JMS on CompuServe (Jun 19, 1998) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* (1/3)
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
bbarrett at johndelenn.com
Fri Jun 19 03:58:05 EDT 1998
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #35573-#Creating Crusade?
Sb: #35859-#B5 on UK Sci-Fi Channel?
Sb: #36222-Season 5
Sb: #36417-#Actress?
Sb: #Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #36501-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #36724-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #36589-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Sb: #35895-#UK B5 Screening Now Free
Sb: #35703-#<Darkness Ascending>
Sb: #35801-An Effect Goes Astray?
Sb: #35803-#Director's Viewpoint
Sb: #35856-#Director's Viewpoint
Sb: #35861-#Director's Viewpoint
[ Summary: Asks if the drawing of the Excalibur in Cult Times #33 is the
final version. ]
#: 35661 S2/Bab 5: General
09-Jun-98 12:43:01
Sb: #35573-#Creating Crusade?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's an early conceptual design; we've modified it a fair amount since
then.
jms
#: 35859 S2/Bab 5: General
11-Jun-98 10:30:04
Sb: #B5 on UK Sci-Fi Channel?
Fm: DARRAN WILLIAMS
Hello Joe,
Can you confirm whether the Sci-Fi channel in the UK have acquired the rights
to screen Babylon 5.
Thanks in advance.
Darran..
#: 35881 S2/Bab 5: General
11-Jun-98 13:10:06
Sb: #35859-#B5 on UK Sci-Fi Channel?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, the Sci Fi channel in the UK/Europe have indeed acquired the rights
to show B5, which I think will begin in the fall or thereabouts, and we've
been told that they will show the series uncut.
jms
#: 36222 S2/Bab 5: General
14-Jun-98 20:57:11
Sb: #Season 5
Fm: DOUGP
Joe,
I have been reading all the comments about season 5, the new captian, the
story, the arc, Claudia, rushing the Shadow war, etc. and finally had to write
you. After watching the last episode, And All My Dreams... I noticed in the
credits that I had just finished episode 518. 18 episodes into Season 5!
Can't believe it! I never doubted you as a story teller and all along was
just sitting back, enjoying the show as always and then WHAM! You've done it
again! I'm so caught up in the story that now I have to wonder how you're
gonna tie it all up with just 3 more episodes, plus Sleeping in Light to go.
You have once again proved your ability to create threads when we aren't aware
of it, to draw us in and then, WHAM, smack us on the side of the head, again!
(I must admit that I actually enjoy it.)
Please don't get drawn down by the negative people, they are a vocal minority
out there. I know I speak for all my friends and converts to the show when I
say thanks for giving us such a rich and enjoyable story, and yes, even for
the WHAMs on the side of the head!
Doug Piligian
#: 36226 S2/Bab 5: General
14-Jun-98 21:09:03
Sb: #36222-Season 5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, I appreciate that. And actually, there are 5 more eps to go;
501 was moved to the end of year 4 as "Deconstruction," so you've got this
next one, then the wait, and the final four.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if the President of the EA following Clark and Mrs.
Oswald in the movie "JFK" are played by the same actor. ]
#: 36547 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jun-98 13:05:10
Sb: #36417-#Actress?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, they're the same person, Beata Poznia.
jms
#: 36489 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jun-98 02:17:05
Sb: #Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
For those who get the Sci-Fi Channel, the series MASTERS OF FANTASY will
be doing a half-hour show on Harlan Ellison (Thursday at 5:30 and 9:30, don't
know if that's broken down by time zone, and the following Wednesday at the
same times).
Interviewed were me, Robin Williams, Willam Gibson, Leonard Nimoy, and
other folks. It actually came out pretty cool.
jms
#: 36501 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jun-98 06:11:11
Sb: #36489-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: ANITA KARVE
Hi Joe,
I stumbled on the Harlan Ellison profile last Sunday morning. Great stuff.
I'll admit I've not read any of his work yet (go ahead and plink me!), but
after learning more about the man you can bet I'll look for that anthology and
some of his other novels.
You said you called Ellison when you were a 21-year-old struggling writer and
he gave you some good advice. If I recall, he told you not to write crap since
crap doesn't sell! <g> It sounded like you called him out of the blue. Just
wondering if you became friends then and that has endured or did you look him
up again years later when you were developing the B5 universe and he
remembered you from way back?
Great profile.
Anita
#: 36722 S2/Bab 5: General
18-Jun-98 13:43:00
Sb: #36501-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
We didn't become friends until years later. Some time thereafter, I
recounted that incident to him. He distantly remembered it, and asked "Did I
offend you?" I said, "If you'd been wrong I would've been offended."
jms
#: 36724 S2/Bab 5: General
18-Jun-98 13:54:00
Sb: #36722-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: ANITA KARVE
Great story. The profile was nicely balanced. You saw Harlan ranting and
raving about the stupidity of some people but the next moment he's doing his
live writing session in a bookstore and later he's doting on his wife.
Which of his books would you recommend I start out with?
On another note, last night's episode was one of the best of the entire run so
far. I found myself yelling at Londo to make sure Centauri Prime is protected.
But after seeing "In the Beginning" there's nothing he could have done. Why oh
why did TNT have to leave us hanging with *that* one??!!
Thanks,
Anita
#: 36764 S2/Bab 5: General
18-Jun-98 17:21:04
Sb: #36724-Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'd try Shatterday, or Strange Wine.
jms
#: 36589 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jun-98 18:23:14
Sb: #36489-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
i just saw movements of fire and shadow...
you are a perniciously base wickedly depraved conniving vile detestably
abhorrent and utterly undenieably blindingly brilliant author.
nobody has ever even come close to doing anything like this in the whole
history of science fiction media...
you are actually *better* than Rod Serling
and i didn't think anyone could be...
i am in awe
complete awe
Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 36641 S2/Bab 5: General
17-Jun-98 23:02:06
Sb: #36589-#Harlan/jms on Sci-Fi Ch
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"you are a perniciously base wickedly depraved conniving vile detestably
abhorrent..."
Why, thankyew.
"...and utterly undenieably blindingly brilliant author."
And you were doing SO well there for a moment.
I gather this episode has had the desired effect....
jms
[ Summary: A U.K. fan asks how to get tickets to see "In the Beginning." ]
#: 35959 S3/Bab 5:International
11-Jun-98 22:49:08
Sb: #35895-#UK B5 Screening Now Free
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I don't know how tickets are now available; I suspect they'll go to
those who had originally volunteered to pay for them, but I don't know that
for a fact.
jms
#: 35703 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
09-Jun-98 19:07:08
Sb: #35601-#<Darkness Ascending>
Fm: DAVE VINCENT
Message text written by Jim Casey
>It's television. If it didn't work that way, there wouldn't be a plot. <
LOL. But then it's a forum, what would it be without quibbles.
>The cabin of the fighter couldn't be one-millionth of the volume of the
Centari ship. The fighter's tanks could be recharged slowly to escape notice.
I would think large ships like that would leak considerable volumes of gas,
with all their hatches.<
In space? I think air leaks on ships of any size would be important.
Important enough to register even a small change in air volume. Look at B5,
Sheridan gets reports on air volume and B5 had to much larger than the
Centauri ship. Besides, the Minbari fighter wasn't exactly dwarfed by the
cruiser.
Regards,
Dave
#: 35727 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
10-Jun-98 00:44:13
Sb: #35703-#<Darkness Ascending>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
That might be a more reasonable concern if it were more of what one
would consider a standard crew that would be concerned about such things.
Which is all I can say about it for now. More in two weeks.
jms
#: 35801 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
10-Jun-98 20:27:09
Sb: #An Effect Goes Astray?
Fm: KEVIN KENNEY
In the attack at the start of Ragged Edge, I thought the Drazi escorts to
Redstar 9 were doing nothing during the attack. They just seemed to sit
beside the cargo ship. I thought this was a purposeful clue that the Drazi
were involved with the shipping attacks until I saw (upon closer inspection)
that one of the escorts was blown away. Still, if they were escorts, they
should have been armed and doing something, since we see in Torn Asunder that
they can do damage to larger Centauri vehicles. Even if the fighters shown
were only part of the escort, leading Redstar 9 away, shouldn't they have been
a bit more active?
What was your intent?
Thanks,
KpK
#: 35814 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
10-Jun-98 21:57:12
Sb: #35801-An Effect Goes Astray?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, they were fighting...they were just more running away than they were
fighting.
jms
#: 35803 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
10-Jun-98 20:28:07
Sb: #Director's Viewpoint
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms --
"Dreams/Asunder" had some truly stunning visual stuff, which leads to a
question:
Given (for those of us who have read your TCOS script in your scriptwriting
book) that you give quite detailed visual details in your scripts (angles of
shots, focus-points, mood), what is the contribution of the director as far as
the visual outcome?
-rje- Sudden Member of Adherents for Goran Gajic As Director [AGGAD!]
#: 35815 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
10-Jun-98 21:57:12
Sb: #35803-#Director's Viewpoint
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It was shot for shot what I wrote...but at the same time, a director can
realize that well, or poorly. I thought that Goran did a terrific job.
jms
#: 35856 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
11-Jun-98 10:08:02
Sb: #35815-#Director's Viewpoint
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN
Joe,
<It was shot for shot what I wrote...but at the same time, a director
can realize that well, or poorly. I thought that Goran did a terrific job.>
That was Goran's episode?? I missed the credits at the beginning.
Great job by everyone involved. That shot of Londo in the prison window
getting smaller and smaller was just stunning. Here we have two of the most
formidible beings in the series being made small and powerless to do anything.
Very nice.
I have to say this was one of the best episodes of the entire series.
If this is any indication of what the rest of the season is like.......watch
out.
I suspect a stream of apologies to your are about to begin.<G>
Tom<*>
#: 35882 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
11-Jun-98 13:10:06
Sb: #35856-#Director's Viewpoint
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"I have to say this was one of the best episodes of the entire series. If
this is any indication of what the rest of the season is like.......watch
out."
Well, the next episode is even more so...and the one after that, more so
still. You get a slight breather for an episode or so -- still very strongly
arc, though, just not as in-your-face hardhitting -- and then the last are
whammers.
"I suspect a stream of apologies to your are about to begin."
Yeah, right, and pandas will fly out of my butt.
jms
#: 35861 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
11-Jun-98 11:16:00
Sb: #35815-#Director's Viewpoint
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
One last thing,
I've taken from some of your comment, even some that I have responded to, that
there are *still* people trotting out the tired old "It's just not a good this
year as last year..." because (shock of all shocks), the stories are *exactly*
the same as last year, and take a few eps to frame.
I sorta understand where it comes from in newbys. Every season, I notice the
slowdown from the frantic pace of the previous year and get annoyed that they
aren't every one wham episodes and so I shut my mouth and wait a couple of
weeks for the roller coaster *to make it up the first hill*.
Some people don't have the experience to know to do this, so I forgive them. I
am, however, moved to ask, are you getting a lot of repeat business from the
naysayers?
I would also add that I really like the way the series as a whole worked out.
First Season is a *perfect and natural* prologue and Fifth Season is an
epilogue on steroids. It actually reminds me of an ep, the thing you do that I
love, that ST *never* does is the denoumont (sp?). We get ten minutes at the
end of an ep to exhale and listen to the characters think. The whole series is
going that way and allows for a perfect spin up into Crusade.
In any case Keep a'doing it.
Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 35883 S5/Seas. 5 SPOILERS
11-Jun-98 13:10:07
Sb: #35861-#Director's Viewpoint
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Oh, I still hear plenty from the naysayers...they can't argue with the
quality of the episodes now, so they say, "Well, it's too little, too late,"
totally ignoring all that went before to set this up.
Screw 'em. This season, there wasn't any pressure, there wasn't any
fighting for renewal since we knew this was gonna be it, so I wrote exactly
the show that I wanted to write. As long as more folks like it than don't,
which is precisely the case here, that's all that matters.
jms
[ Continued in next section -- BB ]
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