JMS on CompuServe (Dec 15, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Sun Dec 15 19:25:11 EST 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Archives of this material may be found at:
ftp://ftp.speedlink.com/pub/bbarrett/cis/
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http://www.speedlink.com/bbarrett/b5/
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: quick requests
Sb: #626146-Orange County interview
Sb: #626212-Your writing schedule
Sb: #626205-Arc End....
Sb: #626249-<Another death>
Sb: #626199-<No Hiding Place>
Sb: #626217-Vorlon Question
Sb: #626519-Londo
Sb: #626458-"Oh, Joe . . ."
#: 626188 S5/Babylon 5: General
14-Dec-96 20:15:45
Sb: quick requests
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Just a couple of quickies:
1) I know it's that season, but because I don't do christmas, any
christmas cards sent to me get roundfiled. Invest the postage in a donation to
a local charity. But don't send me stuph.
2) Please do not send me binary files or uploads without first checking
with me ahead of time. I had my hard disk nearly killed by a trojan horse, and
make it a practice now not to download ANYthing unless I know what it is and
whence it comes.
And again, please, please, please do not send email with story related
questions...you may think you're the only one doing this, it's just the one,
but there are between 10-15 *million* people watching B5, and an awful lot of
them are on the nets, and I can't keep answering the same story questions in
email all the time (and many of them are much the same). If you have a story
related question, please post it in the public forums so that others can
benefit from the answer, and so I only have to write it once.
jms
#: 626146 S5/Babylon 5: General
14-Dec-96 17:06:27
Sb: #Orange County interview
Fm: CHERNS MAJOR
While I was visiting home (now I'm trying desperately to catch up on
messaging), I saw a feature story on the TV page of the _Winnipeg [Manitoba]
Free Press_. It was a reprint, with cast photo and headline "B5 gives show
more kick with new space weaponry," of an interview with you by Kinney
Littlefield of the _Orange County Register_. (I presume that you've seen this,
at least in the original--if you'd like the _FP_ clipping, just send me a
address.)
An interesting interview, I thought, and one that I thought good for
introducing the unwashed to the show. (Although there was a bit of a
suggestion that it contains mostly "guy stuff," and, I thought, didn't give
enough emphasis to character and development, and other qualities, that, it
seems, make the show also attractive to people other than manly men who love
explosions.)
Anyway, there were a couple of items that caught my interest. It's been a long
time since I believed everything I read in the newspapers, so I wanted to ask
you about them. (They're also comparatively trivial, so considerations of
time, energy, and carpal tunnels should take precedence.)
"The guy [you] has obsessively written every episode of the digitally enhanced
cult series in its three successful series in syndication. He plans to write
all the shows episodes until the series ends after season five. Hence the name
Babylon 5."
Now, I *know* you didn't write all the episodes in Seasons 1 and 2, but I
wondered if there really was a connection between the planned series length and
"the name of the place." After all, I suppose 5 is a fairly arbitrary
number--it could have been one or two or seventeen earlier stations that were
sabotaged during construction--but I never really thought of the similarity.
"'Actually, sci-fi has always explored the imperialism of expansion ... Sci-fi
is still considered male genre...'"
The interviewer constantly uses the term "sci-fi," but, since I'm sure that you
are well aware of the controversy over it, I would have presumed that you
either would not have used it yourself (I don't think I've ever seen it in one
of your messages), or else that you would have some particular statement-making
reason. If the latter, care to expand? If you've already addressed this, I
apologize for the repetition.
While I have your attention, could I ask something that's been bothering me a
bit? What languages do the various characters speak, and when? I presume that
the humans are all talking English (is English now Earth's official language?
maybe they're all speaking Esperanto or LogLan?); and I can accept that when
various other species talk among themselves they are speaking their native
language but that the show expresses their conversations in English for our
convenience; and we have seen some cases where characters speak in a language
other than English when language is an issue ("brickbat lingerie"), but what
about a situation like Sheridan and Lorien? (I always thought that Charleton
Heston must have been pretty dim not to realize just what planet The Planet of
the Apes was, after having heard a lot of English on it.) I'm not ruling out
Babel Fish or belt-mounted Universal Translators, or perhaps Lorien's ability
to read Sheridan's mind and learn English from it, but it does seem to me that
things like this require at least a minimum of explanation. (Later: I see
references in some messages in other threads that suggest that you've addressed
the question of what language Delenn and the Rangers spoke in their meeting,
but this is more general.)
I know that there are terrible problems for the author trying to tell a story
while at the same time having to account for "ordinary" obstacles such as
language, and of course this is why we require the audience to have a certain
suspension of disbelief. I think, though, that there does have to be at least
some recognition of the problem--for instance, if the characters are speaking
some other language but we "hear" it in English, then I have a bit of trouble
with English wordplay (such as "an answer is a reply, but a reply is not
necessarily an answer")--presumably we are meant to believe that there is a
similarly clever wordplay in the language the characters are "really" speaking,
but I do find it a bit jarring.
Because of travelling and various video delays, my girlfriend and I ended up
watching six episodes ("Walkabout" to "The Summoning") in two sessions. WOW!
The show keeps getting better and better. ("It's late..." "No!--we have to see
what happens--put on the next tape!") Now we're holding our breaths waiting
for Season 4 part 2. Many thanks for the show. --Howard
Later: _The Vancouver Sun_ of 96-12-02, In "Surf City: A compilation of neat
stuff," by Alex Strachan, on the first page of the Entertainment section,
includes this item:
"<bullet>*THE WHO OF BABYLON:* _Babylon 5_, the ambitious five-year epic set
in the year 2261, has moved to KVOS-TV, where it anchors an all sci-fi night of
_Star Trek: Voyager_, _Deep Space Nine_ (known to Trekkies as _DS9_) and now
_B5_ on Wednesdays. _Babylon 5_ remains one of television's best-kept secrets:
In this era of of Borg-ian villains and aging '60s _Trek_ stars with outrageous
hair pieces, _B5_ is fearlessly treading where no _Trek_ has gone before. The
dark, complex narrative has taken more than three years to reach its present
point (the KVOS episodes mark the division of _B5_'s fourth season) and Warner
Brothers go-ahead for a fifth and final season now looks like a mere formality.
Last year, _B5_ creator and executive-producer J. Michael Straczynski became
the first writer in television to write all 22 episodes of a single show's
season. Straczynski has said that he will probably do the same this year: The
story has become so complicated, he says, it's trapped in his head and he can't
trust anyone else to get the details right. He hasn't said, however, if he's
hearing voices."
Again, I'll hang on to the clipping if you want it for your scrapbook. Thanks
again. I haven't been on the board for a while now, so sorry if this
duplicates things that have already been discussed. --H
#: 626189 S5/Babylon 5: General
14-Dec-96 20:15:49
Sb: #626146-Orange County interview
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"Now, I *know* you didn't write all the episodes in Seasons 1 and 2, but I
wondered if there really was a connection between the planned series length and
"the name of the place." After all, I suppose 5 is a fairly arbitrary
number--it could have been one or two or seventeen earlier stations that were
sabotaged during construction--but I never really thought of the similarity."
No, that was never the intent, that it was called Babylon 5 because it's
5 years of story. The reporter just kinda came up with that.
"The interviewer constantly uses the term "sci-fi," but, since I'm sure that
you are well aware of the controversy over it, I would have presumed that you
either would not have used it yourself (I don't think I've ever seen it in one
of your messages), or else that you would have some particular statement-making
reason. If the latter, care to expand?"
No, I didn't use the term sci-fi, and NEVER use the term. I use either
SF of Science Fiction, but interviewers insist in putting those terms in my
mouth because it's what they use. I've complained to several of them about
this already.
"I'm not ruling out Babel Fish or belt-mounted Universal Translators, or
perhaps Lorien's ability to read Sheridan's mind and learn English from it, but
it does seem to me that things like this require at least a minimum of
explanation. "
There are several primary languages used on B5: Earth English, Centauri and
Interlac, the latter being a kind of Esperanto (all of the important signs are
in all three languages). In addition, many species, such as the Gaim and the
pak'ma'ra, use translator devices, since they're incapable of making human
sounds. Remember, you're seeing ambassadors for the most part, or aliens in
the trade or commercial business, so they would tend to learn the dominant
language of the place they're working in.
"I'll hang on to the clipping if you want it for your scrapbook."
I'd *definitely* appreciate a copy of that one, so I can pass it on to WB
for use in their PR, thanks.
jms
#: 626212 S5/Babylon 5: General
14-Dec-96 21:23:16
Sb: #622333-#Your writing schedule
Fm: MR. TRACY SCHELL
>>
We'll probably know around February. <<
What are the current odds in your opinion? 50-50? 60-40?
Mr.T- On Florida's Space Coast
#: 626307 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Dec-96 01:41:05
Sb: #626212-Your writing schedule
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I couldn't begin to guess.
jms
#: 626205 S5/Babylon 5: General
14-Dec-96 20:38:17
Sb: #625721-#Arc End....
Fm: SCOTT BAKER
Just so I can tell all my friends without net access, when will the decision be
made on season 5 and made public?
--Scott
#: 626308 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Dec-96 01:41:06
Sb: #626205-Arc End....
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I don't know, that's a WB call.
jms
#: 626249 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
14-Dec-96 21:45:48
Sb: #624752-#<Another death>
Fm: ROWAN KAISER
>> Except, of course, that trying to guess at it removes any sense of
surprise, since by the time everyone's gone over all of the possiblilities,
there's not much more to do.
<<
Speaking of that sort of thing, I recalled a message you responded to a few
months ago. Someone was asking about your views on posting spoilers, and you
responded with something like "If I were to tell you that G'Kar loses an eye in
ep 4 of season 4, that would take out all the suspense, and not help the show".
Wicked man.
Earthstar
"75% TV 'Family Hour' Sex"
Babbler, KP, SP, Montie, SPAMM, etc.
#: 626309 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Dec-96 01:41:08
Sb: #626249-<Another death>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Heh...yeah, snuck that one right by everybody....
jms
[ Summary: Loved the mixture of Refa's death and the singing of the gospel
song in "Rock." ]
#: 626310 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Dec-96 01:41:11
Sb: #626199-<No Hiding Place>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...it's a very subversive scene...I love it.
jms
#: 626217 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
14-Dec-96 21:29:03
Sb: #Vorlon Question
Fm: SCOTT BAKER
Two questions:
1) Are the Vorlons and the Shadows both crystaline based entities?
2) Did Lorien (or his race) create the Shadows or the Vorlons?
--Scott
#: 626311 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Dec-96 01:41:12
Sb: #626217-Vorlon Question
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No and no.
jms
[ Summary: Asks what Londo was before coming to Babylon 5. ]
#: 626541 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Dec-96 15:34:53
Sb: #626519-Londo
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Londo had fallen to being something of a minor functionary, an addendum
to the royal court, from the old school, assigned to one mid-level job or
another, a reminder of what had been...and such reminders always improve with
being sent far away.
jms
#: 626458 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Dec-96 12:14:01
Sb: #"Oh, Joe . . ."
Fm: BRENT BARRETT
Hello, Joe;
While scanning the Net, I came across this exchange between a viewer and
yourself that started me thinking (a dangerous thing, that):
Viewer: "Considering [Delenn's] past role in Minbari society, though, I
expect her to snap out of it pretty soon. She was *trained* to
take charge, and even the things she's endured lately won't
suppress that conditioning forever."
You: "Oh, most definitely...count on it. She's done more than enough 'oh
john' stuff for my tastes...that will start to change, and soon."
Now, this has me a bit perplexed and worried. I'm not worried about what
you plan to do with Delenn -- afterall, *you* created her, and since I've been
very happy with the character to date, I doubt I would be let down by whatever
you did -- but I am confused and worried about the perception of quite a large
number of viewers. I'd like to know your opinion on this subject.
A large (or at least vocal) group of Net-based viewers of Babylon 5 seem
convinced that Delenn has somehow been lessened by her attachment to and love
for John, but I don't buy it. If anything, she's been bolstered and otherwise
strengthened by the love they feel and express for one another. True love does
that to people -- makes them more than they ever were when separate.
But then we get to her actions and attitudes in "Z'Ha'Dum" up to and
including "Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi." Some have claimed that this
indicates that Delenn is no longer capable of being a strong, free- willed
individual. Well . . . Yes and no.
When two people experience true love, they not only become more than the
sum of their parts when together, but they also become dependent upon each
other and are incapable of being exactly what they were before that love
existed if the other is lost to them. Eventually, they are capable of
attaining some level of functionality and self-confidence again, as Delenn did
after viewing John's log in "Garibaldi," but they are never quite the same
again.
And this is a good, necessary and, most importantly, realistic thing to
have happen. That Delenn was shattered and greatly disturbed at John's
apparent loss was not "out of character" for her, nor was it in contradiction
to the strong willed and capable Delenn we knew from the beginning of the
story. It was exactly what should have happened in such a situation.
But Delenn's "fire and steel" are still there. If John had never returned,
she'd have eventually become nearly indistinguishable from the Delenn of season
one, except privately. She'd still feel his loss and it would be a wound on
her soul that would never go away. That's the whole point of love and loss: It
changes you.
And her reactions in "The Summoning" and "Falling Toward Apotheosis" were
also very realistic and in character for her or any real person who is deeply
in love, nearly lost her love and feels responsible for that near loss.
If by too much "Oh, John" recently, you mean her depression and guilt of
late, then I agree with you. But it was a natural and necessary thing for
Delenn to do. Viewers should realize this and realize that it's going to be a
key component to Delenn, John Sheridan and their relationship now and in the
future. It had to be.
And they should also realize that the end of the "Oh, John" depression
phase does not and should not mark the end of the Delenn and John's closeness
or need for one another. They have now gone through fire and their love and
characters have been tempered by that fire; They are now much more than they
ever were alone.
Here's looking forward to much more John and Delenn interaction and the
continued realistic development of these two wonderful characters.
Best regards,
-- Brent
#: 626542 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Dec-96 15:34:55
Sb: #626458-"Oh, Joe . . ."
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Basically, yeah, too much depression and guilt lately, and she's been for
the most part a passive character lately, while others acted around her. Now
it's about time for her to start becoming active again. There's fire and steel
in *use*, and fire and steel waiting to be called upon...time to shift from the
latter to the former.
jms
[END]
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