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Sat Aug 9 00:41:30 EDT 1997

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After a whopping week on-line, I have updated by Science fiction pages.

The can be reached at:

Approved: zofran
Message-Id: <33EC3EC4.805691A9 at direct.ca>
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 02:56:20 -0700
To: b5mod-moderate at deepthot.cary.nc.us
Mime-Version: 1.0
Subject: Straczynski-isms
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------ACD39B94A22A829D4CC7A4FC"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Orig-From: Scott Advani <sadvani at direct.ca>
From: zofran at deepthot.cary.nc.us
Parts/attachments:
   1 Shown   44 lines  Text                                                                                                       
   2   OK    14 lines  Text, "Card for Scott Advani"                                                                              

----------------------------------------

I want to propose a new addition to the English language:

Straczynskiism: a brief, defining dialogue that is generously written,
and revealing of character.

While this type of writing is likely not exclusive to our own 'jms', it
is something we have seen extremely often in Babylon 5, much to our
satisfaction.

Take, for example, the conversation between Garibaldi and Franklin in
Downbelow when they were looking for Dr. Roberts, from Earth.  They
discussed the future, and how disappointing it was.  "Some assembly
required."  Or, the discussion between Garibaldi and Sinclair,
concerning "Fasten or Zip".  The confrontation between Vir and G'Kar in
the tube, with G'Kar cutting his hand and repeating "dead... dead...
dead..." in time with the drops of blood.  Or, between Vir and Ivanova,
concerning his engagement with Lyndysty, concerning sexual relations.
Or, between Ivanova and Sheridan, when she confessed being a telepath to

him.  Or, between Ivanova and Lorien, and how she and her heart don't
talk anymore.

Each of these little dialogues reveals truth in two ways, and operates
on more than one level.  Each one reveals another facet of the
character, a glimpse of them being vulnerable in a way that they aren't
with just anyone, or even, necessarily, with themselves.  At the same
time, Straczynski is making a comment on something: the future,
relationships, the way we live, the decisions we make.  With each one of

these little dialogues, he underscores some aspect of the human
condition through these characters.

He does this so often, nearly every episode.  They are generous scenes,
allowing an actor to reveal his or her ability, and allowing them to
explore there character.  Its a real rarity, too.  I rarely see this
style of writing elsewhere, and done with the layers as finely crafted
and subtle as he does them.

Usually it leans too far one way - either too much into the character,
and they're just saying something obvious, or too much into the
preaching, and it's inconsistent with the character (we know _we_ are
being spoken to).  It's one of the real pleasures of watching this show.

 -
  [Part 2, "Card for Scott Advani"  Text/X-VCARD  14 lines]
  [Not Shown. Use the "V" command to view or save this part]

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To: b5mod-moderate at deepthot.cary.nc.us
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Subject: Re: Promising but failed SF on TV (was: Re: The worst SF on TV)
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Date: 9 Aug 1997 01:15:19 GMT
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From: zofran at deepthot.cary.nc.us

In <33e8efa6.865230 at news.clinic.net>
kstuart at clinic.net (Kingbob) writes:
>
>	What about two of the best shows that never got a fair chance
> in the last five years. Namely "Space: Above and Beyond" and "Earth2".
> Both these shows had their lights snubbed out way before their prime. 
>

I'm presuming you're serious about this comment, and curious as to 
your background; if you found those two shows acceptable in the 
slightest degree, I can only assume that either your nurse dropped
you on your head repeatedly as a child, or that the producers
involved are holding members of your family hostage.

"EARTH 2:"

The four "creators" who came up with this hugely expensive turkey were
Billy Ray, Michael Duggan, Carol Flint, and Mark Levin, none of whom had
any background in SF or even Sci-Fi, and were proud of it; *they* were
Big Time TV Producers With Awards, they didn't need a series format or
a technical advisor or SF-competent writers, all they had to do was 
re-shoot a few "WAGON TRAIN" scripts with the Indians in rubber suits.

The so-called "producers" on "EARTH 2" were very proud of their complete
lack of genre background, and publicly stated that they felt this would
be a plus, since they would not "have the tried and true ideas to fall
back on."   I believe it was Duggan who commented that "We're making 
the kind of Sci-Fi *WE*'d want to watch."   Obviously, their tastes 
are insufficiently mature to cope with early "DOCTOR WHO" episodes,
much less a "WAGON TRAIN LOST IN SPACE" composite remake.

Please note that although Steven Spielberg was willing to have his name
on the 'VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA' remake, "SinkQuest," he drew
the line at the "WAGON TRAIN" remake, and his name does not appear 
anywhere on "EARTH 2."   Does this give you a clue, considering the
fact that Spielberg's track record for TV production is relatively
putrid?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

As for "SPACE: ABYSMAL & BORING," the format was created by two bozos
who've never served a day in the military, have no understanding of
basic astronomy or physics, lack the slightest concepts of strategy
and tactics, and who *really* wanted to make a "COMBAT!"-style WWII
series about grunts in the mud, but could only get studio budgeting
if they were willing to make a SkiFfy show.

The result was "BEVERLY HILLS 90210 IN SPACE," a tedious exercise 
in teen angst and stupidly conceived and executed plot elements that
never hung together; and the worst part of it was that the leading
cast member had about two prior paid gigs on her resume, and seems
to have gotten the job only on the basis of her relationship with
a producer.   (Note that after the series was canned, and Morgan &
Wong shipped back to "THE X FILES" to clean up after Chris Carter,
they used her as a guest star in an "X FILES" script called "THE 
FIELD WHERE I DIED," where she did some pretty danged fine work
despite the putrid script; so she *can* do the job, but she never
showed us that ability in "S:AAB."  In fact, her voice-over intro
tediously explicating the origin of the universe (incorrectly!)
in a late S:AAB episode sounded like someone was strangling a 
peacock; she'd either never had voice lessons, or was sitting 
on a porcupine while they Foleyed in the sound track.)

"SPACE: AGONIZING & BLETCHEROUS" was a magnificent demonstration
of what  you get when you give a couple of tyro producers a big
poke of money and don't keep them on a leash.   The total budget
for those stinking 22 episodes of sheer unadulterated tripe was
something on the order of fifty million bucks, and that's not
even including the free wall-to-wall advertising the show was 
getting in Murdoch-owned rags like "TV GUIDE."

On that much bread, JMS and Doug Netter could have shot THREE YEARS'
WORTH of "BABYLON 5," or a number of decent theatrical movies.

The *ONLY* thing it is possible to respect about "S:AAB" is that the
producers somehow not only avoided lawsuit, jail, and kneecappings by
investor-hired "enforcers;"  but are still employed in the business,
and have not had to change their names and go into hiding.

This is a degree of sheerest chutzpah so magnificent that I would doff
my hat in awed reverence, were I so constituted as to be both able and
willing to wear such a construct in the first place.

========================================================================

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  @~/ Oo \~@     @~/Oo  \~@     @~/ Oo \~@     @~/Oo  \~@     @~/ Oo \~@
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    \__U_/         \_U__/         \__U_/         \_U__/         \__U_/
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
( merge the two "underline" characters for 3-D effect.  (c) GoE, 1997 )

They include:

An Important News Flash
  It's about Roswell

The r.a.s.t.b5 Discipline FAQ
  Read this before you post to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5. The life you save
may be your own.

The Gharlane of Eddore FAQ List
  Some people like him, some people hate him. Read all about the 'Net's
very own mens ex corpore.

The Grand List of Science Fiction Clichés
  Tired of the same old ideas in science fiction? So am I.  Suggestions are
always welcome.

The Things I Will Do if I Am Ever the Hero
  *New*  A counterpart to peter's Overlord List.  Your additions are
earnestly welcome.

The Babylon 5--Monty Python Crossover Page
  It's got Neelix jokes now.

My Raytracing Gallery
  Now up to a whopping three images!

-- 
Dantalion will ride again the course of evils standing straight
Hot metal will abound the land as the form regards our blazing hand

http://www.erols.com/vansickl

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Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 14:44:41 -0400

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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 10 Aug 1997 07:16:59 -0400
Lines: 6

For purposes of pronunciation, it's Chote (hard O), Meera (short e sound),
and Jurr-a-sik, emphasis on the first syllable, not the last, as most
would expect.

 jms
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