JMS on CompuServe (May 17, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* 1/2
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Fri May 17 17:00:20 EDT 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.
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #506822-ATTN JMS: How old is...
Sb: #506884-#JMS /Dr Who?
Sb: #506886-#<WWE1: Familiar Shuttle>
Sb: #506985-#>>War Without End: 1<<
Sb: #507055-JMS: Arc a Fake?
Sb: #507118-JMS /Dr Who?
Sb: #507211-Spoilers
Sb: #507255-<I&E> Moved
Sb: #507093-<War Without End, Pt 1>
Sb: #507253-<Vorlon Thought, WWE,I>
Sb: #507110->>War Without End: 1<<
Sb: #507212->>War Without End: 1<<
Sb: #507184-B5 Story Arc
[ Summary: Asks how old Kosh was when B5 started. ]
#: 507059 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 13:37:36
Sb: #506822-ATTN JMS: How old is...
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'll put it to you this way...Kosh was old enough to have had a first
hand familiarity with Valen. Vorlons live a REAL long time.
jms
#: 506884 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 08:22:09
Sb: #JMS /Dr Who?
Fm: SIMON GRIERSON
Hi JMS,
I remember reading a while back that you where a fan of Doctor Who, and you
particularly admired the charactorisations and charactor lead storylines.
Now, since FOX just aired the new updated 8th Doctor Movie, I was wondering if
A) You saw it and B) You are able to express any opinions on what you saw (if
you indeed saw it). I'd be interested to see what you think since A) Your a
fan anyway, and B) your involved in the same industry and can five more than a
personal opinion.
Of course I'll understand if you can't pass public judgement on a rival's
product :-)
Thanks,
Simon Grierson (eagerly awaiting Sunday for Dust to Dust <G>)
#: 507060 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 13:37:37
Sb: #506884-#JMS /Dr Who?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I don't consider them a "rival," there's room enough for everybody. The
more the merrier. We're glad to have them on. As for my personal view, I
rather like the new Doctor. He's probably the best they've had since Tom
Baker, who for me has always been the quintessential Doctor. There were some
story lapses, and the female doctor is a good performer but needs to be written
less annoyingly...but all the ingredients are there. I hope they get approved
to series; I'll be watching.
jms
#: 506886 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 08:26:05
Sb: #<WWE1: Familiar Shuttle>
Fm: BERNARD F. DOWDY, J
I couldn't help but notice that the shuttle from Epsilon 3 containing Zathras
and his equipment looked familiar. It looks alot like the Tarsus class
merchant shuttle in Privateer with one major difference--it lacks the large
landing gear.
Speaking of Privateer. . .did you ever get any stick time in that part of the
Wing Commander universe?
Normally I'm not much of a time travel story fan; but this one has such depth
it has me anxiously awaiting part two. Keep up the good work and I hope you
get some good news soon!
Bernie
#: 507061 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 13:37:39
Sb: #506886-#<WWE1: Familiar Shuttle>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, actually, I've never gotten into the Privateer stuff...I have the
new Wing Commander, but my joystick is screwed up (others have made that
observation before), so it's waiting until I can yank the computer out of its
niche and install the Fancy New Joystick I bought that has fifteen thousand
different plug-in points.
jms
[ Summary: Asks how Sheridan was moved both in time and location to Centauri
Prime in the future. ]
#: 507062 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 13:37:42
Sb: #506985-#>>War Without End: 1<<
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The time-flash (which in Sheridan's case is much more pronounced than
what we've seen before) slides you forward or backward in time to where you are
at that moment. At that moment, 18 years from now (in the story), Sheridan
was/will be on Centauri Prime. So when he slid along the time line, that's
where he ended up. Just as in Babylon Squared, when Garibaldi had a timeflash
back to his time on Mars. It blips your perception to another point in your
life, wherever you happen to be.
jms
[ Summary: A poster thanks JMS for explaining the creative process behind
B5 and reminds JMS that he asked him the same question before B5 even
began, but JMS couldn't answer him. ]
#: 507300 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 22:33:37
Sb: #507055-JMS: Arc a Fake?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, if you were able to suss anything out of those ramblings, then
it's a Good Thing...and sorry about the delay. Sometimes answers to old
questions come when you least expect them.
jms
#: 507118 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 16:16:30
Sb: #507060-#JMS /Dr Who?
Fm: SIMON GRIERSON
>> I hope they get approved to series; I'll be watching.<<
So do I ;-) I'm glad you liked it - and your views seem to be pretty much the
same as every one elses that's commented on the movie. All in all a great
start.
Say, would you mind if I reposted your message into the Doctor Who section on
SF Media 2?
TIA,
Simon Grierson.
#: 507301 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 22:33:40
Sb: #507118-JMS /Dr Who?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Sure, anything I write can be crossposted.
jms
#: 507211 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 19:49:26
Sb: #Spoilers
Fm: AL LIPSCOMB
You know, I love the spoilers. I love to get on just after some other part of
the country has seen this weeks ep and see what you have done. But then I also
like to find out about a movie before I go and see it. I love to know how it
all comes together, the go and see how _you_ pulled it off.
To me this is like watching a movie written about an event in history (esp
WW2). Reading the spoliers is like reading the history book. I almost wish that
you would publish a rough document describing the arc (this is not a request to
do so, I understand where you are at). Then I get to look at the talent that
goes into telling the story.
I understand that you will be working on a movie based on a SF series. Any info
on that project (I think you said 'GrimJack', I don't get out much :) who is
the author and when do you think it will be out? I need to go out and read the
book(s) so that I can see how well you pull it off.
I also saw your picture on the Lurkers web page, never trust a man without a
beard :)
#: 507302 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-May-96 22:33:41
Sb: #507211-Spoilers
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'm futzing around with several projects whilst awaiting word on B5;
nothing concrete I want to talk about just yet. And I've grown a beard since
the photos you saw.
jms
#: 507255 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 20:39:27
Sb: #<I&E> Moved
Fm: JOHN M. KAHANE
Hullo, Joe,
Neil Blevins and I have been discussing the merits of the way in which the
scene of the battle with the Shadows and Kosh was handled as follows:
>> I thought, but part of the best part of the whole scene was the intercutting
between the events in Kosh's chambers (sort of) and what was going on between
Sheridan and his father in the dream. Very effective, and very stylish. <<
< I was thinking about that, and wondered if the scene might have been more
powerful if instead of what we got, we actually got to see Kosh fighting the
shadows (if we didn't have a budget to consider). >
I agree with Neil's other comment that the scene worked better than it
might have if you'd shown the battle between Kosh and the Shadows. I am
curious as to why you didn't, since I think that it might have been a more
effective scene, and would still have worked with the cutting back to the
"David Sheridan"/John Sheridan scenes. Any reasons why you didn't do the scene
that way (or was this a budgetary constraint?) ?
jmk
#: 507303 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:44
Sb: #507255-<I&E> Moved
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I thought about that long and hard when writing the script, and I finally
came to the conclusion that there was literally *nothing* we could show that
wouldn't be disappointing...it's a conflict on another whole plane, and should
have an almost cosmic or ethereal feel to it. If we showed Kosh shooting a
defensive field, or a shadow opening his suit with a can opener, or anything
else obvious and physical, it would've diminished the scene. The vorlons are
mythic, indirect, you see them out of the corner of your eye, so it fit that
the proper metaphor would be to handle the battle that way.
Even if we'd had ten million bucks to do that sequence...I would've made
the same choice.
jms
#: 507093 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 15:46:15
Sb: #506346-#<War Without End, Pt 1>
Fm: DANIEL M. UPTON
>> B5 wasn't destroyed because it wasn't the one that would be taken back.
Yes, the prior stations would've looked more like B4 but they were sabotaged
*very* early in the construction process. <<
Did the Minbari agree to help fund B5 after getting a look at the nearly
finished B4 and realizing what it was?
Dan^^^^
danupton at blueridge.net
#: 507305 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:49
Sb: #507093-<War Without End, Pt 1>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, because if you remember, even Delenn didn't know where B4 came from
until she came to B5, well after completion.
jms
#: 507253 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 20:39:15
Sb: #506425-#<Vorlon Thought, WWE,I>
Fm: JOHN M. KAHANE
Hullo, Joe,
< Yes, that was Ardwight again. >
I thought it might be, but it sounded somewhat different than Kosh,
because of the manner in which you processed the sound for this Vorlon's suit.
I am curious as to why Ardwight wasn't credited with the "voice" or whatever of
this Vorlon.
jmk
#: 507306 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:52
Sb: #507253-<Vorlon Thought, WWE,I>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
There probably wasn't a credit there because it was an incidental voice
rather than a recurring voice.
The other Vorlon also sounded different because I directed Ardwight in
different inflections...literally stood there outside the booth using my hand
like a baton to indicate the rising and falling inflections as he spoke, to
give it a wave kind of sound.
jms
[ Summary: This poster tries to assume something about B5, namely that
JMS will start skipping ahead in years to cover the 18 year span he's
now shown us in "War Without End." ]
#: 507307 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:53
Sb: #507110->>War Without End: 1<<
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
With this show, it's never safe to assume *anything*.
jms
#: 507212 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 19:54:31
Sb: #507062-#>>War Without End: 1<<
Fm: CHAD UNDERKOFFLER
>> The time-flash (which in Sheridan's case is much more pronounced than
what we've seen before) slides you forward or backward in time to where you are
at that moment. At that moment, 18 years from now (in the story), Sheridan
was/will be on Centauri Prime. So when he slid along the time line, that's
where he ended up. [...] It blips your perception to another point in your
life, wherever you happen to be.
Hey Joe... I haven't seen this ep yet, but I'm a spoiler junkie. <g>
This comment of yours leads me to believe that since Sheridan is on Centauri
Prime in 2278 (or so) he DOESN'T die at Z'ha'dum, despite what the Koshmeister
said. (Then again, all Kosh said was "If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die,"
which implies death AT Shadow Central, but could mean something else. [RJ
Gumby voice: "My brain hurts!"] Sheesh. )
You can't become unstuck in time and slide past your own lifetime, can you? Or
is there a difference in Sheridan's "unstickiness"? Garibaldi & Sinclair get
the "perceptual trip" but Johnny gets the Real Thing (tm)? [Vinne Barbarino:
"I'm sooooo con-FUSED!"]
Help?
Rage
Ranger of Washingdome
"I know what the Shadows are up to... They wish to corrupt our Precious Bodily
Fluids."
#: 507308 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:55
Sb: #507212->>War Without End: 1<<
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Well, who can say at this point *what* happens on Z'ha'dum...?
jms
#: 507184 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 18:29:19
Sb: #506767-#B5 Story Arc
Fm: ARLINE WILLIAMS
>> Pulling this show off is a tough job, harder than I think anyone knows, or
ever will know...<<
Not me. I can't believe the men in white coats haven't hauled you off yet for
some forced R&R. <G> 22 episodes AND you still have time to answer questions
too?!!!
Hooo Boy. How do you do it? No, No, No don't tell me I don't want to know.
In this case ignorance is bliss.
Ciao!
#: 507309 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
16-May-96 22:33:58
Sb: #507184-B5 Story Arc
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Actually, the scary thing is...I wrote 12 the first year, 15 the second,
and 22 the third, so that's 49 out of 66 altogether. That's about 2,400 pages
in 3 years, equal to 5 full-length novels.
Suddenly I have the overwhelming urge to take a nap....
jms
[ Continued in next section -- BB ]
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