JMS on CompuServe (Mar 11, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
brent.barrett at 24stex.com
Mon Mar 11 16:47:47 EST 1996
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.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ Note from Brent: Before you ask, no I cannot forward
your questions to JMS. He has asked that questions
not originating from CIS accounts not be posted to
CIS. He encourages all of us to wait for the
moderated USENET group, to which he plans to
subscribe. ]
[ Summary: Wants to know if by a "five-year arc," JMS is referring to five
years in story time or five years in our time (length of the series).
Argues that if it's the former, then wouldn't the pilot make it a six year
arc? ]
#: 467954 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:28
Sb: #467761-B5: 5 or 6 years?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
A stand-alone TV movie really can't be an arc in the same sense as a
season of the show. So I can't really consider it "a year." A year of story
time equals one year of real time. That's the five year arc, which refers to
the *series*, to that specific one-to-one ratio. The movie I've always
considered to be a preface, or introduction...The Hobbit, if you will, to The
Lord of the Rings. If it were going to a sixth year arc, then it should've
covered a span of a year; but it only covered a few days.
jms
#: 467835 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 10:11:58
Sb: #467192-#Fan Club
Fm: ANNE L. WARNER
Joe,
Are you going to have some sort of "Charter Membership" for those of us who are
standing in line on day one? Greg asked me about that and I didn't have an
answer for him. Both of us would be willing to pay some sort of small premium
for a membership card that indicated that we were in the first queue for
joining up!
The other thing that would be nice, from a fiscal viewpoint, would be a reduced
rate for the second fan club member in a household. After all, there would
only be one mailing or other stuff like that! So really, it would mostly be
just an extra membership card. Just a thought...
Annie
#: 467955 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:30
Sb: #467835-#Fan Club
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
One of the things we'll be offering for the first 100 signups, when the
details are announced, are full-color decals/stickers of the *alternate* B5
logo designed by Peter Ledger, never actually used in the show. These are from
my own personal collection of stuff we did during the development period.
We're still looking into what else can be included for those first in line.
What we're also going to do is to offer the first two issues of the B5
newsletter free to those who signed onto the original newsletter, which was
going to run for only 5 issues, and stopped at #3. This way everyone gets
their full money's worth.
(The other day I suggested that we start the newsletter with volume 5,
on the theory that volumes 1-3 were destroyed or sabotaged at the printer's,
and volume 4 vanished mysteriously....)
jms
[ Summary: Argues in support of JMS' stated position of not being "in it for
the money," as charged by another poster. Gives examples of what JMS must
have gone through to get B5 on the air and how those examples are contrary
to what someone would go through who was "in in for the money." ]
#: 467956 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:33
Sb: #467872-#B5:Starlog
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Quite true. During the period where I was working to break in as a
writer, I earned maybe $3,000 a year tops. I used my little income to buy
writing supplies instead of food...at one point, at 6'4" I was down to about
155 pounds. Maybe a bit less. I was getting by on beef jerky and soda because
I couldn't afford real food. (Water would've been cheaper than soda, but I
needed the sugar rush to get my energy level up enough to write; with the
result that by the time I crashed at night I had the shakes from lack of food
and the sudden sugar drop.)
Everyone told me to forget it, to take a regular job, and let the
writing wait. But I knew that if I did this...I'd never get out. It was all
or nothing.
So yeah, I paid my dues. And then some. And if you pay your dues, and
you work hard, and you keep to your vision, and you have something roughly
resembling talent...sometimes things work out. They did.
jms
#: 467877 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 11:54:10
Sb: #467199-#Enjoying Babylon 5
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
>> This would've followed the last version, and have been truer to the
original miniseries
I'm sorry, but I didn't quite get your answer, by last version do you mean the
last V miniseries, or the abysmal "V: the Series". If the latter, I'm surprised
that they would give the series a second chance.
Incidently, was it in response to this submission that the infamous "If we give
the SF fans rayguns and spaceships the'll show up" comment was made?
Phil ^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 467957 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:36
Sb: #467877-#Enjoying Babylon 5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, that comment came when I was still a reporter with the late,
lamented LA Herald Examiner, when the V series was still in production, by one
of the producers of the series.
jms
[ Summary: Wants to know if the U.K. will be showing B5 in widescreen format
as has been rumored. ]
#: 467958 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:39
Sb: #467916-#Babylon 5 - Widescreen
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Haven't heard what the disposition is yet on C4 re: widescreen or
regular.
jms
[ Summary: Tells JMS that the T-shirts he saw in a store must be illegal as
they are from somewhere called "T-America." ]
#: 467959 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 15:08:42
Sb: #467921-B5 T-shirts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Then they're *definitely* not legit.
jms
#: 468096 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 19:24:19
Sb: #From jms re:Email
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Every once in a while I have to put this out as an FYI, so those of you
who know the routine, stand down...the rest of you...c'mere, Unca Straczynski
wants a word with you.
From time to time, my personal email mailbox begins to fill up with
questions that really should be asked in public forums, and which require
lengthy, in-depth explanations. (One such today asked me to explain, in
detail, the military hierarchy of Earthforce, relative strengths of ships, on
and on and on. In itself, not a bad question...but asked in email, that means
that I have to answer the same thing for the next guy who asks, on and on and
on.)
I can't get into detailed, exhaustive discussions of the plot or story
or characters *in private email*. If your question is a good or a valid one,
it should be posted in a public forum, so that others can benefit from the
answer. Otherwise either I end up writing pages of information over and over
again, and nobody else gets the information, or I just decline to answer the
question.
The *only* reason for using email is if it's a personal or a
confidential question, or something you don't want to say on the nets for
whatever reason. Please help me to keep my head above water by not using email
unless there's a valid reason for it.
If there *is* something you need to express in email, please use the
genie address (straczynski at genie.geis.com) instead of the compuserve address,
because the CIS emailbox can only hold 100 letters at a time; any more than
that which arrive get bumped and sent back or deleted. I lost an important
piece of email regarding B5 business today because it got shoved out by a
letter asking me to explain the differences in organization and accountability
to oders between the religious and military castes of Minbari.
Bear in mind that with CTS, it *hurts* to type. The more I type, the
more it hurts. (Please don't send me any more info on CTS, btw...I have all
the available information on CTS, more than most doctors right now, and to type
a thank you note for each one that comes in just makes the problem worse.) If
a question needs answering, better if I can answer it once, so everyone can see
it, than 15 times for one person at a time. Every keystroke you see from me
comes with discomfort.
Please try and use the email address(es) only if there's a valid reason
for it; otherwise, let others benefit from the sharpness and quality of your
question by asking it publicly.
jms
[ NOTE: I know this is a repeat, but it's JMS' doing, not mine :-). ]
#: 468202 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 22:44:30
Sb: #8 NEW B5 EPS!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Good news. We've finally convinced Warner Bros./PTEN to go with eight
new episodes in a row, starting the first week of April. The new schedule,
which just went out via fax to the stations today, is as follows:
So here now is the revised schedule:
NEW EPISODES:
2/12 EXOGENESIS
2/19 MESSAGES FROM EARTH
2/26 POINT OF NO RETURN (w/Majel Barrett)
RERUNS:
3/4 FALL OF NIGHT
3/11 THERE ALL THE HONOR LIES
3/18 AND NOW FOR A WORD
3/25 IN THE SHADOW OF Z'HA'DUM
NEW EPISODES:
4/1 SEVERED DREAMS
4/8 CEREMONIES OF LIGHT AND DARK
4/15 SIC TRANSIT VIR
4/22 A LATE DELIVERY FROM AVALON (w/Michael York)
4/29 SHIP OF TEARS (w/Walter Koenig)
5/6 INTERLUDES AND EXAMINATIONS
5/13 WAR WITHOUT END: PART ONE (w/Michael O'Hare)
5/20 WAR WITHOUT END: PART TWO
We're now in the process of working to get 2 new episodes in July, so
there are only 3 left for October. Even so, we're very excited to get a chance
to show eight episodes in a row, building up to the end of the May sweeps with
our big two-parter.
jms
#: 468126 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 20:11:31
Sb: #Marcon/Columbus Dispatch
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
I just caught messages over on Usenet that you and Richard Biggs are now
scheduled for Marcon in Columbus this May. Is this for real, or just Netrumor?
In addition, you may be glad to know that the Columbus Dispatch Sunday TV
insert, "Teleview Plus", reprinted an article in the Philadelphia Daily News,
which heavily quoted you, although the main thrust of the article was the
increasing availability of SF on TV today.
- rje -
#: 468233 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 23:28:45
Sb: #468126-Marcon/Columbus Dispatch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, as of this point, I'll be at Marcon with Richard, that's correct.
jms
#: 468151 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 21:06:13
Sb: #Space Cases Thoughts?
Fm: KEVIN P. KENNEY
This week's ep. was the one with the bear, and mentioned a race called the
Strazyn. (Aggresive, but not rich enough to wage full-scale war.) Also,
Zabagabee (Lennier's chant, Bill's record) was rementioned. It should repeat
next Sun afternoon if you missed it. Any thoughts on your next step in this
in-joke-a-thon? Will you wait for Peter to do a year 4 script, or might
something crop up this year?
Have fun,
KpK
#: 468235 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 23:28:49
Sb: #468151-#Space Cases Thoughts?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I haven't yet decided...though I have some ideas...and a few of them are
*real* doozies.
jms
[ Summary: Argues in favor of JMS/B5 with regard to the whole Andrea Thompson
Starlog issue, but states that if, indeed, Andrea had asked to be allowed
to do other things and was told that she'd be needed, but then wasn't
needed, Andrea would have a legitimate gripe. ]
#: 468236 S5/Babylon 5: General
10-Mar-96 23:36:11
Sb: #468133-#B5:Starlog
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
We've always done everything in our power to assist our actors in taking
outside work when they're not needed in the show. We let Stephen Furst out of
his contract enough to do "Misery Loves Company" for Fox, and rearranged our
shooting schedule days to accommodate him; ditto when Peter Jurasik wanted time
off to do "The Late Shift," and Andreas when he wanted to do a recent movie
project.
The key is that we need *advance word* on these things; then we can
adjust the scripts and schedules. If someone comes to us at the last minute,
we can't do much about that.
jms
/*********************************************
* Brent Barrett brent.barrett at 24stex.com *
* Senior Software Engineer Automedia, Inc *
* -- Watch Babylon-5! -- *
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