Attn JMS: Season 5 writing style

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: ck at zipcon.net ( )
Date: 24 Oct 1997 19:14:52 -0400
Lines: 25


I admit up front: this is armchair quarterbacking and nitpicking. That
said...

Now that B5 has a guarenteed station and timeslot, and the previous
seasons will be run 5 days a week, does that mean you will be writing
season 5 with less of the recaps and other nods to "people just tuning
in"? There have been times where the fans know what or who something is,
but the episode skids to a stop as one of the characters explains what or
who it is to the audience. 

If you see a Klingon on Star Trek, or Cancer Man on X-Files, or Sideshow
Bob on the Simpsons, etc. etc. ad nauseam, they don't stop and point out
when and where we saw them before; they just go. I'd love to see any
number of characters, places or events in B5 without a handy
black-and-white flashback or 30 seconds of dialogue about it. 

Yes, I know, it's your damn show. Yes, I know, half the episodes in the
season are finished already. But still, one person's opinion: You've got
your captive audience. You win! It's the last season - be obscure,
ridiculously obscure! Put in things that people will only get after seeing
every episode! Name-drop like crazy, I say! 

fanatically,
Chris

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 26 Oct 1997 03:16:28 -0500
Lines: 23

>Now that B5 has a guarenteed station and timeslot, and the previous
>seasons will be run 5 days a week, does that mean you will be writing
>season 5 with less of the recaps and other nods to "people just tuning
>in"?
>If you see a Klingon on Star Trek, or Cancer Man on X-Files, or Sideshow
>Bob on the Simpsons, etc. etc. ad nauseam, they don't stop and point out
>when and where we saw them before; they just go.

Difference is, this is a continuing storyline, and so I think you do need to
 have the occasional bit of exposition in there for the folks who don't (or
 can't) watch and track every single episode.  You should be able to come in at
 any point in the story, and watch an episode, and get something satisfying out
 of it.

Doesn't really have anything to do with the time slot, it has to do with being
 fair to the majority of the audience.


 jms




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