JMS on CompuServe (Feb 16, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
bbarrett at speedlink.com
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Sun Feb 16 23:36:04 EST 1997
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The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #648480-Scotty Fired
Sb: #648401-B5 Goodies
Sb: #648570-Writing
Sb: #648525-Babylon 5 Soundtrack II
Sb: #648656-<Epiphanies - good...>
Sb: #648738-Kathryn Drennan
Sb: #648953-Paramount praise?
Sb: #648931->>IofT great/frightening
Sb: #648958-<Epiphanies> All Round
[ Summary: Asks if it's true that Paramount pressured the producers of
"Homeboy in Outer Space" to fire James Doohan. ]
#: 648724 S2/Star Trek: General
15-Feb-97 19:42:34
Sb: #648480-Scotty Fired
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Your understanding of the situation is correct.
jms
#: 648401 S8/Babylon 5: Social
14-Feb-97 16:27:23
Sb: #648396-#B5 Goodies
Fm: DARRAN WILLIAMS
>> Allegedly you can get the second CD direct from Sonic Images Right now over
the Net with your Credit Card I got the Last one that way <<
Yeah, I've got the details, however I thought I'd wait to see if a release date
was issued quickly. As noone yet has received a date I'll probably ring Sonic
Images next week and order it direct. I think the delivery time stated was
about 5 days, but allow 4 weeks and the cost was $20 including postage (what
I'd expect to pay anyway).
Darran...
#: 648725 S8/Babylon 5: Social
15-Feb-97 19:42:35
Sb: #648401-B5 Goodies
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The 2nd soundtrack is out and available right now.
jms
[ Summary: Goes on and on about the joys of WordStar (which I cut my
teeth on as well -- don't get me wrong :-). ]
#: 648970 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Feb-97 19:48:56
Sb: #648570-Writing
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think a lot of SF writers stayed with it because of familiarity. SF
writers, and folks like me (still not entirely sure if I belong in that
category), were invariably the first ones on our block to have personal
computers...back when that meant a Kaypro II with 64K ram and 128K floppies and
NO internal hard drive, and an 8" green monitor. (I still have mine,
incidentally, I'm too sentimental to throw it away.)
Back then, Wordstar was pretty much the way to go. That's what I learned
on, and that's why I use it. I like the WYSIWYG approach, and it does feel
like a typewriter.
The WS for Windows was a nightmare, and I deleted it instantly. Is there
any indication that they're going to be trying again any time soon? I'd like to
use the capability that comes with windows, but I'm too short on time to afford
the learning curve for another software system.
jms
#: 648525 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Feb-97 06:49:38
Sb: #648388-#Babylon 5 Soundtrack II
Fm: NICK MURRAY
Hi Joe,
I just got the new B5 soundtrack the other day and it really sounds great!
But I have to say I am a little disappointed. The cue for "Severed Dreams" was
the absolute #1 reason I wanted this soundtrack so bad, especially after you
played it that time on HOUR 25. I am referring to the one you have people cue
up their VCR's to the point in "Severed Dreams" to let people hear what they
normally miss because of the sound fx and other elements the drown out the
music during the show. But when I played the "Severed Dreams" track on the new
CD it doesn't sound like the same cue at all?? Someone had a breakdown of the
tracks on USENET and from what I understand the track titled "Severed Dreams"
is actually mostly music is from "Messages from Earth"? Track 2 on the CD has
a portion from "Severed Dreams" but not the whole cue.
I guess I don't understand why the tracks are titled the way they are when they
don't contain the music from that particular episode? Obviously the tracks that
contain the season 1-4 title music are correctly labeled but I guess I don't
understand the logic the naming of the other tracks.
Don't get me wrong, I really like the CD, but I was really looking forward to
that music cue. 8-(
--Nick
#: 648971 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Feb-97 19:48:58
Sb: #648525-Babylon 5 Soundtrack II
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think that music appears elsewhere on the disk, in pieces...I'm not
sure why he entitled stuff the way he did. There's more "Z'ha'dum" stuff in
the "Severed" track than anything else.
jms
[ Summary: Loved the G'Kar/Londo reunion in "Epiphanies." ]
#: 648972 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Feb-97 19:49:00
Sb: #648656-<Epiphanies - good...>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The G'Kar/Londo dynamic isn't quite over yet...there's more to come, and
that relationship is going to continue having its ups and downs.
jms
[ Summary: Asks how to tell which novels are canon and which are not. ]
#: 648976 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Feb-97 20:01:50
Sb: #648738-Kathryn Drennan
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The broad strokes of previous books are generally incorporated into
canon, but henceforth the books will be *based on* canon, which will help take
care of a lot of trouble.
jms
[ Summary: The poster's father mentioned that he heard something, possibly
on the Paul Harvey radio show, about someone connected with Paramount
praising Babylon 5. ]
#: 648977 S5/Babylon 5: General
16-Feb-97 20:01:52
Sb: #648953-Paramount praise?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It probably refers to Majel Roddenberry, who supported the show by coming
out and acting on it.
jms
#: 648931 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Feb-97 17:32:59
Sb: #>>IofT great/frightening
Fm: TONI MULLER
Just saw "The Illusion of Truth." It was so well put together. We loved all
the humor, especially when John said, "Let's see what's on; probably a
commercial," and it was! It was great how you worked the real commercials
right into the episode.
On a more serious note, we were also struck by how much power the media has and
how that power can be abused. It was quite sobering to realize that this is
exactly what has happened in many countries in the past, where the government
has had control of the media and used it for propagandizing, and to a lesser
extent here in our own. "He who controls the media..." I think everyone
should see this episode to make them begin to think critically about what they
hear on television or read in the papers. Too many Americans read
indescriminately and accept everything as "the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth," never realizing that complete objectivity is next to
impossible.
Thanks again for a job well done!
Toni Muller
#: 648978 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Feb-97 20:01:54
Sb: #648931->>IofT great/frightening
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...yeah, it's a *very* subversive episode in that way. Which is
way cool.
jms
#: 648958 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Feb-97 19:15:54
Sb: #<Epiphanies> All Round
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
What an unsettling (and exhausting) episode:
The opening shot of StarFury formations (is it war still?) revealed to be
celebratory maneuvers, but yet foreshadowing their later military usage against
Clark's booby-trap.
The celebration was a wonderful thing, yet all too brief: the hey-go-mad
dancing ecstasy of one of the monks, and Franklin drawn back into the dance
(contrasted with his last dance-scene, when he was stim-afflicted).
There was a melancholy impression to Sheridan observing the festivities -- he
is now too removed by his death-to-life to be able to join in -- his only
celebration is his connection with Delenn.
It can't be good for either Centauri Prime or Narn to have the one individual
who has the most complete perpsective gone from their base of operations. And
yet, Babylon 5, with its larger perspective, is most truly home for both
Mollari and G'Kar.
The chilling beauty of G'Kar's scene with Franklin was that we are kept
painfully aware of G'Kar's sacrifice through his dark humor.
Garibaldi's shaving scene is a visually eerie thing (foreshadowing? maybe, but
it remains to be seen how much so). The real self, the "other self" and the
indifferent mask between set off alarm bells. But, if the current Garibaldi is
the Psi-Corps-influenced "other self," that other self retains so much
Garibaldi humanity, as witnessed by his resignation speeches and his scene with
G'Kar. And he's absolutely right: the result of the Shadow/Vorlon War victory
does validate his right to make his own choice of a future.
Lyta all of a sudden comes into focus as someone with her own pain: she's been
used all of her life, whether by Psi Corps, the Vorlons or Sheridan. She (and
Zack) reminds me of the foot-soldiers visited anonymously by Henry V. What is
painful irony is that the personal guarantee related to Lyta by Zack about not
giving her up to Psi Corps is somewhat belied by Sheridan later.
There was a sublime uneasiness to the meeting of Mollari and G'Kar -- G'Kar's
"Pray we never notice..." had a horrific irony given his current
physical/spiritual duality of "Noticing."
Maybe the underlying epiphany of the whole episode: It's and imperfect world;
we don't always get what we want. This may be the legacy of our indepence from
the manipulation of the Vorlons/Shadows.
Another irony: Bester's comment about Clark knowing Sheridan will come after
him. Unless I'm really misreading, why would Sheridan take the time to go
after Clark, when he's got quite enough on his plate being the resurrected
leader of a whole bunch of potentially-contentious worlds. It just reminds me
of historical moments when leaders are so blinded by their paranoia of the
"other" that they start ill-considered actions with horrible consequences for
those whom they lead.
Small observation: Pat Tallman's challenge to Bester in the council scene was
one of the most perfect examples of a "Sh*t-Eating Grin" I've ever seen.
Z'Ha-Dum: It now seems that *any* trip to Z'Ha'Dum is a bad idea. It may turn
out that Sheridan's second trip to Z'Ha'Dum, by the action of Lyta's alerting
the Shadow-minions and inspiring them to take up residence elsewhere in the
galaxy was what Mollari was referring to in the WWEII flash-forward.
One of Sheridan's inheritances from his Lorien-cure from death seems to be an
unusually acute analytical ability, both in his sense to leave the vicinity of
Z'Ha'Dum and his analysis of Lyta's part in the debacle.
There were interesting parallels drawn between Bester and Sheridan:
1) Both sent their subordinates to their deaths, but Bester kept them ignorant
of their sacrifice.
2) Both are in exalted positions of power, but Sheridan is the one who has
Delenn to talk to (not to mention friends like Ivanova).
There were epiphanies galore, then, with revelations such as the media as being
a force again (ISN does seem to be the only game going), Lyta's enhanced
abilities, Garibaldi's odd message, but the ultimate epiphany may have been the
viewers': there's no sitting back and relaxing, even though the "Big Boys"
have moved beyond the rim.
-rje-
#: 648979 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Feb-97 20:01:56
Sb: #648958-<Epiphanies> All Round
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...and as always, good thoughts on all this material.
jms
[END]
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