JMS on CompuServe (Jan 06, 1998) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
bbarrett at speedlink.com
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Wed Jan 7 02:46:58 EST 1998
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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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
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Archives of this material may be found at:
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**********************************************
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #13301-#Claudia
Sb: #13478-#Claudia
Sb: #13108-#B5 Calendar
Sb: #13302-#ItB and The Gathering
Sb: #13442-<<ItB: Dilgar War ? >>
Sb: #<TG> Zoo Scene
Sb: #13469-#Marcus....why
Sb: #13054-#In the Beginning
Sb: #13513-#<<ItB - Zowie!>>
Sb: #13250-<<ItB - Zowie!>>
Sb: #13116-#<<In the Beginning>>
Sb: #13315-<ITB> thoughts
Sb: #13173-#<ITB> thoughts
Sb: #13357-#<ITB> thoughts
Sb: #13223-In the Beginning
Sb: #13254-In the Beginning
[ Summary: Asks if JMS was always prepared to replace Ivanova. ]
#: 13422 S2/Bab 5: General
05-Jan-98 23:48:03
Sb: #13301-#Claudia
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Trap doors have always been in place for all the characters.
jms
[ Summary: "I'm looking forward to the new season and to the changes
made as well as what the HECK can happen to the main characters.
Assuming Sheridan and his wife will still be main characters?" ]
#: 13522 S2/Bab 5: General
06-Jan-98 15:47:10
Sb: #13478-#Claudia
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Oh, Sheridan and Delenn will definitely be sticking around.
jms
[ Summary: "I notice on the B5 calendar my son kindly bought me for
Christmas, that the USA premier of Midnight on The Firing Line
was on 24th January 1944." ]
#: 13421 S2/Bab 5: General
05-Jan-98 23:48:03
Sb: #13108-#B5 Calendar
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"By showing this on equipment obviously supplied from the future, mean that
the time line was disturbed ?"
Good grief, if that's true then I'm seriously out of phase, and at any
second I could completely disappea
#: 13302 S2/Bab 5: General
05-Jan-98 19:06:06
Sb: ItB and The Gathering
Fm: SYSOP_DUPA_T_PARROT
Hot damn, Joe! Youse guys do good work! ItB was one heckuva ride.
It's such a shame that we'll have to wait a year to nominate ItB for the Hugo
<g>. So, are ya planning to go to Australia in 1999?
The Gathering re-edit was also a treat. The restored scenes were worth it (and
happily the "Muppets" were blown out of an airlock <g>). I noticed the scene
where Delenn was carrying Garibaldi to safety that Delenn had become a bit
chunkier than usual <g>.
Kosh's greeting sounded like "Entil Zha Valen." Is that correct?
#: 13423 S2/Bab 5: General
05-Jan-98 23:48:03
Sb: #13302-#ItB and The Gathering
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
That was his interior monologue, yes.
jms
[ Summary: Asks what the Dilgar War, mentioned in "In the Beginning,"
was all about. ]
#: 13523 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:47:10
Sb: #13442-<<ItB: Dilgar War ? >>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
There's a fair amount about the Dilgar in "Deathwalker," first season.
And thanks.
jms
[ Summary: Asks what the heck the "Zoo Scene" in the pilot was all about. ]
#: 13420 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 23:48:03
Sb: #<TG> Zoo Scene
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The idea was just to go through the sector, pass some aliens, see the
exteriors of some quarters...the director made it into a zoo.
jms
[ Summary: A Marcus fan asks if the alien healing machine can revive
a dead person. ]
#: 13524 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:47:10
Sb: #13469-#Marcus....why
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...as for the alien machine, no, it definitely won't work on a
dead person.
jms
[ Summary: "My wife and I sat there and watched this show, and were
brought to tears toward the end." ]
#: 13525 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:47:11
Sb: #13054-#In the Beginning
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks...it's a very moving and emotional movie in a lot of places,
which was the goal. If it doesn't touch you, there ain't much point to doing
it.
jms
#: 13513 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:43:12
Sb: #13060-#<<ItB - Zowie!>>
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
Joe,
The only way that ItB could have been better is if it were longer. It almost
had the quality of one of those great old WWII movies where they spend some
time intro'ing the characters and then kill them off one by one until only two
or three are left. Pity you didn't have another hour or so to show Sinclair
hanging out with Mitchell or Franklin rejoing EF.
You also cleared up a couple of questions.
1) You *completely sold* Clark's takeover. In the aftermath of that, I would
have given the SOB the benifit of the doubt (for at least 72 hours) when he
declared martial law. You have already shown Earth as being crazy for new
technology, but after this my only comment is that you've undersold that
aspect of EarthGov.
Hell yes they'd treat with the Shadows. After the E-M War, if I were
president, I'd sell my soul for military technology, so that that could *never
happen again*.
2) The above takes care of my only other nit, which was that EarthGov let Mars
go. Prior to the Clark Administration, there were entrenched interests of the
sort that do not change with the changing of the goverment (Krupp was happy
under German democracy, Nazism, etc.).
Now I understand. EarthGov traded Mars for electrogravitic technology. That
one advance (added to the semi-organics learned from the Shadows) puts the
humans at parity with the Minbari in one generation, and is a hundred times
more important, because it guarantees a fighting chance in any war.
3) Human xenophobia is basically justified by this ep. One might have argued
that given that racism and the like are basically gone, xenophobia would never
have gotten started. Not after the E-M War.
As to the movie itself.
This was probably the best fiction I have ever seen on television. The scenes
of the war itself were terribly beautiful, the score was haunting, and Londo's
narration was simply *perfect*.
I nearly cried when the President asked the military to "hold the line" so
that a pitiful few hundred could escape. In that single moment, you feel that
even if the Minbari had done it, those few refugees would have sired a people
who, eventually, would have made it. Just at that moment, you see the echo to
the ball of light flying into the encounter suit a million years hence.
Finally, I find it ironic that the only person in the whole series who seems
to totally comprehend humanity is Londo.
I always have felt this show is about him.
Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 13532 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 16:14:08
Sb: #13513-#<<ItB - Zowie!>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"I nearly cried when the President asked the military to "hold the line" so
that a pitiful few hundred could escape. In that single moment, you feel that
even if the Minbari had done it, those few refugees would have sired a people
who, eventually, would have made it. Just at that moment, you see the echo to
the ball of light flying into the encounter suit a million years hence."
It's a very moving scene, even for me. There's something in particular
about a female president making that request, and giving those orders, that is
especially strong. I don't know why that should be, but somehow it is. We as
a people tend to forget our own strength, and as Londo says, our stubborn
nobility. We only seem to remember it when we stand on the edge of the abyss,
when it's almost too late to do anything about it.
"I always have felt this show is about him."
Yeah, in many ways, it is.
jms
[ Summary: "I noticed at around the 15 minute mark, there was a fade
out / fade in, like a commercial was supposed to go there. Was
that supposed to be a scene fade?" ]
#: 13426 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 23:48:04
Sb: #13250-<<ItB - Zowie!>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yeah, there was supposed to be a commercial there, but instead TNT ran
straight through into act 2, and inserted a commercial in act 6, right before
they go to see Sinclair.
jms
#: 13116 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 06:54:12
Sb: <<In the Beginning>>
Fm: STEVEN K. ANDEWEG
Amazing how I keep getting fooled into thinking you and B5 can never surmount
your latest level of quality in episodes like" Endgame" and "Deconstruction of
Stars" in terms of story and production. Then you go out there, notch up the
bar a few more inches, and go flying over with" In the Beginning". Great
story, superb acting and special effects, an overall beautiful production!
Steve A.
#: 13526 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:47:11
Sb: #13116-#<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
And the thing is..."In the Beginning" cost us a tick under $3 million
bucks, which is almost nil in terms of budgets for TV movies. It looks like
it's a $12 million feature film.
jms
#: 13315 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 19:40:14
Sb: #13247-<ITB> thoughts
Fm: MARTIN ROTH
>> I'm wondering if it was a glitch, irrelevant, or he's considering Adira one
. . <<
I'd bet against any of these options. It's Joe writing this, remember... <g>
It's probably a hint about something we haven't seen yet. Or something we
*have* seen but have forgotten about.
-- Marty PPG
#: 13430 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 02:03:13
Sb: #13315-<ITB> thoughts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, it's been established that Londo's first wife was a dancer, who he
was forced to divorce by his family.
jms
#: 13173 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 10:15:04
Sb: <ITB> thoughts
Fm: MARTIN ROTH
Wow.
I expected to be impressed. I was not disappointed. Joe, you've outdone
yourself again.
Some random, disorganized thoughts, comments, and observations, in no
particular order:
Londo is full of regret and has loaded himself down with tremendous guilt --
probably even more than he really deserves. For example, the "peace mission"
that he unwittingly disrupted appeared to only be an outside shot in any case.
It's doubtful that anything short of Sinclair's encounter with the triluminary
would've convinced the Minbari to stop at that point. Yet Londo seems now to
blame himself for the entire war anyway. Quite a change from the Londo we saw
at the beginning. And definitely an extrapolation of what we've seen happening
to him lately.
Londo's "What do you want?" ... "He did a lot better with that question than I
did." A nice piece of retroactive foreshadowing for the new viewers.
We get to see Delenn develop duing the course of the movie from a timid,
uncertain follower of Dukhat into a strong, decisive leader. She still doesn't
seem totally confident in herself or what she's doing, but she has learned to
hide her doubts. And she has learned to manipulate.
Despite the hints, it was still a surprise to actually see the Vorlons appear
in Dukhat's sanctum. It was also interesting to note that when Delenn asked
their names, Kosh responded and the other (Ulkesh?) did not.
I wonder what would've happened if Sheridan had accepted the assignment to the
Prometheus. Is it possible he would've been firmer with the Captain about the
orders to avoid contact they had received, and that the entire incident and
thus the war might've been avoided?
The footage used from various series episodes -- Sinclair from "Sky Full of
Stars", Delenn and the Minbari from "Atonement", Michael York on the
Prometheus from "Avalon" -- was a nice touch. For those of us who have seen
the episodes, it's a good tie-in to what we already had seen, giving the
episodes a fuller context; for those who have not seen the episodes yet, it
just blended into the story naturally.
At what age do Centauri boys have their hair start to stick up?
The Earth generals mention that the Minbari are skipping the civilian targets
and concentrating on the military in keeping with their caste system. They
then state that the Minbari will go back and kill the civilians later. How do
they know this? Do they have additional information they're not mentioning
about Minbari war strategy? Are they just guessing? Or are they just making it
all up as propaganda, thinking that it will motivate the Earth Forces to fight
harder?
There was one point in Delenn's quarters where I was *sure* that Lenonn was
about to say "All we are saying is give peace a chance!" <g>
Londo had *four* wives -- so there's one we haven't seen (yet). And he says
he "cared for them all deeply"! OK...
Some of the meetings between the characters seemed *a little* contrived, but
I'm fine with attributing it to dramatic license. It's the only real "problem"
I had with the story, and as these things go it's certainly not a significant
one.
-- Marty PPG
#: 13527 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 15:47:12
Sb: #13173-#<ITB> thoughts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Londo's first wife was a dancer, who he was forced to divorce by his
family.
Adira reminds him of her a lot.
jms
#: 13357 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 21:11:11
Sb: #13341-#<ITB> thoughts
Fm: MARTIN ROTH
>> In "The War Prayer" he says he has three wives, all of them arranged
marriages. <<
And these are the three we see in "Soul Mates"
>> In "A Voice in the Wilderness" Londo tells Garibaldi about a dancer he fell
in love with and married immediately. Joe said that was a fourth wife whom he
had to divorce, although that story hasn't come up in the show. <<
You're absolutely right. I had forgotten about that. Thanks.
But that still doesn't explain the "cared for them all deeply" part in
relation to the other three... <bg>
#: 13533 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
06-Jan-98 16:14:08
Sb: #13357-#<ITB> thoughts
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"But that still doesn't explain the "cared for them all deeply" part in
relation to the other three... <bg>"
We remember what, and how, we choose to remember.
jms
[ Summary: "Congratulations, to you, and all your team." ]
#: 13424 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 23:48:04
Sb: #13223-In the Beginning
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, it's been a real struggle, and we've had to overcome a lot to
get to this point.
jms
[ Summary: "Last night was a fabulous inaugural for Babylon 5 move to
TNT." ]
#: 13425 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
05-Jan-98 23:48:04
Sb: #13254-In the Beginning
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks.
jms
[END]
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