JMS CIS Digest: 09-Nov-99 21:18 through 09-Nov-99 23:03 (4 msgs)

[John D. Hardin]

RFC 1153 Digest of messages from
J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
09-Nov-99 21:18 through 09-Nov-99 23:03 (4 messages)

WARNING: This digest may contain information about shows
         you haven't seen yet ("spoilers"). Proceed with caution.

Subjects in digest:
        B5 Sightings
        Rising Star 11/22/99
        B5 Bible/Treatment!

Administrivia:
  South Park fans may wish to visit:
    http://www.infinicorp.com/babylonpark/

  With the end of Crusade and the great reduction in the volume of
  posts by JMS, I have decided the time has come to discontinue
  production of the Digest. I will continue to collect and repost any
  JMS traffic through at least the end of September, but unless SciFi
  (or somebody) picks up Crusade and the message volume increases the
  Digest will end no later than the end of this year. What a ride it
  has been!

  The administrivia for this digest may be read at
  http://www.wolfenet.com/~jhardin/JMS-Digest-Administrivia.txt
  It was last updated Sat Feb 13 10:21:30 1999

  Replies to this digest go to John Hardin.

obSpoiler-space...
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Date: 08 Nov 1999 17:21:12 -0700
From: Graham Smith <74010.764 at compuserve.com>
To: ALL 
Subject: B5 Sightings
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72410 at compuserve.com>

In the Jan 2000 issue of SciFi magazine, there is a photo of jms
receiving a Saturn Award.  He is flanked by Gary Cole in a nice black
suit and Marjean Holden (misspelled as Holder) wearing a dress that
threatened to steam up the camera lens.

However, the real hoot for me is that Joe is dressed in a sport coat,
turtle neck, and *blue jeans*.  Just my kind of outfit.  A snappy
dresser to the end :)

 --Graham

PS.  On the subject of typos, the cover lists an interview with Maria
(rather than Marina) Sirtis.  Who edits this thing anyway?

------------------------------

Date: 09 Nov 1999 23:03:08 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: Graham Smith <74010.764 at compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 Sightings
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72437 at compuserve.com>
References: <forum.babylon5.72410 at compuserve.com>

"However, the real hoot for me is that Joe is dressed in a sport coat,
turtle neck, and *blue jeans*.  Just my kind of outfit.  A snappy
dresser to the end :)"

      It was either that or wear proper slacks with a Superman tie.  I
just can't take anything seriously....

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Nov 1999 21:18:10 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: All 
Subject: Rising Star 11/22/99
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72435 at compuserve.com>

     Just as an FYI, the next issue of RISING STARS will be out at
newsstands around the 22nd.  It's a particularly good one, following
the story of pyrokinetic Lee Jackson after he fled at the beginning. 
We also learn a very possible motive for the series of murders.  It's a
good one.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 09 Nov 1999 21:18:11 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: All 
Subject: B5 Bible/Treatment!
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72436 at compuserve.com>

Also posted to the net:

For the last six years, I've been asked repeatedly -- in email and at
conventions -- "Are you ever going to make the original B5 series
writers' bible available?"  My general reaction was to simply
say...maybe someday.

After considerable reflection, and as a Solstice present to B5
viewers... we're finally going to make it available.

TWO such *its*, to be precise.

First: The original Babylon 5 Series Treatment

This is the 23 page document, written in September 1988, that was used
to sell the series for the five years it took to find a buyer.  It has
different characters than were ever seen in the show, such as Dr.
Chakri Mendak (a role that later became Dr. Stephen Franklin) and more
background on Vice-Commander Laurel Chang... Sinclair's background is
also quite different from what we eventually ended up with... Delenn
was a male...the Vorlons were warlike, squabbling aliens....

This was the first attempt to put B5 down on paper, in a process that
would change and evolve over the next 5 years. Ideas that were never
used, characters who would never be seen again, the first stirrings of
the Minbari War story (including a never used alternate explanation for
why they surrendered), Delenn was a male character... Kosh had a mate
who came with him to B5...on and on and on.

Second: The original Season One Babylon 5 Writer's Bible

This massive tome weighs in at over 60 pages, with comprehensive
backgrounds on all the characters as well as guidelines for writing SF
for TV in ways that would be different than all of our predecessors. It
lays out the first year of the arc and warns potential writers away
from areas we plan to explore in later years, has additional
backgrounds on regular characters never actually used in the series
(such as a strange fellow named Mr. Jones who would have been
alternately a bane and ally to Garibaldi), stories that would
eventually be filmed, other stories that would never be used,
information on the the history and technology of the B5 universe, Psi
Corps, Earthforce, the various governments, and other areas...this is
the Big One, the Grail of the B5 fictional world.  The table of
contents alone covers 2 pages.

This bible was ONLY given to prospective writers, who were in turn
asked to keep the material totally confidential. The treatment was ONLY
given to network/studio. heads and others in a position to buy the
series.

In addition, BOTH of these documents will be peppered with the
original illustrations by Peter Ledger used to sell and visualize the
series in its earliest stage, including the original keyhole logo, many
of them reproduced in full color, others b&w.  Some of these images
have shown up in various places, but others will be seen here by the
world at large for the first time.

I debated long and hard about whether or not I would ever make these
available, but finally decided to give in to the many requests for the
release of this material.

This material will shortly be made available at www.thestation.com and
via phone orders. I don't know how long we'll make them available, but
I suspect it may not be very long.

In reading through the documents, it's like taking a trip back through
time to what was, to the very beginnings of the series, what would be,
what might've been, what never was...what got abandoned on the side of
the road, what was kept. At times the material is coy, informative,
deliberately misleading in a couple of places where I wanted to avoid
leaks, rude and sometimes it actually makes a rough kind of sense.

They're going to cost a bit more than the scripts, because at 60+
pages in the case of the bible, and with the color illustrations,
they're more expensive to produce, and we're only doing a limited
number of these.

Expect the full info to go up on thestation.com in a few days.

jms


------------------------------


End of JMS CIS Digest 09-Nov-99 21:18 through 09-Nov-99 23:03
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