JMS on CompuServe (May 24, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* 1/2
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Fri May 24 12:25:21 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: #510269-<WWE II>
Sb: #510288-#Joe an atheist?
Sb: #510320-<<WWE 2>>
Sb: #510344-<WWE2>
Sb: #510257-The Encounter (UK Con)
Sb: #510400-Some thots on <<WWE2>>
Sb: #510784-Attn: JMS, Continuity
Sb: #510854-#I beg forvigeness
Sb: #510965-<WWE 2> - My Head Hurts
Sb: #511002-<<War Without End>>
Sb: #511032-Sinclair's Scar & More
Sb: #511339-B5 renewed?
Sb: #511330-<Time Stabilizer Thingy>
#: 510269 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
22-May-96 12:58:20
Sb: #508800-#<WWE II>
Fm: BRUNO MELANCON
I just want to add my congrats to your "3rd season" since I just saw WWE part 2
last night. It is very impressive how you can watch any second season episode
and you CANNOT compare it in any way to the third season, especially since
Point of No Return. I eagerly await the "elongated" 4th season.
As for WWE, of all the clues and surprises you put in the first part, the most
memorable for me will be when I deduced that Sinclair gave himself the letter
from the past and that Joe would be sly enough to make him Valen. My friends
were angry with me after seeing Part 2 because I had spoiled it! :) The
similarities between this two-part and the Back to the Future series are what
makes a well-knitted time travel tale so exciting (especially in the end when
you put everything back together).
A few other points:
Like many here, I was very confused with all the Suit-changing, but it is a
minor point.
You closed the future-Londo-G'Kar-Vir thread very well. I wondered how all this
could have been resolved with only 2 years left. Same for the Delenn-Sheridan
cell act. Man, I love this actress!
It is puzzling, tho, how you show us events in the future (Delenn-Sheridan,
their kid, the success with the Shadows). How will you surprise us with the
resolution of the Shadow War since we already know we will win?
The saddest thing in all of this is losing Michael O'Hare. He was the main B5
character for a pilot and season and I hope you gave him our sincere thanks for
everything he did.
Congratulations again for a fantastic year! Because of you, I stopped watching
Voyager completely and I stopped taping DS9 for the first time in four years!
It is a tribute, not to the declining quality of these shows, but to the very
high (and still climbing) quality of your show. Go take some vacations, you
deserve it!
Andorian
BTW, I predicted that we would see Kosh 1000 years ago. Well, we can't be
perfect.
#: 510944 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 13:50:34
Sb: #510269-<WWE II>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's a literary...I hate to say the word trick, but it's the most
descriptive. You show somebody the end right off the bat, as we did with the
Londo/G'Kar scene. But how do we get there? What happens? Yes, the war is
eventually won...but what *was* the price? And what does it mean to everyone
involved?
The best magic is when it's right there in your face, and you can't see
how it's being done.
jms
#: 510288 S5/Babylon 5: General
22-May-96 13:16:40
Sb: #509990-#Joe an atheist?
Fm: AL LIPSCOMB
" You tell me where god came from originally, and I'll tell you where that
first bit of matter came from originally."
Since time does not exist without matter it is fair to say that anything that
was here before matter (or that formed matter) does not need somewhere to
start. It is only well after the big bang that time even begins to come into
play, and its arrow is one way (as far as we can tell).
#: 510945 S5/Babylon 5: General
23-May-96 13:50:35
Sb: #510288-#Joe an atheist?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Ah, but physics is now postulating that there's not just one big bang,
but there have been numerous ones...perhaps an infinite number of them, as the
universe collapses, then bangs, collapses, then bangs.
jms
[ Summary: A poster comments on how fantastic the time line of B5 is and
concludes by labelling B5 an "amazing story." ]
#: 510946 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 13:50:38
Sb: #510320-<<WWE 2>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks.
jms
#: 510344 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
22-May-96 15:47:33
Sb: #<WWE2>
Fm: NEIL BLEVINS
Spectacular.
I can't be sure whether this is your best epsiode yet, but it's damn close. My
brain is overloaded from all the info the show has provided. The show has
prompted me to ask two very general questions though, maybe you could share
some insight on them....
1) Many people have refered to the futures we have seen for the characters as
'possible' futures. But the future with G'kar and Londo, is that a certain
future? We know the show doesn't span 17 years, so my guess is that you wanted
us to see what Londo's future would be, and the only way to properly put it
into the show was to have it in this episode, since you didn't want to
introduce time travel in other episodes. In which case, wouldn't this be a
certain future, instead of just a possible one.
2) This made me think about how different the series would have been if
Sincalir had stayed as commander, and Sheridan had never showed up. I would
very much like to hear sometime about how the story would have changed had
Sinclair stayed commander. I assume this episode would have aired sometime in
Season 5?
Excellent episode. BTW, at work today, someone heard I had stayed up till
1:00am (when B5 is shown in my area), and they said "Oh, were you watching
Babylon 5. I've heard the show is actually getting very good. I'll probably
have to start watching it soon." B5 has always been good, but with the last 4
episodes or so, and even the whole 3rd season, you've reached a new height.
- Neil
#: 510947 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 13:50:40
Sb: #510344-<WWE2>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
What happens with the future of Londo and G'Kar...is what you see.
Course, how they got there is the meat of the story.
And thanks.
jms
#: 510257 S5/Babylon 5: General
22-May-96 12:23:14
Sb: #509646-#The Encounter (UK Con)
Fm: DARRAN WILLIAMS
<<Finally, do you know if JMS will be able to bring any widescreen episodes
with him? As they now exist for the French and German markets I was just
wondering.....!>>
Where did you hear this? I was under the impression that the CGI had to be
re-rendered in widescreen format before B5 could be shown in widescreen, which
I don't think has been done yet. I'll have to ask Ron Thornton at the
Encounter. There was a rumour that C4 were going to repeat season 3 in
widescreen after it's present run but this seems to have been wrong. Anyone out
there heard anything?
Darran Williams.
#: 510952 S5/Babylon 5: General
23-May-96 14:02:56
Sb: #510257-The Encounter (UK Con)
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Actually, B5 is being shown *right now* in widescreen in France and
Portugal.
jms
#: 510400 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
22-May-96 17:03:04
Sb: #Some thots on <<WWE2>>
Fm: RAE AUGENSTEIN
I just couldn't wait until Thursday night to see B5 this week, so I bugged an
acquaintance of mine for the tape from the Satellite feed and watched it last
night. :-) Wow. I'm sure glad I did. This episode, coupled with WWE1, is
superb.
Now the inevitable thoughts/comments/questions:
1) How long has Lennier known Sinclair was Valen? I think Delenn's known
for quite a long time. Why else would the Minbari reject everyone for commander
of B5 until they got to Sinclair?
2) It's pretty clear that Marcus figured out Valen's identity there at the
end on the bridge of the WhiteStar. Did Ivanova make the connection, too? What
about the other Minbari on the bridge -- was this a revelation for them as
well? Now that they know who Valen really was, how will they react to Minbari
who revere him as a religious figure? Will they tell Garibaldi? Will he freak
out?
3) Don't know how I missed it, but I totally did not see Londo's keeper on
his shoulder. My husband made a comment about it after the episode and I had to
rewind the tape to see it. I just figured his keeper was perhaps a shadow
minion like those Morden hangs out with, or perhaps a symbiont like those in
"Exogenesis." When I saw Londo on the throne all gray and dying, I said, "I
guess Vir was emperor first." Then, of course, out walks Vir. Guess not.
4) Didn't ya just love the stuff between Sinclair and Delenn????!!!!??? I
really like them together. And they have a son! and perhaps....
5) In Delenn's flash-forward she's in John's bedchamber. We see a
silhouetted figure in the doorway who speaks with Melissa Gilbert's voice. So,
Is Joe pulling a fast one on us and doing a bit of recasting in the role of
Anna Sheridan, or... is she Sheridan's and Delenn's daughter? (Gives a whole
new meaning to Elektra complex, no?) (Pssst... Melissa Gilbert and Bruce
Boxleitner are married in real life).
6) DELENN IS THE ONE! At least the One we see in Babylon Squared. I was
*so* excited to see how seamlessly the integrated the footage from B^2 and
WWE2. Garibaldi was a good indicator of which was which -- he had longer hair
in first season than he does now, and I didn't notice any shots of him with a
buzz haircut. However, I do think they reshot the scene at the end with Zathras
under the metal support. I don't remember the inflections in the dialogue being
exactly the same. (And I've seen that ep numerous times <g>). Why, oh why did I
mail all my first season tapes to Oklahoma two weeks ago? Now I want to go back
and watch them all! (Pssst... JMS: when you filmed Babylon Squared, who was
really in that suit?)
7) So now can we say, "In Sinclair's Name?" instead of "In Valen's Name,"
as an oath? =)
8) So, do ya think one of those Vorlons was Kosh? And, ohmygosh, is Kosh
*actually* Valeria? If Kosh was with Valen/Sinclair in the beginning, then that
seems likely. (I really would like to know what happened between the time
Sinclair came out of the Chrysalis and the time he appeared to the Minbari as
Valen. I want to know how he teamed up with those two Vorlons. Did they appear
to him, or did he call them somehow?) And does Sincalir know that Kosh was
killed?
9) I LOVE ZATHRAS!
SO where do we go from here? The Valen/Minbari soul train thread is pretty
much finished (or is it?). We need to get back to the Shadow war. We need to
deal with Earth again. Londo has to become Emperor. The station will get a new
Vorlon. I'm sure we'll see Bester again, and we'll have to get into the
shadow/telepathy thaing...
Phew! Just two and a half more years to go!
Oh, and one more thing... the lighthouse in the snowglobe that Delenn was
holding is the Portland Headlight, located in Portland, Maine. :-) Beautiful
place. Everyone should visit.
Rae ^^^^
Check out my B5 episode guide at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Rae_
#: 510953 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 14:02:58
Sb: #510400-Some thots on <<WWE2>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
To your question, yes, the scenes with Zathras pinned under the strut
were the same scenes from B2, we didn't reshoot that material.
The hardest shot was matching the lighting and composition in the
central corridor *exactly* for the Ivanova-on-the-link scene, and the walk by
seconds later by Garibaldi and Sinclair. That came out pretty seamless.
jms
[ Summary: Wonders why the Major on B4 was wearing a more "modern" uniform
with a leather stripe when the security guards on B4 were in the older,
pilot-era leatherless uniforms. ]
#: 510955 S5/Babylon 5: General
23-May-96 14:10:20
Sb: #510784-Attn: JMS, Continuity
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The leather strip was also present when we shot the original, Babylon
Squared, in year one. I was kinda thinking at the time that the change was
gradually being introduced in various divisions of Earthforce. Krantz is from
the Marines division, I believe (note the brown uniform), from that part which
functions sort of like the Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the building of
space stations and the like. Since it takes time to introduce a uniform change
across divisions and light years, I figured some might have them earlier than
others, or to try them out. So I gave Krantz the leather strip.
jms
[ Summary: A poster who claims she was prepared to "scoff" at the B5 fans
and feel "pity" for their misguided loyalty admits that she was wrong.
She primed herself with the Lurker's Guide and watched the last four
episodes and is now "hooked." ]
#: 510956 S5/Babylon 5: General
23-May-96 14:10:21
Sb: #510854-#I beg forvigeness
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Welcome to the party....
jms
#: 510965 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 14:10:59
Sb: #510261-#<WWE 2> - My Head Hurts
Fm: JEFF FRANK
>> Yes, you're correct about the Delenn material; she left the ship to do
this, and not that much time had passed. <<
Thank you. Now I can print out my message and give it to Deb so she
understands what happened. <g>
BTW, did the photos of Rick and Pat in Marcon's Klingon jail arrive?
Jeff
Sigh Corps - Pat Tallman Division
Dictator of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region
Auditor General
Fear RMES! - Everywhere for *your* convenience
#: 511097 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 17:33:30
Sb: #510965-<WWE 2> - My Head Hurts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, I got the photos, thanks...they're going to go up on the stage wall
asap.
jms
[ Summary: "You are not ready for godhood." ]
#: 511098 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
23-May-96 17:33:31
Sb: #511002-<<War Without End>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve, if deified I
will not transmute....
jms
[ Summary: Asks where Sinclair got his scar. Also, wonders why Marcus gave
Sinclair such a look after Sinclair spoke with Delenn on the White Star in
Minbari. ]
#: 511099 S5/Babylon 5: General
23-May-96 17:33:33
Sb: #511032-Sinclair's Scar & More
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The scar came during ranger training.
Marcus's look came because he overheard the Minbari-language part of the
discussion, and knew something was up. It made him more watchful of Sinclair,
which pays off in WWE2.
jms
#: 511339 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
24-May-96 00:46:52
Sb: #510728-#B5 renewed?
Fm: KAREN E. BAHNSEN
>> We should know soon.<<
Are we there yet? Not yet. Almost.
Are we there yet? Anytime now.
Are we there yet? Soon. Soon. <bg>
Karen
#: 511346 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
24-May-96 02:08:45
Sb: #511339-B5 renewed?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Keep that up, young lady, and we'll turn this car *right* around and go
home.
jms
[ Summary: Asks why Sheridan still had a time stabilizer when he re-
appeared on B4 (it fell to the floor). ]
#: 511347 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
24-May-96 02:08:46
Sb: #511330-<Time Stabilizer Thingy>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Sheridan's stabalizer basically broke into two major pieces, the front
section which fell off in the White Star, and the back half which was still
clipped to his belt, and later came off as Zathras watched.
jms
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