JMS on CompuServe (Jan 07, 1998) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* (2/2)

bbarrett at speedlink.com bbarrett at speedlink.com
Thu Jan 8 01:45:49 EST 1998


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 [ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
    Sb: #13756-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
    Sb: #13701-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
    Sb: #13699-<TG> Zoo Scene
    Sb: #13764-<<In the Beginning>>
    Sb: #13751-<<In the Beginning>>
    Sb: #13717-<<In the Beginning>>
    Sb: #13697-<<In the Beginning>>
    Sb: #13720-Congrats on ITB


 #: 13756 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  10:23:03
Sb: #13630-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN

Joe,

	<And yes, Kosh and Ulkesh were contemporaries, though Ulkesh was the 
more military of the two, very isolationist, while Kosh was the curious one, 
interested in the younger races, and more willing to extend himself (with 
sometimes unfortunate results).  Kosh always worried what Ulkesh would do 
without his moderating presence...and ultimately had to be the one to take him 
down to allow the younger races to step forward.>

	Since Kosh and Ulkesh seem to have the authority to dictate Vorlon 
policy from what you've said, can we assume that they were near the top of the 
Vorlon heirarchy (whatever THAT may be)?

						Tom^^^^

 #: 13781 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:01
Sb: #13756-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      It's not a hierarchy as you or I would understand it...and the weird 
thing is, though I kinda know how it functions, I'll be damned if I can figure 
out how to explain it in words.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13701 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  06:48:05
Sb: #13630-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY

>> Kosh always worried what Ulkesh would do without his moderating 
presence...and ultimately had to be the one to take him down to allow the 
younger races to step forward.

Were they friends?

I find the question interesting because it humanizes (Vorlonizes?) them a bit. 
Perhaps Ulkesh (thanks for the name incidently) respected Kosh's moderating 
influence, but went totally berserk when his (its) companion of 50,000 years 
got wacked.

Phil^^^^
FREE MARS! 

 #: 13780 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:01
Sb: #13701-Kosh (Spoilers to ITF)
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      No, I wouldn't call them friends.  They had a certain respect for one 
another, but Ulkesh always thought Kosh was soft, and Kosh always worried that 
Ulkesh was dangerous.  In their own ways, both were right.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13699 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  06:48:04
Sb: #13632-<TG> Zoo Scene
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY

The music during Londo's narration of the last two years of the E-M war was 
really intense.

That particular piece was just perfect.

Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!

 #: 13782 S4/Seas. 1-4 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:02
Sb: #13699-<TG> Zoo Scene
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      Yeah, I'm real happy with that sequence, starting with the top of the 
act and straight through to the President's speech...I think it's one of those 
moments when we committed art.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13764 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  11:22:02
Sb: #13634-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: BRIAN PROTHERO

Congratulations on the very successfull broadcast of "In The Beginning" and 
"The Gathering".  I would have never guessed that the production cost only $3 
million.  That is absolutely amazing.  The SFX alone were fantastic!

Any chance on rebroadcasting the re-edited pilot given the suprisingly high 
ratings?  I taped it but I didn't realise that it was going to start 
immediately following "In The Beginning" and missed the very beginning as I 
switched tapes in the VCR.  Also, will the re-edited version of "The 
Gathering" ever be released on video (VHS, DVD or Laserdisc)?  I currently 
prefer Laserdisc over VHS but I would be willing to buy a DVD player if the 
Babylon 5 series was released on DVD.  The picture and sound quality is 
suppose to be comparable to LD and is much cheaper and takes up less storage 
space... important for an entire series worth of discs.  Many CD jewel cases 
will even allow 2 CDs (or DVDs) to be in one case; so the storage space could 
even be cut in half.  I have even seen some cases or anthology sets that hold 
6 CDs.  I don't know if it is easier to sell single 2 episode discs rather 
than a 12 episode set; but with the novel style story telling (arc) it would 
make sense to package multiple episodes together and would probably reduce 
manufacturing costs and ultimately the retail price.

Message text written by J. Michael Straczynski
>  We got the ratings, and I can't release them yet, that has to come from 
TNT, but suffice to say they're dancing in the aisles over at TNT.  Again, I 
can't give specifics yet, but they had a very specific rating in mind that 
they felt was the best we would probaby get, which we beat handily, and they 
felt that the pilot, being a rerun, wouldn't do that well...and it ended up 
doing as well as the maximum they'd hoped the prequel would get. <



 #: 13786 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:03
Sb: #13764-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      I think the rebroadcast will happen in a couple of months on TG; the 
rest is in the works but nothing's happening in the short run.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13751 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  10:23:02
Sb: #13634-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN

Joe,

<Again, I can't give specifics yet, but they had a very specific rating in 
mind that they felt was the best we would probaby get, which we beat handily, 
and they felt that the pilot, being a rerun, wouldn't do that well...and it 
ended up doing as well as the maximum they'd hoped the prequel would get.>

	Can you say if you broke and cable network records?

						Tom^^^^

 #: 13785 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:03
Sb: #13751-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      No, didn't break records, but we didn't have to and didn't expect to.

      We just had to succeed.

      We did.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13717 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  08:00:04
Sb: #13634-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: DAVID DERUBEIS

>>We got the ratings, and I can't release them yet, that has to come from TNT, 
but suffice to say they're dancing in the aisles over at TNT.<<

I can't help but think that, especially at this point in the negotiations, 
that this rather bodes well for the prospects of Crusade getting on the air.

Amazing what wall-to-wall publicity will do for getting your potential 
audience to tune in.  Of course, it helps a lot that you delivered the goods.

David

 #: 13784 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:02
Sb: #13717-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      Turns out we virtually tripled our regular audience, and *built* each 
quarter hour, which means folks were jumping in all through, and those who 
came, stayed.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13697 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  06:47:14
Sb: #13634-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY

>>      They're stunned.

I've *really* been waiting for this.

Fact is, you sound as though you have some really great people who sold 
management this show on its merits, people who really believed.

I *love it* when things work out for those sorts.

Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!

 #: 13783 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:02
Sb: #13697-<<In the Beginning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      There were a number of big fans of the show in TNT programming who kept 
bugging management to pick up the show, do the movies...and whose necks were 
on the line if it didn't work...who are now dancing in the aisles.

                                                                    jms


 #: 13720 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  08:18:07
Sb: Congrats on ITB
Fm: NICK AND TONI MULLER

Since we have a new baby (Eowyn Anne, born December 13), I won't be spending 
much time in this forum for a little while.  But I did want to take a moment 
to tell you how much we enjoyed B5:In the Beginning.  It was worth the wait 
(and the cost of cable, which I swore I'd never get, but asked for for 
Christmas)!  We eagerly await the start of season 5 and meanwhile are enjoying 
the reruns of season 1, half of which we missed since we hadn't yet been 
"converted" when they first aired.  Keep up the good work and plan a l-o-n-g 
vacation for when it's all over!

Toni Muller

 #: 13787 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
    07-Jan-98  12:26:03
Sb: #13720-Congrats on ITB
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      Thanks....

      Eowyn?  I may be wrong, but it sounds like somebody's a Tolkein fan.

                                                                    jms


[END]

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