JMS on Compuserve: November 4, 1995 SPOILERS FOR TFON
B5JMS Poster
b5jms-owner at shekel.mcl.cs.columbia.edu
Sun Nov 5 11:26:52 EST 1995
From: "The Green Meddler" <kilgalen at tde.com>
To: jmscs at hyperion.com
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 1995 19:36:39 +0000
Subject: JMS on Compuserve: November 4, 1995 SPOILERS FOR TFON
Reply-to: kilgalen at tde.com
CC: b5jms at cs.columbia.edu
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THIS POSTING CONTAINS ENTIRELY SPOILER INFORMATION ABOUT THE
FOUR EPISODES AT THE END OF SECOND SEASON CURRENTLY BEING
SHOWN IN THE UK BUT **NOT** IN THE U.S.!!!!!! READ AT YOUR
OWN RISK! NON-SPOILER JMS POSTINGS ARE IN THE PREVIOUS JMS
ON COMPUSERVE POSTING; ONLY SPOILERS ARE IN THIS POSTING!!!
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END SPOILER SPACE! READ FURTHER AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Subj: <FON Thot> Section: Babylon 5
To: Al Mauroni, Thursday, November 02, 1995 12:35:17 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390490
<You're right re: the joint chiefs. It would be nice to see the formal
military chain of command in operation every now and then, one of the
things STNG did rather nicely.
One can only hope that Sheridan verified the JCS instructions off-line out
of the camera's all seeing eye.>
And the really great thing is...you're quite right about verifying
orders from one arm of the government with another...as we'll see in the
first third of the coming season. Good call.
jms
Subj: <spoiler: Comes the Inq> Section: Babylon 5
To: Tom Knudsen, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:07 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390895
<<Ah, but what *is* good? And whose *version* of good are we discussing?>
I've been thinking about just this point for a while now. The question I
want to see answered (either here or on the show) is this.
Delenn said that the Vorlons are the last of the First Ones around to help
us and that the other First Ones have passed on.
So, did the Vorlons decide to stay back and help out, or were they left
behind by the other races for some reason?
I'm thinking the Vorlons were considered inadequate for some reason or
another.>
It's good you've been thinking about this.
'Cause this is one of those questions I'd rather answer in the series
than here.
jms
Subj: RPG? Section: Babylon 5
To: Robin L. Small, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:31 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390892
No, not a gamer; I've only been dragooned into trying it a couple of
times, but basically I prefer making up my own
stories. Nonetheless, I know a lot of folks who do it, and they seem to
have a great time doing it.
jms
Subj: B5 Episode List Section: Babylon 5
To: Kevin J. Goulding, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:01 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390893
It's definitely at Hyperion.
jms
Subj: <<DS9: Rejoined>> Section: Star Trek
To: Eric Baker, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:04 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390894
Well, I have a number of feelings about this. First, you'll note that
it's always an alien that has something "different" than the ST normal male
or female character...we had the aliens who were all unisexual in TNG, now
this.
And, of course, it wasn't *really* two women falling in love, it was
someone who was once a male, now in a female body, carrying on with that
relationship. So there are a lot of ways out of this.
I also think they somewhat played it for the prurient interest factor;
we just did it, by developing a relationship over time, and when it came to
fruition, we didn't make a big deal about it, it's just normal and
accepted.
And it was between two *human* characters. It's personal taste, I suppose;
I just prefered it the way we did it. Doesn't make it better or righter.
We developed a growing relationship between Talia and Ivanova over two
whole seasons; paid it off, and there will be ramifications down the road
from this relationship.
Because it *is* a relationship in that sense, not just done for one hour,
for sensationalism, and then you drop it thereafter.
jms
Subj: Londo Talk From TLTS Section: Babylon 5
To: John M. Kahane, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:12 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390897
<G'kar says "There is no greater power in the universe than the need
for freedom."
At "need," Londo blinks, and as G'kar says "freedom", Londo turns his head
slightly to his right and I could have sworn he silently says "Yes...",
out of the corner of his mouth.
Was this my imagination, or is that some little thing that you tossed in
there to show us that Londo's not all bad?>
It was your imagination.
jms
Subj: Keyboards and Pain Section: Babylon 5
To: John M. Kahane, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:13 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390898
Wish I had some nifty secrets to share on the CTS; but it's just wear
the wrist braces, take vitamins, do the exercises and try where possible to
get away from the keyboard.
So far, I'm systematic on 1.5 of those 4.
jms
Subj: Keyboards and Pain Section: Babylon 5
To: Marte Brengle, Friday, November 03, 1995 3:02:27 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390978
Actually, I'm using (at work) a Kinesis ergonomic keyboard, and that
helps a bit (two recessed wells for the keys).
jms
Subj: Keyboards and Pain Section: Babylon 5
To: Mike Sisk, Friday, November 03, 1995 5:41:26 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391371
The thing about the Kinesis is that for the first week I was using it,
my arms and wrists *really* hurt. I thought, "This CAN'T be right."
I looked in the manual, and found it said approximately "For the first week
your wrists and arms will hurt."
Oh. Then you get used to it.
Overall, I've gotten quite proficient with it, and the typing speed
hasn't diminished. There are a few things that could've been done better,
but overall it's a definite improvement.
(Main problem is that I have rather long, slender fingers, so I often
over-shoot the keys unless I'm paying attention.)
jms
Subj: <Fall of Night> Section: Babylon 5
To: Pankaj Mangalik, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:55:15 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390899
Liberty is *always* at peril; only the degree of the threat varies
from day to day.
jms
Subj: <Fall of Night> Section: Babylon 5
To: Pankaj Mangalik, Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:19 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391585
Yes, the Shadows know that the Vorlons are still around, and that Kosh
is there. That's never been any kind of secret. They're just hoping that
the Vorlons and anyone who might believe them won't find out that they're
out and about again until too
jms
Subj: <CtI---OK> Section: Babylon 5
To: John M. Kahane, Thursday, November 02, 1995 11:11:11 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390919
I think I wasn't clear...the Lennier/Kosh scene *was* filmed; it just
didn't make it into the final cut of the episode.
In general, we leave 2-3 minutes per episode on the cutting room
floor, for various reasons...pacing, structure, whatever.
Usually it's just line cutting, sometimes it's a small, quick scene here
and there.
jms
Subj: <B5 Season 2 Finally> Section: Babylon 5
To: Joe Salemi [ZD Net], Thursday, November 02, 1995 11:11:13 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390920
Yeah, this is the other structure that's kind of a favorite of mine.
I used it also in "Coming of Shadows."
It starts out kind of slow, it lulls you into a sense that this is going to
be a fairly ordinary story, nothing major...allowing me to sneak up behind
you in the story and just *whack* you real hard when you're not expecting
it.
jms
Subj: Photo of Marcus Section: Babylon 5
To: All Friday, November 03, 1995 2:59:07 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390976
For those who've not noticed it...in the 5 library (B5) there is a gif
image of Marcus Cole, our new recurring character, a resident Ranger
assigned to Babylon 5.
jms
Subj: <Inquisitor - Bravo!> Section: Babylon 5
To: Bancroft Gracey, Friday, November 03, 1995 3:02:26 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390977
Actually, I think I saw more *annoyance* at Jack being used from the
UK folks than the US folks, that's the main difference, I think.
Probably because it's a peaceful, wonderful country which is *still* paying
off, in the public eye, one particularly nasty creature in their recent
history.
They're probably tired of hearing about him, and to some extent, correctly
so.
jms
Subj: <FON> Section: Babylon 5
To: Brian A. Thomas, Friday, November 03, 1995 3:07:05 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390979
"who are angelic like"
Who says that's what they actually *are*? That's only how they want
us to SEE them. There's a difference.
jms
Subj: <Season 3 #1 > Section: Babylon 5
To: Rae Augenstein, Friday, November 03, 1995 1:00:24 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391159
A little over a week has passed between the events of FoN and "Matters
of Honor." The first part of the season is almost in real time.
jms
Subj: <spoiler-Fall of Night> Section: Babylon 5
To: Gerald Himmelein, Friday, November 03, 1995 5:33:04 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391368
There's also a certain amount of McCarthyism inherent in the
Nightwatch, the emphasis on revealing spies in our midst, enemies of the
people.
The problem with pointing to the Nazis or the Gestapo exclusively is
that it allows us the safety of saying, "Well, it happened just there, and
only once, *we* could never fall for that."
Wrong.
jms
Subj: <TFON - Battle> Section: Babylon 5
To: Colin Glassey, Friday, November 03, 1995 5:41:22 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391370
The interceptors line refers to the fact that there are so many
incoming bursts that the interceptors are only knocking down 90% of them at
this point, meaning that some of them (the incoming bursts) are getting
through.
Janet's busy working on the scriptwriting part of her career, so she's
not available now, but hopefully she'll be available back to us come next
year.
And thanks.
jms
Subj: <TFON - Battle> Section: Babylon 5
To: SysOp Dupa T. Parrot Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:22 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391586
TOT, Time On Target, you launch everything you've got -- fighters at
close range to the target, long-range weapons firing earlier -- so that
they all arrive at the same spot at the same instant for maximum effect.
jms
Subj: Mass drivers Section: Babylon 5
To: Richard M. Perry, Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:21:18 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391584
A mass driver is a device which accellerates asteroids and sends them
hurtling down into the atmosphere where they arrive with the force of a
nuclear blast. An ugly weapon.
It has not otherwise been known to cause coughing, hay fever of diptheria.
jms
Subj: <TFON> Section: Babylon 5
To: John M. Kahane, Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:32:10 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391590
Bear in mind that Sheridan specifically states that the treaty had
*not* been finalized yet between Earth and the Centauri, so the attack was
not a violation of a treaty that hadn't been signed yet.
(And very likely the Centauri captain was unaware of it *anyway*, just as
Sheridan was taken by surprise by it all.)
jms
Subj: <spoiler: Comes the Inq> Section: Babylon 5
To: Mark D. Smith, Thursday, November 02, 1995 10:39:11 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#390878
Haven't seen Fall of Night yet, have you...?
And there's claiming by inference as well, setting oneself up as a
benign force on the side of good.
jms
Subj: <spoiler: Comes the Inq> Section: Babylon 5
To: Daena Hinkelman, Friday, November 03, 1995 1:00:25 PM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391160
Friendly disagreement is always great fun.
jms
Subj: <spoiler: Comes the Inq> Section: Babylon 5
To: Daena Hinkelman, Saturday, November 04, 1995 12:22:00 AM
From: J. Michael Straczynski, 71016,1644#391587
"Good is the absence of evil...."
Is it? Is it the *absence* or the *opposite*?
One might say (to take a christian pov for a moment) that god is the
absence of evil. But is this the case? Is evil a thing, or is evil the
potentiality to do acts of wanton destruction?
At what point did evil come into the universe, from this pov? With
the fall of Lucifer? But unless the *potential* for evil existed before
this act of pride, it would be impossible for Lucifer to fall.
The very tenet of free will is that there are choices to be made. If there
are no choices, there is no free will, quid pro quo.
Hence, in the garden, the *potential* for evil existed before an *act*
later described as evil or rebellious.
And, hence, the *potential* for evil existed before Lucifer fell. If
it had not, he couldn't have fallen.
(Also, if one takes the position that the fall *created* evil, then a
fallen angel has creative potential, which puts it at an unacceptably high
level of power.)
It says in the book of Amos, "Is there evil in a city and the Lord
hath not done it?"
If the potential for evil was there from the dawn of creation -- and
it *must* have been for the actions described later to have taken place --
then there must perforce be the potential for evil in its creator.
(Unless one is willing to posit that in not having the potential for evil,
god does not have free will, which means god is not omnipotent, and somehow
gifted his creations with a capacity he himself was incapable of.)
This doesn't mean, and shouldn't be taken to imply, that god *is* evil, or
*has* evil, but rather that the *potential* is there, and has always
existed.
Thus, good is not the *absence* of evil, but the *opposition* to evil.
To use Mark Twain's example in "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg," you had
an entire town that had never known temptation, and held itself up as
righteous...
until the first day when real temptation walked in the front door, and the
whole place fell for it...after which the sign out front of the town was
modified to read "Lead us INTO temptation,"
for only through temptation, through the exposure to evil, is faith and the
good tested and made viable.
jms
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