JMS on CompuServe (May 26, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
bbarrett at speedlink.com
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Mon May 26 13:57:17 EDT 1997
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S
P
O
I
L
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.johndelenn.com/pub/bbarrett/cis/
- or -
http://www.johndelenn.com/
**********************************************
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: <Moments...>
Sb: #671763-<MOMENTS>
Sb: #671753-New Voyager/B5 parallels
Sb: #671721-#<MOMENTS OF TRANSITION>
Sb: #671824-#Product Placement
Sb: #671883-#<moments>
Sb: #671843-<MOMENTS>
Sb: #671791-#<Moments...>
Sb: #671854-<MoT> Starfireworks
Sb: #671857-<Moments> question
Sb: #671980-#Product Placement
Sb: #671978-Moments--Question
#: 671728 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-May-97 19:36:09
Sb: <Moments...>
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN
Joe,
<In a way, it was the second half of G'Kar's sentence...that life can
be broken down into moments of transition and moments of revelation...and there
with Neroon at the end we had both.>
I have a question about Neroon's motive(s) here. Did he REALLY have an
epiphany and realize he belonged to the religious caste? I know you very
nicely foreshadowed this moment back in season one when Delenn told Neroon
about how his leader was once religious caste and switched to warrior caste for
the Earth/Minbari war. Or, did he just come to believe in Delenn and her
"rightness" to lead the Minbari so much that he was willing to die and renounce
his caste to prove her point for her and allow her to survive?
Tom^^^^
#: 671782 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 02:38:29
Sb: <Moments...>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Whether it was true or not, he knew his actions would bring the castes
back together...so out of respect for the dead, best to leave the issue
unresolved, and accept his gesture for what it was.
jms
#: 671763 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-May-97 23:24:32
Sb: #671428-#<MOMENTS>
Fm: MARTE BRENGLE
If Bester's left hand is useless, though, how does he get his gloves on?
--M--
#: 671783 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 02:38:31
Sb: #671763-<MOMENTS>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Ask Walter.
jms
#: 671753 S5/Babylon 5: General
24-May-97 23:14:44
Sb: #671093-#New Voyager/B5 parallels
Fm: BURHAAN AHMAD
>> [Substitute the Shadows for the Borg and you may see a parallel.] <<
Actually, substitute Species 842790210whatever for the Shadows, and substitute
the Borg for the Vorlons. The first two both espouse survival of the fittest
as their philosophy. The later two are both lords of order.
As for the FX, remember that Ron Thornton's company now does the FX for
Voyager. Their particular visual style probably carried over to Voyager a
little. Did you notice how Trek space has nebulae all over the place lately?
#: 671885 S5/Babylon 5: General
25-May-97 14:47:01
Sb: #671753-New Voyager/B5 parallels
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
What I love -- knowing that our EFX guys are now doing the EFX for
Voyager and to some extent DS9 -- is seeing a ST fan's letter in the current SF
Universe saying how much he hates B5's EFX and prefers Voyager's because we use
CGI which looks faker than ST's EFX...which are, in fact, being done in large
measure in EXACTLY the same way, with the SAME EFX that we pioneered, by the
SAME PEOPLE.
You just want to go up to him and plink him in the nose...just one
finger, just a plink, that's all....
jms
[ Summary: "And Bester could have just tipped off ol' Edgars
annonomously." ]
#: 671886 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 14:47:03
Sb: #671721-#<MOMENTS OF TRANSITION>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Bear in mind that Edgars also has Wade working for him right there on the
station, and he is more or less Garibaldi's liaison with Edgars, so logically
that would be his source of information.
jms
[ Summary: "I am gratified to discover your personal view of the future
includes the notion that several hundred years down the road Silver Oak
will still be producing their incredible Cabernets." ]
#: 671949 S5/Babylon 5: General
25-May-97 19:44:10
Sb: #671824-#Product Placement
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I hadn't noticed that...hmm...they're supposed to avoid slipping in real
stuff in the props department...must have a word or two.
jms*
(*who wouldn't know good wine from rat whizz)
#: 671883 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 14:18:12
Sb: #<moments>
Fm: MICHAEL ZITAGLIO
Hi,
I like secrecy as much as the next guy. I just hope Edgars doesnt turn out to
be John Forsythe :).
Terri has a question, why did you pick 2258 to start all of this?
BTW, Thanks for killing off Neroon. He was one of my favorites!
mIKE
#: 671950 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 19:44:12
Sb: #671883-#<moments>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"why did you pick 2258 to start all of this?"
That's when it all happened.
I just report the news, I don't make it.
jms
#: 671843 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 09:04:57
Sb: #671428-#<MOMENTS>
Fm: MERYL YOURISH
Joe,
Moments was a great episode. Neroon's change of allegiance was so well
done--you really had me going in the final scene from last week, but it became
clear he was working with Delenn from the first moments of--well, "Moments".
I'm about to mourn the loss of the (sigh) greatest baritone voice we have on
B5, but I have a question for you: Does the loss of Neroon indicate we may be
seeing John Vickery return in his Nightwatch role?
Meryl
#: 671951 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 19:44:14
Sb: #671843-<MOMENTS>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, not as that role, but we're definitely open to using him in other
roles, as with Wayne Alexander.
jms
#: 671791 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 03:54:18
Sb: #<Moments...>
Fm: BILL HIRST
Joe, once again your story totally blew me away. The acting was teriffic, the
plot twists were unexpected. Walter Koenig and Pat Tallman were excellent. Four
years and you're still writing stories that hit me right in the gut.
Yesterday I read that story of you and Harlan watching Schindler's List. Today
I think you have the talent to do the same type of film. It's not faint praise
or wishful thinking, but a serious assessment of your work based on 40+ years
of viewing films. IMO, your talents have increased greatly in the last couple
of years. 22 scripts a year, with nobody rewriting your words... no TV writer
has ever done that before, and had the show live or die on the results.
But don't belive this fanboy. Ask Harlan if I'm right. You know he never
learned to lie.
-B
#: 671952 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 19:44:17
Sb: #671791-#<Moments...>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. I think this concentrated effort has helped me to become a
better writer, though I still have a LONG way to go before I'm qualified to
carry Serling's or Corwin's pencil box.
jms
#: 671854 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 10:33:45
Sb: #<MoT> Starfireworks
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms -
About 15 minutes after finishing watching "MoT," the image of the Starfire
Wheel lingered and illuminated the rest of the episode and the imagery of the
Grey Council.
As to the Grey Council, one thing that struck me was that the pools of light in
which the members stand might have been established by Valen as a reminder of
the Starfire Wheel and the weighty responsibility of leadership. The grey
cloaks might then represent the post-Starfire ashen remains. The original
trial-by-Starfire was dramatic and noble (subjecting leaders to the agonies
their decisions inevitably cause the people has a certain appeal...), but it
was ultimately wasteful -- eliminating precisely those leaders whose ability to
see beyond caste could lead to the civilized development of Minbari society.
Neroon's demise certainly underscores that point. Between the candle and the
star now has deeper meaning, since the star has been a force of destruction.
Shakiri's comments about leadership, not dogma and action, not meditation are
certainly ironic. Delenn, of all, has shown leadership and has certainly been
active! The action/meditation dichotomy seems to parallel the Vorlon/Shadow
conflict. Action not directed by meditation is merely chaotic, and meditation
not followed by action is static.
Delenn's Starfire experience captured several moments of transition. She has
already made a transition, as leader of the White Star Fleet, from religious to
religious-warrior (let alone to Minbari-Human). She initiated the ultimate
transition to grey ash, and the transition was completed by Neroon, who had
undergone his own transition from warrior to warrior-religious.
But each main character to have a focus in the episode was also entering a
Starfire Wheel, some willingly, some reluctantly, and some merely unaware.
Garibaldi's Starfire of his relationship with Edgars at the moment merely
causes him inconveniences. For all his "street smarts," I think he is not yet
fully aware of the Starfire-forces about to be played on him.
Lyta finally enters her Starfire of her deal-with-the-devil from necessity and
as a last resort. I suspect we will see her also subjected to forces which she
had not anticipated (and plenty that she had).
Zack seems to be stepping further into the Starfire of responsibility and
becoming more comfortable about implementing difficult policies affecting those
he at least once considered friends. It's interesting to me that he now refers
to Garibaldi as "Michael" -- he seems to have accepted his own equality with
his former "Chief."
Sheridan and Ivanova, of course, are about to enter the
mother-of-all-Starfires.
Other observations:
I liked the opening moment of transition, taking us back to the Hour of the
Wolf -- the haunted transition-time between one day's problems and the next.
Lyta's job interview: Dismal to see that insurance agents, lawyers and boards
of directors continue to have a squelching effect on ability.
Bester: He has such a disquieting, ophidian charm. His appreciation of the
classics isolates him from the "shallow end of the gene pool" almost as much as
his telepathic ability.
Finally, the diversity of cultures on Babylon 5 must be a satisfaction for you
as a writer to have so many different voices to express. "MoT" for me was
almost like seguing between playwrights -- Damon Runyan (Garibaldi) to Oscar
Wilde (Bester) to Aeschylus (Minbar). One of the things I have found most
appealing about Babylon 5 as a whole is that the language is similar to the
language of the stage. That seems rare in a television milieu defined for the
most part by diseases-of-the-week, talk-show spew and courtroom maneuverings.
-rje- To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else. --
Emily Dickinson
#: 671953 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 19:44:20
Sb: #671854-<MoT> Starfireworks
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, the Grey Council stucture, visually, is designed to bring the
Starfire wheel to mind. Valen, being something of a smart cookie, figured it
would be wise to tie in whatever he was doing to the traditions that preceded
him. So they're arranged in a circle, with a series of lights above them, and
the one central light (for Dukhat, for instance) reserved for the one who had
endured and grown to leadership, but through a somewhat less violent means.
"Finally, the diversity of cultures on Babylon 5 must be a satisfaction for you
as a writer to have so many different voices to express. "MoT" for me was
almost like seguing between playwrights -- Damon Runyan (Garibaldi) to Oscar
Wilde (Bester) to Aeschylus (Minbar). One of the things I have found most
appealing about Babylon 5 as a whole is that the language is similar to the
language of the stage. That seems rare in a television milieu defined for the
most part by diseases-of-the-week, talk-show spew and courtroom maneuverings."
Yeah, I like that part a lot, being able to write in lots of different
voices, lots of different styles. You have to remember that I cut my teeth
writing dialogue back when I was writing plays and getting them produced. I
love theater, love plays, and love really well done or rich dialogue. So it
echoes that now...which as you say isn't necessarily the style of dialogue seen
on most television (which is why a few react weirdly to it), but I like it, and
it's my show....
jms
#: 671857 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 10:45:52
Sb: #670564-#<Moments> question
Fm: MARA K. MALOVANY
>> And Bester was named for a well-known SF writer, now gone.<<
I managed to get a hold of his "The Demolished Man", and was amazed at
how, unlike so many other 'classic' sf novels, it didn't seem at all dated. So
often sf practically screams out what decade it was written in, particularly
when it comes to sexual politics, but Bester didn't seem to get distracted into
constructing some elaborate vision of the future, instead keeping the focus on
telepathy. Thanks for introducing me to the book.
Who was the author you've recommended from time to time? James or
Jonathan Carroll, I can never remember.
Mara
#: 671954 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
25-May-97 19:44:23
Sb: #671857-<Moments> question
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, Jonathan Carroll, who does dark contemporary fantasy, is someone I'd
definitely recommend.
jms
[ Summary: "What was up with the Zima adverts back a couple season ago?" ]
#: 672013 S5/Babylon 5: General
26-May-97 03:27:04
Sb: #671980-#Product Placement
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The Zima thing was a gag...
jms
[ Summary: "Couldn't Lyta have gone to Sheridan or the Command Staff
for help instead of taking the Psi-Corp deal?" ]
#: 672014 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
26-May-97 03:27:05
Sb: #671978-Moments--Question
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think Lyta had just emotionally gotten to the place where she had to do
something on her own rather than continuing to rely on the kindness of
strangers.
jms
[END]
-***
-*** B5JMS SUBSCRIBERS: Replies to messages go to the list maintainer,
-*** <b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu>. If you want to reply elsewhere, adjust
-*** the "To" field. The best way to reach JMS is to post to rastb5m, which
-*** can be done by sending email to <b5mod at deepthot.cary.nc.us>.
More information about the B5JMS
mailing list