JMS on CompuServe (Aug 20, 1996) *!! FINAL FIVE SPOILERS !!*
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Tue Aug 20 21:13:15 EDT 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts DO contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
**********************************************
This SPECIAL section of "JMS on CompuServe"
posts contains spoilers for the Final Five
episodes of season three.
**********************************************
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
P
R
O
T
E
C
T
I
O
N
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE
RESPECTIVE MESSAGE AUTHORS AND CANNOT BE
REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED
PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
that all of his messages may be reproduced freely.
I give permission for my summaries to be reposted in
any form, however I reserve all rights to them and
the right to revoke this permission at any time.
**********************************************
This SPECIAL section of "JMS on CompuServe"
posts contains spoilers for the Final Five
episodes of season three.
**********************************************
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #562541-#<<Walkabout>>
Sb: #562577-#<<Walkabout>>
Sb: #562585-<Walkabout>
Sb: #562639-#<Walkabout>
Sb: #562646-<Walkabout>
Sb: #562685-<<2 Q's on Walkabout>>
Sb: #563424-#<<walkabout questions>>
Sb: #563425-#<<Walkabout propaganda>>
#: 562541 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Aug-96 02:00:19
Sb: #562460-#<<Walkabout>>
Fm: NIGEL NIXON
Ta, I remember you saying you wrote the lyrics but I went blank on the music.
Nigel
"My brain has failed you! Bad brain! Bad bad brain!!"
Dictator of France, Duck of Normandy, Minister of Bad Puns.
Chancellor of the Ex-Keffer. Attractive dude! Official!
#: 563502 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:51:55
Sb: #562541-#<<Walkabout>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Chris Franke did the music.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if there's significance to the different eye-piece colors
of the two Koshes. Also, wonders why no one would suspect Kosh suddenly
having a different encounter suit. ]
#: 563503 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:51:57
Sb: #562577-#<<Walkabout>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No signicance to the eyepiece color; no reason to assume Vorlons only
have one encounter suit their entire life.
jms
#: 562585 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Aug-96 04:01:36
Sb: #562544-#<Walkabout>
Fm: JUANMA BARRANQUERO
Sorry. My fault. It was me who asked for the synopse. Never will do again. From
now on, I'll only ask it in private e-mail. Is that fine to you? (ie, you don't
object to synopses, only to being public?)
Apologizing /J/u/a/n/m/a
#: 563504 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:51:58
Sb: #562585-<Walkabout>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Nothing to apologize for; nothing wrong with asking for a synopsis, it
was just the extent of it that brought me up short.
jms
[ Summary: States that JMS shouldn't complain about a synopsis, as it was
posted in a spoiler section and a lot of people really wanted to read
it. Goes on to state that JMS did the same thing last year to another
fellow, but this poster didn't bother to complain about it then. ]
#: 563505 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:52:02
Sb: #562639-#<Walkabout>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
My concern about detailed synopses comes from a number of elements. One
of the foremost...a not as detailed synopsis leaves some room for surprises.
Even if you want to know what happens, to have every breath, every line given
to you ahead of time diminishes the *impact* of what you're seeing. If someone
says, "In this episode, Kosh dies," then okay, you know it's coming...but you
don't know *how* it's coming, and that's half the fun.
Second, when someone attempts to recreate a scene, inclusive of dialogue
and action descriptions, the episode itself becomes a hostage to how well
that's presented. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten email from
people who said, "I read a detailed synopsis of this episode before I saw it,
and from the way it was described, it felt really stupid...but then I saw it,
and I liked it a lot better than the way it was presented in the synopsis." It
can mitigate against the impact, and the quality, of an episode if it's not
well presented. A simple by-the-numbers, blow-by-blow synopsis can flatten out
any of the drama.
Will they watch it? Likely yes. Will the impact be diminished? Yes.
Can people approach the episode from a prejudiced perspective thanks to a
too-detailed synopsis? Yes. There are other concerns even beyond this, but
those will do for now.
(And my problem with the other fellow wasn't so much the synopsizing, as
that was all he ever did, moments after the show, just to be first, and never
took part in anything else.)
jms
#: 562646 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Aug-96 06:24:54
Sb: #562544-#<Walkabout>
Fm: LAURENCE MORONEY
Jms,
Apologies. The material is yours. It is your call.
It won't happen again.
Laurence
#: 563506 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:52:05
Sb: #562646-<Walkabout>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Again, you don't have to apologize, and I'm not looking for one. You
can synopsize all you want...I was just encouraging a briefer one that leaves
some room for surprises here and there.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if the two Koshes are different ages, as the new one seems
more arrogant, which this poster generally associates more with youth. ]
#: 563510 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:52:13
Sb: #562685-<<2 Q's on Walkabout>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
They're not that far apart in age, but yes, Kosh would be a bit older
jms
[ Summary: A long post that basically asks, as a result of Sheridan's
blind acceptance of Delenn and the Vorlons, "Has Sheridan got a brain?"
NOTE: As I read the post, I didn't take the line "You OWE me an
explanation" as being directed at JMS. It seemed part of what this
poster thought Sheridan should be asking Delenn. I think JMS mis-
understood the intent of the author. ]
#: 563517 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:52:30
Sb: #563424-#<<walkabout questions>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"You OWE me an explanation."
No I don't.
The series has to stand on its own, for starters, and most of the
questions you've asked here will be addressed by the last episode of this
season. Suffice to say he has to trust Delenn...he knows she's been holding
back information (even says so later this season), but until now, has held her
in trust, that she must have her reasons. This may or may not change soon.
jms
[ Summary: Asks why the Army of Light doesn't use propoganda to change
the minds of the allies of the Shadows, especially the current Earth
government. ]
#: 563518 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Aug-96 13:52:31
Sb: #563425-#<<Walkabout propaganda>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
There's really no need for propgaganda. By about now, everybody out in
this part of space knows the situation...and what's going on back home is
secondary to winning the war. Also, you can be sure that if they set up a
network -- and who has time in the middle of a war -- you can be sure Earth
would find some way to jam it.
jms
-***
-*** B5JMS SUBSCRIBERS: Replies to messages in this list go to the list
-*** maintainer, <b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu>. If you want to reply
-*** elsewhere, adjust the "To" field. The best way to reach JMS is to post
-*** to rastb5m, which can be done by sending email to <rastb5 at solon.com>.
More information about the B5JMS
mailing list