ATTN: JMS -- Gratitude and awe

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: Rebecca Strait <rjstrait at worldnet.att.net>
Date: 24 Nov 1998 10:23:15 -0700
Lines: 59

Joe,

I've only posted messages here twice before, but I wanted to take this
opportunity before I lost my chance, or my nerve.  As an aspiring writer
(who has yet to turn a story seed into a complete and publishable work),
I feel both gratitude and awe for the finished work of Babylon 5.  Awe
primarily for you, for writing 91 episodes and five movies that comprise
the most intricate, powerful and consistently interesting story it has
ever been my privelege to witness.  And gratitude for the inspiration
such a story provides (even if it does make my ideas pale in
comparison).

I was not one of your instant fans who fell in love the first week.  I
was in school during the first season, and what few episodes I saw were
far apart and disconnected from each other.  At first I only watched
because it was on after something else I liked.  By second season, I was
out of school and therefore able to devote my attention to more
important things ;-)  But without the background of season 1 or the
knowledge that there was such a thing as an "arc", I didn't realize how
special the show was for a while longer.  My brain was obviously still
mushy from all that education.

I don't know exactly when I became a "fan" of B5.  It must have been a
gradual process, but some episodes stick out in my memory.  "All Alone
in the Night", which made me say, "Waitaminnit, where did THAT come
from?".  "Comes the Inquisitor", which was probably the point where I
realized something very serious was going on.  And finally, "Severed
Dreams", after which I never missed a single episode.  At some point I
got connected to the net, and began to read about this show I'd fallen
for.  That, more than anything, brought home how much I'd been missing.

As a regular poster to the TNT bulletin boards, I have many times
expressed my appreciation to TNT for taking on B5.  Over the past year,
I have gotten to see everything I missed, in order, and I'm amazed.

I have a funny story for you:  Today, as I was trying to expand on my
latest story-seed to see if it might go somewhere, I was trying to write
an outline.  I had a crisis for the story, but it made no sense...so I
replaced it with something that sounded better.  I nipped here, tucked
there.  Finally, I stood back, looked it over...and laughed.  I had just
reinvented Babylon 5.  Oh, sure, it's on a planet, and there are only
three species involved...but the closer I looked, the more I realized
that every "better idea" I'd had had come indirectly from you.

Needless to say, I ripped it to shreds and started over.  But I
obviously have B5 on the brain this week.

Some people on the TNT boards have expressed some doubt about Crusade. 
And who can blame them?  It's hard for us mere mortals to imagine anyone
outdoing B5, even you.  But I think you can do it.  I don't think you've
exhausted your creativity just yet, and I await your next creation with
bated breath.

Rebecca S. (aka Worker Caste)

P.S.  Please tell Katherine thank you for me, too, not only for the best
B5 book to date, but also for helping keep you sane (or reasonably so)
for the past 5+ years.


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 25 Nov 1998 10:19:55 -0700
Lines: 18

Thanks....

>Some people on the TNT boards have expressed some doubt about Crusade. 
>And who can blame them?  It's hard for us mere mortals to imagine anyone
>outdoing B5, even you.  But I think you can do it.  I don't think you've
>exhausted your creativity just yet

Folks had the same doubts before B5 hit the air.  I'm used to it.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com




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