JMS on CompuServe (Jan 15, 1997) POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Wed Jan 15 20:00:13 EST 1997

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 [ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
    Sb: #637124-B5 in South Africa?
    Sb: #637906-Lock and Lie
    Sb: #638088-#B5 TV ratings?
    Sb: #638094-#From jms re: yr 4/5

 [ Summary: "Does anyone know if B5 is shown in the Republic of South 
   Africa?" ]

 #: 637970 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  00:18:38
Sb: #637124-B5 in South Africa?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      I believe it is, yes.

                                                                    jms

 #: 637906 S5/Babylon 5: General
    14-Jan-97  19:58:02
Sb: #Lock and Lie
Fm: BRENT BARRETT

Howdy, Joe;

    I have a question that goes back a way -- one which may be answered in the
TV movie.  If it is, I'll be happy to wait, but this one's troubled me
recently.

    We know that the Earthforce captain who gave the order to fire on the
Minbari fleet did so because of an unfortunate misunderstanding: The Minbari
gun ports were open as a sign of respect, and the humans, naturally, took it as
a threat.

    You've also stated (on the Net) that the human fleet then made it back to
an Earth base.  You went on to say that the Captain tried to cover his butt by
claiming that he ran into a hostile alien force.

    Something here doesn't jibe.  Not that the captain would report that he
encountered hostiles -- that's just what it would seem to him -- but that you
would state that he was lying and saying it to cover his butt.

    If the Captain felt his ships and people were in danger and fired in
perceived self-defense, then why on Earth would he feel the need to lie about
it?  Did he know that the Minbari were not a threat?  If he did, why did he
fire on them?  Did he learn something between the time of the incident and the
lie at the Earth base?  If a military commander believes that his forces are in
danger, he's obligated to protect them;  There's no dishonor or crime there.

    Even if he had learned the truth after the fact, he'd be insane to lie
about it;  If he felt that his people were in danger, even if they weren't, no
review board in their right mind would find him guilty of anything, especially
when they saw the footage and sensor logs showing the gun ports open.

    Is this something that will be made clearer in the upcoming movie, or is it
something you can comment on here?  Basically, I'm just confused about what the
Earthforce captain did after the incident and why.  Any help you can offer will
be appreciated.

Thanks,

  -- Brent

 #: 637971 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  00:27:37
Sb: #637906-Lock and Lie
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      The Minbari approached with their gun ports opened...but they also hadn't
locked on.  They were a potential menace, but had not gone into the territory
of definite menace...and when they fired, it was clear from the moment or two
it took to respond that the Minbari ships weren't ready to attack.  So he chose
to cover his butt rather than take responsibility for screwing up a first
contact situation and plunging Earth into a war.

                                                                    jms

 #: 638088 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  12:10:56
Sb: #637879-#B5 TV ratings?
Fm: MRSPEEL

>  Here's the insidious part of all this...they say they want a ratings system,
but of *course* it won't be used for censorship purposes, they just want it for
informational purposes...<

The people that insist on a ratings system are simply those who refuse to take
responsibility for their own lives and their family's. The amount of
information that any one person would find objectionable in any given tv show
is going to vary from one extreme to another - involving religious matters,
sexual content, violence, even stupid humor (I find this intolerable!)

To try and classify everything that appears on tv is ridiculous. People need to
trust that if their child sees something they don't understand, or the parent
doesn't agree with, that they can explain and discuss this with their child. No
kid is going to grow up in a vacuum. You can't shut out the world.

OTOH, it seems fairly obvious to me that certain shows are going to contain
"adult content" and others will not. The critics of this ratings system will
always find something objectionable - because what they want is tv, _their_ way
and they feel that the general public needs to be "warned"  when that is not
the case.

I think the system is a waste of time and I find the little block on my screen
distracting.

Rhonda - babbling on

 #: 638099 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  12:49:26
Sb: #638088-#B5 TV ratings?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Yup...I agree on about every level.

                                                                       jms

 #: 638094 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  12:28:05
Sb: #637538-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: SCOTT BAKER

>> They get their money from commercial advertising and foreign sales. I get a
piece of the *net* profit, and since the numbers are always jigged so that no
TV show or movie ever shows a profit, we know how much that will result
in...zilch. <<

So I assume that you get paid a salary as well as the (non-existant) net?

Is there anyway you can get a better deal?  I'd hate to think that after the
outstanding work you've done, you'd get very little monetary compensation for
the work.

BTW, what do you personally own of B5 (as in copyright, licensing, anything?)

--Scott

 #: 638100 S5/Babylon 5: General
    15-Jan-97  12:49:26
Sb: #638094-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Yes, I do get a per-epsode producing fee, and script fees.

       No, no chance of changing the deal, it is what it is...and no, I do not
personally own B5 in any way, not in copyright, licensing, any of that. WB owns
all rights.

                                                                       jms

[END]
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JMS on CompuServe (Jan 15, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

JMS on CompuServe (Jan 15, 1997) POSSIBLE SPOILERS