JMS on CompuServe (Sep 16, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

[Brent Barrett]

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
 upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.

 Continue at your own risk.

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 S
  P
   O
    I
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      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.

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Archives of this material may be found at:

   ftp://ftp.speedlink.com/pub/bbarrett/cis/
                    - or -
   http://www.speedlink.com/bbarrett/b5/

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 [ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
    Sb: #577901-Dust to Dust question
    Sb: #577948-B5 visibility/popularity
    Sb: #578141-Slight Fan Club panic
    Sb: #578179-Creature CGI


 #: 577901 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Sep-96  21:04:13
Sb: #577437-#Dust to Dust question
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN

One other thing about re-viewing "Dust to Dust" --

Bester's comment about "We may be the only thing standing between you and the
Abyss..."

In what other series does what seems to be arrogance in one episode turns out
to be prophecy when viewed from an episode further down the line?  The
temptation now is to view every line in a new episode as a "sign and portent,"
but one ultimately fails because one is caught up in the drama of the moment.
(Blessed be the inventors of VCRs!)

    - rje -

There are times you remember and times you forget, but your life is made up of
the times you remember.


 #: 578222 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Sep-96  12:18:12
Sb: #577901-Dust to Dust question
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Yeah...we're slippery that way....

                                                                       jms


 [ Summary: Asks if JMS agrees that Babylon 5 seems to have been "noticed"
   more recently by the mainstream.  Wonders why. ]

 #: 578223 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Sep-96  12:18:14
Sb: #577948-B5 visibility/popularity
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Yes, I agree that there has been an increase in our visibility lately.
I think it stems from a number of things.  First, we've outlived the
expectations for us.  Everybody wrote us off, said we'd be gone in half a
season (including Entertainment Weekly).  We've been stomped on, panned,
abandoned, derided and left for dead.  But we keep on going, like some kind of
deranged, phosphor-dot Energizer bunny.  Look at the shows that, unlike B5, got
lots of PR, had big names attached to them, were held up way above us by the
fickle media...VR5, Earth 2, SeaQuest, Space Rangers, Space Above and Beyond,
others...and they're all gone.  And we're still here.  We can't be ignored any
longer.

       A lot of folks are still asking, Can B5 succeed?  But in whatever
television terms you choose to apply, we *have* succeeded.  We succeeded when
we went three years, which is exceedingly rare in ANY SF series.  Had we gone
only 3 years, even though the story wouldn't have been finished, the series
itself would've been a success from a purely TV perspective. Remember, the
original Star Trek itself only went 3 seasons...and look where that led.

       Second, I think more people have at least sampled the show, and from the
ratings, more people have stayed with it, and seen what it is we're doing.  The
longer you're on the air, the more folks will run into you, even if just by
accident.  Where virtually every syndicated show has lost ratings, B5 has
grown, slowly but surely.

       There comes a point where a series, any series, reaches critical mass in
terms of public recognition.  I think we're finally on the cusp of that.

                                                                       jms


 [ Summary: A U.K. fan hasn't received her fan club packet yet and is 
   worried, as she's moving soon.  Asks for an e-mail address to which to
   send questions. ]

 #: 578225 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Sep-96  12:18:21
Sb: #578141-Slight Fan Club panic
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Sure, it's jplb5 at aol.com.

                                                                       jms


 [ Summary: Comments that JMS said, at the "Blackpool gig," that Babylon 5
   now had access to technology that could render creatures as well Jurassic
   Park.  Wonders if that is no longer true given the changes in CGI this 
   new year. ]

 #: 578227 S5/Babylon 5: General
    16-Sep-96  12:18:26
Sb: #578179-Creature CGI
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Actually, no, the equipment now in hand is equal to or better than the
previous stuff, so that's still a very viable option.  I just gotta find the
story to go with it.

                                                                       jms



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