I doesn't take the rap for," when we discussed the hyperspace accident in our production meetings, Jim -- our director -- asked if he could so some fratzing and sparking, some fire...I said I did not *want* huge gouts of flame, just a few small sparks, fine, a bit of smoke from components burned out, fine...and that day I was over in the other facility overseeing a mix- down of the audio...and guess what he did in my absence? Yup. jms ------------ ************ Topic 31 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:35 EDT Sub: #205 - "The Long Dark" by Scott Frost. Director: TBA 38 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 31 Message 3 Sat Nov 19, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:41 EST I understand that the satellite time is changing starting with this episode; I think it's now going out on Tuesdays.... jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 31 Message 6 Tue Nov 22, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:41 EST They are brothers; also, Scott has worked on the X-Files. jms ------------ Category 19, Topic 31 Message 26 Thu Dec 01, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:41 EST Tom: the quibble you raise is one of the points I'm trying to make. You say someone from 1890 would go crazy. I vehemently don't agree. Go back and read letters from the 1890s. Heck, go read letters from 1776; the language, the emotions, they're all very much the same. The chrome of technology has changed, some social styles and attitudes have changed, but people still go through school (usually), get married, raise kids, hold jobs, and look to a better future one day. Mariah was also a scientist, sent forth expecting and prepared to see new things; this isn't the same thing as an average person just plucked out of time. I think people -- Americans in particular -- over-emphasize how much things change with time, in large measure because in a country that's only 200+ years old, we *really* don't understand what time IS here. The Romans who left grafitti all over parts of England are only one step removed from the South Central taggers of today.... jms ------------ ************ Topic 32 Mon Aug 29, 1994 STARR [Arne] at 23:36 EDT Sub: #206 - "A Spider in the Web" by Lawrence G. DiTillio. Director : Kevin Cremins 5 message(s) total. ************ ------------ Category 19, Topic 32 Message 5 Sun Nov 27, 1994 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:19 EST Director: Kevin Cremins. jms ------------