Joe's story in latest B5 magazine. SPOILERS!

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: "Shaz" <hypatia at Dial.pipex.com>
Date: 3 Apr 2000 11:47:50 -0600
Lines: 103

SPOILER SPACE FOR NEW B5 STORY. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET, AND DON'T WANT
TO BE SPOILED, DON'T READ THIS!!!!
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I'm warning you!
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All right, your choice.

That should be enough.

I liked it. Nice to see more about the Vorlons (neat twist about the ship.
Would save on repair bills if only you can get all the bits together!) and
just nice to see Ivanova again. Of course, I'd've liked it to be longer, but
then I'm just plain greedy when it comes to B5 stories! I liked Sheridan's
discomfort, and the way the ship reacted to his presence. I was a tad
surprised Ulkesh's ship was so friendly towards him, given he was primarily
responsible for toasting its owner, but I guess the ways of Vorlon ships,
like god, are beyond my understanding. It would have made more sense if the
ship had tried to fry him, or he'd somehow had to explain to it why he
should be allowed to live despite being its owner's murderer, but I suppose
there just isn't enough time in a short story to put in those details. Damn!
We need books to give people room to manoeuvre so they can plug details like
this. Maybe it sensed old Kosh's influence on Sheridan and preferred Naranek
to Ulkesh itself (hmm, I bet Ulkesh was annoyed if his ship ever expressed
its opinions!).

Just two things really bugged me.

1) The total cop out regarding what it looks like inside Kosh's ship. While
I appreciate it would be hard to describe except, perhaps, in metaphorical
terms, I doubt Ivanova would've given up so easily, and I doubt John would
have been so incapable of stringing a few words together. It just struck me
as Joe not having a clue WHAT to say, so choosing to avoid the issue
altogether. Hence 'there are no words' comment. If Sheridan can interact
with the ship well enough to pilot it out of B5 and into the Titan, he
comprehends something of what he is experiencing. That suggests at least
SOME of it (like how the heck he DOES that!) WOULD be within words,
otherwise he doesn't comprehend it. After all, Lorien said you can't have a
thought without language, and the thought that Sheridan has to know enough
to pilot the ship should therefore be expressible.

2) One thing that doesn't jive with what Joe said in Sleeping in Light
comments. He said Ivanova had never mentioned the name of Marcus since he
died, hence the reaction of the others at the toast (and it says that in the
script as well, which I saw when a legal copy was auctioned for charity last
year at Telefantastique. There it says something along the lines that
Ivanova hadn't said the name in 20 years and the reactions of the others
should 'sell' this detail, which they certainly did. Of course, Marcus died
19 years ago, not twenty, so I could be a real swine and point out THAT
detail was wrong as well, but what the heck!) , yet she DOES say his name to
John in this story, which is, what, 19 years later? Maybe 18 as Sheridan
died at the end of season 3, Marcus at the end of season 4 and this is set
during season 5. Anyway, she almost says it once (at which I thought 'good,
this is consistent'), and then DOES say it when she's alone with John (at
which I thought 'oh blast! That doesn't fit!').

It's a nit-pick, I know, but I rather liked the idea Ivanova had such a
problem with Marcus that she couldn't even say his name. Now that detail has
been lost, and that's a shame. Ah well.

I'm still looking forward to the next one.

Shaz
--

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 3 Apr 2000 17:23:09 -0600
Lines: 42

>1) The total cop out regarding what it looks like inside Kosh's ship. While
>I appreciate it would be hard to describe except, perhaps, in metaphorical
>terms, I doubt Ivanova would've given up so easily, and I doubt John would
>have been so incapable of stringing a few words together.

There's an old saying: to suggest is to create, to define is to kill.  No
matter how amazingly I had described Kosh's ship -- and I do happen to know
what's inside and how it looks -- it would have eliminated the mystery of it. 
The way it's written, you can see anything you want, as big as you want, and it
stays mysterious.  It's the "behind the door" scenario: you hear something
knocking on the other side of hte door, and for as long as you don't open the
door, it could be ANYthing.  The moment you open the door, and see that it's a
six foot cockroach, you can think, "Well, it could be worse, it could've been a
ten foot cockroach."

No matter what I would've described, somebody would have said, "Well, it wasn't
as special as *I* imagined it would be."  So best to keep the mystery intact.

>2) One thing that doesn't jive with what Joe said in Sleeping in Light
>comments. He said Ivanova had never mentioned the name of Marcus since he
>died, hence the reaction of the others at the toast (and it says that in the
>script as well, which I saw when a legal copy was auctioned for charity

But it wasn't said in the episode, now was it?  Wasn't said in dialogue.  That
was written to give the actor in question a sense of weight for the line.  

It's really only fair to hold the show to what's actually *said*.


 jms

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